Come
visit every month, we'll have the freshest designers in
the needlework industry displaying their new releases
and perhaps a freebie or two! If you are or know someone
who'd like to be featured here please contact us: stitchesnstones@aol.com
INTRODUCING......Vivian
Bales
I
live in the Yukon Territory of Northern Canada, land of
the midnight sun, and am surrounded by mountains, wildlife
and pristine views. I'm a stay-at-home mom of 2 children,
a cat and a new puppy.
I
love stitching, if I could I would sit out on my deck
all day enjoying the view and stitch till the sun goes
down. Unfortunately life does intercede. When I'm not
stitching I find myself day dreaming of patterns so one
day I just sat myself down and decided to see if I could
churn something out. Low and behold my first pattern was
born and I've been hooked ever since. Now if I had the
time to sit down and stitch everything that is bopping
around in my head I'd be in heaven.
My
love of stitching and creating with my hands began in
my youth, with beadwork and leatherwork project. I was
born and lived a big chunk of my life on an indian reservation
in northern Canada where I learned from my mother and
other ladies the skill of beading and sewing leather.
Now I stitch with floss and my fabric is aida or linen.
The
patterns I enjoy stitching and designing are small and
fun. They have to be fun. Being a busy mom I need something
that is quick to stitch and is visually entertaining so
I design around that premise. I like to use as few colours
as possible (having too many skeins around is just too
much temptation for little toddler fingers).
My
pumpkin design "Bad Tendril Day" was an especially
fun design to create and stitch up. He came to me one
morning as I was trying to work the knots out of my toddlers
curls. I hope you enjoy stitching him as much as I did.
Model
stitched by Nathalie Royer
I've
also included as a free design here for you "Is It
Spring Yet?".....anyone living in a cold and snowy
region knows this feeling well. My little guy under a
dump of snow is just praying for the spring sun to come
out and melt it all away.
Other
patterns that I have designed and are available for purchase
are "Tic Tac Snow"...a quirky look at a fun
game...."True North"...my little bit of "Canadiana",
with the words coming from our national anthem...and lastly
"Windy Day"..the look on the snowman's face
says it all. How many toppled over snowmen have you seen
when those cold north winds blow?
For
ordering information, questions, or comments please email
Viv at:
vivbales@klondiker.com
Coal
House Designs
I
live with my husband, Ian, in the often wet and windy
north-west of England. I don't complain too much about
the weather though, what better excuse to stay in and
stitch than when it's raining?
I
started stitching ten years ago, a magazine cover kit
where I wasn't too keen on the design, so I just used
the thread and made one up as I went along! However, I
didn't read the instructions properly until I'd finished,
and all the stitches were crossed in different directions
- I can hear you all gasping with horror at the thought!
In
1994 I did my first design, Wind Beneath My Wings, with
a pencil and a piece of graph paper. It took me three
months to design and stitch and I still think it's one
of the best I've done. Following that I designed and stitched
a wedding sampler, complete with the leaning tower of
the church where my friends were married, and two First
Communion samplers.
I
was responsible for introducing both my parents to cross
stitch, and now it's a family affair. Coal House Designs
was a way of making us all feel part of the process, from
design through to the stitching, and maintaining the website.
I thought this would be a good chance to offer my first
freebie charts, which hopefully will become a regular
event at Coal House Designs. "Good Friends"
was inspired by a verse someone wrote in my autograph
book when I left school. I've always read it as if the
writer is saying you're a good friend - until someone
pointed out to me that they could just as easily be saying
you're a bad friend! You can decide for yourself, but
surely you would only stitch for someone you consider
a good friend?
The
second is chart is perfect for a thank you card. Often
people will say "Thanks, you're a gem!" or "Thanks,
you're a diamond!" when someone has done something
for them. This is a quick and easy way of stitching that
thank you.
You
can see other designs and a showcase of our work at Coal
House Designs.
Good
Friends
Your
a Gem
For
more designs please visit us at Coal House Designs
