Counted Cross Stitch Books, Novels, and Software : The Silver Needle, Fine Needlecraft Materials


A great collection of soft and hard-cover titles... our book selections cover Sampler History, Stitch Diagram and Instructionals, wonderful needlepoint and cross-stitch projects, Finishing techniques... just so many things! Enjoy some of the titles we carry in the shop!
Needlework Enthusiast's Book of Days for 2019 Needlework Press's annual 9 x 12 soft-cover journal will be arriving mid-November. Vicki's lovely calendar presentation, each month opens up onto facing pages, so there is plenty of room to make notes on each day. Remember your stitch group meetings, shopping lists, stitching hours, project lists... just anything and everything fun related to your stitching! Of course you could use this for anything... but it's just the best to have a STITCHING CALENDAR!!!
QUITE the Sneak Peek Here... The Nashville 2019 Needlework Market Cookbook! Oh, here is something fun to pre-order now... and forget about till we send it in the mail in March of 2019!!! It's a cookbook full of recipes by the needlework shops and designers in our awesome little industry! The people putting on our annual wholesale buying market (takes place next March) are compiling a cookbook full of our favorite recipes! They are soliciting free charts and favorite recipes from all of us who are going to the show. Cookbooks will be $8 when we get them (at the show) next March! I don't know who dreamed it up, but they are already promising stuff from Lady Dot Creates, Rosewood Manor, Shakespeare's Peddler, La-D-Da, Cherished Stitches and Accoutrement Designs, and it's only August! By the time we are finished with this, I imagine it'll be a goldmine of fun things! SO.... reserve yours NOW. We'll save your info, and send it right out when we get home from the show! Zip Zap! All you have to do is find someone to do the cooking for you!!!
The 2018 Collector's Halloween Just Cross Stitch Issue It's here... this year's presentation by Just Cross Stitch Magazine of 64 Halloween projects. There is a Ghoul Bus in here, a plate full of spiders and bugs that says Snack Time... and even Ghouls and Boos signs! From small all the way to super-intricate designs, everything is Halloween related and lots of them are super-cute. Nice, large pics of each and clear charts... a pretty good deal of 64 charts for $9.99! Available till they sell out -- probably right after Halloween this year.
The Annual Just Cross Stitch Magazine Ornament Issue For the zillionth year in a row, here is the annual Just Cross Stitch Magazine's Christmas Ornament Issue. Shipping to us August 31st, we're taking reservations now. 65 Charts of ornaments from varied designers, some are exceptional, some are collectable, and some are truthfully not as great as the rest. (But you know, when they're on your tree at Christmas -- they all shine like a bride!) JCS has a DVD of previous year's magazine editions -- all PDF's -- all searchable -- a totally great deal! Check that out as well.
Presenting the Quilter's Travel Companion & Crafters Guide, 15th Edition The newest Mega-Directory has arrived -- it centers around Quilt shops, but actually encompasses TONS of related shops -- like The Silver Needle! Glossy, colorful pages -- 432 of them -- jammed with 1000's of ads for shops all across the US and Canada, there is also a very comprehensive section on Retreat Facilities! Everything mapped out for each state, besides the yummy ads, there are listings of every single shop they could find in each state -- whether or not that shop purchased an ad in here -- so it is FULL of glorious information!!!! It is 8-1/2 x 11, and weighs 2-1/2 pounds!!!! It's a Road Trip Bible!
Ackworth School Motif Pattern Book from Stitchy Box I love this kind of books. This one highlights 100 different sampler motifs -- organized by their most prominent feature like birds, stars, etc. We've lost the names for many of them, and typically most are shown only in half or quarter version on samplers... but here you get the 'whole enchilada!' No color key to complicate, and just one motif per page... it's simply fun to page through, and imagine that I will stitch them all someday! 100 Pages, spiral bound, 7 x 8-1/2 inches in overall size.
Pen To Thread WOW... this is an AWESOME 158-page book with over 750 hand-drawn motifs to embroider on anything! It INCLUDES a CD of every image in the book that you can RE-SIZE and PRINT for any project!!! Darling stuff in here... it's divided up into subjects, and each 'chapter' has a colored pic of some of the motifs stitched... great inspiration here. Subjects cover: Made in the USA, Food, The Craft Room, Tools, School Days, In the Kitchen, In the Garden, Around the House, The Great Outdoors, By the Sea, Animals, Plants, Frames and Borders and Alphabets. There are instructions for stitches in here, as well as using the CD. Beautifully presented! A definite YES to your stash!
Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher Magazine This is a new magazine that is just NEAT! Just like its name implies, it is full of Punch Needle Embroidery and Primitive Cross Stitch. 64 Pages of gorgeous photographs, full-sized templates and patterns, in-depth instructions, and fun articles about stitching groups and designers, you will enjoy every single page!!! Printed on heavy paper, each project has its own 2 pages of space... there are no 'noisy' ads interrupting your browsing... and the pictures are just dreamy!!! You can peruse the subscription info inside -- I think it's something that needs to be in your mailbox 5 times a year -- each quarter and Christmas time!!!
200+ Fun & Funky Embroidery Transfers This is a publication by Leisure Arts that contains over 200 Iron-On-Transfers for regular embroidery -- the kind you do on pillow cases and dish towels. Birds, butterflies, the Zodiak signs, some cute floral and animal borders... there are motifs in here that remind me of South America, Mexico, our Southwest, a couple of small seasonal things... and then 8 different alphabets. Mix and match them all to decorate denim, T-shirts, bags... just anything!
Land That I Love This is a neat book, and you should buy it! (There it is in a nutshell!) It is a 120-ish page book full of line drawings of the 50 US states, and all sorts of lettering and motifs special to each state. By Indigo Junction's Amy Barickman, it begs for your creativity! Ready to be traced onto fabrics for embroidery... possibilities are endless. A Retro personality to this... how neat would it be to teach a young stitcher basic embroidery with this? If you are traveling this summer... and you are going out-of-state... do pillow cases with motifs of the states you are visiting! If you go camping... it's a perfect momento! If you take a summer vacations somewhere... make kitchen dish towels with embroidery on them to celebrate your trip! If you have a camper -- maybe you have room for a cute stitched pillow in there? This book is your helping hand!
Modern Folk Embroidery I stumbled across this book that features 30 contemporary projects for Folk Art inspired designs -- all done in traditional embroidery stitches! It is fresh, colorful, young and just fun! It's crewel embroidery -- stitched with embroidery floss on just about any fabric you want. The book has 125 pages of stitch diagrams, patterns and pictures of 30 different projects that are so NOW and CUTE! Bags, dolls, pillows, ornaments... you can finish everything in here any way you want! Browse through it, choose a project, the instructions are very good. Bright colors, very Retro on personality!
The Cross Stitch Garden Another enchanting book I have stumbled across recently, this one features over 70 cross stitch floral motifs mixed into 20 different samplings and projects. Fresh, clean, contemporary, and elegant, the author, Kazuko Aoki, is a popular Japanese embroidery artist who now lives in Sweden and writes embroidery books! Her style is clean, petite, colorful, and realistic. This is a very pretty book filled with luscious close-up photographs of the stitching, and very clear, inviting charts! Reminds me of the Danish Handcraft Guild look and Gerda Bengstrom, as well! 109 pages of sheer Cross Stitch delight!
Desert Island Stitches Vol I & II OK... sure, you can use these stitches to stitch something Island-y... but actually these titles are mis-leading. These little books are meant to suggest stitches that you couldn't be without if you were stranded on a Desert Island!!! (honest!) Needlepoint Gurus Carole Lake and Michael Boren have compiled this pair of handbooks that feature TONS of different stitch ideas and suggestions for different areas of your canvases. Volume ONE deals with stitches that are good for filling into small spaces in your design. Volume TWO presents 'serving suggestions' for creative borders. All sorts of ideas for all sorts of projects, these two offer advice all the way through the pages along with clear diagram repeats of the stitches. Handy little references to have... even if you are NOT stuck on some Desert Island!!
The Complete Collection of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly on DVD WOW... how can the industry's most treasured periodical get better? You can have them ALL in one place, where you can FIND and enjoy them!!! 16 Years of magazines, 16 years of gorgeous samplers and incredible articles about needlework and its history... they are all here in this tiny box!!! EVERY PAGE of every issue from 1991 to 2105... fully searchable PDF's and printer-friendly charts you can sort and browse by issue, designer, words or phrases... it's intoxicating!!!!! Nothing else needs to be said! You NEED this!
