Sandy's Stitching

WOW!  What a week we have witnessed in this great country of ours.  I'm ready to get back to normalcy on all fronts!  Hope it comes soon.

In KY they are giving some of the vaccines now - our front line workers are being taken care of first - as it should be.  We are not to the place (at least here in my county) were Phase 1B seniors are invited to get the vaccine.  Hope to be soon.

One disruption we had this months that saddened many of us. Our annual stitch away at our area state park was cancelled.  I know it is not anywhere on the scale of what is going on the world but in our little cubicle it was important to us. It historically is on MLK weekend so we have a long weekend to stitch, visit, catch up and of course eat!  But this year our event had to be cancelled.  It is one of the few times my daughter and I get to go play without any interference whatsoever.  So, being the daughter that she is, we are having our own special stitch away.  We are meeting halfway, have a suite for easily delivered meals so we can have a smaller version of our annual event.  Big miss is our fellow friends sharing what is happening in their lives and seeing the plethora of stitching that has been accomplished during this past year. Next year hopefully!

HAWAII ON THE HORIZON

As stated before, we are so excited to be moving forward on our upcoming Hawaiian Island Hopping Stitching Cruise.  It is wonderful that we are getting so many requests for the brochures and interest in the trip.  It is going to be so lovely. 

One of my goals on the above stitch away is to finish the exclusive Optional Class model so I can share it with you.  It is going to be such a fantastic souvenir! I know you are going to love it!

We are highlighting some things on our itinerary each week.  Last week we made our plans to get to Honolulu and start our fun trip. 

After we settle in to our hotel we will check out what all is going on around us.  We will have 2 .5 days before we head for the ship.The beaches are fabulous, there is so much shopping that you might want to ship home your fantastic finds before we begin our cruise. I'm not much of a shopper and even I got carried away at the Market. Then of course there will be our first stitching class.  More about the class next week.

Generally the first thing one thinks about when hearing about going to Honolulu is the Pearl Harbor Tour.  If you have not had the privilege of visiting this Memorial you might want to seriously consider doing so.  For me it was a very emotional experience. My Daddy fought in the front lines during WWII.

The Ala Moana Center is a must for your shoppers! If you can't find it here you probably can't find it on the Island!

This center is advertised as the world's largest outdoor shopping mall and I can believe it.  Make sure you have your cell phones because you will likely get separated from your shopping friend as there is so much to see and pull you in separate directions.

Of course there are many other options our agent is recommending so be sure to discuss with them.  OR you could just chill at Waikiki Beach and leave all your troubles behind.

Email us at duodesignsinc@yahoo.com or our agent Russ Dunlap at russ@platinumtvl.com for your very own brochure. We are available to answer any questions you may have as well.  

ONLINE CLASSES

Spring Welcome has had its second lesson shared.  Look at this beautiful daisy everyone is creating.  So fun!

This class is on a shorter time frame than most others and its lessons are posted closer together.  This technique was a first for many students - the needle weaving went well.

Registration is ongoing for Two by Two - Noah's ark from Strictly Christmas.  We learned this week that all canvases should be shipped to the various shops next week!  This means everyone could have their canvas in plan th of time for our first class.  This is scheduled to begin mid-February.  It is an 8 session class because there are tons of techniques and unusual threads to share with you. If you don't have a LNS and need assistance, let us know as we are working with shops to provide kits that use exactly the materials we have in our stitching instructions.

While this is a 'mystery class' in that the mystery may be in how something is done, we are sharing a small sneak peak for you!

I cannot possibly explain how much fun I am having stitching this design.  Strictly Christmas has managed to pack a lot into this package! Not counting Noah I believe there are 15 critters represented!  That's a Big Bang for your buck!  If you would like to join us email us at duodesignsinc@yahoo.com.  

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

I was told that our new book in the Pocketbook Series, Leaping Thru Leaves, should be ready for shipping next week!  How exciting is that?  Check with your local needlepoint shop to see if they have it on order and be sure to get your name down for one.

I'm sure I'm forgetting to share something with you that I wanted to cover but maybe next week.

Please stay safe and may God Bless America and watch over our wonderful country!