Merry Christmas! Things have been so crazy busy here I have hardly had time to breathe. The shop is bursting with lots of fun stitching treats for you or a friend to make your gift giving easier.

We have shipped out the last Colonial Gatherings kit for this year. Paulette and Tanya will be delighting us with their fabulous designs again next year and we are accepting applications for new members now. The new application can be found on our website.

The last Ladies Prim selection will be shipping next week. Blackbird has done a fabulous job on a special Christmas kit. We will be continuing with the Ladies Prim next year too. Our designers will be Blackbird Designs and Beth Twist, of Heartstrings Samplery. It's going to be incredible - applications are available now!

We also have a new club beginning in February with Little House Needlework...My Humble Abode. This will be 4 times a year......accepting applications by the end of December. This is so exciting......

If you have friended us on Facebook then you know we are doing a weekly giveaway. Its our way of saying thank you for your support. If you haven't friended us yet- get going. We still have two weeks of fun prizes to go....

As most of you know, we are not doing a BIG retreat next year. However- we are having two mini retreats. The first one is April 23-25 with Plum Street Samplers. We are busy working on the details which will follow shortly. If you haven't met Paulette- you MUST. She is so much fun and an incredibly talented stitcher! This will be much more low key- you can stay where you'd like although we will have some suggested hotels. We are hoping to see lots of you there.

We are also teaching on Cape Cod in October. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity- its at the Chatham Bars Inn. Just Google that! You'll be in love. The details are at the Celebration of Needlworks website.

Holiday Hours: Closed: December 23-25, December 31 and January 1st.

We hope you all have the Merriest Christmas and Happy Holiday season.......................

We will

New kit from Classic Colorworks......simply fabulous......

Colonial Gatherings release!

School starts next week.....where did the summer go? It's been such a busy summer.....my grandson graduated from high school in May, my oldest daughter got married in July, and we have had so many friends and special visitors at the shop......it's been a whirlwind. I know I haven't blogged much but you can keep current with Dyeing to Stitch on our Facebook page.

Pat and I went to market in St.Charles in mid August. It was a long,long drive....but worth it. We saw all of our friends,laughed, talked late into the night and in general had a great time.I got to spend some quality time with my dear friend Mona, which is a rare treat.....We shopped our heads off and brought back many wonderful stitching treats for everyone. We still have lots to choose from so if you think you missed something give us a call and I will send it out ASAP.....

They say change is good....if that's the case, then we are Fabulous! We have three new finishers for the shop....they each do extraordinary things and bring our projects to life....check out all the pictures on Facebook. We also have a new framer....Patti is trying to retire so, we are thrilled to recommend Sheri at Total Framing in northern Virginia. She's quick, fast and fabulous....who could ask for anything more?

We have closed membership in all of our clubs for this year but will be accepting new members for 2015 in December. Our Colonial Gatherings will continue with Paulette of Plum Street Samplers and Tanya of Scarlet House next year. We have great surprises in store for the Ladies Prim Society....we're changing things up and I think you will be thrilled! We will also be adding a new club next year with one of the industries top designers.....this is so exciting....I will post all the information soon......

Can you believe that its almost June? Where did the spring go.....or did we even have spring? I think I missed it.

So many great patriotic things to stitch and great notions in RED that are must haves!
Love this mug,scissors and these polka dot sheaths! Too cute!

We have been so busy shipping kits for both clubs. Thanks to all of those new who have joined.....we appreciate your patience. We are waiting on the wool currently. As soon as that comes in, we will be all caught up. If you are still interested in joining the Colonial Gatherings club the last day to join is June 1st. We will begin shipping the next Colonial Gatherings offering the first week of June. Its fabulous......Paulette never disappoints!

We are excited to announce a special day with Sandra Sullivan of Homespun Elegance on July 12th. Come meet Sandra and see her incredible models,antique needlework tools and samplers. We have been hoping to host Sandra for a long time so we are especially excited that she's finally coming. Hope you will join us for a Fun day!

We are currently hosting a trunk show from JBW. We rarely do trunk shows anymore but Judys' things are so extraordinary- we wanted everyone to have a chance to see how fabulous her things are. We will have this the whole month of June so come by and check it out.

I know lots of you have many special and wonderful events coming up this summer: weddings, graduations, vacations........me too. My grandson is graduating from high school this weekend and my daughter is getting married on July 4th! With all the hustle and bustle, I hope each of you will take a few moments for yourself and stitch.

If you are coming to Virginia please stop by and see us. If you let me know ahead I will even bake cookies!

Can I tell you how lucky we are?  These two samplers were designed for us by very good friends. The Ann's Sampler from Threadwork Primitives and the True Friendship by Plum Street for Pat.  We are both so honored by this- they are both fabulous!  Thanks girls!!!!