Just Cross Stitch CD Collection -- 1983-1990 Just Cross Stitch Magazine has finally finished presenting their ENTIRE HISTORY of printed magazines in PDF format on CDs... with this final disc. The ORIGINAL 46 issues... you can see a vintage Margaret and Margaret stocking on the promo cover! The first 8 years of the magazine... this is definitely a trip down memory lane!!! Browse all content issue by issue, search by word or phrase across the issues (like designer name or subject.) All in PDF format, printer-friendly charts, even the old advertisements! Something totally fun to peruse... it's just like reading a novel. You don't have to STITCH any of it... just enjoy the adventures each page brings! This now finishes the JCS Library -- 3 CD's of past issues and 1 of all the Annual Ornament Issues. Now we have The Halloween Collection: The 4 Special Halloween Collector Issues 2011-2014.
Just Cross Stitch Annual Ornament Issues on DVD! Here are the past 17 YEARS of the Just Cross Stitch Magazine Christmas ornament issues -- all on one searchable, printable DVD! I think it's like 1275 ornament designs in pdf format(!) Every page of the issues, it's actually pretty overwhelming! You probably have some of the paper copies, but here is everything together, so beautifully presented. What a fun thing to take along on a stitching trip!
Presenting the Just Cross Stitch Magazine Archive DVD of 1991 through 2000! Ever gone nuts trying to find a design in one of your old magazines??? Just Cross Stitch has just finished archiving its third DVD of 10 YEARS of JCS Magazine! Including every page of every past issue published between 1991 and 2001... the words Nostalgic, Vintage, Heirloom and Retro come to mind... along with Oh My Gosh! This particular DVD even contains the ORIGINAL 1997 Premier Annual Ornament Issue. Lots of designs that have been the property of the magazine, and not the original designers, all three of these DVD's have been done beautifully. The discs feature fully searchable PDFs and printer-friendly charts. WAY COOL!
Announcing Just Cross Stitch Magazines PAST 10 YEARS ON DVD! Wow... talk about a great deal!!! Just Cross Stitch Magazine has compiled and organized their PAST 10 YEARS of magazines -- including their annual Ornament Issues -- all into PDF format on one DVD. Including every page of every issue of Just Cross Stitch, each magazine is searchable and printer friendly. Browse everything by project, (like a particular sampler series you remember) or by subject (like Cats for instance). Most of us have some old magazines in boxes somewhere... but now you don't have to go searching through all your stuff... EVERYTHING is here on one new, clean, gorgeous DVD!!!!! Charts, Pictures, even all the old ads -- which at this point might be fun to reminisce about! We figure this includes approx 84 full magazine issues -- so it's a real good value!
Merry Christmas from Rico Here is another in our really cool collection of European Christmas book by RICO. Absolutely the most charming sets of designs, this offers ornaments, table cloths, wreaths, runners ... you can finish any of them any way you want. The motifs are mostly small and then put together into larger projects. The pictures in the little 6 x 9 softcover 112 page book are awesome, beautifully done and full of inspiration. Tiny Santas, reindeer, holly springs, a little fox and lots of pine trees, there are so many cute things in here. DMC color coding, pretty shading of the colors, and lots of things worked into corners and diagonals -- on the bias. It's one thing to chart a cute stocking and quite another to chart it on the diagonal! Anyway, as with all the rest of this series, you will be enchanted!!!!!!!
Painted Canvas Embellishments: An Idea Book By Carole Lake and Michael Boren Quite the complete book full of stitching information... I love these kind of publications because they are amazing to page through, and you just don't want to stop! This book explains the techniques of choosing threads and stitches for painted needlepoint canvases -- to bring the designs to life via your needlework. Even though it addresses canvas -- LOTS can be applied to linen stitching as well!!! Besides the beginning pages of really good design lessons, there are 24 pages of descriptions of threads from 32 different thread companies, and then 55 more pages of stitch diagrams of 275 stitches!!! Just a little bit of info to digest!!! A great book!
Santa Claus from Rico Designs 64 Pages of reindeer, olde world Santas, stick pine trees, snowmen, birds and a sled full of presents. Predominant colors in this book are reds, some green, lots of brown and cremes.
