In January the thoughts of needlework shop owners and designers all over turn to warmer climes (mostly). Not for vacation but to attend the Winter Needlework Market happening this weekend in San Jose. Next week, I’ll be devoting every day but Tuesday to my coverage of the show. Today and tomorrow I’m going to give you a preview of some of the new products coming out. Friday I’m going to give you a picture of what the show is like.
I’ll be attending the show Friday and Saturday. Monday will continue the coverage. Tuesday will have the Scrap Bag Needlepoint free project. Coverage of the show will continue through Friday at least but possibly longer.
Many designers have been posting “sneaks” in Facebook, often in private groups. Other having been sending pictures and emails to their customers. You will also find pictures on Pinterest. Not all designers provide pictures in this way. Nor do all of them update their websites during or before the show. Because of this, my posts about the show do not contain pictures.
Canvases and Kits
Annie Lane has four similar canvases out showing a screen door and a front porch. Each of them has a sign pointing to a different local spot: beach, Lake. Slopes, or no sign. I love how each porch has elements that perfectly suit the location. For example the beach canvas has a crab doormat and slopes has a pair of ski boots near the door.
On a similar theme, Alice Peterson has two new word series that have letters featuring scenes inside them. Home and Love have several different options. Love the Lake Life has a beautiful lakeshore running through the words.
BB Needlepoint has two different four-piece chocolate sets. These are finished into 3-D pieces and come with their own box. The canvas sets also include some embellishments. The set I saw finished is just too cute. They also have new seasonal wreaths for spring and summer. Spring has a robin, while summer features a blue bird and lilacs.
Pepperberry has added five new breeds to their series of dogs in Santa hats. One of Kirk & Bradley’s new series uses their snowglobe shape and is for Halloween. It includes Trick-or-Treaters as well as spooky objects. Susan Roberts has a pastel sea turtle canvas with baby turtles, each with a different pattern heading to the ocean which just peeks into the upper corner.
Red Thread has brought back three unusual faces by Teri Enfield that they found in their archives. The designs are brighter and more modern than her usual Oriental style. DJ Designs who always has lushly beautiful canvases has several new ones that are inspired by Chinoiserie wallpaper. They are highly detailed and have areas for open stitches as well. The peacock is simply gorgeous and would make a grand focal point in a room. Because they are on 13-mesh canvas, they will be easy to stitch.
Scott Church’s larger designs are very popular. Now several of his best are available as round or oval ornaments, 4.5″ in size on 18 mesh. The canvas I want to see more than any other at the show is the new Advent Calendar from The Artist’s Collection. It’s a 3-D house where each window has a date. Kelly Clark has expanded her folk art sampler collection with a pair of lovely winter samplers. One with a dark background, one with light.
Elizabeth Bradley has a new mini kit out of a glorious red poppy on a cream background. If you have wanted to try their kits but don’t want to commit to a big project, these mini kits are perfect. This one is very elegant and the simple design would look lovely in any home.
Leigh’s new designs are elaborate Oriental Lanterns in a series called Illuminations. They are just ravishing on black backgrounds, some backgrounds with patterns. Stitch guides will be available for some of the canvases.
Threads and Accessories
Have you often thought it would be cool to have a magnet proclaiming your LNS? Accoutrement Designs already makes magnets for many designers. They have announced that they will be making this service available to shops as well. If you are thinking of using their magnets as gifts, they now have gift card packaging. One of them has their rhinestone heart minder on it for Valentine’s Day.
Hug Me Bags has plenty of new bag shapes coming out. One is The Tony, designed with input from Tony Minieri. It has several large pockets plus pockets for water bottles. At 20″ square with a shoulder strap, it’s great for taking to classes. They also have a carry-all with feet and a hard bottom. There is also a case that can be unzipped so it lays flat. All their bags have internal pockets that can hold tools, threads, glasses, or charts.
Painter’s Threads has 10 new colors coming out this winter. The include a set of pastels. I’ve got some coming, so you’ll be able to see them in action in a future column.
Rainbow Gallery has both new threads and new colors coming out. Their new thread is Glisten, a wool blended with metallic. i can’t wait to see that. Their are 12 new colors available in all three sizes of Silk Lame. These are darker and more muted colors which add some depth to these threads. They are also adding 12 new colors to Rainbow Persian including three greys and two reds.
Watch tomorrow for more of the preview.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Leave a Reply