Contest

It would be amazing if someone from our chapter won this!

Washington Post's holiday crafts contest: the Washington Post is having a contest.

Here's what it said in the Local Living section of Thursday's paper:

Local living wants to celebrate the spirit of the winter season with beautiful handmade crafts, such as ornaments, garlands, cards and gifts. With our Holiday Crafts Contest, we invite you, crafty person, to share an original creation with us. 

Your  homemade craft can be sewn, woven, knitted, molded with plain paper or papier-mache or created with any materials you like. It can decorate a tree, hang on a wall, sit on a table or be wearable. it should be themed for any of the winter holidays or simply be winter-appropriate.

What are we not looking for? Anything made from a kit, copied from a book or Web site, or otherwise unoriginal. Your kids' school craft, however adorable, probably won't make the cut either.

The best crater will win a prize and be featured int a Local Living article in December. Enter by submitting high-resolution photos online along with your contact information and where you live; the deadline is November 30.

You can find all the contest rules at washingtonpost.com/holidaycrafts. Questions? E-mail Localliving@washpost.com. We hope you'll participate and inspire us.

Our Guest for the Holiday Luncheon

I am so excited about our program for the luncheon!

We're having a special guest with a special program.

If you'd like to see more about her, click here:  Unlacing the Victorian Woman.

No Meeting November

It's that time of year for a month without a regular meeting. 

Things that will still be happening:

Board meeting at Barbara's house:  November 10 at 7 p.m.

Stitching in Public:  at Panera's in the Reston Town Center November 17th at 6:00 p.m. - buy your dinner or just a drink and sit and stitch with some friends!

Holiday Luncheon

Please don't forget that money and coupon for the Holiday Luncheon are due to Melissa by November 22nd. You can find a coupon in October's newsletter. 

We are all thrilled to know that this year we will be warm and dry at the River Creek Club in Leesburg. 

See the coupon for menu choices. 

We've got a wonderful program lined up and you won't to miss this one!

October 27th

Some photos from the morning meeting. Barbara running the business meeting.

We're listening! Don't want to miss anything.

Marty's teaching hardanger to this side of the room.

Julie's been stitching for Christmas. Lovely!

Marge has been stitching for Christmas, also!

Early Registration

It is that time of year - early registration for National Seminar 2011.

Go to the EGA website and look on the left for events and click on National Seminar.

Early registration is open till September 15. 

Logo Contest

Don't forget we are having a contest to design a new logo for the Oatlands Chapter. 

Deadline is the Holiday luncheon in December. 

You may submit a drawn, painted, or stitched version of your idea. 

It must be an original idea and have appeal as a nametag. 

Winner gets their dues paid next year!

July Meeting in Photos

President's Challenge participants Barbara, Jane, and Peggy (not in the photo, Marge). This year's challenge was to stitch something from your childhood. Peggy is explaining about her tree inspired piece.

Jane's bookmark illustrates where she got her love of books. 

Barbara's lovely interpretation of a black and white photo of herself playing croquet. (Sorry, but blogger insists on turning this photo sideways.)

Marge's wonderful piece. Some of us who saw her stitching on it the day before the meeting joked about how this was going to be an IFF at today's meeting. I guess the joke was on us! 

Speaking of IFFs - congrats to all who showed finished projects this year. Marge won top prize for the most finishes. Donna P. had the second most. 

Phyllis and Anne did a wonderful job organizing the vendors and opportunity drawing. Thank you! 

Chris L. won the very large, overstuffed and wonderful basket. One of our guests for the day won the subscription to Inspirations. Barbara F. won the subscription to Stitch. 

And Kathy won the Scarlet Letter sampler! 

Despite the heat, we had a terrific day. 

Arlene led a great class on photographing needlework with your digital camera. She explained things in clear terms and from here on I will always think of buffers as large mixing bowls. We will all be taking much better photographs thanks to her.


Many of us found bargains that were irresistible with our five spectacular vendors. The food was terrific and the company, as always, was the best.

July Meeting

Remember this month we are meeting in Vienna at the big white church between Maple Ave and Church Street. Social hour begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 24th.


