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The Needlework Nutshell—February 1, 2007 Volume 3, Issue 2 February 1, 2007 <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL Needlework news, musings, tips, contests, and what’s happening now at FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> Editor: Jen Funk Weber Mail to: mailto:mail@funkandweber.com Web site: http://www.funkandweber.com Your privacy is important to us. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. *********************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE *********************************************************** 1. Needlework Musings 2. Tips and Tricks and Brilliant Ideas 3. What’s New at Funk & Weber Designs 4. Make It Yours! 5. Readers Ask 6. Puzzle Contest 7. Contact/Subscribe/Unsubscribe *********************************************************** 1. NEEDLEWORK MUSINGS *********************************************************** To date, all Funk & Weber Designs patterns have used primarily DMC floss, with a few specialty fibers added for accents. The reasons to use DMC are many: it's readily available (boy, do I understand this issue), it has the widest color selection, it's a good-quality fiber, Big Box stores often sell it at a loss to entice shoppers to come in and buy other things, so it's inexpensive. The pattern that I'm currently stitching, Mike's new puzzle design, uses overdyed threads. It was a hard decision to make. We worry that some stitchers will be turned off by the expense of overdyed fibers, or find their use intimidating. Naturally, we want our patterns to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, but we also want them to be unique and interesting. We want them to be accessible and convenient for stitchers, but we want to support the small companies that are making great products. So many considerations, so many choices! This project would work with just about any fiber. The overdyeds give it a more true-to-life appearance, but DMC solids (or Anchor, or Presencia, or...) would create a more brilliant stylized interpretation. (You're surprised I didn't go for the brilliant colors, aren't you?) I'd love to stitch it both ways, but I probably won't. In the end, what tipped the scales toward the overdyeds was *fun.* It's fun for me to manipulate the colors for a look we like; it's fun for Mike to see how these fibers work; it will be fun for stitchers who haven't worked with overdyed fibers; it will be fun to see the differences between final products--with overdyed threads, no two pieces will be the same. And, for those who choose to go the DMC route, it will be great fun to select color substitutions. Granted, I'm basing all these thoughts on my own interpretation of "fun," but that's really all I have to work with, now isn't it? I hope Everyone will find it fun, and I hope Someone will stitch it in solids and share it with us. *********************************************************** 2. TIPS AND TRICKS AND BRILLIANT IDEAS *********************************************************** I'm well into stitching Mike's new Puzzle Pattern, which, by the way, does not yet have a title. I am using overdyed threads from The Gentle Art. In December, I stitched a sample so that I could work out my technique and show Mike the effects of overdyed thread. The versatility of overdyed threads makes them a treat to use, and offers endless design options. To explore this versatility, I stitched 4 sample blocks using 4 different techniques. I used a moderately variegated fiber to better show the effects. A more variegated thread will have a stronger effect, and the overdyed "solids" will have less. I'm using technique #4, elegantly titled "blobs," for the Puzzle Pattern. http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/overdyed-thread.html Consider substituting an overdyed thread for a focal element in one of your current works-in-progress. The different fiber will draw the eye to that element. If the pattern calls for a DMC color, simply match that color to an overdyed fiber. I pick up DMC skein and hold it next to several variegated skeins to see which I like best. If you're unsure about doing this, get a second opinion from the shop owner or employee--or another customer. Independent shop owners tend to be *great* at substituting colors and fibers and fabrics. You can't own a shop without having a sense of adventure! If you have a favorite way to use overdyed threads, please share with us. *********************************************************** 3. WHAT’S NEW AT FUNK & WEBER *********************************************************** I'm stitching, stitching, stitching Mike's new Puzzle Pattern and contemplating what the title should be. It's a Big piece, so the stitching will take some time. Progress is being tracked on the Needle & Th*READ* blog. (See below for link.) ~~~~~~~~~~ Remember the Nancy Drew activity books that dominated my life July 2006? (They'll be out in May.) Well, activity books for THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES movie will dominate my life in February. I can't wait! http://spiderwick.com ~~~~~~~~~~ We're blogging! I have a Team Blog with my online critique group. There are 6 of us, from CT to AK, who have been reading and critiquing each other's work for about 3 years. Pairs of us have met in person a few times, but never have we met face-to-face, all together. We hope to meet in Ohio in April 2007. Our focus, of course, is children's writing. http://6writers1story.blogspot.com/ I have *another* blog on my own. Think I can't possibly have that much to say? Remember, I live in rural Alaska and hate to travel in winter. I go for days and weeks without seeing anyone but Mike. I can pretty much talk anyone's ear off! The question is whether or not I have anything worthwhile to say, but I'm not touching that one. http://JenFunkWeber.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ Due to exceptional busy-ness next summer, we have decided that the next Alaska Stitch-N-Safari will be scheduled for the summer of 2008. Information about these special stitching tours is available on our web site http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/tour.html *********************************************************** 4. MAKE IT YOURS! *********************************************************** For everyone who has wished our LET THERE BE NIGHT Stitchlings were *not* stitched on black fabric. (Yes, you--you, who rolled your eyes!) Cheers to Linda in Jefferson, SC, for taking matters into her own hands and making the design hers. Check it out: http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/make-it-yours-linda.html ~~~~~~~~~~ Have you adapted a pattern to Make It Yours? Tell us about it! mail@funkandweber.com *********************************************************** 5. READERS ASK *********************************************************** Please e-mail me with questions for this section. mail@funkandweber.com Becca asked about stitchers selling finished items and profiting from their stitching work. This is a great question. I agree that stitchers should be allowed to profit from their work. However, it's *only* the stitching that a stitcher has a *right* to benefit from. A stitcher does not have a *right* to benefit from the work of the designer. Hmmm...That's kind of like extracting a pound of flesh, but no blood, isn't it? Here's how that's properly done in needlework: When you (meaning the stitcher) sell the stitched work, you sell the pattern you used along with it. The end-user (your buyer) has then purchased the pattern and, essentially, your stitching service. You make your money on the stitching, the designer makes money on the pattern, the fabric manufacturer makes money on the fabric, the floss manufacturer makes money on the fiber, etc. Everyone gets his/her share. In the custom clothing business, this is how it's done. (Or it used to be, when there were custom clothiers.) The seamstress/tailor purchases a pattern for a customer. That pattern is used *only* for that customer. It is not used for multiple customers. Most often that pattern is kept in the customer's file at the clothier rather than given to the customer, but it's the customer's pattern. The problem comes when a stitcher uses a pattern to make multiple items to sell. In this scenario, the stitcher, fabric manufacturer, fiber manufacturer, etc. all get "their share," but the pattern designer does not. Many end-users wind up with the design, without ever purchasing it. That's not unlike a stitcher photocopying a pattern and handing it out to a number of people. When a stitcher produces multiple items from a single pattern in order to sell them, s/he should "license" the design from the designer, i.e. get permission from the designer. That's what manufacturers do when they use a Mary Engelbreit design on, say, mugs. The "license" pays the designer for his/her creative work. I think many designers would be happy to license their designs to a crafter who wanted to stitch and sell items for profit. Most likely, an official tag giving credit to the designer would also be required. This way, Everyone wins. *********************************************************** 6. PUZZLE CONTEST *********************************************************** Play with me! Solve this puzzle, and be entered to win a free Funk & Weber Designs pattern! Winners will be randomly selected from all correct entries. E-mail your answer, with “PUZZLE CONTEST” in the subject line. The deadline for this month’s puzzle is midnight (Alaska time, of course) February 7, 2007. The winner will be selected on February 8, 2007 (or shortly thereafter), notified by e-mail, and announced on our web site and in the next NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To avoid sending e-mail attachments, contest puzzles will be uploaded to our web site. I will provide a link to the puzzle in THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To the puzzle! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/nutshell/dial.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~ JANUARY PUZZLE CONTEST WINNER: Kathy, from Pace, FL. The answer: A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. *********************************************************** 7. CONTACT FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS *********************************************************** SUBSCRIBE: 57410-subscribe@zinester.com UNSUBSCRIBE: 57410-unsubscribe@zinester.com ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/57410 Jen Funk Weber mail@funkandweber.com http://www.funkandweber.com Copyright 2007, Funk & Weber Designs |
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