The Welcoming Committee
My Room
The view from my mom's 2 bedroom suite
Welcome to my Blog
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May 15th,
2010 I wanted to give thanks to everyone that made Gitta’s first Getaway a most memorable weekend. My mom and I have often talked how wonderful such a weekend would be, but if not for Erika and Barbara this weekend would never have been made possible. They are responsible for making our dream a reality. They did all the leg and paper work. They visited the local businesses to tell them of our event. They organized all the donations, packaged all the MaggieB Welcome cases, wrapped all the Thank you packages, Grand Prizes, Game and random prizes. Those that could still remember when she owned the Sampler in Bloor West Village enjoyed reminiscing, but even those who, dare I say, are too young to have ventured to her shop many years ago still enjoyed her company and knowledge of our industry. Charland is an inspiration, and it is designers like her who inspire the rest of us. To the Waterside Inn and their staff, who made us all feel like pampered princesses. The hotel had never held such an event as ours, and their staff were cooperative and helpful. The cookies at the Pajama Party were fresh out of the oven and huge. Who could resist. The welcome packages, banquet gift packs, and prizes were so abundant because of the generous donations from our suppliers. A full listing of the suppliers, who contributed to the Getaway, are listed below. Kathrin Brenda Franklin Coats & Clark Canada Gloriana Threads Just Another Button Co. Linda’s Craftique Lizzie Kate Picture This Plus The Caron Collection The Victoria Sampler
X’s and
Oh’s A Needle Pulling Thread Camus International Colonial Needles Daylight Company Dessins DHC Doodling Around H.A. Kidd and Company Ltd. (Canadian distributor for DMC) Hoffman Distributing Company Inc. JBW Designs Jeanette Douglas Designs Kreinik Mfg. Port Credit Business Improvement Association Pump House Grille Co. Rico Designs Sue Hillis Sweetheart Tree Threadworx Inc. The Victoria Sampler
Zweigart And these donated one or more larger items for grand prizes at the Banquet Dinner Charland Designs Daylight Company Ehrman Kits Ltd. Enchanting Lair Ice Watch Kelsea Sales (Canadian distributor for Loran) Kreinik Mfg. Notions Marketing Zest for Living |
| May 5, 2010 |
MOMMYYYY!!!!! It's over-r-r-r-r-r. Gitta's first Getaway has come and gone, and everyone had a great time. Friday Night's Pajama Party was filled with games and prizes to encourage everyone to mingle and to get to know one another. After a couple of rounds of Get to know-each-other BINGO we were all good friends, and by Sunday phone numbers and e-mails were exchanged. I feel this weekend was exactly how I envisioned it. A fun stitching environment to met other stitchers and to our love of stitching. The project parade was phenomenal; each piece was different and inspirational. Saturday afternoon, Charland Garvin of Charland Designs joined us with her daughter, Sydney for an afternoon of stitching. They had brought with them a collection of Charland's designs and their stunning silver charms. At dinner Charland's speech was both uplifting and moving. Stitchers are a very special breed. Here are a few photos of the weekend. You can find all photos on the facebook page Kathrin Ellison. Erica has also posted the photos she took on Gitta's Getaway Blogspot. |
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The Welcoming Committee |
My Room |
The view from my mom's 2 bedroom suite |
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Saturday Breakfast Buffet |
Great view of the marina and lake |
The workshop |
The Workshop Project |
Our Surprise Stitcher was Charland Garvin |
An afternoon of stitching together |
 Afternoon Tea and more stitching |
 The Project Parade |
 Banquet Dinner Grand prizes and Thank you packages for everyone |
 Opening their Thank you packages |
 Saturday morning Brunch in the South Room |
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| April 28th, 2010 |
Gitta’s first Retreat is this weekend. It feels like the night before Christmas. Some last minute present wrapping and the final menus and bed assignments are arranged. We’re all excited, and can’t wait. Only two more sleeps. For those of you joining us for the weekend, the last two clues as to the identity of our surprise stitcher are: Clue #3: She has designed Collaboration projects with
other well-known designers. |
| April 18, 2010 |
As the Getaway is fast approaching, I keep forgetting to
post a little something to the blog. Erika
has been diligently posting updates on the http://gittasgetaway.blogspot.com/
and I on Gitta’s Facebook page. But
in case any of you have missed these, here is a quick overview. |
| March 22, 2010 |
