Friday, October 2, 2009

Find it Friday ~ EGA National Seminar

Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!





Have you ever been to an EGA National Seminar? I haven't but that's about to change this weekend. I am flying out to Pittsburgh and excited to learn first hand what all the hub bub is about. I have been reading the EGA boards with interest and I watch the growing excitement of seminar attendees. The opportunity to surround myself with a group of stitchers who love needlework as much as I do ~ I can't wait to get there!

If you are attending National Seminar this weekend, we will be video taping short segments about why the EGA is important to you. If you are interested in participating, you can facebook me, e-mail me at Colleen@LooseThreadStitchers.com. We will be taping on Sunday, October 4th, from 2-7PM. Can't wait to see you there!!

The seminar site is Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at the Point and form the Ohio River within a few blocks of the OMNI William Penn Hotel. Pittsburgh will be particularly beautiful this time of year with all of the colorful changing leaves. The wide variety of classes, outstanding faculty, varied and interesting tours, exhibits, auctions, and merchandise
mart will provide you an incredible seminar experience. There will be something of interest for everyone, whether a first-time or a seasoned national seminar attendee. If you are in Pittsburgh, I urge you to join me for a life-enriching experience. Meet longtime friends and make new ones while talking embroidery for an entire week! We look forward to being your hosts as you enjoy Pittsburgh and EGA Seminar 2009.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Whip it Up Wednesday ~ Plaited Gobelin

Each Wednesday we will choose a stitch to explore and post stitch diagram(s) to help you practice and master each.

Plaited Gobelin ~ This stitch can also be called Gobelin Plait and can be completed in a single solid color or a variegated thread to create a different result each and every time.

Steps ~ Start in the lower left hand corner and come up through the fabric. Go up 2 threads and over 1 thread to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 2 threads and come up through the fabric. Repeat as necessary for the completion of that row. From behind the fabric go down 3 threads and come up throught the fabric. Go up 2 threads and over 1 thread to the left and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 2 threads and come up throught the fabric. Repeat as necessary for the completion of that row. From behind the fabric go down 3 threads and come up through the fabric. Go up 2 threads and over 1 thread to the right and go down thorough the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 2 threads and come up through the fabric. Repeat as necessary for the completion of that row. Continue to work this stitch for as many rows as needed to cover the desired area.

Plaited Gobelin

Monday, September 28, 2009

Monday Munchies ~ Oreo Cookie Balls
Each Monday we will kick off the week with a Must have recipe to help get you out of the kitchen and back stitching ASAP!

My son is now in kindergarten at a real "grown up" school. He has been in school 2 weeks and I have had A LOT of homework. This week I have to make a dessert for Homecoming weekend. I know the standard easy treats are always cupcakes, brownies, etc. But I wanted to make something different. As I have said MANY times in this blog, I am NOT good in the kitchen! This recipe has 3 ingredients, no cooking time and is pretty quick to make. They come out amazing everytime I make them and people go wild! I have kept the recipe and the name under wraps for a few years now ever since a girlfriend gave it to me. Since I know none of our kids go to school together I feel safe sharing it with you. But be warned....these are addictive...terrribly addictive!


Oreo Cookie Balls


Ingredients

1 package Oreo Cookies, crushed

1 package Cream Cheese (8 ounces), soften

1 package melting chocolate (16 ounces), melted


Instructions

Combine crushed Oreo cookies with softened cream cheese. Roll mixture into small round balls and refrigerate for 1 hour till chill. Use a fork or a toothpick, dip cookie balls into melted chocolate and place on wax paper to dry. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Find it Friday ~ Boo To You

Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!

I just knew when Theresa and Cathy from CherryWood Design Studio sent me a sneak peek of their new Freebie design, I had found my Find it Friday post. This quick to stitch, fun little Halloween chart is a great project full of fun colors and fabulous Just Another Button Company buttons. Don't they just bring the design to life?


Boo to You


Beginners can learn quickly with this piece as they can complete each square section and have an easy time "counting" on linen.

Been stitching a while? This is a great piece for your stitching group. No worries about losing your place during a hot topic of conversation, just outline your boxes and you are ready to go!

Need a challenge? Why not go to the Whip it up Wednesday section of the blog or visit the Loose Thread Stitchers Facebook page and find a few specialty stitches to incorporate in the design?

Ok so I know you want to know ~ How can you get this Freebie in your hot little hands? Your Local Needlework Shop (LNS) of coarse! Teresa and Cathy are at the TNNA tradeshow in St. Charles as we speak introducing their new line of designs to shops around the world. Be sure to call your LNS and let them know to stop in and chat with CherryWood Designs, they have a great company story and fabulous designs!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Whip it Up Wednesday ~ Roman Stitch

Each Wednesday we will choose a stitch to explore and post stitch diagram(s) to help you practice and master each.

Roman Stitch ~ This stitch can also be called Branch Stitch although truth be told I think it looks like a tree trunk. It can be completed in a single solid color or a variegated thread to create a different result each and every time.

Steps ~ Start on the left hand side of the fabric and come up through the fabric. Go over 7 threads to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go over 3 threads to the left and come up through the fabric. Go over 1 thread to the left and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 1 thread and over 3 threads to the left and come up throught the fabric. Go over 7 threads to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go over 3 threads to the left and come up through the fabric. Go over 1 thread to the left and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 1 thread and over 3 threads to the left and come up throught the fabric. Go over 7 threads to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go over 3 threads to the left and come up through the fabric. Go over 1 thread to the left and go down through the fabric. Repeat as necessary.


Roman Stitch

Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday Munchies ~ Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Each Monday we will kick off the week with a Must have recipe to help get you out of the kitchen and back stitching ASAP!


