Inside Arachne's Silken Web Needlework Designs

Closing Notice Now Posted

noreply@blogger.com (Arachne's Silken Web) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:54:00 +0000

The Online Needlework Show is now closed for another year. Warm thanks to all of you who viewed, ordered from your LNS and participated in our Fall Scavenger Hunt. The winners are being drawn as this is written...so it's safe to tell you the answers to the questions: Jacques Torres and Zeena!

Happy Stitching!

Theresa and Cynthia

Playing for a Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Arachne's Silken Web) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:31:00 +0000

There are still a couple of days left for general viewing of the Fall Online Needlework Show. That also means there are still a couple of days left for you to enter the various drawings and competitions hosted by the vendors.

We've set up a Scavenger Hunt: answer the two questions correctly and your name is entered for a drawing of one of our older designs.  What's the scavenger hunt part?   To answer the questions you have to look through our website and our blog. Simple -- with a great reward if you win!

So take a minute from your shopping and try for something free.   Then immediately return to shopping!

Theresa

Shopping in Comfort

noreply@blogger.com (Arachne's Silken Web) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:11:00 +0000

The Fall Online Needlework Show is now open and we are there!

Here's an opportunity to shop without ever leaving your home. While this is a wholesale, 'for the trade only' show, stitchers can shop and place orders through their local needlework shops. The show runs from October 21st through October 26th for the shops. However, the general viewing page links will close at midnight Sunday October 24th to give shops an opportunity to place their orders.

Our latest design in the German Sampler Series, The Queen's Garden, is only available at this time through this show.

So put on your jammies, pour a glass of wine, settle into your favorite comfy spot, fire up your laptop and start shopping!

Theresa

Mistakes Happen

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:59:00 +0000

In spite of our best efforts, typos do slip through proofreading.

There is an error in the Silk'N Color floss list included in the instructions for Sarah Rogers 1803 Sampler. You want Lotus Flower SNC 305, not whatever incorrect number we listed. Cecelia of Threadgatherer caught the error and is making sure the correct skein is shipped to shops ordering the floss for this design.

Thanks, Cecelia, for alerting us! We do appreciate your eagle eye!

Theresa

Another Month, Another Show

noreply@blogger.com (Arachne's Silken Web) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:57:00 +0000

I spent my evening setting up our pages for the upcoming Online Needlework Show. Opening October 21 and closing October 26th, this tradeshow is unique in that stitchers can view the show at the same time as the shops and then have their LNS order whatever designs catch their eye.

Once again, we will have a Scavenger Hunt for the general public that gives entrants a chance to win one of our designs. Hope you check out the show!

Theresa

Another Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:13:00 +0000

We loved meeting Sherril Marlow of Stitching Cottage in Beavercreek, OH (near Dayton)when she stopped by the suite in St. Charles to purchase our German Sampler Series designs. Our philosophy is that there can never be too many shops carrying our designs!

Hmmm - we pass through Dayton on our way home tomorrow. Wonder just how far off I70 Stitching Cottage is? Time to download Googlemaps! Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could simply type in 'I70', 'Ohio' and 'needlework shop', and all the nearby shops would be displayed with directions?

Theresa

Curtain

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:48:00 +0000

The Fall Needlecraft Show in St. Charles/St. Louis has ended. We packed up the Jeep Cherokee and are about halfway home, spending the night in Zanesville, OH. We arrive back in NYC tomorrow evening.

We are tired, but happy. It's always exciting to visit with other vendors and our customers. Also, since we are first and foremost stitchers, we also love discovering the latest designs and finding new shops to explore ourselves!

We especially had fun laughing and chatting with our shop owner customers. Naming just a very few who stopped by our suite:

Lois of Nedlewerkes in Copperas Cove, TX. Lois told us about the group of German ladies who are stitching our German Sampler Series. We'd love to see pictures!

The ladies from Chris's Collection in Southwick, MA. This is a shop I've spent many a dollar at, even before I became a designer. They were intent on finding new projects for their sampler group. We were happy to provide some suggesitons.

Cathy from Inspired Needle in Lemont, IL gave us the opportunity to try out our new credit card processing. It worked like a charm, thank goodness.

It was a good show and we want to thank all the shops that came, saw and shopped!

Theresa

Big Apple Gift Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:40:00 +0000

One of our promotions at the Fall Needlecrafts Market was a Big Apple Gift Bag. Shops were given a chance to win for every $25 spent on our designs. This prize was filled with a selection of our older designs, chocolate bars from Brooklyn's own Jacques Torres Chocolatier, and a selection of fun souvenirs from NYC, all packaged in a souvenir NYC tote bag.