Wow, it’s already the end of March, where has the time gone. Looking back, I’m not sure exactly what I accomplished in the last few months, but I’m exhausted. At the end of February David & I drove to Nashville, TN to exhibit and shop for the store. In two short days, I found lots of new patterns, a few new gadgets, and met some wonderful designers.With the nicer weather approaching our front door/ shop window renovations are once again underway. David & I went to the shop this past Sunday to prepare the front window for next week, when our new window arrives. We (and when I say we - I really mean he) built a temporary wall to protect the shop from the elements when the old window is removed, and before the new one is installed, on Good Friday. But who wants to look at a plywood wall for a few weeks, so I had to add models and a daylight display. It doesn’t look half bad; at least we can live with it for a while. I have posted a renovations album on facebook, which is open to everyone, under Kathrin Ellison. Visit and watch the progress.
Updates for Gitta’s Getaway !!! Our Penthouse winner has declined her upgrade, as the Penthouse suite is only a 1 bedroom and she is sharing with her buddy. I completely understand. This is good news for everyone. We will hold another draw on April 12th for our new Penthouse recipient. So if you haven't signed on yet for the weekend you still have an opportunity to win the Penthouse upgrade.With regards to our surprise guest on Saturday afternoon, we’ve already been receiving guesses, as to who our Guest Designer is. To help everyone with their guesses, we will post a clue weekly starting in the first week of April.On Wednesday I head to Germany for 5 days to see and order new items from our German designers. So I’ll have lots to write when I’m back home. |
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| January 30, 2010 |
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Wednesday Jan. 13th 2010 |
Tonight, at stitch night, I was informed that
it's been awhile since I posted anything new onto the blog. And to
be completely honest, over the last 6 weeks I hadn't even thought about
the blog. It wasn't that I had nothing to write about. Much
has happened, and at the very least I should have put up some Christmas
Open House photos and wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year. The Christmas Open House was a great success, even Santa
dropped by to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The shop was busy all
day, and in the class room we even had an Ornament finishing
workshop. For those of you, who were unable to drop by, below are
some photos.
Now with the new year upon us, lots is planned for the shop. We're continuing to get things ready for the Spring retreat! Visit our Events page or the Gitta's Getaway blog at http://gittasgetaway.blogspot.com/ for all the happenings. I was working on the workshop project this evening at Stitch Night, and am hopeful to have a photo, or at least a description posted next week. Don't miss out on this memorable weekend!! |
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Christmas is almost here, and Gitta's Christmas Open House is even closer. This coming Saturday to be exact. The last few weeks have been very hectic and exciting at the same time. I've been searching for Ornament Free Bees, we managed to stitch 6 of them and finish them into ornaments. The store has been decorated, 60 gift packs have been put together, and the snack menu arranged. Although getting ready for our Christmas Open House took most of our time, we have also started planning our first "Gitta's Getaway" weekend. This exciting weekend will be held April 30th, 2010, in a luxury hotel not far from the shop. There's room for only 50 stitchers, and the weekend will be filled with fun, food, prizes, and of course stitching. |
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November 8th, 2009 |
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It’s now been 3 weeks since the Stitching Jubilee. I had told myself I would blog upon my return. So why has it taken so long? Although there was a lot to write about, I couldn’t get my thoughts organized. At first I felt exhausted and drained, then it was getting the shop back in order, and having to get caught up on some serious ordering (although this never stops). Now being back to my regular routines, I find I’m a little more relaxed and the brain is functioning again. So here goes. |
The weekend while enjoyable and inspiring is also filled with work. It starts with our drive to Lancaster at 6:00 am the day prior. We arrive there mid afternoon and then set up the booth, usually finishing around 10:00pm. It’s a long day, but we never feel pressured. The drive gives us a chance to be on our own with no responsibilities. We enjoy the scenery and each other’s company. We stop when we want to, stopping at various lookouts, and we talk or sit quietly enjoying the peaceful scenery. We never even turned on the radio. Our drive home is much the same, this year there was even snow in the higher elevations of Pennsylvania.