Christkindl from Rico Designs 64 pages of a full tiered tiny tree, rocking horses and gingerbread cookies, The Three Wisemen, CHARMING angels, , NUTCRACKERS (very hard to find!) and even a Merry-Go-Round! I have a set of tiny wooden angel ornaments that are all playing musical instruments -- I've had them for almost 40 years... and I'm sure these charts are of THOSE angels -- because they are wooden ornaments from Germany -- where these books are published! Just lovely!!!!!!
Christmassy Messengers from Rico Designs 40 Pages. Darling little folk art angel people, snowmen, a trio of really pretty stylized evergreen topiary trees, monochromatic reindeer and checks -- inspired by coverlet designs -- and little Santa-people, as well. So much red, taupe and cream color -- wait till you see the finishing ideas and the photos on the pages!
Wintermarchen from Rico Designs A darling skinny Santa in here... lots of taupe reindeer, some little chicks with striped stocking caps, and more taupe-colored skaters... there is a tree pattern in here that is stunning! It is simply small circles and snowflakes all tucked into a curvy tree shape -- very contemporary and sleek -- stunning! 40 Pages.
Frohe Weihnachten from Rico Designs 44 pages of cute stuff!!! This one has tiny ball ornaments and wrapped gifts, pine greenery, a row of solid pines, super-stylized reindeer, gorgeous flowing holly with partridges, even a silhouette of Santa and the reindeer in the sky. All smalls in this book... you can put together everything in a million different ways.
Donna Kooler's Stocking Collection, Second Edition WOW... this 96-page softcover, full color book features 14 different full-sized Christmas Stocking charts! Candy Nutcracker, Jingle Bears, Santa Collage, Nostalgic Christmas, Snowman Sampler, Celestial Angel, Let it Snow, The Best of Christmas, Winter Scene, I Love Santas, Peace on Earth, Nativity, Cozy Christmas, and Gingerbread Mice... You can see from the titles that contributing designers Linda Gillum, Barbara Baatz Hillman, Sandy Orton and Nancy Rossi have delivered quite a nice selection of GREAT stocking designs! All are basically the same size, all are coded for DMC, all can be stitched on any fabric you like... and all are super-detailed and CLASSIC!
Making Christmas Stocking Selections? Don't miss seeing the entire collections of several different designer's talents! Christmas Stockings are an individual thing! Some want all in the family to match... some want different designs to 'match the person'... Check out our Stocking Page for lots of options!!!
A Rainbow of Stitches I'm not sure how to describe this book... but it sure is AWESOME!!! I think it's French in flavor, because all the authors and photographer have very French names. Inside... it features cross stitch motifs, and tons of line drawings for embroidery and primitive stitch. Everything in the entire book is stitched in one color -- there is a green section, red, blue, white and pink... 230-ish pages of lovely pictures and clean, fresh, young and some 'Paris-y' designs!!! Lovely finishing ideas, charming designs... it has over 1000 different motifs inside. Little dogs, lacy borders, florals alphabets, nautical, kitchen, baby, cats and birds... this is one of those books that shows you something different each time you page through it! Enchanting!!!!!!
The Left-Handed Embroiderer's Companion WOW... AT LAST... a stitch diagram book for us Left-Handed Stitchers!!!!!!!!! This is a beautifully presented, 160 page, softcover book of embroidery stitches. 73 Different stitches are diagrammed with multiple illustrations, and each stitch is photographed as well, so you can see how it really looks. Awesome to me, because as a 'Lefty' we learn to look at things in a different way, and our eye simply has to adapt to the standard right-handed drawings. This book has the needle in the RIGHT PLACE to my eye! It's going in the right direction to me... I GET it! If you are left-handed, or know someone who is... GET THIS BOOK! It is an absolute delight to page through... author Yvette Stanton of Australia is one of us 'Leftys' and she's done a lovely job with this book.
Spell it Out Joan Elliott has a new book -- 52 pages full! -- of novelty alphabets! Each features a chart for the Capital (upper case) letter... and the entire alphabet of matching lower case letters. Darn cute... you get Redwork, Gardeners, Christmas Folk Art, Puppies, Kitties, Tumbling Teddy Bears, Harvest, Pirates, Fairies, and Art Nouveau. Cute alphabets... we suggest 'em to make bedroom door signs to keep TRESPASSERS out of 'un-welcoming' OTHER bedrooms!!! Your kids and grandkids will love what their name looks like! Offered as the book.
