You Are My Lobster

In the run up to Valentine’s Day it seems the perfect opportunity to share with you this little cross stitch lobster I designed last year for Lakeside Needlecraft’s Summer Cross Stitch Book.

Stitched in just one colour of embroidery floss over two threads of 28 count Cashel linen or one thread of 14 count Aida this fellow measures approximately 11cm x 11cm when finished and you may already have the materials you need in your stash.

This project is perfect for squeezing into a weekend … In fact, my good friend Lesley, who stitched the sample, managed to fit in 14 miles of Nordic walking and cooked dinner before whipping this critter up in the evening!

Advertisement

Win!!! Tickets to the Stitch Festival

Look what I have to give away ….. Tickets to the Stitch Festival
Business Design Centre, Islington, London, 27th February – 1st March 2020

If you would like the chance to win a pair of these tickets as well as a needlework kit please drop me a line by midnight Friday 31st January and two lucky winners will be drawn at random on Saturday 1st March 2020.

It should be a fantastic day out in this new venue and plenty of inspiration including; Kaffe Fassett’s Quits in America, Esme Young’s costume collection as well as an opportunity to stock up on yarns, fabrics and haberdashery for the coming year.

Please note there is a small surcharge to use the tickets on Saturday and all tickets need to be registered before use, instructions on how to do this are given on the back.

Best of luck and if you are passing H94 give us a wave!

Win!!! Tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show Harrogate

Hoorah, it is that time of year again when I am in full swing getting ready for the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate – the end of the show always coincides with my annual trip to the dentist and then the start of the Christmas preparations.

I have some tickets to give away to this super event. Please drop me a line, either in the comments box below or email epavier@annsorchard.co.uk by Friday 8th November if you would like to be included in the prize draw on Saturday 9th November. Two lucky winners will each receive a pair of tickets and a needlework kit of your choice.

If you are planning to come along to the show please give us a wave, we shall be at C550.
It should be a fantastic day out and a great opportunity to stock up on materials for your Christmas makes or presents for your crafty family and friends.

Win!! Tickets to the Knitting & Stitching Show, Harrogate 22nd to 25th November

It seems no time at all since we were meeting up with so many crafty people at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace and now, having survived the school half term holiday, we are preparing to do it all again in beautiful Harrogate 22nd to 25th November.

I have some tickets to give away to this fantastic show so please drop me a line by Friday 2nd of November if you would like the chance to win a pair as well as a needlework kit. Tag a friend and both names will go in the draw on Saturday 3rd November. Best of luck to you all x

We Have Some Winners!

Many congratulations to Emma, Janet and Sue, winners of the Knitting and Stitching tickets and needlework kits. Please drop us a line at epavier@annsorchard.co.uk with your contact details so we can pop your goodies in the post. Have a fantastic day out at this truly inspirational show.

In the meantime, please keep your eyes peeled as I should have some more tickets to give away in the coming weeks, this time for the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show.

Summertime Rabbit

School’s out, Hubby is home from some far flung office and so we are taking a short break. I am just rifling around my studio to pull together a selection of threads, fabrics and beads to immerse myself in stitching in the sunshine for a couple of weeks. I was planning to draft a floral design for the back of a biscornu this morning but having sat down at the computer this summertime rabbit appeared…. A subconscious self-portrait?

If you would like any stitching goodies please let me know by Friday 6th July otherwise the next posting date will be Monday 23rd July. I have email and PDF patterns are still available for instant download via Ravelry and LoveCrochet.

Have fun with this little rabbit xxx

Booking a Craft Show

As the autumn rolls around it heralds the start of the many craft shows leading up to Christmas….but how do you select a craft show that is right for your products?

It takes a real confidence to book your first craft show and display items that you have crafted and are very personal to you so you really want to make sure the audience will appreciate all your hard work and sales are good.
I have listed a few handy hints that may ensure success.