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The currently happenings in the shop are having some of our designs painted onto mono canvas and a Gitta’s Stitchers Getaway for Fall 2010.
More about all this next week.
October 9, 2009
I always do the math to verify just what the number is. And it is just a number, except when I get up in the morning. We seem to have more energy than the younger generation, only with aches and pains. I think I’m only just at the aches stage, oh yeah.
I have been involved in all stitching arts and crafts all my life, well since the age of 11. My mother brought home a needlepoint canvas of a horse (my love at the time). She taught me how to do the continental stitch, and I haven’t stopped since. I’ve tried everything over the years; the 70’s were dedicated to Crewel embroidery and macramé. In the height of it’s popularity I even tried some Paper Tole, but I didn’t have the patience for it. But through it all my first love is petit point, but I enjoy all forms of stitching. From that first canvas to my little 40ct petit points of today, I have been stitching for 36 years. So now for those interested, it is just simple math.
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September 15 2009 Another week and the summer is officially over. Thinking back over the summer, crappy weather is the first thing that comes to mind. Looking back over my photos, I can't believe all we did and saw this summer. In July the entire family headed to Chicago for a family wedding. Early August Sarah and I flew to England. I stayed only for a few days, while she stayed for 2 weeks. Upon her return home we spent a week in Ottawa, visiting the Parliament buildings, the Diefenbunker, and Parc Omega (in Quebec). At Parc Omega the animals, all North American species, roam free while you drive through in your vehicle. Expecting to be feed, many of the deer and bison come right up to your window. |
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Parc Omega |
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The last week of August we spent at the cottage. Although the weather was no better than the rest of the summer, almost fall temperatures, we still managed to relax and have some fun. The wildlife at the cottage this year was everywhere. Chipmunks are always scurrying about, but this week they seemed to pose for the camera. On our boat ride to jumping rock and to the end of the lake, we came across two loons bathing themselves. They didn't like the intrusion, but were in no hurry to dive or fly off, so we slowly followed and captured some amassing photos. I have never seen a fox at the cottage, and this one welcomed us upon our arrival Friday evening. The last time I saw an Eastern Hognose snake I was 12 years old, and this one was out in the open on the stone steps heading up to the cottage. He didn't slither off, just hissed at us, reared up and flattened his neck (almost like a cobra). The bear we had seen earlier in the summer. That weekend the cottage was bursting with family, 16 in total, so he only passed by. He was probably hoping to rip another hole into my mom's composter, but with all the ruckus he stayed at a distance. |
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Erica Michael's Model |
August 10, 2009 I want mine to look just like yours!! I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this. And if you think, “ No, I’ve never said that ”, think back. We all fall in love with the stitched model and want ours to look exactly like it. I myself am not immune to such thoughts. I try to encourage stitchers to make their own mark. Choose your favourite silk overdyed colours, change the fabric colour, and change the fabric count to enlarge or reduce the stitched design. Although some find this earth shattering, these are some of the easiest changes to make. I
am currently working on Erica Michael’s “Serenity” design stitched
in petit point (continental and basketweave stitches) on 40ct silk gauze.
Even though my initial intent was to stitch it the same as hers, I
ran into a few dilemmas. Although she provides a tile with “God” charted into the design, she does not use this for
her stitched model. Is this
not an integral part of the prayer? So,
this was my first hurdle. I
wanted “God” to grant me the Serenity… Thus I substituted her
“God” tile with the first tile in the chart.
One would think no problem, but on closer examination the diagonal
stem of each floral tile alternates from right to left to right to left.
In the “God” tile the stem slants to the left.
