Good web based shops

Depends what you want, of course, but a US site I've found really good is

Lynda is very helpful and orders are processed and shipped promptly. Mainly Scandinavian cross stitch, but there are also some books of other counted thread work.

J

Nordic Needle, ABC Stitch Therapy, 123 Stitch, The Silver Needle, Elegant Stitch, Welcome Stitchery, and the list goes on for days. I have shopped all of these, with good result.

just me, Cathy in KY from CA

I use Robin's Nest Designs in Durham, N.C. Great service. robinsnestdesigns.com

If I'm ordering online, I usually contact Shakespeare's Peddler. Theresa is quick to respond and great to work with. Plus, she's having a CyberSale right now...

Carol

Marilyn,

If you are looking for fibers, I have been physically to two shops, who pride themselves on the huge selection of fibers they have.

They both are also internet stores, as well as store front. I believe shipping was extraordinarily cheap when I was there a couple of years back....in some cases zero. They are owned by stitchers for stitchers.

at Contookuk Gallery has a website for just online sales, which I regret to say I didn't save. I would recommend both these ladies.

Gillisn

Thanks for all your great sites! The piece I want to make is from the Classic Stitches website. It calls for Anchor stranded cotton which I can tell is not widely sold in the US. I also found lots of DMC to Anchor conversion charts. Are these accurate?

TIA (again)

Marilyn

Re Internet sites: Nordic Needle and Needle in a Haystack have been very good and helpful to me. The conversions are fairly good . ANchor is slightly more matte than DMC. In Canada Fabricland and some Wal Marts carry ANchor.

Going to work on this lovely Sunday Nancy

Interesting comment, I stitch with Anchor as much as possible when using cotton floss. Don't know that I would agree about the matte. They definitely tend to have more shade graduation in color families than DMC, and some people find it less likely to tangle.

Years back, an LNS I used in Albuquerque had a piece stitched twice, once in DMC & once in Anchor. She had the pieces sitting side by side on top of the DMC & Anchor cabinets (next to each other) so customers could see which they preferred. It was just a bear on a tree limb, with a yellow background - but I've always remembered that - in that case, the Anchor to my eyes, definitely had more color sheen/depth. Mostly the difference between the two, IIRC, is how they dye - the 2 companies dye at different stages in the spinning/thread twisting manufacturing process.

Some conversion charts are better than others. Honestly, when I'm in a shop and converting I will regularly just use the sample thread book and work from that.

Feel that, I worked Sunday, as well. Now trying to decide if going out on errands, or getting dirty in the yard. Maybe yard later, errands first.

Ellice

Wow! That's an interesting idea for a shop owner - to put the two pieces side by side. I live in New York City and there is only one cross stitch shop that I know of here - they have a pretty limited supply because they are mostly needlepoint and quite expensive, so I can't really match colors up on my own. Anyway, I have been in touch with several shops suggested here and I am probably going to go with Needle in a Haystack.

Marilyn