Our July meeting was a great continuation of the Year of Color. We had a discussion by Melita G on her award winning “A Spring Sampler”. This is the first half of the discussion as the 2nd half will be in August. We spoke about all the things that Jacqui taught us in the first half of the year – color, value, threads, stitches…. A logical progression so we can put all we learned to use. Don’t forget, we are selling the instructions to NJNA members via PDF for $7.50. Get a copy and come join the fun.

Not to get ahead of ourselves – BUT – when you finish stitching this piece you can go to KC Needlepoint and they have a deal to have it finished into a “clutch” for $95 and it will take about 1 month! A phenomenal deal !! You would need to email KC Needlepoint and ask how to get your finished piece finished but here are the specifics. kcneedlepointfinishing@gmail.com

By now you should have the July issue of Needle Pointers magazine. I know when I got mine I immediately flipped to the Tale of Two Stitchers article. The one on the left is stitched by our own Cathryn C. We might be partial as to which one we like best. You decide !

The Denver Seminar wrapped it all up on Thursday the 23rd. Looking forward to hearing how great a time everyone had. Next year it’s going t be in Nashville TN and it will be a shorter version. They are planning on 4 days instead of 6 days. Because it’s abbreviated from past seminars there will be no exhibit. All those that attended the Denver seminar got to view next years offerings – looking forward to hearing what is coming up.

Many at NJNA gave feed back for a program by Lorene Salt and most wanted her “Africana” piece. She was not offering it at that time so we went with her “Circles of Life” – also a lovely piece. The Metropolitan Region of EGA is offering “Africana” to all at NJNA. Registration is open until 9/8/26 if you are interested. The class will be held via Zoom over 4 days in March of 2027. Contact Janice Meyer for more details.

America’s Tapestry is starting to make their rounds around the 13 states making up the original colonies of the USA. It will be visiting New Jersey in Oct – Dec of this year. If you would like to support the project, you can go to their web site where they sell prints, posters, postcards and books about the project. They also have for sale a Needle Minder for $12. It’s a Limited Edition and they only made 100. What a neat way to help support this incredible endeavor. https://www.americastapestry.com/shop

NEW SHOP ALERT ! Cathryn C. and Barbara L. of our chapter went on a search for “Lucy Lane”. the new shop that just opened in New Providence NJ. Ashli, the owner of the shop greets you as you come in and looks to be following the format of the newer stores. Her shop is bright and open. She has lots of smaller canvases (and waiting on a shipment of 200+ more). She also carries several very nice thread lines. There are 2 tables to hang out and stitch and they will be open once a month in the evening for “open stitching”. Check her web site for hours. Her plan is to go to the next market and bring back lots of new items and in particular, Colors of Praise canvases. Sounds like a great place for a new stitcher. Nothing better than a new store to check out ! Good luck to Ashli and Lucy Lane Needlepoint. – lucylaneneddlepoint.com

Morgan Julia Designs in Jersey City is looking for Full Time employees ! You can have your canvas and stitch it too !!! Just know that her items sell out REALLY fast so having an inside tract would not be a bad thing ! https://morganjuliadesigns.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopUbOb4tLYXTTsnNjKtHer1nc7yEf3uprFoLrXJH1zpi1eSr5WV

Rachel Barri Designs has a new color in her line of “pouches” that look so light and pretty you want one of each. They come in several sizes and shapes AND of course she has adorable canvases to put in the windows of them. Thankfully the one I really liked, the “Citrus Slice” was sold out !! Guess I have to wait ! She has many other items that will tempt you – not a bad thing! https://rachelbarridesigns.com/collections/new-1

Have you joined the Mah Jong craze??? It is played in many needle point shops as a way to learn the game and make new friends. Not surprising that many that play also needle point ! Penny Linn has a new line of Mah Jong canvases – so different and pretty. Of course they also fit in the top of her hinged acrylic box which happens to be a great size to store your Mah Jong tiles ! Love when you can multi task ! https://pennylinn.com/collections/oh-my-mahjong?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=campaign&utm_campaign=7%2F13+OMM+Launch&_kx=95-hSwAYM_w1abxIXjXQMDX2ZPJpMD1KDiXnRxmVLaI.RspkHP

Friends recently did a retreat at Island House Needlepoint in South Norwalk CT. Part of their “swag” was a great bag with their name embroidered on and the bag was made from reclaimed boating sails. The bags feature a full width zipper, web grab handle, and loops for attaching shoulder straps. Inside seams are covered with binding to protect your needlepoint from damage. The zipper is intentionally placed 2″ below the top edge to keep your belongings contained when the bag is open on a table. This would make a wonderful one of a kind gift for any stitcher. https://islandhouseneedlepoint.com/product/project-bag-reclaimed-sailcloth/

So many of us are Lowery Lovers!! Between the variety of colors to the helpful accessories it’s a great product. They have now a new light to attach. The prior light they offered was adjusted by springs like what you think of on an Architects drawing board. Their new one has a flexible gooseneck with a more powerful light and 5 color temperatures along with a dimmer. The controls are on the lamp to easily put on or off and change the light color. They also sell separately a bracket so you can attach the light to a nearby table. The light comes in either black or white. https://www.workstands.com/store#!/Lumina-Lamp/p/836224760

Tips & Tricks: I was recently looking at the box of tacks most places sell to secure your canvas to the stretcher bars. In the box is a blue piece of plastic that you are supposed to use to remove the tacks when you are done – pathetic ! Make your life easy and go to our “Go To” store and buy a simple tool for $7 that will never ruin your fingernails !

Who was that Famous Stitcher? This is Laura Moore of Moore Stitching. She has a B.F.A. in Ballet and later did corporate event planning and communications. A stitcher for more than 35 years she is the creator of those wonderful canvases of recognizable people like Ina Garten, Snoop Dog, Lucy, Audrey Hepburn, Diana Ross…. https://moorestitching.com/

Do you know who this Famous Stitcher is?