2013 – My Needle's Song

The Holiday Wind-Down

Wow.. I made it through my first Christmas with online shops. The last day for shipping to the US and Canada was December 13th, and I needed to have anything for friends and family here in Finland to the Posti by the 16th. I only had one last minute crisis with running out of braid. We had to go into town for more. Then we had a winter storm hit and we lost our power. I did make it through, and found out I *can* stitch by candlelight if I have to! Whew!! I can breathe again!!

On the horizon for the shops…. spring, Easter, some items for Valentine’s Day. I do have some charts in the works for more Finnish magnets. The shops will all get a new banner shortly, and new items. Christmas ornaments will be retired from some of the shops, but will be available year round in others. I do work on Christmas pretty much year round, I just don’t always put things in the shops! I do plan on having goodies for Halloween next year too. Just know you will see a lot more of my work, and in more places than before.

I do hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. Please do drop by the Facebook Page often. I will try to update a bit more frequently as I add things.

Happy Stitching!

The Good News!

There will not be a postal strike… they managed to settle on a contract so things are going to go back to normal here very quickly. Maybe it is because I had a game plan already in place just in case?

Of course, Good News always has Bad News paired with it. In this case, it is mixed news. We do have a postal increase coming on January 1st. I am going to do my best to keep my postage and handling the same. It’s about a 10% increase, which is pretty hefty. Still, I am going to put off raising any of my pricing and fees until I absolutely have to.

Christmas is winding down as far as the shop goes. I will not be introducing anything else new this year – there simply isn’t the time to do it right. Have no fears – the shops will be there year round. For next year, you can count on far more variety than I had this year, and I will start listing the new stock as I complete it. Watch this blog or my Facebook Page for notices of releases.

So.. like our happy little elf here… it’s time for me to skedaddle…

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Threat of a Postal Strike

This isn’t good news. The Finnish postal service has been in negotiations recently and said if they did not reach an agreement today, then they would stage wildcat strikes intermittently. Several cities will not have services on Friday, the 29th of November. There is also a threat of a national strike beginning on December 9th. IF this happens, this could seriously delay any shipments sent out after that date. They do pick a great time, eh? As it is, the suggested last day to send anything outside of Finland for Christmas delivery is December 13th (regular mail).

My suggestion.. If you plan to place an order, please do so early. I would hate to see an order placed that I cannot get delivered to you before the holidays. IF there is a national strike, I will place the shops in Vacation mode. This means you will not be able to place an order UNLESS you email me first.

I will keep you updated on this development. Just don’t panic if you see the stores in Vacation or Closed mode. I am not closing shop or going anywhere. It is just the postal strike.

Where Does Time Go?

Hard to believe this is already mid-November! No snow yet here in Western Finland, but it won’t be too much longer. Yes, I know, I have been too quiet lately. That just means I am getting some things done.

The shops have had new ornaments added since the last posting. My collection of Christmas greetings is growing – Finnish, Swedish/Norwegian, Italian, French, Spanish. I still have more to stitch. If the collection isn’t done this year, it may be done for next! Ornaments will be available year round at the Headquarters, Galleria, and Showcase shops. You are always welcome to message me and request something special for next year. I already had one smart shopper do just that, and her custom ornament is already on its way to her.

One huge note — the last recommended day to order if you are in the US or Canada is DECEMBER 13th! Because most of my items can be shipped as letters, you have just a few extra days to order. You can still place your order after that date of course, but I cannot guarantee delivery before Christmas.

The shop also has a new mascot — that pretty silvery reindeer. We have named him Perttu mainly because when anything happens around the house, my husband always says that Perttu did it. You will see him holding my ornaments in the latest pictures. The reindeer is almost a national symbol here in Finland as we have so many in Lapland. You will see a lot more of Perttu in the months to come. And yes, he is not just a holiday decoration here either!

So… stay warm and dry. Get your shopping done early… and until next time,

HAPPY STITCHING!

Location Location Location

How about shop news without the views? Let’s just say it has gotten pretty intense behind the scenes lately. I do have lot of new treats for everyone. Most are still trying to think of what they are going to do for Halloween, and have no clue about Christmas yet. Well.. I try to have things available early for those that like to avoid the rush. This is a new design that is available in all of the shops. It’s also one of my own. I will probably not be selling this chart due to the number of fractional stitches. If you want this chart, leave a comment for me on Facebook, and I may be persuaded.

