Last Cyberclasses Comments...
Hi everyone. I'm so excited
to be taking another cyberclass (took Heirloom Christmas in the past). I have stitched
several of Thea's designs and am currently working on a large sampler of all of
her ABC samplers which will be so-o-o-o spectacular when it is done. I look forward
to this project as four stitching buddies are doing it. I have A B C completed,
D about 2/3rds done... have purchased through L and have the rest of the alphabet
on my wish list (Christmas is coming!!!) I'm working it on 32 count instead of 28
count and am doing 8 letters across and 3 sections down... it is so-o-o-o beautiful
and I so enjoy learning new stitches. I'm going to personalize this sampler with
family names like A is for Adrienne and B is for Britton, L is for Laari so that
it becomes a real family treasure! Happy stitching! I just finished the bargello
and seaweed on the front last night... heading to the back again to work on the
bargello there... oh it is so-o-o-o pretty! My roommate says it has such wonderful
dimension and reminds her of real waves. That says a lot for a non-stitcher! I love
stitching on this piece! Linda in WA
I
just wanted to say hi! I've just printed the instructions and want to go right home
and stitch on this piece. I've seen a friend's stitched piece and it is so gorgeous
that I had to sign up, even though I doubt I'll really have time to stitch during
the class. I know the instructions are wonderful, however, so I will at least follow
along for any questions and answers and hope to get to this sometime soon. Robbin
in MA
The pieces of Mermaid Song are
beautiful and I'm so looking forward to this joyful work. This class if my first
cyberclass and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be starting my stitching right
away. Be talking to you...Diana
I was busy today putting all
the summer furniture away and getting rid of the leaves. All day tomorrow is booked
on working on "Mermaid Song". I
fell in love with this pattern the moment I saw
it. My husband and I enjoyed the beach and spent many hours just thinking. He lost
his battle with cancer 2 years ago, at the age of 48 and I put his ashes in the
ocean.....so there piece bring back many memories for me! -Jill
New Installments ava ilable today I've been stitching away, but because of
work, am behind,
but will catch up, even if the front pocket isn't fully done. Have printed out the
excellent instructions, which i find wonderful. Enjoying stitching this, even if
I'm a tad slow - Sue
Christmas Treasures Greetings
from a sunny and mild Athens, Greece. Well I have just printed off the last installment
of my class and am now ready to BEGIN!! Had a bit of difficulty getting the fabric
and eventually tracked some down in Canada which arrived last week. A real international
effort is this! Never mind better late than never:) Anyway having done many of the
VS projects before and a cyberclass I'm confident that the instructions will be
great. Thank you again Thea for all your beautiful and inspiring designs. Keep up
the good work. Best wishes to all at VS. - Rosalind
Canadian Stitching
Retreat..
Good afternoon. I am in the process of setting up a stitching get together for
a group of w onderful Canadians who met on a stitching website. There was a get together
held 2 years ago in Ontario – now it’s our turn. What I’d like to find out from
you today is if there is anywhere I can purchase a variety of Vancouver Island stitching
kits or patterns for a small cost. I’d like to give everyone little gift bags and
would love to include items from Victoria Sampler as everyone has heard of you and
all love your patterns. At this moment it appears we will have 20 attendees, starting
in new Brunswick, then Ontario, Alberta and of course from BC. I know one of the
highlights of the Toronto get together was a trip to Gitta’s. We may not have Gitta’s
but we DO have something better – Victoria Sampler! Any information you could give
me or direction you could point me in would be greatly appreciated. Sherry MacBeth
Hi Sherry... by now we've been in touch with you already...
but I wanted to thank you for keeping us in mind! We have many little kits
for you, including the Hearts of Canada! I also suggest visiting the Button and
Needlework Boutique in the heart of Victoria!
 Stitching
VS Retreat..
Oh Thea—Your new VSRetreat piece
is gorgeous! Question for you (I just seem to keep having them!). If there is room for April 2010, could you put me down? Some friends are checking their calendar to see if
it would work to have my son stay with them for those days, which would remove one
of the big roadblocks. That’s the top item on my wish list. Stitching is keeping me as close to
sane as I’m likely to be for a while. “Blessings” is nearly all stitched, and I’m
hoping to work on the finishing over the Holiday break from school. Hugs, Nancy
What fun to know you've decided to come after all, Nancy! I'm soo happy to know
you are now registered.. thanks for checking with us.. we ALL will love having you!
