APRIL, 2026

       Happy Spring and Happy Easter. How time flies. Here it PA some days it feels like summer with temps in the 80's. How our weather conditions have changed. With that said, our craft has also changed. Our Nashville Market this year featured an array of designs from birds to samplers with some designers releasing more than 10 new patterns. In the old days, 4 or 5 new releases was the norm. Now some designers release 5 or 10 a week. How things have changed. Same goes for all the fabrics and flosses. DMC was the floss of choice, not anymore. It seems the sky is the limit when designers now release patterns. Sometimes they use as many as 5 different brands of flosses, mostly hand-dyed , not giving DMC conversions. Some goes for fabrics. Zweigart and Wichelt were the fabrics of choice, then along came Picture This Plus, Lakeside Linens, Weeks Dye Works, and R & R Reproductions. Not anymore. It seems everyone is now dying fabric with designers also dying fabric for their patterns. Sometime's I sit back and say why? Isn't Zweigart and Wichelt fabric nice enough to use? I know social media has become a factor with everyone watching and then need what they see. People use to shop when coming into a store, now they want only what they have saw on line - only asking for that specific item. If it is out of stock that is all that they wanted. They never take a minute to see what is in stock many times nicer than what they were looking for. How things have changed. Many people do not realize most times promoted items are given free to the promoter. Why don't you think on the back of patterns it states where the flosses and fabrics come from. This is to make you want to purchase those items to make your finished project just like what the stitcher used. Then we hear from some shop customers that their local shop closed. Doesn't anyone realize that shop owners cannot stock all of the 50 different hand-dye fabric companies, and over 35 different floss companies products. When you make a purchase on line and not visit your local shop, they loose the sale. So why would they want to continue to keep their shop open. Many have closed because they wanted to retire, but many also closed because they could not afford to stock everything that designers use now a days. So next time when you visit your neighborhood shop, let them know that you appreciate all that they do to keep our craft in existence. We keep hearing that our craft came back - it never left. The people left. That could also be a reason for some shops closed due to lack of business. Just remember, you do not need hand-dyed fabrics and flosses that are getting expensive and with our economy getting hard for many to purchase. Get back to basics. Most of the models in our shop are done on plain fabrics, not hand-dyed, and we use mostly DMC floss. We, as well as most shop owners, will gladly substitute anything to help you keep the costs down. We understand with our craft European based and costs rising due to tariffs, postage, and higher material costs that are used to make the floss and fabric. All products we use - fabric, flosses, and most kits now come from overseas. Kreinik is made in CA, but the raw products come from Europe. Who know when the prices will stop rising, only time will tell.

        Since I mentioned Kreinik, as they say no news is good news. They are still very, very slow in sending restock floss colors. WE always stocked all colors of Blending Filament, #4 Braid, and #8 Braid, and some colors of all their other lines - Fish Flash, #16 Braid, #32 Braid, 1/4 Ribbon, 1/8 Ribbon, and more. Now it is hard to even get in basic colors - 001, 002, and 032. I am not sure that Rainbow Gallery realized the popularity of Kreinik flosses when they purchased the company. They have finally ordered another new machine to wind the flosses, so when that arrives it might help with the back log. Again, only time will tell.

       Well I think I have given everyone enough to think about. Remember we still have a 1/2 Price Pattern Sale and I will be continuing to add patterns as I go through our inventory. Also, we still have One Time Only Fabrics on sale as well and more will be added to this tab in the future.

Since there were over 700 items released at Nashville, I will not fill this newsletter with all of those. You can always check out our What's New section.

     Now on to some of the new releases that arrived last month

(**signifies New Designer)

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LES PETITES CROIX DE LUCIE released HAPPY EASTER DAY , plus Happy Easter Day, Happy Easter, The Magic Book, Sweet Easter, Easter Rain, Easter Wreath, Cat's Book, Chocolate Gnome

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ROBIN'S EASTER is by PRIMROSE COTTAGE STITCHES who also released Easter Greetings, Springtime Stroll, Garden Variety - Mushrooms, Carrots, Ladybugs,

and Dragonfly

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STARS & SURF PINKEEP is from STITCHES BY ETHEL who also released Ethel's Sewing Tart Tins

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LAUREL BUSH KITS FROM MILL HILL released TIGRESS KIT as well as Zebra Kit, Toucan Kit, and Elephant Kit

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4TH OF JULY ROW is by Is AURY TM DESIGNS who also released Christmas Row and Halloween Puns

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PICKLE BARREL DESIGNS released  LITTLE SURF SHOP plus A Year in Stitches - March & April and January & February, Wilderness Checkerboard,

and Kitty Glitter

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STITCHERY LANE #3 - BUTTON HOUSE from PANSY PATCH QUILTS & STITCHERY who also released Stitchery Lane #2 - Rick Rack House

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AMERICA'S 250TH BIRTHDAY is presented by THREAD MILK DESIGNS who also released Washington D.C. and Holiday Hornbook: Easter

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MANI DI DONNA released MY FAVORITE DAYS - SPRING plus Liberty Sewing Set, Summer Vibes Sewing Basket, Hello Spring, Hello Summer, Hello Winter, Hello Autumn, and My Favorite Days Calendar - Summer, Winter, and Autumn

PATRIOTIC FARM by CUTE EMBROIDERY BY KATE who also released

Summer Drinks

***DON'T FORGET -

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW ZWEIGART AND WICHELT FABRIC COLORS AS WELL AS NEW FLOSS COLORS FROM

THE THREAD GATHERER, WEEKS DYE WORKS,

CLASSIC COLORWORKS, AND THE GENTLE ART

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