The big winner was Stitch By Stitch from Cape May, NJ. Congratulations Sharon! Hope you enjoy the prizes and thanks for shopping with us at the show.

Cynthia & Theresa

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:14:00 +0000

We are delighted to welcome three new shops as customers:

Gypsy Wools of Boulder, CO is adding cross stitch to her shop. We are pleased that some of our designs are helping this expansion!

Cross Stitch & Crafts from Johnson City, TN stocked up on Sarah Rogers 1803 Sampler.

Two The Point Needlearts from Overland, KS couldn't resist our German Sampler Series.

Should you find yourself near any of these shops, stop in for a little stash enhancement!

Theresa and Cynthia

A Stroll With The Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:37:00 +0000

This is our newest design in our German Sampler Series: The Queen's Garden. It features many floral and bird motifs such as carnations, iris, primroses and storks that are reminiscent of what a queen would have in her private garden.

I stitched the model using Pearsall's Silks on Lakeside Linen 32 Ct. Meadow Rue, although conversions to DMC, Soie D'Alger and Needlepoint Silks are provided. The water in the fountain is stitched with the herringbone stitch, but all the rest is cross stitched over two.

We already have the next three designs in this series charted. Our goal is to release them during the next year. While you wait, enjoy stitching your way through The Queen's Garden.

Theresa

Open For Business!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:36:00 +0000

We're at the TNNA Fall Needlecraft Market in St. Charles/St. Louis, MO. Here are a couple of photos of our suite.

If you are wondering how all these models and display fixtures made it to Missouri from NYC, the answer is a two day drive! Cynthia and I rented an SUV, loaded it up and started driving west at 10:15 AM on September 22. After crossing 7 states, we crossed the Mississippi and arrived in Missouri at about 6:30 PM on September 23rd. It was a long drive!

Our new design being released at this show is The Queen's Garden, the next entry in our German Sampler Series. I'll have more on that piece in a later post.

If you are shopping this wholesale only market, stop in Suite 728 and see us!

Theresa & Cynthia

L'Inspiration Francaise, Part IV - Museums & Exhibitions, continued

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Rediscoveries can be just as great an adventure as experiencing something new.

Musee de l'Orangerie

Located in Le Jardin des Tuileries, L'Orangerie only recently reopened after many years of restoration. It is the home designed by Claude Monet for his iconic Les Nymphaes, or, as more commonly entitled in English, Waterlilies, painted in the gardens of his Giverny home. My memories from my last visit there (about 23 years ago) were of gloomy galeries in poor condition. That's not the case any longer!

The museum facility itself has been beautifully restored, but most of all, these magnificent works of art are displayed and lit to best advantage.

I was intrigued by the brush technique used by Monet to create the waterlily flowers.

I also like the bright bursts of color used to highlight flower detail, something to try in future designs.

After worshipping the Monets, I headed downstairs to the extensive underground galleries that house both temporary exhibition galleries and a permanent collection of featuring modern and impressionist works by Monet's contemporaries.

There was a terrific Kandinsky retrospective in the temporary space (alas, no photos were allowed). You definitely want to allocate sufficient time on this visit to explore the treasures in these galleries.

One artist I discovered here for the first time was Chaim Soutine., who called to mind Monet and Chagall.

This simple painting by Renoir of roses on a velvet chair made me want to rush out and buy an identical bouquet!

I loved the delicate interplay of whites and pinks, something I hope to use someday in a design.

And I'm always happy to find a new (to me) Matisse masterpiece.

to be continued...

Theresa

L'Inspiration Francaise, Part IV - Museums & Exhibitions

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000

My April trip to Paris lasted two weeks and allowed me to explore small museums and visit exhibitions that usually aren't on a visitor’s itinerary. Each was an adventure, taking me to unfamiliar areas around Paris and leading to some wonderful discoveries, often related to needlework and design. Another benefit: they are generally not crowded and visited primarily by locals.

Musee de la Vie Romantique

A French acquaintance recommended this small museum near Pigalle because of the special exhibition honoring Frederic Chopin’s Bicentennial. Dedicated to the Romantic Movement, at its peak of influence in Paris from 1810 to 1840, this eclectic museum is located in the private home and studio of Ary Scheffer, a portraitist of the time. Scheffer and his daughter hosted salons that were frequented by George Sand, Chopin and Franz Liszt amongst others. There is a permanent collection in the house that features many personal items of George Sand, including her tartanware needle case, a beaded necklace she made for her daughter, and other stitching items.