Bring your camera and needlework to photograph if you are attending the class. Shopping with the vendors begins at 10:30 for Oatlands members. 


We're going to have a good time!

Montpelier Needleart Show

Needleart 2010
Sponsored by Stitching Pretty of Laurel, Montpelier hosts the 15th annual Needleart show. See the rooms of Montpelier filled with a dazzling array of stitched art, from needlepoint to ribbon work. Judges choose winners in several categories, and you the visitor are invited to vote for the People's Choice award. Demonstrations of various needleart techniques are given daily. 

Where? Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Maryland

Fee: $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children

New on the Blog

I have started a list of blogs on the side - title is My Blog List. This is a list of blogs that this blog is following. 

Gentle Pursuits in Richmond has a blog that we are now following. Go see the tremendous project that they are working on - a coif!

I will slowly add others that you may find interesting.

What's Happening?

Happy Flag Day!

This week, on Wednesday, the monthly stitch-in-public day, will be held at the Panera in the Reston Town Center. We meet around 6 p.m. and some of us buy dinner first before getting down the business of stitching. 

Next week, our program is the beautiful blackwork bookmark seen here:  

 

Apologies

I don't know what I was thinking, but I forgot to take pictures at the May meeting. There we were with all those fabulous textiles from the past and I just got carried away by what I was seeing and forgot to bring out my camera. 

I'm sorry. 

But it was fun. And I hope we do it again someday. I'm sure we all have lots more to share.

May Meeting

Don't forget your canned goods to donate to the church pantry. 

Tomorrow is a show and tell day. Bring your "antique" linens to share with the group. And by the word antique, we mean made before 1960...as that was 50 years ago. 

Organizing Your Stash

We all know the problem. Lots of projects in progress, lots of threads, lots of fabric, patterns, charts, books, needles, scissors, etc. What is a person to do? 

Organize by type? Organize by color? Organize by size? 

I know I'm in a constant state of organizing my stash. It's what I do when I don't feel like stitching. 


I'm no expert on this issue, that's for sure. 


Why not look for some ideas here, on the DMCthread's Blog. 


They've been talking to stitchers  about this subject and profiling them. Maybe you'll find an idea or two that might work for you!

 

It's May - Your Dues are Due!

Last year, dues were pro-rated to end on May 31, 2010.  It is, therefore, time to collect dues from all members for the coming year (June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011).  Please have your dues to Kathy C., our Vice-President for Membership, by no later than May 12, 2010 so that she can complete the paperwork for submission to National Headquarters and to MAR.  Please make checks payable to Oatlands EGA.  If you are renewing by mail, please include a membership coupon from the newsletter and send to Kathy C. 

Amount due is $53 if Oatlands is your primary Chapter.

Wednesday - April 21st

Wednesday night is Stitching-in-Public night at the Panera in the Reston Town Center. We meet at 6 p.m. Have a bite to eat and stitch away.

In March we were approached by a father and his two young children. Marge gave a mini-lesson to the young girl and got her so entranced that when her father said it was time to leave, she told him no. She had to do just a few more stitches. We've all been there! Just let me finish this thread, then I'll make dinner...

Leeds Tapestry

Here's a link to the Leeds Tapestry, a community project in Leeds, England. I don't know much about this project as I have just begun looking at the website. But what I have looked at is intriguing.

Photos of the National Tapestry Taken at MAR Seminar

I wish I had had my tripod with me so that I might have been able to take better photos. But still you can see that the tapestry created by members of the EGA is beautiful.

Upcoming Events

Tonight is a Stitch-in-Public night at the Panera in the Reston Town Center. Starts at 6 p.m. and goes till whenever. 

And this weekend is the MAR Regional Seminar in Fredericksburg. 
Here is where we'll be meeting in case you're thinking you might like to join us:

Hampton Inn & Suites- Fredericksburg South
4800 Market Street
Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA 22408
Tel: 1-540-898-5000

The National Tapestry will be on view. On Saturday from noon to 3:00 p.m. will be a teacher and vendor showcase. And the annual meeting will be Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m.