 Hardanger
KITS for a Beginner!
Hi - I am a sticher
whose motto seems to be "the person who dies with the most wins" :D. I am so excited....my
husband said splurge and get your Christmas present so I bought 12 kits and told
him that was one per month for the next year to learn new stitches!! I am so excited! I'm really excited to be
getting these kits and once I learn the new stitches I'm definitely interested in
trying a sampler. The Nativity sampler I looked at was BEAUTIFUL!! Thanks again!
Merry Christmas Blessings, Diane S. Florence, SC.
The Beyond Cross Stitch Level 5 and 6 Hardanger Learning kits will help you get
much more familiar with Hardanger.. I just know you'll love them, Diane! Also, you
can register for one of our online Cyberclasses, which have excellent instructions
for all manner of stitches. Finally, remember our online Stitch Animations, right
on our website. They help enormously! -Thea
NEW No-Cut Beginners Hardanger Kits!
Hi Thea - i hope this finds you well and k eeping
warm! We had a horrific storm
here with 74mph winds and lots of rain Monday night - like a summer monsoon, but
it isn't summer! It's very chilly right now - I think only 49 degrees (Farenheit
for us) .... The last couple of days I've been working on your two new hardanger
ornament kits that you released recently - the gold one turned out gorgeous! I'm going to finish it for an ornament exchange at our local shop on Dec.
19th! I hope to do the finishing this next Monday evening, there are so many holiday
acitivities going on right now of course....... I love your new Caroler's sampler
that you just released and I'm hoping to win the next biscornu contest! I have to
get the biscornu started soon! If I were to win, I'd probably use the winnings toward
the sampler and thread pack! will let you know if my dye lot matches on the DMC
500 pearl cotton! Tedra Raden Phoenix, AZ
So glad you liked the new no-cut Hardanger kits, Tedra..!
They are almost all gone, except for the BH-03 "Filligree".
We only have a few of these left! -
Thea
Short Beading Needles?!
Thea
- When I was in business (needlework) several years ago John James had an item which
many of us liked very much for attaching beads to needlework. It was a SIZE 10 TAPESTRY
POINTED SHORT BEADING NEEDLE. Nordic Needle did carry it earlier this year but it's
not on their web site any longer and their order takers couldn't give me any help
either. A look at web sites for John James needles is devoid of that particular
needle. If I knew their address, I'd write to England. Are you familiar with that
ty pe of beading needle?
Do you happen to know if they're making such a thing anymore? It's a nice size for
stitchers who are used to short needles rather than those big long things beaders
use. Also, the eye is a little larger than a regular beading needle. The cost was
about $5 for 25 needles.
I also loved these beading needles, and special ordered a big quantity for our kits
and our customers, as they are now a discontinued item from John James! We have
enough for you..
here! -Thea
Pe aches and Cream!
Dear Thea, It was such
a wonderful trip down memory lane to read your latest newsletter! Yes, I was in
that first 'labor of love', Peaches and Cream cyberclass. I see my completed Peaches
and Cream hanging on the wall of my sewing room every time I'm in there (which is
very, very often!). I haven't kept up with the Cyberstitchers
message group so didn't
know that Dorothy's health was not good. I hope that since her second retirement
(from Cyberstitchers) there has seen improvement for her. I love Wendy's designs.
I have the first one that she published with Patricia. I sent it to her and she
signed it for me...something I treasure. It was a joy 'meeting' her in that class
where we were all 'pioneers'. I guess that shows my age that I put myself in the
'pioneer' class, but then, I've been stitching one thing or another for almost 50
years, so I guess that qualifies me. I was excited to see that your new cyberclass
is Birds of a Feather. That chart and instructions were in an issue of "Gift of
Stitching" and I almost immediately made it for a stitching friend who was going
through cancer treatments. I plan to make another for myself s ometime
in the future. It was/is a wonderful pattern (like all of yours) and sentiment.