Perhaps best of all, the museum has this delightful garden with a tea shop providing a lovely place to recover from touring the museum over a light lunch or tea while admiring the beautiful flowers.

Musee de Toile de Jouy

Yes, there is a museum dedicated to toile! Located in a Parisian suburb near Versailles township, it’s easily reached by the RER commuter train coupled with a short walk. The museum is in a small chateau surrounded by lovely gardens on the site of the Manufacturie Oberkampf which began producing toile de jouy fabric in 1760, dominating the market for generations.

Did you know that toile is a fabric printing technique, not a particular design style? I always thought toile was limited to single color (usually black or blue) prints of pastoral scenes against a white background. I could not have been more wrong! Turns out that just about any repeat patterned fabric printed using wood or copper blocks is a toile.

Samples of what we typically consider to be toile fabric.

Of course there is a large gift shop with every item imaginable made out of toile or reflecting a toile de jouy pattern. This bookmark was too cute to resist --- and has already given me finishing ideas for a design or two!

I'm sure you notice that the toile fabric used for the bookmark is a multi-colored floral print rather than a monochromatic pastoral scene.

to be continued...

Theresa

Going Public

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:17:00 +0000

Our local stitching group, the Metrostitchers, take 'stitching in public' to a new level. Most stitching groups stitch in public at local baseball games, known as 'Stitch & Pitch' events. The Metrostitchers head to the local racetrack!

Crafty Gem, Winner of the 4th Race

Last Sunday the group headed out to Belmont Park Raceway for a day of stitching, horses and betting stash amongst ourselves (a Metrostitcher specialty!). Were we all thrilled when Crafty Gem came from behind to win the 4th Race! No doubt our stitching inspired Crafty Gem's final push to win by a nose!

The racing form (used to record stash bets) and Theresa's stitching

The stitching I brought with me is the next German Sampler Series release: The Queen's Garden. It was the first 'public viewing' of this new design-in-progress, seeming to be the perfect match for a day enjoying the Sport of Queens. I stitched a lot between races, and even expected to finish the model this week.

Unfortunately, I'm now frogging everything that I stitched that day! Somehow I made a huge counting error, compounded by not catching it for several days. Some designs just seem to attract more frogs in the initial stages than others.

Or maybe I was simply paying more attention to the horses and the stash bets than to my stitching?

Theresa

Montpelier Needlearts Show 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:19:00 +0000

We submitted our model for Bee to the Flower in the 2010 Needlearts Show held at Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, MD.

The show runs through July 30th. If you find yourself in the DC/Baltimore area before then, do try to visit the show. You will be inspired by the beautiful needlework on display. Plus, you get to see the actual model for one of our designs!

Theresa

Sarah Rogers 1803 Sampler

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Our latest release is this adaptation of one of the antique samplers in my collection. Originally stitched on a very high count fabric in 1803 by 12 year old Sarah Rogers, we elected to brighten its colorway and stitch it over two on 28 Ct Wichelt linen using Threadgather Silk'N Colors. Besides cross stitch, there are some eyelets and satin stitches. Our instructions provide dimensions for stitching it on higher counts of fabric and we are working on a DMC conversion that will be published at our website. The model dimensions are 27-1/4" x 27". It's not a small piece!

Filled with many charming bird, insect, animal, tree and flower motifs, the verse is as follows:

All you my friends who now expect to see

A piece of work thus performed by me

Cast but a Smile on this my mean endeavor
I will strive to mend and be obedient ever

***

Sarah Rogers her work in the year of

Our lord 1803 in the 12th year of her age

Despair of nothing that you would attain

Unwearied diligence your point will gain.

We wish to mention two people whose contributions helped bring Sarah Rogers 1803 Sampler to life for us:

Lil for so beautifully stitching the model for us

Don at Where Victoria's Angels Stitch for providing the perfect green frame

We would also like to give a special thanks to Dawn at Needle's Work Antiques for enticing me into purchasing the original sampler in the first place!

Sarah Rogers 1803 Sampler is available from Norden Crafts and Hoffman Distributing.

Theresa

L'Inspiration Francaise, Part III - Window Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:43:00 +0000

I love window shopping the streets of Paris!

This elegant French bath tub just cries out for a long bubble bath - and to be stitched!

The Palais Royal is home to many unique shops, including a heraldry shop founded in the mid-18th century (and still in business), whose window displayed this treasure.

The Sunday Bird Market near Notre Dame is a source of color and whimsy.