I’m not sure if this was intentional or an oversight, but I
turned my chart for each of the following tiles, so they would slant
appropriately. I loved her
two main colour choices of Dungarees and Forest Glade (both Sampler
threads by Gentle Art). It
was the little bit of red and gold that I felt the need to change,
although not by much. (814 DMC to 22 Anchor, and 676 DMC to 901 Anchor).
Now.
I rushed to get this all done, before my visit to England with
Sarah to meet her boyfriend’s family.
I figured with everything counted, I could just simply fill in the
background while on my trip. Well needless to say, things never work out as planned.
As I stitched a few rows of her suggested background colour, I
realized I hated it. This
discovery was the night before my early morning flight.
Now what? Although
tempted to drive to the shop and choose another colour, I did not have the
time. So another project was
taken, and this one would have to wait until I returned.
From
the time the designer has stitched their model to the time the charts are
in the shops for you to stitch, the threads are most definitely a
different dyelot. So please
take heed, have a close look at the overdyed threads and change them as
needed to better match the look you wish to acquire. I
know we all want the Serenity that comes by following the thread and
stitching instructions, but sometimes we have to have the courage to
change parts of the design (to our preferences), and by experience we
acquire the wisdom to know which we should change.
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Mine so far. I choose "Petite Maison" by Crescent Colours. But even this may be a different dyelot next week. |
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June 5th
Prom night Wow, doesn't that take us back. My daughter's prom is tonight and I'm sitting here, like my parents did so many years ago, waiting for her to come home. Unlike me however, she does not have a curfew. Boy I should have thought about that, since she wasn't home until 3:30 AM. I wouldn't have minded if I had something to stitch. I have finished my 8 month sampler, and I forgot my next project, the Language of Love by Drawn Thread, in the shop. So I'm surfing the web and writing my Blog, I guess not all is lost.
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May
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I had received a phone call this week from a stitcher in Maryland. She had read about my Mosaic and Graphite Biscornu on a chat group, and called to order both designs. Both the Graphite and Bellagio Chair Necessaire designs were well received at Celebrations of Needlework in Nashua, but I never thought they would be chatted about on the net. That's very exciting.
Also this week, our Drawn thread order arrived, and I love their Sampler of Stitches stitched as one piece. Sold as 9 separate leaflets, I think it looks great stitched together as one design. You can see this on our What's New or our Drawn Thread page.
Another alphabet series that has really caught my eye is Nora Corbett's. Each of her Pixie letters are unique, using Crescent Colours variegated thread, metallics and beads. We all anxiously await our letter, and we already have an order for the " Z". However, when the J, K, and L arrived in the shop, I was disappointed with the " K ". I had wanted it larger like the others, but now seeing them all in a row, it is growing on me. All 26 letters stitched on one piece of fabric would be absolutely stunning. |
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May 7th, 2009 I can't believe it's been a whole month since my last blog. And what a month it's been. Our 5 newest designs have been proofed and printed. My husband and I exhibited at Celebrations of Needlework in Nashua, NH, and many of the new designs ordered when I was at the show in Germany have arrived.
Below are two photos from our booth in Nashua. In the larger photo you can see three of the new designs - the Nordic Santa, Family Tree, and the Inukshuk is hanging just under the Santa. The two new Chair Necessaires are in the photo on the right. All can be seen under the Gitta's Designs page.
Next Wednesday is our Stitch Night and on previous Stitch Nights there had been comments on how this is the perfect night to see everything that's new. Well, this month there is definitely lots to see.
-The designs by UB and the mat cutouts into which they can be inserted have just arrived yesterday. -The new linen from Weberei Weddingen is also here, and the quality is wonderful. -The new Daylight floor frame with light, magnifier, and pattern holder arrived on Monday. I've had a chance to play with it and I like it a lot. It's light weight and easy to maneuver. -While I was in Nashua, the new printed cross stitch and Needlepoint kits from OI arrived, as well as some wonderful floral and african wildlife needlepoint trammees from Germany.
