Welcome to our What's New Page which will be updated regularly for your interest.
Note: All prices are in Australian dollars
FEBRUARY 2012
We hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season. Our thoughts are with all our customers who were impacted by the recent bush fires and floods.
We have been very busy giving the shop a new look and finding some fresh things to tempt you with.
New charts
We have two new charts from the talented team at Blackbird Designs. The Gift Is Small was inspired by an 1837 sampler. The four new projects are stitched on Weeks Dye Works fabulous 30 count linen in Putty using Gentle Arts threads. We expect Violet’s Blue to arrive in the next week or so. It’s stitched on R&R Reproductions 30 count linen in Iced Cappuccino and it’s so pretty you can almost smell the violets!
If you would like to get a head start on some Christmas stitching the Santa’s Village series from Country Cottage Needleworks is fun. A chart featuring a new house is released each month, which can either be stitched and framed individually or combined to stitch a village scene. The first chart, Santa’s House is in stock and we expect the next two charts very shortly.
We have ordered lots of new charts from the Scarlet Letter which we expect to arrive soon. Margaret Lawrence, Boscobel Oak and the Bargello Panel are among our favourites. As always these reproductions of antique needlework pieces are inspiring.
We know a number of our customers are participating in ‘The Scarlet Letter Year’. If you have a passion for Scarlet Letter and reproduction samplers why don’t you visit the challenge blog and find out more. http://scarletletteryear.blogspot.co.uk/ Full details of how to participate can be found under the tab top "Challenge Rules".
Birds of a Feather charts have been very popular recently, particularly the series depicting the seasons: Le Printemps, L’Ete, L’Automne and L’Hiver. The clever design, which looks like embroidery, is cross stitched in Weeks Dye Works threads. Their modern twist makes them an interesting alternative to a traditional birth sampler if you are looking for something for a girl.
Permin Beiderwand Historic Kits
If you have been into the shop recently you may have seen the finished Permin Beiderwand historic reproduction sampler we have hanging in the window, which is available as a kit. As well as the Garden of Eden Sampler, there is also a Tree of Life Sampler kit available. Both patterns are stitched in fine wool thread on 18 count natural linen in a choice of 4 colours; Antique Blue, Antique Red, Antique Green or Olive Green. Why not create your own future heirloom!
Namaste
To complement the Namaste Better Buddy cases we introduced before Christmas, we now have Namaste Skinny Mini cases. The smaller Better Buddy cases are magnetised to help keep your scissors and needles under control, while the longer Skinny Mini offers a stylish way to store larger tools and threads. The expandable zipper opening makes it very easy to use. Both cases come in delicious colours.
Natura 4ply cotton
As we know that many of you are also interested in crochet, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to stock a limited range of newly released 4 ply cotton from DMC, Natura. The fresh colours are very pretty and the cotton is incredibly soft. Wonderful for baby blankets.
Books and magazines
Inspirations issue 77 and the new Inspirations Index have just arrived. The Index is priced at $24.95, and includes illustrated, alphabetical listings of all the projects in issues 1 – 75 of the magazine.
Selvedge magazine is new to the Crewel Gobelin. This high quality English magazine focuses on all things textile, with lots of inspiring articles and superb photography.
Blissful Beginnings is the latest release from Country Bumpkin. As well as seven new blanket designs and a full stitch glossary there are three bonus projects. If your feeling inspired, we have beautiful cashmere velour blanketing in cream, pink and blue in stock.
We have sourced a small range of inspiring embroidery books from Japan. Ranging from elegant monograms through quirky flowers to adorable and lifelike cats and dogs, each book is exquisitely photographed and presented. We have a limited number of these books in store, and are taking pre-orders if you are interested.
Classes
Our class schedule is slowly coming together, and the first class that we will be holding in-store is a three lesson introductory smocking course, taught by Penny Kingsford-Smith. More details and instructions on how to register are on our Classes page.
Alison Snepp’s Ottoman Scarf Master Class Workshop is fast approaching so if you haven’t already registered, the details are on the Classes page. The details of the other three Master Classes that Alison is teaching this year are also there to inspire you.
Vale Lyn Menzies
Lyn Menzies sadly passed away earlier this year. Lyn was a caring and talented member of The Crewel Gobelin team, working with Margaret and Gill for a number of years. Lyn will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.
The Shop
Thank you all for your patience while we closed the shop to allow us to refurbish. We love our freshly painted walls and new carpet, and our new floor plan has given us a much more flexible space. The photos below give you a hint of what was involved and the effort put in by everyone.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon.
NOVEMBER 2012
It's hard to believe that we're getting ready for the festive season already. We have lots of new stock to inspire you.