My Finnish tonttu is also stitched and in the shops. He was so much fun to do. I have released the chart for this one, but fair warning – it is not for the faint of heart. Just about every single row has some sort of fractional stitch! I will have an easier one out too.

I have other Christmas designs filtering into the shops as I get the stitching and finishing done. So far, it is the Finnish, French, and Italian greetings that are completed. I will have more before November 1st.

I do have more than one place to find my pieces now, each has their own features and strengths. The first 3 shops also have a promo going on through 10/31. If you use the coupon code HOMEATLAST when you check out, you will get 20% off your order entire order.

The Boutique has the most current releases and offers instant downloads of PDF files. This shop is in a huge marketplace, so if I don’t have what you are looking for, you do have lots of other choices. Be careful though – not everyone is handmade there. You will see your selling price in the currency you set.
The Galleria has the full range of my items. This marketplace is clearly marked as to what is handmade and what is not. PDF Downloads are by email at the moment (instant to come soon). Selling prices here are in US dollars only.
The Showcase also has everything, much like the Galleria shop. The difference here is that if you don’t find what you want in my shop, there are very few other stitchers in that marketplace. Selling prices are in US dollars only. PDF downloads are by email only.
The Bazaar is the newest shop and not fully stocked yet. This one is based in Germany. The marketplace is geared a bit more towards fashion and accessories. I do have the Christmas ornaments there currently and will add more very soon. Selling prices are in the currency you set. PDF downloads are by email only.
Headquarters has all the products all the time. There is no marketplace here – this is the main location. If you don’t find what you want in my shop, there are no other shops you can visit. On the other hand, this is the only shop with everything I have stocked that is priced in Euros. PDF downloads are by email only.

So you see, I have been very busy. It is time for my little fingers to get back to flying on the fabric instead of across the keys.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

The Fuss about Handmade

So, what’s all this fuss? Why is everyone all worked up over handmade these days? Why should you care?

If you love going to the craft shows and seeing all the unique handmade treasures, you have probably noticed more and more manufactured items being offered. Some shows have stopped being craft shows all together. Artisans and crafters do the shows to offer their creations to the public at reasonable prices. We can’t afford to have a full time shop with staff for a hobby. We can afford to rent a space or table and spend time getting to know the public.

Handmade means someone (a human) created the design and had a direct hand in completing it. With my items, I do all of the stitching myself. I do some of the design work as well. I do all of the finishing. My husband does help with the photography. But, I do 90% of the process by myself. It is handmade. Where it stops being handmade is if I engage a factory to mass-produce my designs and represent them as being my own work. Or farm them out to a village of needleworkers and pay them pennies per item. If my husband creates furniture, it is his hands at the machines, his hands applying the coats of finish and not some employee or subcontractor in a factory somewhere else.

The internet has been a blessing for so many creative people. For many years, the only option to us was to list our goods on eBay and hope someone bid on them. The listing fees were reasonable and payment could be made through PayPal. It was better than nothing, but not much. We could also build our own site and then hope that someone found us.

Enter the marketplace sites. The biggest and best known is Etsy. Why? It focused on handmade items as well as allowing vintage goods and craft supplies. You could find all kinds of wonderful items there, most of it with that unique flavor. I have a shop on there for my finished magnets and ornaments and I help with another shop that sells stitching supplies.

At the beginning of October 2013, Etsy rocked our world and announced they would start accepting manufactured goods. Yep. This now means that people like me can go out and hire others to do the work for me and still call it handmade. Really? They are now allowing us to apply for approval. The very first one approved doesn’t make his bags at all – a factory in a different state does. Should he be competing with all of the sellers who do create fantastic bags by themselves in the same marketplace? I don’t think so. His items are nice… but they are now mass produced. You are not getting a one of a kind item. You are getting a quality item from a small business.

So, one very clever, driven lady decided to do something positive about this. Stacey Sobelman of SMARTdesigns by Stacey created the logo you see above and put the word out to other pure handcrafted sellers. In just two short weeks, over 400 have joined her team from all over the world. We proudly display her graphic to help visitors find the unique, one of a kind items they have come to expect from Etsy. If you see a shop using this graphic, it means they make everything they sell. It makes shopping for handmade even easier!!