WE shipped the last of the Every Womans Journey club out last week. This was such a fun club with the Purple Thread. We will be starting up another years worth in May. Here are all the projects we did for 2013-2014. Let me know if you are interested in joining.

Here are some of our scrap bags of fabric. We still have some left but many people have called to get in on these. They really are fun- a surprize in every bag.

Pat finished this darling winter piece from Erica Michaels. They are so adorable. The gauze is Pats favorite thing to stitch on for pleasure.

This is the new offering from Liberty Hill.  Isn't it fabulous?  Call and reserve one before they are gone!

We leave Thursday for Michigan to do our sampler lecture. The weather will be horrible but the company fabulous with lots of stitching time so who wouldn't love that. We are stopping to see my daughter in West Virginia on the way home.  Its a win win!

I am excited to have some personel stitching time. I just finished stitching the next Loose Feathers and a reward of merit for Blackbird and am looking forward to working on something for me.  Although- the next Loose Feathers is one of my favorites- ever! I am going to start the Quaker Friends by Threadwork Primitives on 26 count over one. Can't wait!

We are hoping to ship the next Colonial Gathering kit by the end of the month. Check out Scarlet Houses blog next week for a sneak peak!  It's incredible!

Heres hoping that spring is right around the corner:}

Don't you love looking at all the market stuff? Gives you a small inkling of how hard it is to pick and choose at market. Everything looks so fabulous.........its a tough job. We had a blast this year. We took our two friends Norma and Sybil to help in the room and we also took Nan Lewis of Threadwork Primitives. For the first time in twenty years we took people in the car with us and shipped the fabrics ahead. We had such a fun time despite the horrible weather. So many laughs, so much talking, stitching, and shopping. Could anything be better than that?

If you follow us on Facebook under Dyeing to Stitch or R and R then you probably saw how full our car was on the return trip home. It was a challenge packing it all in there but Pat is an amazing packer!

We are still shipping club kits. Don't despair. The supplies for everything should be here this week and we plan on finishing up everyone that is currently enrolled this week. Our big winner for the Prim club drawing was Dianne Clemons. Here is what she won........Congratulations Dianne. We plan on doing some more surprise drawings this year!

Some of my favorite things from market were: the incredible linen sling bags from JBW. I literally swooned when I saw them. I already have planned what to stitch on the pocket. They would be a great gift for a stitching friend too!
I also loved the new book from Needlework Press done all in blues. This is such a great book- Vickie has such a talent with words. Love it. Plum Street had the most incredible room- everything she had was wonderful- had to have them all for myself. Her sampler for Pat was so adorable......we have her model hanging in the shop so don't miss it if you come to visit. The Blackbird kits were amazing. Pat stitched the models so we had seen them but when they are finished up they were truly incredible. Barb and Alma never disappoint- we sure had fun making up the kits with them until midnight one night! Another favorite find was stitchers lotion from Thread Gatherer. We sold out immediately but have more on order. If you haven't tried this- you need to! There were so many wonderful things there, its hard to pick and choose the favorites. Makes you realize what a talented group we work with each and every day. How lucky are we?

The next club that will ship will be the Colonial Gatherings towards the end of March. Tanya has outdone herself with this offering. You will all be thrilled! Then in early April we will start shipping the Prim Club. Blackbird has just sent us a peak and its to die for! Wow- I love these clubs. So much fun and I love the surprise of it all. We are busy cooking up extra surprises for all club members this year!

Pat and I will be away mid March. We are going to do our sampler lecture for Stitches and Things in Michigan. Sure hope the weather improves before then! We haven't done this lecture in a while so it should be fun!


Currently we have scrap bags available again. Each bag contains 10 pieces of linen of various counts and colors. Each piece is usually at least 9 x 9. Bags sell for $ 10.00. Let us know if you want some as they go fast......

Baby it's cold outside! We have had two snowfalls in the last two weeks. Last week we received 11 inches which is a ton for this part of the mid Atlantic. The shop has been closed for five days over the last two weeks. If you have been trying to call- no , we did not go on vacation but with icy roads we did not open up.


I wanted to take pictures of the dogs in the snow but unfortunately they were not too cooperative. Abigail just had her first birthday so I will try and get a photo on here soon so you can she how she has grown.


I love hearts. I wanted to show you this chart from Examplars from the Heart. I changed all the colors and it screams Valentines Day to me.

This is Sarah Elizabeth Brook from Scarlet House. Pat started it last year but it got put away for a bit. Isn't she spectacular?

