Welcome to our newsletter issue 3.

New Products
Product Files
	Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments magazine
	Needlepaints from Lavender & Lace
Country Designs Collector’s Club
Free Monthly Prize Draw
Designer of the Month
Tips and Advice
Special Offers

We have recently added to our site a host of new designs in virtually every category.  From stunning Wildlife designs such as Gaze, White Tiger Blue Sapphire, Sheba, Repose and Safari to evocative Landscapes  like River of Time, Before Sunrise and Evening Lights.  We also have new Oriental designs such as the spectacular Pai Xiao and the dramatic Chinese God of Wealth as well as new Samplers like Welcome to my Garden, Nature’s Alphabet II and Brother’s Poem.

As Christmas approaches we have increased our already extensive range with such delights as Christmas Wreath , Seasons Greetings and Merryville.

May we suggest that when viewing these new designs that you use our full screen zoom facility to see each design in amazing detail.  To illustrate the benefits of this feature take a look at Classic Christmas Ornaments by Donna Vermillion to view the dazzling range of ornaments available.

Each month we will be featuring one or two products from our range to provide more information on the make up of these products and how they can be used.

Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments

This is possibly the most sought after magazine in the stitching industry and it is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  The 2006 edition is now in stock and, as usual, 75 of your favourite designers celebrate Christmas with a unique ornament design and a special holiday memory or recipe.  We also have 2003, 2004 and 2005 issues in stock and a special commemorative 10th anniversary compilation issue.

Lavender & Lace Needlepaints

Needlepaints is a speciality range of stranded cottons introduced by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum the designer of the magnificent Lavender & Lace creations.  Each six stranded skein is 100% Egyptian cotton and they are all guaranteed 100% colour fast.  This range has not been introduced to compete with DMC or Anchor but to provide stitchers with some sophisticated colours which can be used in conjunction with existing products.  There are three colour families and the shade numbers are sequenced from pale to dark:- 6 shades of Lavender/Blue.  2001-2006. 5 shades of Orchid.  2007-2011. 6 shades of Robin’s Egg Blue.  2101-2106. As an introductory offer to this unique brand, you can purchase the full range of seventeen skeins for a special price of £23.95.

We would like to remind you that all purchases that you make on our site (with the exception of DMC and Anchor stranded cotton and postage costs) will qualify for points in our Collector’s Club loyalty scheme.  For more details on how you can sew much more for your money please visit our website

This month’s prize is two magnificent cross-stitch compilation books from the world famous Kooler Design Studio.  The first book is called The Best Designs from Donna Kooler and features design chapters on Home Décor, Creatures We Love, Baby Time and Fruits and Flavours.  The second book is Times to Remember with nine great design chapters from birthdays to babies and weddings to special anniversaries. 

The combined value of these great books is £31.90 and the draw will be made at the end of October, so keep your fingers crossed!

Dyan founded Kustom Krafts in 1999 initially because she couldn’t find the patterns she wanted to stitch.  “There were a lot of traditional and primitive designs,” she says, but not a lot of fantasy and wildlife.”

Dyan designs from her home in Canada and a studio in Sturgeon Falls in Ontario spending most of her time during the day in front of her computer planning and adapting cross stitch patterns.  She is a self taught artist and her ideas for designs come from her own artwork and adaptations of renowned artists’ work.  New designs can take as long as a month to develop.  “You don’t always do just one thing,” she says, “I often work on ten to twelve different designs at a time.”

Today Dyan’s company is known for its stunning range of fantasy cross stitch designs and truly realistic wildlife creations.  She also designs evocative spiritual patterns and has recently launched a range called romance from the past which features well known romantic works of art by famous painters.

We have a large selection of Dyan’s designs on our site and to view her breathtaking works, please view her work here.

In our last newsletter we explained that we would like to set-up a forum for swapping tips and advice so that we can all learn from each other.  We would like to thank those who contributed for the list below:-

• Take your needle out of your work in between stitching sessions – it may rust if you leave it there for some time.
• Add your backstitch after you have completed all of your work so that it really stands out.
• The simplest way to work areas in a single colour is in rows.
• When use vinylweave use a size 26 needle as this will pass easily through each hole.
• Use DMC Light Effects threads to add a sparkle to all your Christmas designs.
• Speed up your stitching by threading lots of needles with different threads before you begin and place them at the side of your stitching until you need them.

 

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

View our latest special offers