Shop Handmade

I think this is more important this year, more than ever before especially when you consider the state of the global economy. It isn’t as hard as you think and you will save time, energy, and gas by thinking ahead a bit and this is the perfect time of year to do it. So very many have lost their jobs (and hope) and have turned to alternative means of earning a living.

Here are just a few ideas for you….

Everyone has services they need. Buy gift certificates for oil changes, haircuts, and meals from your favorite local establishments. Hire a cleaning lady for a day to help your mom or grandmother. Have her lawn cut while you are at it.
Just about every single town has a local art gallery or shop where artisans in the area sell their work. Why buy copycat when you can have a real original, handmade, unique item?
If you don’t have one in your area, don’t fret. You have a HUGE online arts and crafts community in Etsy. You can easily find everything from vintage to downloadable patterns to craft supplies. Folksy in the UK is also great and iCraft in Canada sells only reviewed handmade items.

If you have been following this site for any length of time, you know that I actively sell on Etsy and Storenvy. I do highly recommend shopping on such sites for two huge reasons. First, you can use Paypal to make your purchase. This means your precious credit card numbers are never revealed to anyone. You do have Paypal watching over the transaction. If you don’t receive your items, you can get your money back by simply filing a complaint. Second, you have the site itself. Etsy is very proud of its customer service and fulfillment. Items listed are supposed to be accurately pictured and described or you can get your money back. It’s a double layer of protection that you don’t usually get shopping in a box store.

One other consideration – a good number of the sellers on Etsy do custom work for either no additional charge or very reasonable fees. You can easily afford to give something custom designed to everyone on your list, have it delivered to your door securely, and pay less money than you would fighting the crowds in your local mall.

Think about it.. shop handmade – support handmade!

A Start

There is just something so very exciting about taking the first few stitches in a new project. I do a LOT of smaller pieces for magnets and ornaments so it should not be a big deal.. but it is. I have two larger designs I have promised to do for a request quilt. Both are due next year, but… I don’t want to wait and it is their day today.

The challenge is to find a superhero chart that will be between 4 x4 and 9×9 inches when complete. The young recipient happens to like Superman. This chart popped into mind immediately when I signed up for the project. No, it will not be on black.

Today happens to be our 2nd wedding anniversary (Love you, Baby!) and we went to the neighboring town of Rauma. The local yarn shop carries some DMC colors and I wanted to be sure I had fresh skeins for the blue and red parts. Kajava doesn’t carry either blue called for on this chart!!! It is okay. I have a backup plan in place. I have a shop here in Eura that does carry Anchor and she has most colors. I do have full skeins of all the colors on hand, so I am good to go.

Get the fabric out, make sure it is the right type and size to meet the guidelines for this project. Seal the edges of the fabric with Fray Check because I don’t have a sewing machine yet… find the center.. yes, the very very center. Now, count carefully to your starting point. Mark it.. count it again. Start your thread and breathe…. it’s on its way. I’m now about an hour into this one…

This is the left side of the neck (as you look at the chart). The reds tend to fuzz a bit, so they will be the last color to go in if at all possible. I did want to stop and share the excitement of the first few stitches with you though….

I did complete the chart and file for the Finnish Tonttu from yesterday’s post. It is now listed on my Etsy Shop and available for immediate download.

Thanks for stopping by… and until next time, Happy Stitching!

A Triple Finish Day

Granted, these are not huge projects, but they are still things that needed to be finished. I have just gotten so busy lately that I went to scheduling stitching for certain groups on certain days. I work on projects for my two chosen groups 4 days a week, and have the balance – a whopping 3 days – to work on my things.

So, today was a day for me to work on things for the shop. I have been working with this little guy for a bit, doing some revisions. Today I was determined to sit and finish…

I am putting the finishing touches on the chart, and it will be available as my first download in my Etsy shop very very soon. I will also have him finished as an ornament, and those will be for sale too.

Canada Stitches has asked for Christmas ornaments to donate to the hospitals and/or to fundraising efforts at animal shelters. I do love working on Christmas ornaments, so this is a fun challenge for me. I got the first one stitched today, and will finish it off as a flat ornament as soon as I have 3 more done.

