Welcome to our newsletter issue 4

New Products
Product Files
	Charles Craft Afghans
Country Designs Collector’s Club
Free Monthly Prize Draw
Designer of the Month
Tips and Advice
Special Offers

We are constantly adding new products to our site so please keep checking regularly to see our latest designs.  This month we have included seven new stunning designs from Kustom Krafts including three wildlife designs and a beautiful flower project called Tulips Medley 1.  We also have seven new designs from Mystic Stitch including two amazing floral landscapes adapted from the artist Egidio Antonaccio – Afternoon Repose and Along the Bridge.

Afternoon Repose	Tulips Medley 1	Along the Bridge

There are new creations from Cross My Heart, Jeanette Crews, Heritage Stitchcraft and the amazing Marc Saastad of Silver Lining – The Noble from his Bed of Roses series and Bruce’s Brilliant Blues. 

Afghans

Stitching an afghan is not only rewarding but the end product has a practical use, largely as throws for chairs, sofas and beds.  They can also be used as top blankets particularly in a nursery.  They also make great presents which will be treasured for many generations to come.

Here are a few tips for stitching an afghan:

• It is important to keep the afghan fabric taut but not too tight whereby the holes in the fabric appear larger.
• Begin by finding the centre of the afghan square.  Do not count the threads that make up the border – just the ones inside the border.
• You may need to use more than two strands – try a little test before you begin to see how many strands look best.  For example, three strands might give a more fuller look.
• Plan your layout before you begin.  For example, your project might look better if some of the squares are not stitched, this might give a more random finish and will add your own personalised style.
• Some afghans are pre-finished around the edges like our Alphabet Afghan, others are unfinished like our Lady Elizabeth Afghan.  Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for finishing your afghan project.
• You may wish to back your finished project for added stability.  This is not necessary but simply down to personal preference.

We currently stock three Charles Craft Afghans:

Baby Alphabet Afghan – White 18 Count
This Baby Soft Afghan is made of 100% cotton and measures 41" x 45". A central design area is 21" x 25" and is bordered by twenty-six 3.75" blocks. The entire afghan is 18-count. A special finish lends to stability when stitching and becomes Baby Soft when washed. Fringing instructions are included. Recommended chart book: 6010 - ABC Bear.

Alphabet Afghan – Ecru 18 Count
A generous 54" x 60" pre-fringed afghan made of 100% cotton.  The large central design area is approximate 30.4" x 36.6" and is surrounded by 26 squares measuring approximately 5.5" - perfect for alphabet designs. Recommended chart book: 2990 - Antique Roses. To win an Alphabet Afghan and the stunning book Antique Roses, please see details of our free monthly prize draw below.

Lady Elizabeth Afghan – Antique White 14 Count
Beautiful 14-count afghan measures 52"x60" and is available in antique white. It features a lovely star weave around twenty 6.5" cross stitch blocks. 100% cotton. Fringing instructions included.

Now that we have whetted your appetite about Afghans you have the chance to win one absolutely free.  This month we are giving away one of our Charles Craft Alphabet Afghans together with a superb pattern book – Antique Roses.  This fabulous offer is worth £40.00 and the draw will be made on 2nd January 2007.
 

With Christmas fast approaching we felt that it was most appropriate to feature this award winning designer because of her love of all things festive and her fantastic range of holiday designs.

Donna Vermillion

Sledding Santa Stocking

Glittery Snow Santa

Donna’s superb design and stitching skills were initially inspired by her mother who taught her and her twin sister Diana all the basics to get them both started.  They both quickly developed their skills which enabled them, for instance, to sew their own clothes for high school.  In college Donna switched from being an English major to an Art major midstream when she realised how much more creating artwork appealed to her than teaching or literature.

In 1980 Donna and her husband started The Vermillion Stitchery with a small ad in a popular needlework magazine offering of all things, Silk & Metal Thread ornament kits and a Cross Stitch Nativity set – her first Cross Stitch project.  They began their company right at the time the Cross Stitch resurgence was beginning.  They quickly found Cross Stitch was The Thing to do and realised that Silk & Metal Thread work was too complicated for the average stitcher and would have to wait!

As well as running Vermillion Stitchery,  Donna has done a lot of free lance design work for many companies and consequently her love of cross stitch has grown through the years. She has enjoyed seeing the stitchers' skills improve along with her own. The desire for more challenging pieces has enabled Donna to advance her design work to today’s stunning standards. 

Donna summarised her work recently, “My favourite subject is probably Christmas. There's something very special about the holiday season to me, having lost my mother at this time of year. She always loved the holidays and made them very special for all of us. I miss her more at this time and maybe doing special designs for the holidays makes me feel closer to her. Also, the gorgeous bright Christmas colours have always been favourites, as the colour in my designs is the main focus of them all.

In addition to holiday subjects, I love anything that's rich and beautiful. I love cats and birds for their textures, flowers for their lovely shapes. It's fun to research subjects, learning something new, seeing things closely and studying the shapes and textures of their forms. Translating them to cross stitch is like a little exploration on a new path, the end of which I can work towards and hope the design ends up where I want it to!"

To view some of Donna’s magnificent designs – please click here

Since our last newsletter we have received some very interesting ideas to include in this section.  They are as follows:-

• On large charts, use Post-It notes to mark the area of the chart on which you are working.  They are easily re-positioned and can be used over again without marking your chart.
• For more precise outlining, use a smaller eyed needle when back-stitching.
• Sharpen blunt scissors by cutting several times across the neck of a glass bottle.
• Use Thread Heaven thread preserver – always!  It helps the thread pass through the material easier and helps to prevent the thread fraying.
• When using a hoop to hold your work, always stitch into the “well” of the hoop.  This will make starting and finishing of thread a lot easier, as you will have the flat surface at the back to work on and not the other way around which is the “traditional” method.

Thank you to Mrs Judith Hooke, M. T. Kielty and Mrs S Steatham for the above contributions.

Please email your tips to stitch@country-designs.co.uk for inclusion in our next newsletter.

We have recently increased the number of special offers we have on our site and most of the charts displayed are half price.  We have a wide cross section of categories to cater for all tastes.  So, why not have a look at what we have to offer today?

View our latest special offers