Plimoth Jacket Coming to Winterthur

From the Embroider's Story Blog:


Lecture The Plimoth Jacket: 
A Paradise in Silk and Gold

Sunday, March 14 11:00 am and 2:00 pm

The Plimoth Jacket, on display at Winterthur beginning March 9, is a 1620s-era style woman’s embroidered waistcoat, originally conceived as a centerpiece for a planned exhibition at Plimoth Plantation. The project grew bigger than its humble beginnings however, to become a worldwide phenomenon in collaborative fabrication and research. Dr. Patricia Wilson Nguyen, a member of the team that worked to produce the jacket, will tell the story of how the project grew to encompass the labor of approximately 300 individuals as varied as 4th-grade boys and girls to men and women past their 70s, many of whom had never tried embroidery. 

A stunning visual treat, the jacket has provided a rich opportunity for needlework and lace research, shining a light on how complex pieces may have been worked in the 17th century. Not content with using materials available today, the team decoded how threads and spangles were made in the past and had them remade for the project. The research into needlework and lace techniques and materials as well as the inspiring story of developing a community of workers and “internet participants” will be told.
Members free. Included with admission.

For opening hours and directions visit www.winterthur.org/visiting/directions.asp

We are experiencing technical difficulties with online sales.

The lecture is included with General Admission, as space allows. To purchase General Admission tickets in advance please call our Information and Tours Office at 800.448.3883.

ADDRESS:

Winterthur Museum & Country Estate
Route 52
(5105 Kennett Pike)
Winterthur DE 19735

Winterthur is on Rte. 52 in Delaware, 
6 miles (9.6 km) northwest of Wilmington;
30 miles (48 km) southwest of Philadelphia, Pa.;
and 5 miles (8 km) south of U.S. Rte. 1.

Antique Free

An amazing collection of scanned books, articles, and magazines whose copyright has expired is available here: the Antique Pattern Library.

There are patterns for crochet, knitting, tatting, embroidery, needle lace and other kinds of needlework. The difficulties may lie in finding what you are searching for. You can follow their directions for searching, but I did not find that very helpful when I was looking for a technique.

Still, if you have lots of time to browse, you might find some absolute treasures. Like lots of Therese Dillmont things under the DMC imprint. If you're into lace making, crochet or knitting, you've hit a jackpot.

More Free

Today we'll look at Tracy Horner's website for Ink Circles.

She specializes in Celtic and mandala based designs.

Clicking on the freebies button will get you all the downloads for a large project that is nicknamed BoInk for Book of Ink Circles. There are several smaller projects available also.

And further down on the home page is a link to her blog where she sometimes posts other small free patterns.

If you are into yahoogroups, there is a very active group associated with Ink Circles called InkCirclesSALs. The group started as support for the BoInk project and has continued.

Canvaswork Freebie

When I start perusing designers' websites, frequently I find that they only have one or two or three free patterns at a time. While they are not a bounty of freebies, they do occasionally change the freebie, enticing us to check back if we like the designer.

Today I'll link you to Northern Pine Designs. Designer Linda LaChance's current offering is a geometric piece in wonderful colors, at least to me! She rates it as a beginner's piece.

At the website for the magazine, Needlepoint Now, there are currently two free patterns. From the home page, point your mouse at button for Education. You'll get a drop down menu. Then click on projects. These are projects from past magazines. And if you're interested, don't forget to check out the "tips" section. Again - lots of good information.

A Reminder and a Link

Reminder - the The National Needlearts Association Market in Nashville has just ended. Don't forget to visit Hoffman Distributing or Norden Crafts or your favorite shop to see what new goodies have been released.

Today's link to The Victoria Sampler. The link to the free patterns is in the list on the left. And wow! There are some tremendous things available here. Beautiful biscornus, hardanger and so much more. Have fun!

More and More Free!

I missed posting yesterday, but I'll catch up today.

First we'll start with DMC- USA.

The best way to view the free designs here is to join the DMC Club. All you have to do is register.
Plenty of patterns from traditional samplers to baby stuff to world travel to florals. Also there are patterns meant specifically for certain DMC threads, such as Light Effects.

