Blackbird Designs…oh my, they certainly have some wonderful offerings! A new series, called Remember Me, they brought three of nine promised designs in this series: Maude Eloise 1891, When This You See, and My Missouri Home, with lots of possibilities for personalizing with your own state home, name and dates of course! Each one is magnificent! Can’t wait to get shop models stitched of these. Also two more new patterns: Be Kind and True and Birds of a Feather. All of the designs are charted for over dyed fibers from GAST and WEEKS, with the exception of Birds of a Feather, which is charted for NPS! Truly wonderful, will be getting pics up of these soon.

Heart In Hand for the whimsical lovers, had a limited edition kit, called Spring Fling, and a wonderful frame exclusive for it. These will go fast, and are only available for order from Heart In Hand until March 31, 2006, so don’t delay, I am sure this will be a seasonal series and the first is precious! Also another kit, called Red Roses, is so pretty with it’s simplicity and use of color! A full size chart, so cute, is Birds of a Feather, Can't wait for you to see this one. Also two more in the Mother’s Wisdom series, Study Hard and Wash Your Hands. The new Collector’s Heart kit was released just before market, but these are very limited edition, so don't delay in ordering your copy today. It is called Love Is In The Air!

Trilogy, oh my, this design team, I don’t know how they find the time it takes to design together, with keeping up their own designs, but they manage it quite well. I had the opportunity to be sitting near them in a restaurant on Saturday night, and I was admittedly straining my ears to maybe hear of some new plans for up and coming designs, but only heard tidbits, which may or may not, make sense to me later! Anyway, the new kit in the Tall Trios series, is called Hop, has everything you need to stitch it, a cute bunny, egg and other spring-ey items, just way cute! Other offerings were Spring Tree, with buttons embellishments, which they ran out of, but I have them on order, Cheer, which is another tree, with snowmen and a cute set of buttons for embellishment, a full size leaflet called Spring Line Up, with turtles, flowers, and other spring things in rows. This will be a series, I am confident. Be looking for the next Line Up! Will probably be Autumn…don't know why I think that, I just do!J Oh in the Spot series of charts with sterling silver trinkets are Lucky Spots and Easter Spots!

Bent Creek…before leaving for Market, got my auto from them, and it included the new Sheep Z-25 series, called Smitten Ewe, a complete kit of an ever so adorable sheepie! Next one, to ship in the next week or so, is titled Lucky Ewe, and then in about a month, be looking for Easter Ewe! These are so precious! Also the final two installments in Winter Snapperland are here. Soon to follow is Spring Snapperland, that will probably be here next month. Another fun series of Snappers, with adorable complimentary borders with the purchase of the charts. Also the final installment in the Stoneware series, right now, I can't remember the name, but it will come to me later. It is a nice one!

Lizzie Kate…got my auto from them before leaving, went to their suite, which is always such a charming haven to be in, lovingly decorated to showcase their talents, and their talents are many. These two have to be two of the most gracious and loving people to be around, not only that, they run a terrific business and are very customer service oriented! Ten years in business, to two people that so deserve all of the good things in life. Okay, the next two LK Christmas Blessings charts are here, also a new series of small Boxers, the first one called Spring-ey, also a chart pack with embellishments and 4 designs for Spring, another chart pack titled Friendship for All Seasons, which also has an embellishment pack. There is a complimentary design, which I picked up some embellishment packs for this, sweet little pink buttons. Also the embellishment pack of buttons that is for finishing off the Christmas Blessings ornament series. Feather trees are on order, as well, as the Wool Packs from Weeks for finishing these. Such a simple way, of finishing too!

Hands To Work…Tracy’s suite was decorated in such a primitive, homey way, to showcase her lovely designs. She had sold out of the cute kits she had available, but promised to send me some when she got home. There is a rabbit and an alphabet, I love it! I forget the name of it, sorry, but you will be pleased with this one. Also A Merry Heart, Harvest Booms, 19 Century Birds, A Bird In Hand, Mr. Harry Terry Tom and new to me, Christmas Stocking Ornaments, three to stitch up really quickly and just adorably primitive!

Brightneedle has a super new design called Ezmerelda’s House, a truly whimsical Halloween house to be a companion piece to their previous DollHouse. A winner! Also an ornament leaflet, with 12 Christmas designs for ornaments, and also 12 everyday ornaments to hang all year! Novel idea!

M Designs…Mary is such a delight, I just adore her and her work. I am on automatic, which ships this week, so should have her new offerings in the shop very soon. I can always count on Mary for a wonderful conversation and a yummy cookie, although I think I forgot to partake this trip. There is a new kit with all of the finishing supplies with it, called Dragonfly and it is certainly much prettier in person. Also another in the Checkered Series of kits, this one is for Easter, and is adorable. Will fill you in, once they are here!