We are almost finished shipping the first Colonial Gatherings kit. Please be advised if there is a problem with your credit card I will call or email you twice then you will be dropped from the club. It's up to you to contact us with a new card number. We have had a flurry of new sign ups in the last week or so. We are waiting on extra supplies to make up more kits so please be patient.


We are busy prepping all the kits for the Ladies Prim Society.  Once we get the last batch of floss they will be on their way. This kit is a stunner!  I love it!!!!  One lucky participant in the club will receive a signed chart.  If you are the lucky one please contact me, as you are the winner of our first Ladies Prim giveaway for the year!

We are leaving for the Nashville market next week. The weather is always a challenge and it makes the coming and going rather scary. Once we are there with all of our friends- we don't care what the weather is! This promises to be a great market. We have had sneak peeks of many things and we stitched a bunch of stuff for several designers so get ready to be thrilled! We have a new fabric color- Hoffmans special blend done on 32 count for a special show kit from one of your favorite designers!

If you wish for us to bring back special things for you from market you can email us at dyeing2stitch@aol.com or message us through Facebook.

Stay warm and dry and wishing you lots of exra stitching time!

Merry, merry Christmas!  I have been hoping to post for the last two weeks. Where is the time going? Pat and I have both been down with the flu since Thanksgiving but I think we are finally feeling 100%.  It's really hard to be sick when there is so much to do.....

First, I wanted to share this darling piece from Plum Street and the fabulous finish.  Isn't this just the coolest?

I also wanted you to see Mary's Sampler- also from Plum Street.  Pat finished this as soon as it was out and we sent it to the finisher and told her to do something fun.  Isn't this so great?  If you haven't finished yours yet maybe this will inspire you.

Last night we had our annual Christmas party with our Thursday night group.  Lots of yummy food and we had an ornament exchange.  It was so much fun.  Here is a shot of all the cool ornaments we did.  Every year it is more and more fun.  It's great to see what ornament everyone chooses to stitch and what fun finish they will do.  Great job ladies!

Our clubs are filling up!  There are still spots available so don't panic.  You have time to register.  Here is a shot of all the offerings for 2013 for the Ladies Prim Society.  Now if these don't tempt you nothing will.  LOL

We are hoping to start shipping the first Colonial Gatherings offering January 15th.  Again- we are not full- YET.  Please understand that between the two clubs we have 100's of applicants.  I can not call each of you to tell you we received your paperwork.  You can call here and we are happy to check for you.  Thanks for understanding.

We wish all of you an absolutely fabulous Christmas and holiday season.

I love this time of year. The weather is turning cooler, the leaves are beautiful and there's lots of fun things to stitch for the holidays! I started Thomas from Notforgotten Farm two years ago and I am finally back to it- determined to finish it before Thanksgiving. I saw this one matted and framed at Jill Rensel's several years ago and it did inspire me......

We managed to have a Halloween party here at the shop last Wednesday night. We always have treats and prizes for the best costumes. Here are a few of those who came dressed.......
Sue is Cross stitch fabric- isn't she clever? Jane is pumpkin pie....... she cracks me up!

Mary Lou is Pocahantas and Shannon was Fifty Shades of Grey..... Well done ladies!

WE have lots of fun things to tempt you right now. We have more of the darling acorn fobs that we showed at the retreat- Only $6- perfect little Christmas gift for a stitching friend. WE also have these wonderful acorn needle cases- handmade by our friend Paul. These won't last long so let me know if this is a MUST have for you!

We are ready for Thanksgiving with the new stockings done from Plum Street. Aren't these adorable? A quick stitch too!

We also have these scissor fob kits ready. They come with chart, linen and fabric to use on the back of the fobs. Quick stitches for a gift! How many times have you explained to your family- these scissors are for paper and these are for fabric!

I am so excited about the new offering from Liberty Hill. I don't think Carolyn has offered a Christmas piece in a while. We will have a limited number of these to sell so let me know if you want one......

Hoping to have the last prim out the door in the next few weeks. If you are a member in 2013 and wish to continue you don't need to do a thing. If you wish to drop out for 2014 please let me know by December 15th. If you wish to join- we are expanding the club and the registration form is on the website. Just fill it out and you can email, fax or snail mail it in. No registrations will be taken by phone.

The registration for our new Colonial Gatherings club is on the website too. PLease fill it out and return it. If you wish to join and are a member of the prim just print your name and sign the bottom. Please indicate prim on the form. That way you don't have to repreat the credit card information. This is going to be great!

A lot of you have asked if we have rested since the retreat. NO! Lots of work to do plus my friend goes to New York every fall and brings me back apples..... lots of apples. She brought me 75 pounds this year so I have spent days putting up applesauce for the winter. Almost done- one batch left.

We still have a few of the limited edition kits from Threadwork Primitives available. The colors are terrific and the kit is put together in such a special way. Great job Nan......