New charts
We continue to search for fresh new charts to offer you. One of our new favourites is Reflets de Soie from France. Their use of colour and different stitches in new interpretations of traditional samplers is inspiring.
We've had lots of requests for some new charts to stitch for children and we are thrilled with what we have found. Willow Hill Samplings – new to The Crewel Gobelin – have created a gorgeous range of samplers based on childhood fairy tales including Cinderella, Humpty Dumpty, Rapunzel and Snow White. Their use of subtle colour is very clever. If you are looking for something more modern, Mischievous Monster and Curious Owl from the girls at Just Another Button Company (JABCO) are fabulous.
The last Blackbird Designs vintage samplers' booklet for 2012, Summer's Last Rose, is now available. As with the previous designs in this series, Summer's Last Rose was inspired by an antique sampler and as you would expect from these talented designers, there are more beautiful designs with lovely use of colour.
The latest Shepherd's Bush stocking design Charland is also ready to be stitched.
Old Favourites Return
We were also lucky to come across a limited range of old favourite sampler charts from Carriage House Samplings and Barrick Samplers. Once these charts are sold, we may not be able to source them again, so have a look now if you are interested in some well-priced historical sampler charts to add to your collection.
New Windflower Blanket Kit
Jan Kerton at Windflower Embroidery has released a new pattern for a baby blanket: Birds on a Wire. Who could resist fluffy pink, yellow and blue baby birds as they perch happily on a wire?
Mill Hill Christmas Ornaments
Mill Hill Beaded Christmas Ornaments are always a favourite and the latest releases won't disappoint. Ranging from a cheeky elf to a colourful paisley Christmas tree and more traditional nativity scenes there is something for everyone in this extensive range.
Gingher Designer Series 2012 Scissors – Emily
This year's Gingher Scissors release is now available. As always, these scissors are extremely high quality and a pleasure to use. Emily is available in 4” embroidery and the larger 8” dressmaker scissor; they would make a great Christmas gift.
Books
Micheal and Elizabeth Feller's The Needlework Collection II arrived in October and it was well worth the wait – it's a truly magnificent book and a great companion to The Needlework Collection I. If you missed out on The Needlework Collection I when it was released we have a few copies available now, but they won't last long.
The Danish Handcrafts Guild 2013 Calendar has also just arrived. Once again the calendar features watercolours that have been charted, stitched and photographed once stitched for your enjoyment.
Coming Soon
Christmas Market Day Saturday 1 December 2012.
To make your Christmas shopping easier we have organised a festive market day. We will be open a little longer (9.00am – 4.00pm) and have sourced lots of special items just for Christmas….and of course there will be complimentary mince pies, so do come in and visit us!
Namaste Better Buddy Casse
We are always looking for things to help organise your stitching accessories and we are excited by the Namaste, Better Buddy Case which will be available very soon. These cases come in a range of mouth-watering colours and their clever magnetic design makes them perfect for carrying scissors, needles and small bits and pieces in safety. A great gift idea.
Zippit Bags
The Zippit storage bags from New Zealand are well known for their quality and practicality for storing portable projects. We will have a range of sizes and designs in store later this month.
Historical Sampler Co. Charts
We are expecting a delivery of some exciting charts from the Historical Sampler Company – it's been a long time since these have been at The Crewel Gobelin, but by popular request they will be back in stock soon.
Classes 2013
Thank you all for your wonderful feedback on classes for 2013. We have been working very hard to finalise our class list and we are nearly there. In the meantime though, we are able to tell you that our first workshop for 2013 will be with Alison Snepp. The recent Ottoman Scarf workshop was very popular and we know that there were many people who were disappointed to miss out, so Alison will be running the workshop again in March.
All the details are on our Classes page.
Santa's Village 2013
Country Cottage Needleworks is launching a new monthly series for 2013 – Santa's Village Houses. Stitched on 32 count Lambswool linen, a new design will be released each month. You can stitch and mount each month's chart separately, or they can be stitched on one piece to create what we expect will be a charming North Pole village scene. The first design in the series, Santa's House, will be available in early December 2012 and if you are interested in taking part each month please let us know.
The Shop
Thank you for all your support over recent months and your lovely feedback. It's been lovely hearing from and seeing so many familiar faces and lots of new ones too.
Christmas and January hours:
Over the holiday period the shop will be open as usual, although we will be closed on all public holidays.
As the shop is due for a much needed makeover, we will close from Monday 7 January 2013 for two weeks to allow the painters and decorators (family & friends!) to make the shop sparkle for the year ahead. We will reopen on Monday 21 January 2013.
While the shop is undergoing its transformation, the online shop will remain open and orders will be processed daily as usual.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon.