Happy (almost) May to everyone!
The weather here is still fickle, but today and tomorrow brings a taste of spring. I hope you all had a wonderful April with some wonderful stitching time. I have several things to share today – they have been adding up! In addition to the DOVO and RSN info, I have some new printed vinyl (for bags), some tiny silicone cleaning tools, and the beginning of my Burp Cloth Tutorial.
I am going to start off with DOVO embroidery scissors. As many of you know, several years ago, DOVO was bought by another company. The new company no longer produces embroidery scissors and sewing shears, as they are concentrating on facial care and grooming items. I know – a sad day for stitchers. I still carry the 4.5″ and the 6″ serrated scissors that I use for trimming fabric (wonderful when I am doing French seams!). Luckily for us, my contact at DOVO emailed me and they are doing a special run of 2 styles of their embroidery scissors. They should arrive sometime in June. There will be a $10 discount for all pre-orders on both styles.
The first style is the classic 3.5″ embroidery scissor. It comes in a satin silver (not shiny) and is a treasure! These are $70, but will be $60 for all pre-orders.
The 2nd style is a 4 inch pair of embroidery scissors in the same satin silver finish. These scissors are nice and sharp with a fine tip. The bows (holes for the fingers) are a bit larger, which is helpful for those of us who are getting arthritis in our fingers and hands. These are $74, but $64 for pre-orders.
I do not have these on my website, as I do not know for sure how many pair I will have after pre-orders are shipped. If you want a pair(s), please email me at vaune@vaune.com and let me know.
Fun scissor fact: Shears typically have 2 different shaped blades and the bows (where you put your fingers) are 2 different shapes, one round and one oblong. Scissors, on the other hand, have blades that look the same and the bows are the same size.
Next up is a wonderful virtual exhibit at the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) that covers 100 pieces from the RSN archives. There are a myriad of embroidery types in this first (of hopefully many) virtual collection, including white work, Ayreshire, goldwork, pulled thread and many more. The RSN has done an excellent job with this. The photographs are very clear and you can not only click to enlarge each picture, but you can then zoom in to see details. A+ on this!
There are 3 new vinyls that are going to be arriving sometime this month, and I can’t wait to see them in person!
The first pattern is all things sewing – buttons, tape measures, pins, thread, etc.
The 2nd pattern is little hearts.
Last but not least is Coffee – iced and hot!
Each roll is 12″ wide by 52″ long, plenty to make little (or big) bags for all those things we take with us when we travel. Each roll is $22.50, but for this post, they are $19.00. Email me at vaune@vaune.com and let me know, as I won’t have them on my website until they actually arrive.
Tip for Sewing on Vinyl: If you have a teflon foot, now is the time to use it! It will help the foot glide over the vinyl so there is no drag while you are sewing!
I also have a new set of cleaning tools!
These are a bit longer than a Q-tip and the heads are made of silicone. It is easy to get them into hard to reach places, and you can rinse them off and use them over and over. This set is $5, and pre-orders are $4.50. I have a couple left in stock – these have sold fairly quickly and the distributor will not have them back until the end of May. Email me at vaune@vaune.com if you want a set.
I am going to wrap this up with a peek at what I am working on for the next post
I am working on a tutorial for my burp cloths. This is the fabric that I am using for the top. For 3 of my burp cloths, I start with 1/2 yard of a good quality printed flannel and 1 yard of Cashmere cotton or Ultra flannel (both of these are very absorbent and do not have a high loft). I will go into choosing the fabric in the next post.
I hope you have a wonderful May Day! Remember to email me if you want anything from this post.
Happy Stitching,
Vaune