If you had an LNS...

There's also Marilyn's Needlework in St. Augustine. She does mail order, and I have her card somewhere in my wallet. I can get it out tomorrow, and send you the info if you'd like. She's really a lovely person to talk to.

Louisa

There's also Marilyn's Needlework in St. Augustine. She does mail order, and I have her card somewhere in my wallet. I can get it out tomorrow, and send you the info if you'd like. She's really a lovely person to talk to.

Louisa

I think I was in that shop when I visited St. Augustine, but it's much too far for me to drive in one day. I've gotten resigned to not having a shop nearby and now I buy nearly everything on line, or via telephone.

L

Don't be greedy; you already have Nordic Needle ! :) I'm in Halifax, and we may soon be down to just Michaels, which also seems to be reducing its stitchery department. I'm wondering when home decor items began to be considered craft items!?!

Louisa

It looks to me as though the thought is if you can stick a flower in it, or paste on a bead, it's become craft. We used to call that keeping the kids busy, but now it's a major industry.

Lucille

You know about Because You Count in Moncton I expect ?

Oh dear - don't get me started. Though I've done some clever things with a frame, a cert and some scrapbooking paper for customers that are trying to frame something odd sized.

Cheryl

Cross Stitch Cupboard

1600 NE 26 Street Ft. Laud 33305 800-572-4153 954-563-6363 snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

Hey, this was good incentive to weed out and reorganize my business card files - ha.

Thanks. I will keep the information on file.

Lucille

What sort of turn-around time would you consider reasonable, and how extensive would you expect the samples to be? For example, if you were interested in looking at Caron Waterlilies, how many sample colours would you like available?

Louisa

I don't know if the other manufacturers make "books" like DMC does, but something like that for anything you would order (but not carry on hand) would be very nice - especially since computer screens don't always do a color justice. And yes, with many overdyes, it varies from batch to batch, but you would still have the basic idea whether Liberty was blue or red (it's blue in WDW and red in GAST or vice versa) or that Daffodil is actually a yellow-green overdye.

With fabrics, same thing - a sample book (like decorators have lol) would give you an idea of the material's hand and feel.

Turn around: given how fast many INS ship, no more than 10 days.

Linda

I don't know if the other manufacturers make "books" like DMC does, but something like that for anything you would order (but not carry on hand) would be very nice - especially since computer screens don't always do a color justice. And yes, with many overdyes, it varies from batch to batch, but you would still have the basic idea whether Liberty was blue or red (it's blue in WDW and red in GAST or vice versa) or that Daffodil is actually a yellow-green overdye.

Books or color charts would work for me, but I would like a few skeins available to feel and fondle.

With fabrics, same thing - a sample book (like decorators have lol) would give you an idea of the material's hand and feel.

Again I agree.

If the shop carried kits like Dimensions or Bucilla, I would like to see a couple of sample kits to see the quality of the fabric, floss and whatever else was included, plus seeing how the chart is printed.

Turn around: given how fast many INS ship, no more than 10 days.

Given the crummy service the USPS provides I would give them the benefit of the doubt and wait a few days longer, but never more then 3 weeks.

Lucille

An excellent idea.

Trying a new craft, I'm willing to do something ornament size, but not something MLI size. Too many LNSs cater only to the end of the market that thinks bigger is better. With WalMart completely eliminating needlework and Michaels downsizing, the excuse "you can buy that at a chain store" is disappearing.

Moreover, there are those of us who would be too embarrassed to walk into a LNS/LYS/LQS with a kit that we bought elsewhere and say "teach me". But I'm also not going to be happy being told that the only way to be taught there is to spend $100 on super-exclusive supplies, like hand-carved rosewood crochet hooks and yarn made from hair combed only from female goats only living above 10,000 feet and only during the month of April.

That's something I've always tried to do. An ornament usually doesn't run much beyond ten dollars, so it's not a huge investment. That's also how I've tried a lot of specialty fibres.

I actually know of one LNS (not around here) that states outright that they won't help you if you come with questions about a project purchased elsewhere.

=A0But I'm also not going to be happy being told that the only way to

That's exactly it. I think you'd need a reasonable selection of relatively inexpensive projects to help draw people in. I also wouldn't turn away someone who came in with a question about a project, regardless of where it was purchased. After all, people tend to shop where they feel welcome, and I know I'm a big fan of good customer service.

Louisa

Yes, I like to be able to see and touch a fibre, too, especially given the cost of some of the specialty threads. I don't want to spend 8 or

9 dollars for a skein of something only to discover upon delivery that I can't stand touching it.

Oh, I hadn't thought of that. The way the chart is printed does make a big difference, doesn't it?

Okay, three weeks is about the maximum I have to wait for something now, and it's usually much less. The only trouble here can be a long hold-up at customs. I don't know how you'd avoid that.

Louisa

I think that makes sense. If you want to learn needlework, at least have the decency to buy something from the LNS where you want to ask questions. People around here go to Michael's and then come to my LNS and ask for free help. I think that stinks.

Elizabeth

I think that's why they have that policy. I just think it depends on the circumstances, that's all. I once bought an interesting kit while away on vacation, and when I started it, I hit rough spot and couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do. So I went to the LNS down the street from where we lived at the time, and the ladies there very kindly helped me sort it out, and I appreciated their help. I also became a loyal customer. Now, someone habitually buying elsewhere locally, and then dropping in for advice may well have drawn a different reaction. Hopefully, someone coming in for advice becomes a customer. If they don't, and they keep coming for advice then that's obviously a different story. Does that make sense? I have a bad cold, and I'm not always coherent when I'm congested. This has to be new record. Back to school for a week and a half, and we already have our first virus! Oh, well. Off to make more tea and then to bed.

Louisa

It does make sense, but I can also understand just being sick of people doing that in general and making a policy against it. I guess it depends. My LNS lady would help me with something I didn't buy there because she knows that I tend to shop her first, so if I got something somewhere else, it's because she didn't have it and she's cool with that, but I have a relationship with her.

Elizabeth

And tea/coffee - of course, with covered cups. And a good variety of threads, fabric, books, gadgets, and things to play with.

Ellice

That's what I do. I check my LNS first, and if they don't have something or can't order it, then I look elsewhere. This got me thinking, though; what do you think is the most effective way to advertise? Michaels has a flyer in the paper at least every ohter week, but a small LNS can't afford that. How do your shops make themselves known?

Louisa

Yes, I'm a big fan of travelling beverage containers when I'm stitching. They save so much heartache, don't they?

Louisa