My dear friend Mona came for a visit last weekend. I haven't seen her in over a year. It was so great spending some time with her. She says she checks the blog daily and is so sad when I haven't updated so this is for you Mona!

Wow- has it really been three weeks since the retreat?  I am still tired! I  think everyone had a really good time and we have received so many lovely notes and a few gifts ( teachers pets). Here is a box that the lovely ladies from Cape May made for me- Pat received one also.  We were so touched by their kindness- thanks so much Jean, Donna, Sandy and Elena!

People are already asking about the next one- Pat says we aren't doing anymore but we will!  I am already looking at a new hotel for 2015 and we have already asked several teachers to come back!

This was the make it and take it project which started the retreat off.  A simple little pincushion.

I am going to do an entire blog post with pictures of the Evening with Friends. It was a tiny book in which all the teachers contributed a chart. You can pick and choose the ones you want in your book that are appropriate to your life.  Sharon of the Purple Thread put it together.  I know there were a lot of finishing directions so she is going to do a video for the blog so you can watch it as often as you need to for finishing purposes.

I have seen a million pictures on other blogs of the banquet. Here are a few pictures that I loved.

 

We wanted a really special prize for the best costume.  Pat and I donated fabric once a month for a year to the winner.  Everyone really looked great and it was hard to choose a winner. Maxine as Barefoot and Pregnant was over the top!  Congratulations!

Wanted to show this Halloween offering from Liberty Hill.  It's an older one but we have two left if anyone is interested.  Carolyn does such a terrific job on everything she does!

After the retreat we went to DC for three days with Paulette Stewart, Jeannette Douglas, Norma and Sybil.  WE managed to see a lot despite the shut down and the torrential rain!

We hope to ship the last prim for 2013 around mid November.  This one is spectacular so stay tuned! Also- to make things easy for everyone we have decided that for the Ladies Prim in 2014- if you belong in 2013 you don't need to renew.  ONLY if you want to stop- then you need to contact us.

We also talked about a new club offering we are going to have in 2014 at the retreat.  This is called Colonial Gatherings with Paulette Stewart of Plum Street and Tanya Brockmeyer of Scarlet House.  It will be set up like the prim society with a kit offering every 8-10 weeks running from $25 - 40.  This will again have a limited number of spaces available.  Hope to have the registration form on the website by November 1st.  We are very excited about this too!

Lots of wonderful and exciting things coming in 2014........Hope you will stay tuned.

Oh and last but not least.......GO RED SOX!!!!!

Retreats are kind of like Christmas. The anticipation builds and builds till you almost burst......then tada .......it begins. This is the start of our retreat week.....ready or not. I think we are ready.......still a few last minute things to complete and a mountain of stuff to transport to the beach but we are ready. Ready to welcome old friends and new friends to the beach for a fabulous weekend of fun, fellowship, stitching, surprises, and more FUN!

Wanted you to see the fabulous Reverend Squashbottom by Notforgotten Farm. Isn't he incredible?

This is Matilda Hornbuckle......also Notforgotten Farm. Love both of these!

Thursday, October 3rd is a special day for Pat and I. R & R will be 20 years old on that day. We are thrilled about this milestone. We are planning lots of fun giveaways this year so everyone can share in the celebration. Watch this blog for details.......

Please note that our Prim Society is closed for 2013. I know there were a few of you disappointed to have missed out on the terrific projects for this year. We will be posting information for the 2014 club in early November and taking registrations in December 2014, promises to be just as exciting so keep watching for details.

I hope to get lots of pictures at the retreat and will post them next week. We are going on a quick trip to DC with some of the teachers at the close of the retreat but will be back at work by Wednesday........

Bittersweet Autumn is the latest selection for the Ladies Prim Society. Don't you love the colors? Thanks Barb and Alma for this darling pinkeep. Hope you all love it as much as we do.

It takes a village to get these out the door. Look at this mountain of thread cards! Many,many thanks to Sybil for all of her assistance with this months project!

We got this piece from Plum Street back from the framers. Paulette you outdid yourself with this piece. Love it on the Foglifter linen!

Pat finished her October 31st kit from Blackbird and decided to put it in one of the fabulous boxes from Lone Elm. Isn't this incredible? The fabric included in that kit was Exclusive to Blackbird and we will not be selling this as yardage - sorry.

Getting ready for Halloween. There are so many wonderful things to stitch. Lots of tempting projects here.............

The retreat is almost here. We are frantically trying to finish up all the many projects. I am getting excited to see lots of dear friends and to meet many of you coming for the first time. Final letter is on its way.......can't wait to see all of you and to see what costumes you have cooked up for the banquet!