It’s another one that has to be done on evenweave. This is from Lorrie Birmingham’s And Even a Mouse. I did a few last year as family ornaments and got a lot of smiles from them. And yes, I will be doing more. Some of these may well make it to the shop. In spite of all the fractional stitching, these are not bad to do, especially if you are addicted to evenweave fabrics.

I also have an ongoing commitment to another group. I just finished 4 Kitty Christmas ornaments for them, and have a Kitty Love square plus 2 quilt squares that I promised to do. I started the Kitty Love square on Thursday (their day), and decided to just go ahead and finish it today. I spent so much time working on this site over the last few days, I felt it only fair to finish these projects off!

So, there you have it. Tomorrow is my 2nd wedding anniversary. I am not sure yet what we are doing. I do know we are going in to Rauma for dinner, and my husband has promised me a trip to the thread shop. I need a couple more colors for the two quilt squares I have promised to do. Other than that, it is our day.

Until the next time (which will be VERY soon now that I have the new site done!) Happy Stitching!

A Shout-Out

It isn’t often that I can give this kind of recommendation, so treasure this. Many many people are leery of dealing with online purchases, especially downloadable charts. I have three sites in particular that I am going to boast about.

The first one, and biggest one is PatternsOnline.Com. Sure, by now everyone has heard of them, haven’t they? This is the place you can buy so many charts from so many designers. You get them loaded onto your account where you can retrieve them as you wish. I started dealing with them in 2003. Since then, I think I am on my 4th computer. Everything has worked for me.. usually. This last computer upgrade was probably the hardest for me. I moved to a different country and my carefully packed hard drives didn’t let me have access to all of my stored information. I did a fresh install and hoped everything would work right.

Well, it didn’t. There was a string of about 12 charts that I had purchased that would no longer open for me with PC Stitch. The program is used to open, view, and print these charts. I also use it when I design my charts. The program told me I didn’t have access to these. They were on my computer, and I know I paid for them. I sent in a trouble ticket just a few days ago. I got an answer just a few hours ago. Everything is fixed and I once again have access to all of these charts purchased in 2003 and 2004! Thank you Jennifer for your kind help. And seriously how many companies go that far for their customers these days?

This is their online shop stocked full of everything you need to stitch the charts you just purchased. They are owned by the same company, and I know their attention to detail is just as good. You may well wish to check them out for your stitching needs.

The other two shops are on Etsy. I know you keep hearing about it, but you may not know what it is. I like to think of it as a virtual craft show. Yes, you find vintage and supplies on there, but for the most part, it is handmade. I’ve had so many bad experiences purchasing charts on eBay that I swore off of them. Many were computer generated charts that were just poorly done – a fast way to make a buck. The designs never look like what the cover image suggests. I gave up on any charts not generated by one of the big designers until I ran into Jody and Rinna on Facebook.

Jody is Austitch, an Australian designer with a growing shop. She’s an avid stitcher and designer who is bright and bubbly. Yes, she’s a real person and she is very responsive to her customers. Her designs can be a bit on the cheeky side, but they are far from rude. I have purchased a chart from her and when I get a chance to stitch I will be posting updates. Her charts are large, well thought out, clear to read, and with excellent instructions. I can tell this will be a project I will truly enjoy. Please do drop by Austitch and see what new unconventional creations she has. I think you will enjoy!

The second Etsy shop that I love dearly is Cross Stitch by Rinna. Rinna is based in the Philippines and brings a solid Oriental touch to her work. Her work is bright, colorful, and fun not to mention gorgeous. I love the faces on her children and cherubs. You can almost guarantee that at least one of her designs is going to end up on a piece for some lucky child. Rinna is another lady that is very responsive to her customers, and a pure delight to talk to.

Do check these shops out when you are in the need for new charts. I know you can find just about everything at PatternsOnline and their prices are very reasonable. What you don’t find there, you may find at Austitch or Cross Stitch Rinna!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

My Needle's Song – Neulani laulu

Yearly Archives: 2013

The Holiday Wind-Down

The Good News!

Threat of a Postal Strike

Where Does Time Go?

Location Location Location

The Fuss about Handmade

Shop Handmade

A Start

A Triple Finish Day

A Shout-Out