In the Stitcher’s Showcase this week, Marg Phillips sent us this photo of her standing by her newly finished Glory in the Morning Cross-stitch.

Marg says, “I thought you might like to see how I finished it. It might give other people ideas on how to finish this cross-stitch rather than framing it. Usually my Husband makes all my frames for me, but this time I thought using my quilting skills might look nice with this piece. I really enjoyed doing this cross-stitch.

We have been inspired by this cross – stitch, that we are in the process of building 2 new raised flower beds in the backyard, (right by our vegetable gardens) and we are going to plant Sunflowers with Morning Glories growing up through them.

I hope your company keeps on giving customers a great choice of projects. I only wish you were in Canada! I love to receive your catologues.

Thank you

Written by: titlehere

Jess (Inventory Assistant) turned 40 yesterday! She got to wear all the “finery” that goes with this milestone. You can’t see the lovely black bow on her back. We celebrated the February birthdays with 7-layer bars and an on-key Happy Birthday song led by Roz. Today we got to celebrate Chris R’s (office/wholesale) 42nd birthday! (Gotta love that new math!)

Happy Birthday, ladies! Thanks for being a part of the Nordic Needle family!

Written by: Ryan

Nikolina had been visiting Nancy at the Book Nook in Wheatland, Wyoming, and has just arrived back at Nordic Needle with quite a selection of bookmarks. Nikolina said one of the highlights of her visit was helping to inventory over 5000 books!! However, the Book Nook is closing, but Nancy said that means more time for stitching! Here is a picture of Nikolina helping with a drawing at the Book Nook.

I asked Nikolina what she learned about reading when she was there. The first thing she told me was that reading increases your vocabulary. Coming from rural Norway, her English vocabulary is somewhat limited. She said that she learned a lot more words reading than she would have in general conversation. She particularly liked the children’s books with a lot of illustrations. I agreed and told her about the dictionary I was creating. I bought a wonderful English children’s illustrated dictionary for $1 at a garage sale. Now I am going through it writing in the Norwegian and Swedish words. It has really helped me associate pictures with words.

Reading also helped Nikolina with her journaling. Norwegian sentences have somewhat of a different sentence structure than English. Nikolina said that as she read she began to understand how to form sentences that made more sense to us.

One thing she told me was that reading saved energy. At first I thought she meant the energy it took to walk the dog or take an exercise class. She called me silly and said she meant electrical energy. Nikolina said it takes less electricity to run a lamp than it does all the electronic game stuff. Ryan added that she read somewhere that brain activity actually decreases while watching TV (brainwaves mimicking those during sleep), so that is another reason to pick up a good book. Interesting!

Lastly Nikolina said it is a great way to dream and travel without leaving home. She had always wanted to come to the United States, but she never figured she would get that chance. So she read a lot of books about the United States, our cities, and our traditions. She said that helped her feel more comfortable when she came to Nordic Needle. She was glad she knew about our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, which made them more enjoyable during her visits.

Nikolina has had some great adventures so far with her host families. I have asked her to share some of them in the next newsletter. We have to sit down and figure out her next stops. Unfortunately, she likes to linger at her host locations and she hasn’t been to as many places as I had hoped by now! Stay tuned!

Written by: Ryan

In the Stitcher’s Showcase this week, our friend and frequent Retreat attendee, Ann Hotson, from New Zealand sent me this photo and says, “Just thought you might like to see my Monkey blanket I have just about finished for my new great grandson that will be born early March. I just have the backing to put on.”

This blanket design is in the new issue of Inspirations, #72.

Written by: Ryan

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness”, John Keats wrote. The love and care this trunk has had through the generations certainly bears this out.

In April, 1863, an unknown craftsman in Christiansund, Norway, created this trunk for my great-grandmother, Anna Haagensdatter Furseth. Painted in the Valdres style of rosemaling, large bouquets of flowers are centered on each side, and her name and date are beautifully painted in a perfect script across the front. Almost 40 years later, in 1900, the blue trunk was fitted with iron bands to strengthen it, and made the trip across the Atlantic with my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

The trunk is fitted with a magnificently crafted spring lock and handmade key. This trunk, passed from grandmother to granddaughter twice over, is in its original condition. My daughter, who has the trunk now, was chosen from several granddaughters to receive it due to her love of painting and the arts. While visiting me this past spring, she saw the Hardanger wall hanging made from the pattern created by Mildred Torgerson in the book “Norwegian Heritage in Hardanger Embroidery”. She suggested I take the same wall hanging, substituting the names of the women in our family, showing the direct lineage through six generations. My granddaughter is unmarried, so space has been left for the future.

Soon, the trunk and the wall hanging will both be hers. Knowing she has a strong affinity for her Norwegian heritage, I’m confident these well loved pieces will always hold a special place in her heart and her home, as they will be a constant reminder of the love our family shares.

Betty Wilkin from El Paso, Texas

Written by: Ryan

Dear Roz,

I have been stitching for over 12 years. I live near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I love your company and newsletters. This picture shows my proudest accomplishment. Its single stitched on 32 count linen and is Autumn Splendor from Ginger & Spice.

Best wishes,
Cynthia Pryer

Written by: Ryan