Thanks for the tribute to the contributions of Dorothy and Wendy. They are both
great gals and I'm happy to have 'met' them through your cyberclasses. Cathie Boland
- Michigan
Thank you so much for your letter, Cathie. I'm so pleased
that you thought enough of the "#114 Birds of a Feather" sampler that you made it
for your special stitching friend during her challenging time. This really does my heart good. It was such a treat to get a personal note from you.. and your'e
so right, all the gals from that first class have formed such great friendships!
Thanks again! - Thea
CAN'T CHECK OUT on our website...??
Hello Thea,
I tried to place an online order today. Everything worked just fine until I tried
to check out...always got an error message. Give me a hint what to do next. Thanks,
Doreen Snyder (in Melbourne, FL. Trying to keep the Christmas spirit at 85 degrees!)
 My IT man said to try this and it works! Open a Windows Internet
Explorer browser and then: click on the word "Tools" near top right. Click on Internet
Options at bottom of the pop down menu. Click on Advanced Scroll down to bottom
of settings and make sure that SSL 2 is disabled (no check mark) SSL 3 is enabled
(check mark) TLS 1 is enabled (check mark). This should allow you to see the page
in question.
Hi It worked!!!
Thanks so much, Thea, for taking the time. Your IT guy is my hero! My settings were
different from what he recommended. I changed the settings per his suggestions and
voila! Success! Now I can look forward to opening my goody bags when they arrive.
Hugs, Doreen :) P.S. Have a wonderful holiday and hello to all the gang! I am looking
forward to your visit to Florida in 2010.
 Carol
Singers stocking...
Hello Thea, I know you're in a hurry to get off
for Christmas break, so this question can wait until you get back. I'm trying to
find a good stocking cuff design for my niece. I think that I can use elements of
your Carol Singers leaflet to make a great cuff. I'd like to have the Santa over
the bottom row of houses that includes the church (it looks more like New England
and she was born in Maine.) If it's too narrow of a design, I can add the houses
from the top row to make it longer across the stocking. If all goes well, I can
even add some of that pulled thread work to make it look like it has a lace edging.
I don't have a stitching store nearby, so I can't go look at a leaflet to figure
out the stitch count to see if I can translate it into fabric that would work as
a cuff. Could you give me the stitch count for the height and width of the Santa/reindeer
and the second row of houses? I hope this works. I'm at my wit's end trying to find something lovely
for her. Thank you. Again, no hurry: January will be fine. Merry Christmas, Sylvia
Cantu PS: By the way, I clicked on the Santa and the Reindeer and kept clicking
through until I found the leaflet. It did dump me off at the 12 Days leaflet, but
the Carolers was the next leaflet down. I liked it: easy (and good) marketing! Thank
you .
Hi ! I just think that this idea is such a good one, that
I included your note in this newsletter. What fun to create a stocking from the
Carol Singers Sampler! I can hardly wait to see a photo of your finished stocking
in future! - Thea.
Welcome Hearts...
Hello... You may recall that I bought Thea Dueck's Welcome
Hearts sampler pattern and materials from you when I was in the US in October.
I have now finished, and am quite pleased with the results. Besides the different
colour scheme, I also varied the fillings for the open work. It has been a joy to stitch. If I get back to the area, I will visit again. Yours, MarthaJeanne Barton
(Vienna, Austria)
Wishes for the Season, and a Happy New Year...
Dear Thea and all your staff Thank you for your email wishing me a Merry Christmas.
Sorry it’s been so long in replying but my son from Vancouver, together with his
wife and two daughters arrived on 20th December
and this time for me has been so special as it is almost four years since we saw
them all. My granddaughters are now 8 and 6 and I have had great fun in teaching
them to sew and to knit when there is time to spare! We are planning to visit them
this year and I am hoping to include a visit to yourselves as I have a sister-in-law
who lives in Duncan. I wish you and everyone at VS a very happy new year and all
the best for 2010. Kindest regards
Sue
Hi Thea, Cathy and
Lisa I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and my best wishes to you for a
happy, healthy New Year. I’m really looking forward to the VS Retreat but be fore then I want
to finish several projects that are MY PhD’s – too many half done projects and it’s
time to finish them. That will be my resolution for 2010 – no new projects until
the others are completed – unless something really interesting pops up, of course.