The History of Thread from Sajou Oh my gosh... this is a LOVELY 6 x 8 softcover book -- 238 thick, glossy pages FULL of incredible, beautiful, vintage photos of EVERYTHING to do with antique 'Haberdashery.' Every page is stuffed with pictures of antique needlework thread cards, winders, spools, bobbins, advertisements, color cards, labels, needle packets... you name it. The very BEST part of this book, however, is that while it is in French, it is ALSO IN ENGLISH!!! I can read everything!!!!!!!! So... I can now devour the history lessons delivered on each page that match the pictures! Every page has a history lesson about the products and packaging featured. So many shop advertisements and promotional cards and materials... so much information... I had absolutely no idea much of this existed in days gone by!!! Absolutely an Over-The-Top, Drop-Dead Gorgeous, publication, I just want a cold, rainy afternoon, alone at home, a cup of hot tea... and THIS BOOK! Exquisite! A MUST for any needlework library!
Alphabet Books! Here are 5 excellent books that are stuffed FULL of different alphabet fonts. Not at all new... just publications you may not have seen... that are definitely worth a mention!!!
Donna Kooler's Ultimate Stocking Collection This is a 96-page softcover book with charts for 15 different Christmas Stockings by Linda Gillum, Barbara Baatz Hillman, Sandy Orton, and Nancy Rossi. You may not recognize the designer's names, but you'll know their work when you look at these cute designs! Darling and traditional, these are the kinds of designs that are timeless! You get a variety of designs from religious, to snowglobes, The Night Before Christmas House, a Santa of the Forest, a Fisherman Santa, a Noah's Ark design, a Cat Stocking and a Dog one! There's an old fashioned piece of a girl sledding, a jolly snowman and Santa in his workshop, there's even a needleworker's stocking! All are beautifully photographed and clearly charted using DMC flosses. This book is a DEFINITE!!!
Stitches: The CD, Volume One and Two Ok... here are 300 MORE stitches to execute on canvas and linens... for the true-stitcher-at-heart! Ruth Schmuff and Kathy Holicky -- kind of 'big-guns' in the needlepoint industry have compiled a whole new batch of stitches, and diagrammed them for you on their new CD. Searchable by type of stitch or name... you could get carried away with this using your needle and thread... or with simply the clip art images!!! Think about creating stitch guides for your next sampler! Think about making stitching stationery, by using these stitch diagrams and shrinking them down to put on note cards or place cards, or gift tags, or signature plates to attach to backs of framed pieces! Who says 'ya gotta stitch' everything in your stash!!!??? Perfect, lightweight reference for your laptop and stitch bag! CD number one is available below.
Knots, Fur and Turkey Work A brand new book by Meredith Bamhill Willett and Beth Robertson, this is a beautiful publication printed on super-glossy paper and stuffed full of awesome, clear, pretty and current pics! The book delves into textured stitches that are used on canvas and linen. 28 Pages of fabulous, creative applications for both threads and stitches... I'd never heard of Faux and Cork-Screw Bullions, Sorbello Stitches, and Detached Woven Picots -- and when you see the up-close pics of what the different threads do for the stitches -- you'll be amazed! The color pictures of thread and stitch applications are all fresh, 2005-ish projects -- I hate to open stitch books that show projects that look like they're 25 years old. These are fresh, current applications, with current threads. For instance, I know that Flair by Rainbow Gallery ravels like the dickens. This book shows an application for hair that features that raveled fiber!!! You can even shade it! (Who knew!?) Very, very nicely done!
Basics & Beyond By Janice Love Simply the best hardanger embroidery instruction book on the market, this has continued to sell year after year for us. Janice has written this book starting with the most basic of hardanger information, added great diagrams and photos, given you "Points for Perfection," left-handed instructions as well as right-handed, and an entire section of photos and instructions entitled: "Oh My Gosh... What did I do wrong, now!?" Simply the best instruction book around, it'll walk you through the entire process, beautifully! 52 Pages.
Fundamentals Made Fancy By Janice Love The sequel to Basics & Beyond, this book goes deeper into the specialty hardanger stitches. It includes lacy edge instructions as well as 22 other hardanger embellishment treatments. The diagrams and photos are very clearly explained, and there is even clip art included, so you can cut and paste your own hardanger designs together to create a masterpiece! An 'absolute to have' if you're a hardanger fan! 60 Pages.