Still to come are the new pattern books, tabletoppers and kits from RICO Designs.
Until then, Kathrin |
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I'm back. J
I had a wonderful visit in Germany, with my aunt and cousin. On Saturday, my cousin and I took the train to Cologne and spent the day at the Handcrafters Trade Show. I found some great stuff, and saw all the newest releases of painted canvases, tablecloth fabric, kits, and pattern booklets. Rico will be releasing some exciting booklets over the year, the first should arrive in the shop within 6 weeks. |
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The newest trend, that really caught my eye, was various shaped mat cutouts into which your stitched design is inserted. Some mat cutouts are hung like an ornament, some are attached to a stitch banding and some have a banding tied to them. I can't wait for these to arrive in the shop. |
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When I arrived back home, there was no time to rest. The new sales rep from the Daylight Company visited us on Wednesday. One of their newest products is the " Stitchsmart Stand ". With its strong jaw the stand will hold your scroll frame or Qsnap. The head lifts and rotates 360°. It is light weight and folds up quickly and easily for storage. But it wouldn't be " Daylight " without a light and magnifier. There is a Stitchsmart accessory pack that includes a flexible lamp with removable magnifier, and a clamp to hold your chart. This and other new Daylight Company lamps should be in the shop within the month. |
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Another wonderful surprise upon my return was the arrive of the long awaited "A Needle Pulling Thread" magazine. I had submitted a new Chair Necessaire design for the magazine. In this months issue the chart and finishing instructions are featured for the first part, the biscornu. In the following 3 issues, the rest of the pieces will be featured. How exciting. If you want to reserve a copy, please let us know, as the magazine is going fast. I have already re-ordered more copies. |
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March 17th |
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My colour choices are: Fabric - 28ct Jobelan, Queen Anne's Lace Dark shade -Weeks Dye Works, Bark Light shade - Gloriana #067, Rain Forest |
We always tuck a pattern into your bag when you visit us in
the shop or order on-line. I found a wonderful free sampler on a
French Blog, and last month we started tucking the first part into
everyone's bag. Although we are already giving part two this month,
it is not too late to catch up. There are 8 parts in all.
We have had so much fun with thread and fabric selections. And though we all have our favourite colour, I love every colour choice so far. The sampler is stitched in two colours, a light and a dark. For the light colour we have all chosen a variegated silk, and for the dark a DMC or Anchor solid. Because the sampler is quite large, 190 x 264 stitches, our fabric choices have either been a 28ct or 25ct, stitching with one strand over one. So far everyone is keeping up, and anxiously awaiting the next month's release. When they are all done, I want to hang them up in the shop, and post them on the website. It's not too late to join the fun, and end up with a great sampler in the end |
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Tomorrow I fly to Germany for a tradeshow in Cologne. So next week I'll have lots to post. I am looking forward to seeing the new books and kits by RICO.
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This is my first official blog.
Wow, there is so much to say, but where to begin? Many years ago in a small
town in Germany.... Only kidding. But if your interested you can always
visit the "About Us" page. Most of you have probably already noticed that our website has a new look. Laura & I have been working on the website all week, and there is still much to do. For now, the "Home Page" is less cluttered and some of the links have changed. Gitta's designs have been separated from "The Store", but you can shop from both. "The Store" link will take you to our Old "Products" page, although this has also been changed. All in all I think the website flows better and is easier to navigate. In the bottom right corner of the home page you will find a compass, which will link to a map and directions to the shop. Other than the Home page, many of the other pages that have been updated are "Timeless Designs" ( under Gitta's Designs), all the "Threads & Fibres" pages ( the Anchor wool page will be completed tonight- so Laura tells me), the "Needlepoint kits" pages, "Gifts & Bling", "Beads", and "Specials" pages. What's New will also have new New items by this evening. Laura is heading home tomorrow, but the website will be her primary concern for the next few weeks. /p> As I am typing this Blog the Victoria Sampler Trunk show has finally arrive ( 6 days late), and we will have it on display in the shop for tomorrow. Kathrin |
