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The Needlework Nutshell—March 1, 2008 Volume 4, Issue 3 March 1, 2008 <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> 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. Readers Ask 5. Puzzle Contest 6. Contact/Subscribe/Unsubscribe *********************************************************** 1. NEEDLEWORK MUSINGS *********************************************************** 2008 is a leap year. We get an extra day in February. How many times have you wished for an extra hour in a day? As often as I have, I suspect. This year, we get twenty-four extra hours! I plan to use them as the extra hours I've wanted so many times. I will do things I haven't had enough time to do, but only fun things. I haven't had time to finish the wiring in the stairwell, but that's not how I'll use February 29th. I also haven't had time to bake bread and doodle with thread lately. Something extra--be it time, a note tucked in a lunchbox, or an added dangle on a bookmark--is a treat. It's special. When I offer something extra, I feel especially good, as though I've done an extra-special job. When I receive something extra, I feel lucky, grateful. Those are good feelings, so I keep an eye out for extras I can add. When I assembled images for CLUELESS IN ALASKA, I added a photo of my father with his silver salmon catch. The image didn't need to include my father, but it did the job of illustrating salmon and had the extra benefit of putting my dad in my book. It was a surprise. He didn't know about it until he received the book. How great do you think I felt about that extra?! In the Nancy Drew activity books that I wrote some time ago, I hid the names of all my critique group members and the kids that tested puzzles in a word search. The official instructions ask readers to find a list of baked goods, but there are another 11 names that can be sought and found if you're in on the secret. I love secrets and surprises--extras! We do the same in our designs, of course. Sometimes the extras are hidden, sometimes they're not. We wouldn't have to add real constellations to some of our LET THERE BE NIGHT patterns, but we did. I didn't have to write a haiku for THE TRAIL HOME, but I did. I kind of wish I'd stitched it on the picture. (Hello? Anyone interested?) Needlework is full of "extra" potential. For starters, adding needlework to anything--a card, a jacket, a placemat--makes it special. We often add buttons, charms, and fun fibers to projects to up the special factor. A lot of things we talk about here are extras we can add to boost a project to a new level, like Dot's replacing alphabets with personal sayings. Truth is, we can add extras to just about everything we do. It makes every day extra special. ~~~~~~~~~~ SUBSCRIPTION NOTICE The last time I checked, there were 277 "pending" subscriptions to The Needlework Nutshell. That means 277 people took the first step to subscribe, but did not confirm the subscription. You must "double opt in" to receive this newsletter. That means responding to an e-mail confirmation. This second quick step prevents random people from subscribing others to newsletters and mailing lists. If you're reading this in the Zinester archives or some other place and would like to subscribe, please remember to confirm your subscription. If you don't receive the confirmation email, contact Zinester support to let them know. Thanks! *********************************************************** 2. TIPS AND TRICKS AND BRILLIANT IDEAS *********************************************************** Speaking of extras...my latest thing, which came about as I prepared bracelets and other needlework jewelry for my CHA displays, is overstitching with Kreinik metallic threads. For those of you who don't like working with metallics, this might be a good option. "Overstitching" means adding stitches on top of previously stitched areas. Backstitching is a kind of overstitching. In particular, I overstitched the 3-sided stitch on the border of bracelets. Because the pattern was already established with easy-to-work-with pearl cotton, the holes in the fabric were pre-opened, and the metallic fibers slid easily and evenly through the design. I used a single strand of #4 very fine braid and did not double any of the stitches, so it went quickly, and it was a snap! The difference it makes is significant. It adds a hint of sparkle--nothing overwhelming or gaudy--and it makes an already fabulous bracelet extra special. For those of you who make Funk & Weber Designs bracelets, give this a shot. You can do it on a finished bracelet. I posted some images on our Web site to demonstrate this, but I don't think they do the technique justice. It's hard to capture the sparkle in a picture, but I tried. http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/overstitching.html In addition to metallics, I've overstitched with Kreinik's glow-in-the-dark threads. The moon and cabin window in TWILIGHT TREASURES are overstitched this way. By stitching with cotton fibers first, I got good coverage and ease-of-stitching. Overstitching added that something extra, giving it an extra special look. These examples of overstitching are just the beginning. One can stitch layer upon layer upon layer and achieve a wonderful complex look with real depth: visual and literal. I've only just begun exploring this, but it fascinates and excites me. I like the sparkle look so much that I've declared 2008 my Kreinik year. I'm going to add sparkle to everything I create this year, the new puzzle pattern excepted, which, while still being stitched this year, was actually created two or so years ago (yeesh!), so it doesn't count anyway. Take a look at the projects you have going. Would overstitching with metallics enhance any of the patterns for an extra special look? Check out Kreinik fibers at your local needlework shop or here: http://www.kreinik.com/ *********************************************************** 3. WHAT’S NEW AT FUNK & WEBER? *********************************************************** The Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy 2008 Bookmark Challenge starts on March 20! Are you ready? I have a press release that I will make available to anyone who wants to post it on a Web site or blog. If our goal is to raise awareness about reading and stitching, then we need to make some noise. We need to not only stitch bookmarks for libraries and schools, but let the world know we're doing it! If you have a Web site or blog and want to announce that you support the Bookmark Challenge, visit the Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy Web site to download the press release. Okay, it's not there yet, but it will be soon! I'd like to have everyone post the notice on March 20th, opening day of the Challenge. http://JenFunkWeber.com ~~~~~~~~~~ Funk & Weber Designs released three new bookmark patterns at the TNNA NeedleArts Market in January. They are now posted on our Web site. All three are part of the Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy program, so a minimum of 10% of our profits from the sale of these patterns is donated to literacy non-profits. http://funkandweber.com/fw/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~ Karen Kluba at Rosewood Manor is the latest designer to join our Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy campaign. Karen has just released her Read, Learn, Dream Bookmarks pattern. You can see it on her Web site and also on the Stitching for Literacy Web site. http://www.rosewoodxstitch.bigstep.com/ http://jenfunkweber.