All the best XO Lorraine
Hi Thea, Thanks
for your kind wishes. It's times like this that I feel so lucky to have my needlework. Hopefully I shall get many UFO's
finished during this winter at home. I have amazed myself at my attitude as I love
to get away, especially at Christmas time when there is so much commercialism, food
and drink around. Yesterday was very humbling. Once again our Guild took first place
for our Christmas tree decorations at TOSH. The money we give to Haven House, the
home for battered women and children in Nanaimo. The 118 decorations this year went
to the new nursing home in Parksville. Stay warm and well and I look forward to
seeing you in the New Year. Brenda
Dear Thea, many
happy returns of the Year and my best wishes for a good health! Monique Veen from
Soest in The Netherlands
My New Year's Resolution
is to live each day Intentionally. To me this means to wake up each morning
giving thought to my purpose for being, remembering God is my ever present help,
and then making deliberate, intentional decisions followed by actions, to stay on
course. I'm trying to think what growth I'd like to see in my personal life and
what I'd like to get accomplished - defined in some specific statements with measurable
outcomes. Not good with words here, but included in that resolution is accepting
and embracing the unexpected things in life with compassion and grace. Love and
hugs and counting the days until VSH.
I
love your messages of good cheer and of excellent New Year resolutions.. thank you
all for your kindness to me and to my staff..! Sending all your good wishes right
back all of you! :) - Thea
Gingerbread House Linen SIZE...
Hi I have just ordered this #110 Gingerbread
Chart and Accessories from your website, and was wondering if I could get some advice
about how much Linen I will need to buy. Because I can't get that color from the
UK, I will need to order from an American supplier. Should I buy 1/2 a yd or a whole
yard? Also, the designs you do for the retreat - will they be available at a later date to buy?
I look forward to hearing from you when you have time. Blessings Ginny
If you need to check on the amount of linen, please go
HERE and scroll down to the middle sction. There you will find the exact
dimensions of the linen for each section, and also a good estimation of the CUT
piece of linen you might need. There is even a link to two good fabric layout diagrams
to help you! As far as my VS Retreat designs.. they will eventually be published..
but there's no telling when! - Thea
Mermaid Song question:
Hello Thea, Hi! I was the last one who ordered that Mermaid's
Song cyberclass and you had to refund my money because it was sold out and I just
got your New Years newsletter
and just wanted to ask if you had decided on a release
date for the pattern and accessories kit yet? As you can tell--I really want this!
Hoping you and yours have a Wonderful New Years! Hugs! Kim Rakoski
Hi
Kim.. I'm so sorry you had to miss out, so I'm glad you asked.. as I'm sure others
are wondering too. Because we had so many requests, we will be releasing the Mermaid
Song Leaflet and Accessory Packs in the first part of 2010. I hope you can be patient
that long! - Thea
 Life's lessons to live by...
One day, when I was a freshman in high
school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would
anyone bring home all his books
on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.' I had quite a weekend planned (parties and
a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders
and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking
all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses
went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him... He looked
up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes My heart went out to him. So, I jogged
over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his
eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should
get lives. ' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his
face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out,
he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.. He said he had
gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school
kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned
out to be a pretty cool kid.. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know
Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped
him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile
of books everyday! ' He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became
best friends.. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided
on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that
the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going
for business on a football scholarship..
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to
get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of
those guys that really found himself during high school... He filled out and actually
looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was
nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy,
you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one)
and smiled. ' Thanks,' he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat,
and began 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those
tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly
your friends..... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is
the best gift you can give them.. I am going to tell you a story.' < B>I just
looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met. He had planned
to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker
so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend
saved me from doing the unspeakable..' I heard the gasp go through the cr owd as this handsome,
popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until
that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions.. With one small gesture you can change
a person's life. For better or for worse...... God puts us all in each others lives
to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others. 'Friends are angels who
lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.' There is
no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.
That's' why they call it the present...
Happy New Year Everyone!
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