The BCS Newsletter is distributed via e-mail four times a
year.
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News from Black Cat Studios
Quarterly newsletter
featuring information about cross stitch design.
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 Printable
format
[666 KBs]
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April
2005
In This
Issue
 Spring
Sale
Even though Puxatawny Phil (that little stinker!) saw his shadow and we’ve been dealing with another six weeks of the cold, white stuff, we thought it would lift our spirits if we pretended that spring is on the way, and honor it with a SPRING SALE. From
April 1 through May 1, 2005 we will take 10% off any designs from the Black Cat Studios online store and 15% off any custom design order. Pre-designed kits with or without supplies are included in this sale.
Custom
Kit Design Options
There are a variety of options to consider when you decide to order a custom-made cross stitch kit. Here are a few:
What size do you want the design to be?
Think about how large you want the stitched area of the design to be, and how much “float space” you want to leave around it for matting and framing. We will need to know what your requirements are when we begin your kit.
Type of fabric you like to stitch on:
What type (Aida, Evenweave, linen, etc.) and count (12 ct., 14 ct., 16 ct., etc.) fabric do you prefer? Even if you plan on purchasing the fabric yourself, we still need to know what you will work with so we can gauge the final size of the design. If you purchase the fabric from us, our pricing will range depending on the type of fabric and the size of the piece. Aida fabric is the least expensive, followed by Evenweave then linen. Aida is the easiest fabric to work on if you are a beginner, Evenweave and especially linen fabrics are stronger and more durable, but more difficult to work on due to uneven weft and weave.
How to determine the number of DMC floss colors used in the design:
Certain types of designs demand a minimum number of colors. If you want a graphic like a college logo designed, there are generally only a small number of colors used. A photograph will need more colors of floss to make the cross stitch design appear more realistic with shading. This is especially true when facial features and skin tones are duplicated. If you would like embroidery floss included with your kit, we charge $.35 per skein and charge depending on the estimated grouping of colors needed depending on the type of picture we design (e.g., 1-10, 10-25, etc.).
Hillary
Rodham Clinton Commission
We don’t usually toot our own horn,
but just this once...we wanted to let you know that a “famous needlework
artist” who wishes to remain anonymous commissioned us to design a custom
cross stitch kit for her. She used our cross stitch chart
and stitched the design in needlepoint, her specialty.
This kit was
created from the cover of the first lady-turned-senator’s book Living
History. Although we were unable to obtain information on the actual event, we were told that
the needlework design would be stitched, made into a pillow and presented to
Senator Clinton at the event.
Cross
Stitch Kit Design Ideas
You may be thinking of placing an order for a special kit but are not sure what you would like the subject matter to be. Here are a few ideas we came up with:
Your Pet
This is our most popular subject for kit design. Whether your pet has passed on or you have a new member of your family, these kits are wonderful!
Your Family Home
I will never forget the needlepoint picture of my childhood home that my grandmother stitched years ago. Just looking at it brings back memories. Have your home designed as a kit and we will even remove the power lines from the picture!
Your Favorite Person
DMC floss has so many shades of color that recreating flesh-tones and shadings in facial features works wonderfully. Portraits are classic.
A Famous Painting
As long as the painting does not fall into the copyright-protected category*, it may be reproduced. Monet, Michelangelo, Titian, the choices are limitless! A Graphic Design
Graphics and logos are great for this type of stitching, because they are generally bold, simple and use strong colors. A college student would love a pillow with their alma mater’s logo on it, a soldier overseas will thank you for a framed design with a crest of their branch of military service, your son would write a song for you if you stitch his garage band’s logo. You get the idea.
A Special Place You Have Been
Italy for me was pure heaven: pizza, wine, narrow alleys with family owned trattorias, piazzas with amazing sculpture and fountains, fantastic architecture, breathtaking views. A picture says a thousand words, and a cross stitch design of your favorite place will too.
Words and Poetry
A wedding invitation, a hand-written poem, a common saying, a love letter. Not only will your cross stitch design convey a message, but there is also something graphically pleasing about lines of text and the white space around them. It’s a design of words and spaces.
*Works of art published in the US pre-1923 are in the public domain. Works published after 1978 hold a copywright from the year of the artist’s death plus 70 years. Works published after 1922 but before 1978 are protected for 95 years from the date of publication.
Download
This Kit for
Free!
 Check out this link and download FREE a printable cross stitch design and symbol
chart of this beautiful dahlia at: www.blackcatstudios.net/free
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DMC floss colors are used in the design and the final stitch area is 11.1 high on 14 count Aida/28 count linen or Evenweave fabric. If
you have any questions
or
comments, we'd love to hear them.
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