Bidding War

I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Stitch in Peace is liquidating the Needle Case's inventory. I've already got one prize package winging its way to me. Just stay out of my auctions! ;)

Changing People's Opinions on Cross-Stitch

Last week, Melissa asked us a bunch of questions, and while I encouraged you to check them out, I haven't answered them myself. I'm afraid it's because I go sidetracked by this, "but in the long run, in the big picture, is stitching a raunchy sampler something that will keep a girl stitching for the rest of her life?" The implication in Melissa's post is that it won't. But I am not so sure. Some of the people out there stitching the "FUs" are people who say stitching for them is about relaxation. ("We understand the relaxing benefits of using a needle and thread to create mini masterpieces for our friends and loved ones. We know the sublime joy of a well-organised bobbin box. We know the quiet heartache that miscounted stitch placement can bring.") ("The joy of making a beautiful object lies as much in the process as in the end result. It is rewarding and grounding, putting us back in touch with ourselves and offering an alternative to today’s hectic lifestyle.") And I do believe that is something we all have in common. (And let's face it, there's not a clear path between the place I started, including that twee yet creepy Amish faceless doll sampler, and what I stitch now.)

Not a lot of people answered this question from Melissa, yet to me it is the most interesting one: What are we missing on a PR level that could change the opinion of cross stitch itself? If it were up to me, more people would stop stitching Margaret Sherry designs and stitch cooler. And the NuRadicals would use linen and overdyed flosses. So, I guess I should bundle up some packages of linen and overdyed floss to start sending out. I guess what we really need to do is take our cooler projects out in public. (Yeah, I'm not sure what they are either, but surely something I make is interesting to the kids today.)

I absolutely agree with Melissa that there's a disconnect between the magazines and what most stitching bloggers are looking for. Even Gift of Stitching, the big online stitching mag, is the same old same old in a different format. They just passed the printing costs on to us. It seems to me that an all online magazine would take the opportunity to reinvent the world of stitching magazines by taking advantage of being online. If there's someone clever out there, take the idea and run with it.

What would a magazine that would interest advanced stitchers look like? I'm not sure I know. I like reading Piecework, but I often think to myself, "I've never made anything out of that magazine." Then sometimes I stitch something out of Just Cross Stitch and think, "I never read any of these damn articles unless it's for blog research." I think the best magazine would have something interesting to say but also interesting charts to stitch. But let's face it, no one can be everything to every one. And the people who are subscribed to the magazines are the ones who are getting what they want.