We are still on the soup kick and with the first day of Autumn tomorrow, my husband has been dying to break out this recipe. Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food. On a chilly night you can wrap yourself up in your Snuggie (don’t laugh, yes I have one and I LOVE it!) and go to town. The best part about this recipe is that you can cook it all in a crock pot. Now that’s my kind of meal!

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds of chicken cut up into small pieces
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 small onion (or leek) chopped
2 chopped carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 ounces noodles

Instructions:
Add all ingredients to the crock pot except the noodles. Cover and cook on low for 5 or 6 hours. Add noodles and cook for another half hour to 45 minutes or cook noodles separately and add before serving.

Saturday, September 19, 2009


As I sit here writing the blog I have a million thoughts running through my head. There were so many fabulous things about the conference and I want to be sure to let you know about all of them.

To begin, I registered for the conference to network with other women in business and see how I could infuse needlework into mainstream society. It seems most people have a set idea of what a needleworker looks like and it seems I don’t fit that mold. It was actually kind of fun to talk to women and see their reaction when I told them about Loose Thread Stitchers. Most knew someone who can knit, crochet, stitch, etc. but didn’t think they could do it. Good thing brought a few fun kits to help get them started. It was so fun to see the look of accomplishment on their faces as they got it. I also handed a list of local shops so they could get supplies and of course a card with the LTS website info so they could find anything else they might need. We are thrilled that all 5 ladies joined the site and are excited about learning to stitch and finding events in their area.

The conference had quite a few offerings. The first was a massive exhibitor hall. An amazing array of exhibitors were present, each offering amazing deals, lots of specials and great info about their companies. My first stop was the Girl Scouts table as LTS is working with Funk and Weber on the Needle and ThREAD campaign. The Girl Scouts were quite receptive to the idea of partnering to introduce needlework to the next generation and we set up a meeting next week to discuss further. We also have a professor at Penn State University interested in studying how our campaign helps children get excited about reading and needlework. How fabulous is that? I am so excited!

I was also able to connect with Tori Johnson of Women for Hire (you might know her from Good Morning America) who was a keynote speaker and thank her for connecting me with Christina of CPeteyDesigns. A few weeks back I was on a Live Chat that was hosted by Tori and I mentioned I needed a logo designer for the SYHO campaign and I could not find someone who knew needlework and could create an attention getting design. Tori opened up the board and Christina contacted me. I can’t wait to reveal the SYHO campaign and Christina’s fabulous work! I am tickled pink it all worked out and was so excited to tell Tori all about it! Guess what? She wants to do some press about needlework! Isn’t that so cool? We will talk next week and get things rolling.

Finally, and probably most importantly, I had the opportunity to speak with a Director of Corporate Governance. She was quite excited about Loose Thread Stitchers and the SYHO campaign. She was able to give me a boat load of ideas and some fabulous advice on how to really get the public excited about needlework, how to get them involved and score national press. The best part? She is willing to work with us and help us connect with the right people to make sure that happens.

To say that the conference was a success is an understatement. The women I met, the connections I made, are all a big step towards getting people excited about needle and thread. Helping non-stitchers know what we already know, how amazing stitching really is. How fabulous you feel when you are doing it, how it helps to de-stress, how it makes your heart happy, how you grow and blossom as a person on your journey through life and it can all be seem in your stitches. It is a very exciting time for needlework and I am so excited to be a part of it!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Find it Friday ~ NorthCoast Tour de Stitch

Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!

If you live in Ohio (or surrounding states) this is a MUST DO! This unique shopping experience is a "shop hop" across northern Ohio featuring six quality needlework stores. The objective of the shop hop is for participants to stop at each store to view the fabulous trunk shows to be eligible to enter door prize drawings and to receive specially designed needlework projects. The ten day event will take place from Friday October 9th through Sunday October 18th.

REGISTRATION BEGINS

September 1. Purchase your ticket for $6.00 at your "Home" shop. Be the first 200 to register, and you will also receive a special gift.


This year EVERYONE who completes the Tour in the first 10 scheduled days will receive a special gift. Those "tourists" who finish by the end of the month will be eligible for all other prizes. All shoppers will earn a chance to win shop prize baskets at any shop they visit.

Shops in the Tour

Craft Gallery

217 North Main St

Findaly OH 45840

419-422-7980


Crafty Ewe

8035 Broadview RD

Broadview Hts., OH 44147

440-838-1600


Curiosity Shoppe

160 West Water St

Oak Harbor OH 43449

419-898-1916


Inn Stitches

5561 Fulton Dr NW

Canton OH 44718

330-966-8383


Just Stitching

13315 Prospect Rd

Strongsville OH 44149

440-572-9777


The Red Apple

123 N Lake St

Madison OH 44057

440-428-6000

Monday, September 14, 2009

Monday Munchies ~ Beef Barley Soup

Each Monday we will kick off the week with a Must have recipe to help get you out of the kitchen and back stitching ASAP!


Fall is right around the corner and that means 1 thing at the Leader house ~ SOUP. We LOVE soup in our house. Not canned soup mind you (too much salt and not enough flavor), homemade soup. My husband always makes soup and I love this Beef Barley Recipe. I wish this was a scratch and sniff blog, b/c the smell at my house is amazing! Hope you enjoy this as much as we will tonight!


Beef Barley Soup



Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound lean stewing beef, diced into small chunks

1 tablespoon flour

32 ounces fat free beef stock (comes in a box)

1 diced carrot

1 diced onion

1 stalk of celery diced

¾ cup pearl barley

½ teaspoon thyme

1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes


Instructions

1 ~ Add oil to skillet.

2 ~ Sear diced stewing beef in pan.

3 ~ Add flour to pan and stir for approx. 1 minute

4 ~ Add beef stock to pan and stir

5 ~ Add remainder of ingredients

6 ~ Simmer 1 to 2 hours until barley is softened.