And finally, April in Paris means flowers everywhere -- from magnolias and cherry blossoms to forsythia, tulips, pansies and poppies. Don't these yellow, orange, white and gold poppies just make you want to sit down and stitch them?!

How can I not be inspired when Paris offers such wonders?

Theresa

L'Inspiration Francaise, Part II - Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Parisian buildings are covered with decorative ironwork and architectural detail that make me think of stitched borders and cartouches.

While the ironwork over the entrances to the 18th Century covered passageways are fans of intricate detail.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery provides elegant iron cutwork on mausoleum doors, with a glimpse of stained gass behind.

I can just see translating this image into a design using some brilliant multi-colored silk overdye.

Theresa

L’inspiration Francaise, Part I – French Needlework

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:49:00 +0000

A trip to Paris always leaves me with notebooks filled with ideas, notes, and photos that eventually contribute to my designing. In fact, I find everything French incredibly inspiring. Here are a few of this trip’s inspirations – so far.

Let’s start with those French stitching magazines. Here are a few I picked up at the local newsstand.

I treat these magazines as reference books. The French are very skilled at incorporating cross stitch into their daily lives, something reflected in the magazines and the shop models. For example, Des Fils et Une Aiguille, one of my favorite Parisian needlework shops, had these two bags on display in its windows:

You can find here so many fine linen products like these bags to use for your stitching projects. We are in awe of the French ease for using stitched items for more than just pillows, stitching smalls and wall hangings. (Oh, but the pillows they do make!)

Theresa

New designs and fun at the Online Needlework Show

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:48:00 +0000

The Online Needlework Show opens today at 2pm (EDT). Be sure to check our show page and enter our Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win an Arachne chart of your choosing (with a retail value of up to $8.00). The answer to one of the questions definitely won't be hard to find if you've been reading this blog lately! All who entered will receive a free chart designed exclusively for the show.

General viewing pages are open through Sunday, the 18th, but registered shop owners can place orders through the 20th. Don't have an LNS? Go to Where to Buy Our Designs. Most of these shops are registered for the show.

April In Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:32:00 +0000

That's me, Theresa, posing yesterday in front of the magnolias at the Eiffel Tower in Paris! I'm on vacation in the City of Light, having left Cynthia in charge of our booth at the Online Needlework Show and the publication of our latest design. I'm hoping that if I buy her a really special present from Paris, she'll forgive me for leaving her with all of the work while I sample the food, wine and pleasures of a city we both love.

There are a couple of places in particular I will be visiting in the hopes of finding the perfect super duper present for Cynthia. Unlike our native New York, Paris has a superfluity of needlework shops and stitching resources. I guarantee that I will be visiting two of my favorite Parisian needlework shops in the next couple of days: Des Fils et Une Aiguille located near the Palais Royal/Louvre and Le Bonheur des Dames which can be found in the Viaduct Des Arts, underneath the Promenade des Plantes that inspired NYC's newly opened Hi-Line Park.

In the meantime, here's a photo of a shop I just discovered on Rue Dauphine on the Left Bank.

It specializes in infant and childrens clothing, all either hand-knit or embroidered, and it sells kits to make your own. You can see the words 'point de croix' (French for cross stitch) on the window if you look closely. I thought this was an inspired concept for a unique clothing/needlework shop, and the products on display in the window were exquisite! There was also a shop on the same street selling the sweetest smocked dresses for little girls -- and matching ones for their dolls! Handwork is clearly still prized in France as evidenced by these shops that specialize in such wonderful traditional needlearts surviving in the expensive St. Germain area .

Paris is always a source of great inspiration for me. Perhaps I'll even share some of those inspirations with you over the next few days.

A toute a l'heure!

Theresa

Spring has sprung!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:41:00 +0000

Hope you're getting ready for the upcoming Online Needlework Show, April 15-20. Here's our newest design that will debut at the show.

Knowing our fondness for stitching bees, our friend and fellow stitcher, Zeena, sent us the Kahlil Gibran quote that inspired this design. We've been having such a beautiful Spring so far -- warm, sunny days, budding trees and the scent of blossoms in the air -- I wish it could last forever. I think looking at this piece on a cold winter day will certainly help to evoke warm and sunny memories.

The Promise of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:06:00 +0000

This is the view from my window today here in Brooklyn. As pretty as newly fallen snow is, budding trees and spring flowers are equally as beautiful. So, I admit I'm dreaming of Spring.