Sheepish Designs…haven’t seen much of them for a few years, but Dawn is back, and so glad that she is. She truly has a gift for designing. Her new offerings include Alpha Menagerie, Kitties, Lady Love, Grape Goodness and Ewe Alone. Wonderful Ewe Sheep in that one, and also Dawn says that her next Alpha offering will showcase Sheep! Goodie!

WorkBasket…Cartouches, sure to be a hit, had so many wonderful motifs and ideas for separating or stitching it one big awesome sampler! Also Mermaids is beautiful and calls for Crescent Colours! To be coming in a few months, is the next series of Proverb Samplers, which are two to a chart, and so neat.

Lakeside Linens…by the time I was able to visit their suite, they had sold out of their new colours, but was able to order some, and pick up some of their most popular, Navy Bean, Clay Pot, Pearled Barley, Cattail Brown, etc! Such quality linens from some super people.

R&R Reproductions…I just adore these two, especially Anne, that is most gracious and friendly. Got there early enough to have a good pick of what they brought from their fabric line, next time I visited the bins were almost empty, such wonderful colors in a wide aray of counts!

Crescent Colours…As many of you know already the new colors were released as Winter Releases a few weeks ago, but just wanted to remind you, now is the time to keep up with your collection of these wonderfully soft and charming colours for your fiber stash. There were 6 new colors released in the 6 strand floss line: Almost Auburn, Balsam Fir, Copper Penny, Jolly Holly, Old Blue Jeans and Roasted Chestnut! ALSO, 10 new shades for the #5 Perle Cottons, many stitchers are substituting these out in the Shepherd’s Bush stockings, Bent Creek Zipper kits, anything that calls for perle #5’s, these are great subs, and just divine to stitch with.

Gentle Art Sampler Threads….5 new releases, in the regular line and they are of course 10 yard skeins, that is all I carry at Only One Ewe: Apple Cider, Cinders, Raven, Dungarees, and Mountain Mist. Also 5 new Limited Edition colors, only in 5 yard skeins: Aquamarine, Deadwood, Fern, French Vanilla and Pale Aubergine.

Threads of Gold…I always enjoy stopping in and chatting with Edna…sometimes I wish I had her energy to do what she does, and she is older then I am! Anyway, came home with some copies of a lovely, new to me at least, 30 page book, published by Brenda Keyes of The Sampler Company, with skads of motis and borders and personalizations. This book is a MUST have for you sampler lovers, if you yet do not have it in your collection. One that will be used time and time again. Also brought home a few copies of their Christmas of Olde ornament designs Blessings of Christmas, Psalm 91:11, and Time. A charming Moira Blackburn offering titled Green Tree, with a sweet verse: ‘Always Keep A Green Tree in your heart so that the singing bird may come.’ Charted for Weeks Dye works over dyeds. Another sampler by PLC Traditional Samplers, if I had not seen the finished stitched model of this, I might not have brought it home, but it was so eye-catching in it’s simplicity and of course it has a house, and the words ‘Bless This House’ so brought some copies back to the shop. It is so pretty. G A Dutch, 1830, is a charming repro sampler, done in soft shades of blues and sandy browns in NPS and Soie d’ Alger silks. A beauty, can certainly be converted to overdyeds, if that is your fiber of choice.

Plum Street Samplers…I had the good pleasure of meeting this wonderful new designer, from what I understand her first offering was in 2005 and is called Bertie Mae’s Sampler. The verse reads: 'Whilst I abode upon this Earth my needle I did ply That thy wouldst see this Work of Worth as in the grave I lie'. 1828. Calls for NPS. Her two new offerings are just as wonderful, the first, from what I understand, she thought up this verse while ironing: ‘My handworke remains for my friends to behold I cannot take it up when my body lies cold. For I go to a place Where not moth can consume Nor dust soil my threads, no ‘tis not in the tomb…My soul will arise To my FATHER above And I pray HE permits more handworke to love.’ Charted for NPS and Vintage Sand Dune Lakeside Linens. The other new offering, immediately caught Meg’s eye, she wants me to stitch it for her and Gregg to commemorate their anniversary and union. It is titled A Sweeter Love and the verse reads: 'If I climbed the highest mountain or crossed all land and sea I could never find A Sweeter Love Than Thou hast given me.' There are two houses side by side, with a walk connecting the two, with the couple meeting in the middle, charming beyond belief, charted for NPS and Vintage Light Examplar Lakeside Linen.

Other things to tell you about, but time is short, and I must get some pics uploaded to the What’s New page, so that you can see some of what I brought back to the shop. Also things are in a disorganized mess here, still need to price, organize and put away the treasures in the shop. Thanks for your patience for me in getting this written.