I am very saddened by the loss of so many independent retailers these days. It has always been such an adventure to go into an independent store to see what they had, how they were different from others and just to enjoy their individual quirkiness. Fortunately, there are still a few around. This is one of my favorites and while not in my neighborhood, it is still worth the drive. It is The Stitch Niche in Arlington, Texas at the corner of Arkansas and Bowen and while it is a bit of a drive from my house, it is a complete joy and adventure to visit. It is a small shop, long and narrow, with the patterns and finishes at the front and, in back, a big table with chairs for those who want to sit, stitch and pass a little time. The shop owner does have regular class times but she is always welcoming for those who want to just come and stitch.
I was in the store a couple of weeks ago and I struck up a conversation with the owner about how much trouble I was having stitching on linen. I couldn't see the threads well enough, the light was too dim, I was blocking my own light, blah, blah, blah and she decided to divulge her secret for successful stitching on very small thread count linen. This was it--
The Mighty Bright floor lamp with twelve LED's and is either plugged in or runs on batteries. This will be great if we have another power outage. She didn't have it in stock so she ordered it for me and I picked it up on Wednesday. I used it Wednesday night and have to say it is worth every penny I paid for it. Thanks, Carol, for recommending it!
I have been doing some Christmas stitching using some of the Little House Needleworks patterns. I will post finish photos another time. I am not sure what I am going to do with these but I was looking for something small to do and these filled the bill. While I was in the shop the other day I picked up a couple of new little patterns. One is another LHN pattern --
I am really enjoying these little pieces and will post photos later.
I also picked up a tiny pattern called "Play Time" by Sam Sarah Design Studio.
4 comments:
I would love one of those lamps but they are quite expensive here. I keep meaning to pick one up at Michaels with one of their 50% off coupons.
Gill
Gill -- I was so surprised at how well they work and I was surprised that her prices were significantly less than Joann's. You might try amazon as well but I think you would do better with the Michael's coupon. So far so good with it!
That angel is such a cute decoration. These would make great Christmas gifts (hint). I love the look of the Stitch Niche - will have to visit when we get down there (if ever!). It reminds me of the needlework shop in the Monica Ferris mysteries I read. Yeah, it's a shame so many independents are having to close up. We don't have ANY fabric or needlework shops near us anymore. Not that I do that much sewing, but I always liked browsing.
Joy -- you are on -- we will go there and to the needlepoint shop up the road -- you will like it too. Both are independent and the owners are a little eccentric but it is fun.
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