The SEWING and STITCHERY EXPO was held in Puyallup, Washington Feb 26-Mar 1.  For those of you that aren’t familiar with this event it is a 4 day happening that includes classes, booth selling the newest and most creative products for garment construction, quilting and stitchery needs.  I was able to walk the show this year as it is practically in my back yard.  It is always exciting to see what is available to the consumer…it’s like a day of shopping made in heaven.  As always I had my trusty…

Here are some excerpts from Clover’s Japanese newsletter. In last month’s newsletter, we introduced about Japan’s “Setsubun” rituals. We’d like to tell you about the Hina (Girls’) Festival, held on March 3. It is still cold when Setsubun is held (on February 3), but by the time the Hina Festival comes around (on March 3), the sunlight has gotten a little warmer, and one can almost hear spring’s approaching footsteps. During that time, when spring is almost in the air, the Hina Festival is held to pray for young girls’…

TNNA SHOW (San Diego, CA) THE NATIONAL NEEDLEWORK ASSOCIATION Wow!  I have creative overload from the two amazing trade shows I’ve just returned from.  TNNA ( The National Needlework Association) show held in beautiful San Diego, CA was 3 days of sensory overload.  I am always blown away by the creativity contained within the walls of this show.  The new yarns and knitting and crochet patterns are featured here along with all the “must haves” of those doing these needleart forms.  The hand-painted canvases and fibers used to bring them…

Simply Soft Eco Caron Yarns has a new yarn on the market that is earth friendly…check it out! Save the planet one stitch at a time! Every 10 skeins of Simply Soft Eco saves 6 plastic bottles from U.S. landfills. Simply Soft Eco is a yarn from Caron International that blends 80% of normal Simply Soft fiber with 20% of a specially processed fiber produced from recycled plastic bottles. Simply Soft Eco is soft to the touch, easy to work with and environmentally friendly. It can be used in any…

I’ve been going through some of my stacks and stacks of magazines – some have been with me so long they are old friends – and wanted to share some of the tips that caused me to have an “ah ha” moment as Oprah would say.  Hope they have some meaning for you, too. Michael del Vecchio: When working Fair Isle, the key to getting a good and smooth fabric is to stretch out your stitches on the needle every inch or so. Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to…

Hi everyone, I’m Fran Ortmeyer, Communications Director for Clover Needlecraft. I’m pretty sure that title was given because I gab a lot and not for My organizational skills but whatever the reason, I’m loving it because it allows me to share with you-all what’s new, what’s old but should be new, what’s happening out there in the world of needle arts, success stories and sad but humorous tales of projects gone wrong…along with pictures of course! and all about the “happenings” here at Cloverland.  You, as the consumer, are the…