Lavender: Elaine’s Botanicals

Dionne    Embroidery and Crewel     back stitch, buillion, chain stitch, Elaine's botanicals, lavender

I love lavender, but I am a traditionalist.  Soooo not into all these varietals in every colour of pink under the sun, … there is even a white one!

… and don’t get me started on those crazy looking things with rabbit ears.  I just don’t get it.  Why?  The traditional lavender bush, lavendula augustafolia has the best aroma, the essential oil has amazing healing and anti-microbial properties.  Why mess with nature?  

We have a hedge of these outside our house, I planted them back in 2004, I like pruning them, … hard!  Very therapeutic.

Craig has planted alternating purple and pink out the front of Victoria House, I am not convinced but since the garden is his, I am keeping quiet.

If you had ever planned to perfect your bullion stitches, then this is the embroidery project for you, the rest of the design is completed in chain and back stitch.  Elaines Botanicals design is the traditional “Munsted” Lavender.  I love it, you will too.  We suggest you try using the hand over-dyed threads from either Weeks Dye Works or The Gentle Art Shaker Threads for subtle tonal variation.  We have both.

Good things DO come in small packages

Dionne    Cross Stitch, Embroidery and Crewel, Tapestry and Needlepoint, What's New     mill hill, roseworks embroidery, twill designs

Have just expanded our range of Roseworks Designs Embroidery range to include the too gorgeous mini Jacobean flowers; Minuet, Pavane, Prelude and Sonata.  Love them so much I have decided that mini-projects do deserve their own category online.  Just a little something to do, when you are not looking for a big project.  They have joined our Twill Designs which are needlepoint and mini Mill Hill kits in cross stitch with beading embellishment. 

…. Hmmm …. now I just need a couple of mini projects in knitting and crochet and I have covered all our bases.  Watch this space.

New yummy colours for Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk 4ply

Dionne    Knitting and Crochet     sublime baby cashmere merino 4ply, sublime books, sublime yarn

Introducing from left Sweet Pea, Button and Paddle

… and new books too.  The winter colours have arrived for Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk 4ply and we are loving them.  A beautiful soft blue and another mid blue.  I have also put in the Sweet Pea that I left out last season and it is great to have the whole range of colours in store again.

These beautiful yarns and many more are available now.  The Second Irresistibly Sublime Baby 4ply book and The Third Irresistibly Sublime Baby 4ply Book are both available online and instore now along with the original pattern book designed for this yarn.

Cards for mini stitching inserts

Dionne    Exhibiting your work, What's New    

We regularly get asked for cards and notecards for inserting mini-stitching projects.  For a long time we have had to disappoint you as we could not compete with the craft chain-stores pricing.  We still can’t.

What we can do is recommend a great Australian company who will provide these products to you at a very reasonable price.  Thanks to Ruth, one of our gorgeous customers over many years, we have found out about Regal Craft Cards in Launceston, Tasmania.  They have a fantastic online catalogue and will also send one out to you.  Ruth informs us that the pricing is very competitive and the quality is fantastic.

Mixed Media Stitching

Dionne    Feel good stuff    

We have pretty much seen it all here.  Baxtergrafik vintage car series completed in beading, some spectacular stumpwork incorporating wire, leather and I don’t know what else.  You don’t have to go all out, subtle thread choice can really make your work stand out.

Check out the bold poppies in Clara’s work, their colour is all the more vibrant due to background of soft cotton.