There are also Message Boards, or forums, here for posting questions and getting answers.

All the patterns are easily downloaded as PDF files.

If we turn to the other big 6 strand cotton floss manufacturer, we find Anchor is owned by Coats and Clark. Not a lot of patterns here, but what is here, isn't just cross stitch. There's also knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, etc.

Have fun exploring!

Blackwork

Today I will link you to a site with blackwork patterns. This is the Blackwork Archives.

It looks like it hasn't been updated in a while, but all the links that I checked, worked.

This site is maintained by Paula Kate Marmor.

Scroll down the home page for instructions on how to download and print patterns.

At the top of the home page click on Browse Patterns to view the patterns. On the patterns page, click on Stitch (between Bibliography and Credits) for instructions on how to work the double running stitch.

Free!

Today we'll link to the Caron Collection.

We know this company for the lines of terrific threads. But this website has so much more than threads. Click on the "free patterns" at the top of the page such wonderful treasures as Gayle Bicknell's "Pieces of Eight" that was published in Needlepoint Now. And "Welcome Little Stranger" from the now defunct Fine Lines Magazine, a design by Barbara Jackson.

Please don't forget to look in the Designer's Spotlight for the Bonus Classes by such talented people as Rosemary Drysdale and Jeannette Douglas.

Also check out the Kids Projects. Not just for kids!

Plenty here to keep you all entertained!

More Free Charts

Today I'm going to link you to The Drawn Thread's website and her free charts. Over the years I have stitched many of Cynthia Zittel's free patterns.

For years these freebies were given to needlework shops to reproduce and hand out to customers. But now designers have learned to offer them periodically on their websites to keep customers coming back to visit their websites and see what's new.

Cynthia also has a blog - The Drawn Thread.

Free, Free, Free

Today I'm going to link you to Rainbow Gallery.

They have tons of fabulous free patterns in cross stitch, needlepoint, blackwork, plastic canvas, and hardanger.

Don't forget to look at Jay's Stitching Tips, the details of their product information and What's New!

Time for Fun

For the next two weeks, I will posting links to websites with free patterns. They will be a mix of techniques.

I'm starting with Laura J. Perin Designs website. Just click on the highlighted link and you'll be taken to her home page. In the upper right hand corner of her page is a link to "free patterns."

She's covered lots of bases - counted canvas, cross stitch, blackwork. If you have never visited here before, have fun. If you have visited, it's time to check back. She adds new freebies frequently.

At the bottom of Laura's home page is a link to her blog, The Two-Handed Stitcher. She writes about her creative process, her stitching processes, her life in Healdsburg, California. She posts beautiful photos of flowers in her garden which we all can appreciate here while we are still in the middle of winter.

Stitch in Public

We'll be stitching in public tonight at the Panera in the Reston Town Center @ 6:00 p.m. or whenever you can get there!

Hope to see you!

Stitch in Public Day

I do believe that any of us who were going to stitch in public tomorrow, February 6th, will now be stitching in private due to excessive snowfall.

Info About GCCs

From Pat Correz, the GCC Chairman at National:



I've had a query to clarify the "workings" of the on-line and quarterly GCCs which can be registered through the EGA website or by sending the registration form and your check to EGA HQ.

Both on-line GCC registration, offered for 2 months, and the courses offered each quarter as advertised in Inside EGA, have a special registration period in which INDIVIDUALS can register for $20 registration fee plus cost of text for that limited time. This is not registration for a group, but an opportunity for the individual who doesn't have a group to take the course
at a very affordable price.

If you have a group of 9, it would be cheaper to register the group, divide the $150 by the members (remember, the coordinator doesn't pay a part of the registration fee) and register that way. If fewer, then the $20 is the best way.

This is not a "cyber-class". It is on-line. You use the text but can contact the teacher with
problems/questions, you will receive an evaluation if you submit the stitched piece to the
teacher, and a certificate if you meet the qualifications the teacher requires as stated in the text.

Let me know if you have questions.

Pat Correz egangcorre@aol.com
GCC Chairman