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ I am looking for personal stories about reading and stitching. Stories about someone who discovered something important in a book, stories about someone benefiting from needlework, stories about groups that read and stitch together. Anything that demonstrates the value of reading and/or stitching. If you've got one of these, please share it with me so that I can share it with Everyone on the blog during the Bookmark Challenge, March 20-May 8. ~~~~~~~~~~ I have a couple of people interested in a 2009 Stitch-N-Safari. If I get a few more, we can start working to put together a trip. I'd love to do it, but I need commitments from at least 6 people before I ask the tour company to work the trip into their schedule. We're talking 2009 now, so there's lots of time to save and plan. If you're interested, please let me know, even if you've contacted me in the past. I'm starting a new list. I'd love to share this beautiful state with you! ~~~~~~~~~~ The Spiderwick Chronicles activity books are out! I first saw them in a bookstore across the street from the Long Beach Convention Center. Then, at Fred Meyer in Eagle River, AK, there was a large cardboard display with a bunch of Spiderwick movie tie-in books--INCLUDING MINE! Yee-ha! But I still don't have my copies. Sigh. And they aren't posted on my Web site, either, but they are on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/ysdfvj ~~~~~~~~~~ Changes are afoot for The Needlework Nutshell. I have decided that I really, really like writing this newsletter and I want to improve it, make it more interesting, informative, and accessible. That's one of my goals for 2008. As I begin to implement the changes I have in mind, I'm curious about the changes you might like to see. What do you like about this newsletter? What would you like to see more of? Go on, suggest anything. You never know where an idea might lead--look at the Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy program! And what's the point of dreaming small? Hmm...I think I need to stitch that sentiment. *********************************************************** 4. READERS ASK *********************************************************** Please e-mail me with questions for this section. mail@funkandweber.com Kat asked, "How was CHA?" Okay, Kat's not a Nutshell reader. At least, I don't think she is. Are you, Kat? But she did ask and I thought it would be fun to answer her here. CHA was a blast! For starters, I enjoyed the solo adventure. It's satisfying to explore something new all alone. It makes me feel brave and adventurous; plus, I get to make all the decisions about when to get up, what to do, where to go. If I did it all the time, it might get to be a burden, but there's a sense of freedom and control in making all the decisions oneself. Anaheim was beautiful. I loved walking back and forth between the hotel and the convention center. So warm and sunny--very different from Alaska! My teammate in the Fashion Display wound up seriously hurting herself a week before the show and could not come. That meant I was on my own--never having been to a CHA show before--to set up our display titled AFTERNOON LADIES TEA AT THE ZOO. Luckily, my partner's completed crafts arrived in Alaska before I headed south, so at least I had her work along with mine. I would have done something on my own if necessary, but it would have been a very sparse display. It took me only about 2 hours to set up our display of fashion and accessory crafts with a zoo tea theme. I didn't even require help, though any of the other designers would have been willing to assist me had I asked. The display was by no means the best designer display in the row of fifteen, but it wasn't the worst, either. Actually, truth be told, I'd have been hard pressed to choose a "worst." They were all good! The purpose of the Fashion Displays is threefold: they provide ideas and inspiration for shop displays, they show projects that can be purchased by editors/publishers/manufacturers, they provide examples of designer work so that manufacturers seeking designer help get a sense of who might be best-suited to the job. I also had a designer showcase which is a smaller tabletop display that again shows projects that are available for magazines, books, and manufacturer uses. I may have some magazine projects in my future, but more on that when and if they materialize. In addition to participating in the designer displays, I walked around the show. I met people with whom I might one day work, and I discovered new products being used in a variety of crafts. The TNNA shows are *needlework* shows. CHA is a *craft and hobby* show, heavy on the scrapbooking and paper crafts. I discovered a lot of non-needlework things that I think could cross over in exciting new ways. Many needleworkers are multi-crafters; I know I am. So I perused the scrapbooking booths with the same attention I gave needlework booths. I came home with bunches of ideas and a heap of enthusiasm. Now I need to follow up on them. *********************************************************** 5. PUZZLE CONTEST *********************************************************** Okay, I'm in the midst of creating puzzles for three books, so I'm taking the easy way out this month. I don't feel badly at all--I love cryptograms! 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) March 7, 2008. The winner will be selected on March 8, 2008 (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/crypto0308.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~ FEBRUARY PUZZLE CONTEST WINNER: Denise, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Answer: Will, Crux, Guts, Gist Opinions varied regarding what these words have in common, but from where I sit, they are all synonyms of "heart," which seemed appropriate for the month that hosts Valentine's Day. *********************************************************** 6. 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 http://JenFunkWeber.com/ http://6writers1story.blogspot.com/ Copyright 2008, Funk & Weber Designs |
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