• RESEARCH – Many shows will be promoted online so do a bit of internet surfing. Does the show have a professional and well presented website? Is it visible on social media? Have a look at the exhibitor list – are they people you admire, are their products of a high quality, is there a wide variety of crafts or are there a lot of mass produced, bought in goods?
• VISIT – If you are seriously interested in booking a show, contact the organisers and simply ask if they can provide a ticket to their next event. Get a feel for the audience – is it busy, what are they buying, are they enthusiastic about the show?Talk to the exhibitors, if they are not too busy then they are often very forthcoming and honest about the pros and cons of a show and may recommend other events.
• VENUE – Consider the layout of the venue, there can be ‘dead spots,’ dark corners of halls that the audience simply don’t find. The organisers will provide a floor plan – and it is a good idea to highlight and try and book those areas with better footfall.
• FACILITIES – As a visitor consider how comfortable you feel in the venue – is parking and access easy, are there seating areas, is the catering of high quality and are there sufficient clean bathroom facilities?
• COST – Small, local shows can prove a good starting point. Costs will be low and you will get feedback on your products. However, if the show is not well attended sales can be disappointing. At the other end of the scale, large, prestigious shows can literally cost thousands of pounds. It is quite a heart pounding moment to commit to such an event but if you have a good product they can work. Look at the numbers very carefully – consider all your additional costs: travel, accommodation, food, lighting, publicity and then work out how much you need to sell to make a profit – make sure you take more than enough product to hit this target. Very occasionally large shows will offer slightly cheaper packages for ‘new talent’ – be cheeky and ask!
• PRESENTATION – Space will be tight so be canny about how to use it. Sketch ideas out on paper to maximise the product on display without cluttering the space or preventing access. Tables with beautiful cloths provide both display areas on top and storage areas underneath. Shelves catch the eye at different levels. Think about hanging items from the ceiling and using the wall space. Lighting is vital, if possible book a spot with good natural daylight but you will also need electric lighting for dull days, late afternoons and evenings. Brand your product and pop a logo on everything – paper bags, business cards, packaging – new customers often find you on the strength of seeing someone else with your product.
• NETWORKING – One of the best places to find like-minded makers is exhibiting. There is a fantastic community of people out there many of whom have years of experience to share. Many of the larger shows are attended by retailers and publishers looking for new designers so exhibiting can be a fantastic springboard to expanding your business. Finally I cannot stress how wonderful it is to be able to talk to your audience – this must be one of the few careers where everyone is pleased to see you!

Winners of the Knitting & Stitching Tickets

Horrah, we have some winners for the Knitting and Stitching Show tickets, many congratulations to Lesley and Venus. Please contact me to ket me know which minibeadwork, chunky cross stitch or new woodpecker kit you would like and I will pop everything in the post. Have a fantastic day out and please give us a wave at E27.

Knitted Nature

Despite knitting since I was quite tiny, I still find it quite mind blowing to think that a strand of yarn can be twisted and turned in so many different ways and combinations to create just about anything.

With my garden now bursting into leaf and the birds in full song I thought it appropriate to share some knitted nature. These lovely creations are a tiny selection of the garden and mythical knitting figures that were on display at the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia last month. I only had my mobile phone camera on me so the photographs really don’t do justice to the quirky and imaginative creatures on display. However, everything brought a smile to my face, sparked a few ideas and I particularly loved the rather cheeky troll. Hopefully he and his friends will make it along to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in the autumn and I will be sure to take a better camera along to capture all the woolly wonders.

X Stitch Magazine ‘Final Twist’

I am home from a fantastic Spring Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia. It always seems to take me a few days to resurface after such a intense week, but I love it!!!

One of my favourite aspects of the shows is that it is such a wonderful opportunity to meet up with like minded makers, to swap ideas, to be inspired by a varied selection of work and to sometimes kick myself for not coming up with a particularly brilliant design first!!!

Jamie Chalmers aka Mr X Stitch is always on hand with his Royal School of Needlework students to showcase the best in funky, contemporary embroidery. His latest venture is a ‘cross stitch magazine for the modern world’ embracing contemporary cross stitch with contributions from some of the best known designers as well as some newbies like myself.

The first edition has the theme of ‘revolution’
I have moved away from my usual critters and come up with an optical art design based on a torus donut to give the impression of a twisting, three dimensional shape. There is a sneak peek of a corner of the design below as well as the header for the Kickstarter site for this new publication .

Please take a look as it should shake up the world of cross stitch – just click below