With that in mind, I started working on a new design. Think color, flowers and, yes, bees. Bee designs seem to be few and far between these days, even though Theresa and I try to do our part. (Maybe the needlework world is reflecting the outside world since the bee population has been seriously affected in recent years.) So there was no question that a bee or two would definitely be part of this design.

Here's a sneak peak to help keep the promise of Spring alive on a Winter's day. And stay tuned for the bee.

It Pays To Speak Up

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:23:00 +0000

Bee On Time Petit Mantel Clock

We are thrilled to see that Sudberry has brought back the Petit Mantel Clock and the Small Carriage Clock.

Many designers and shop owners were distressed to learn at the 2009 Nashville Trade Show that these wonderful clocks were no longer being manufactured. I decided that we had nothing to lose if I dropped by Sudberry's booth to lodge a complaint or two. So I did. By the end of my visit, Sudberry acknowledged that perhaps the clocks should go back into production. Now here they are back! Clearly it paid for me to speak up!

Shaker Time Small Carriage Clock

We love these clocks so much that we had created a couple of simple, quick to stitch designs for them: Bee On Time, celebrating bees keeping time, and Shaker Time, reflecting motifs from an exhibit of Shaker life. Need a quick gift? Why not stitch one of our clock designs? The Sudberry clocks come with easy to follow assembly directions and all hardware needed.

Businesses stop production of items for all kinds of reasons. If you can no longer find a product needed to complete a design, contact that designer or the product manufacturer. Usually a substitute will be suggested. Or, like with Sudberry and the clocks, the item will be brought back into production.

So SPEAK UP! (Oh dear, that sounds just a tad like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde: Red, White & Blue, doesn't it? Well, I am a lawyer after all!)

Theresa

The Tradition of A New Year's Start

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Chessie & Me's Behold The Bee

Begun by Cynthia 1/1/2004, finished 2/21/2004

Cynthia and I are members of a New York City stitching group called the Metrostitchers. In fact, it was through the Metrostitchers that we met, became friends and ultimately started Arachne's Silken Web. This is a terrific group of needleworkers whose membership is gradually spreading around the globe, no longer restricted to the metropolitan New York area. [If you would like more information about joining the Metrostitchers, just send us an email.]

Olde Colonial's Home Is... Tuck Pillow begun & finished 12/31/2002 (left)
Olde Colonial's Mimi's Pin Cube begun 1/1/2004, finished 7/2004 (center)
Amaryllis Artwork's Little Peace Angel begun 1/1/2005, finished 3/2005 (right)
All stitched by Theresa

The Metrostitchers began a tradition many years ago of starting a new project at New Year's. No matter how many projects we have going, we each start something new on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day to honor all those needleworkers who have gone before us--the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and friends who have taught us to love fiber and thread, and whose legacy we carry on every time we pick up a needle. Large or small, complicated or simple, as long as it involves fiber and needle and hasn't already been started, it's a New Year's Start.

Scandinavian Stitches' Nordic Hearts Ornament begun by Theresa on 1/1/2008

We both had to do a little research to figure out what we each started over the years. I was surprised by two things: that I had finished so many of those starts and just how many years I didn't follow the tradition! It's actually been hard for us to stick with the tradition because for so many years we have been consumed at New Year's with finishing new designs to be released at the February Nashville Trade Show.

By the Bay's Winter Hill started by Cynthia on 1/1/2009

A New Year's Start can also be an opportunity for experimentation -- such as testing a new fiber on a favorite motif, or trying a new stitching technique like blackwork. Cynthia did just that on 1/1/2003 - using a variegated Gloriana Silk Pearl and a Leon Contrad blackwork motif. As you can see, her experiment shows that the twist of the silk pearl gives a very intersting textural look to the blackwork.

There's no deadline for finishing a New Year's Start. Some never are finished, others just take a very long time. Cynthia started Girl's Night Out on New Year's 2001. Progress has been slow and steady. Cynthia has hinted that she's going to put a few more stitches in it this New Year's!

Ewe & Eye & Friends Milkpaint Silks Kit from Kreinik

For Cynthia and I, the New Year's Start is an opportunity to take a break from Arachne design work and stitch pieces by other designers. After all, we are stitchers first. Cynthia's New Year's Start this year will be a new block on Carriage House's The Village of Hawk Run Hollow. And yes, indeed, starting a new section of a large project that has distinct sections is considered a new start!

I'm still 'examining my options.' I'll post a comment when I finally decide! I am busy at the moment though, finishing the Nordic Heart's Ornament.

We hope you will join us in this tradition, and let us know what you start!

Theresa