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Copyright Laws

Copyright laws were something I really had NO clue about until I got into a Facebook cross stitch group. But I became educated on it real quick! Below is a link that was shared to me by a very respected cross stitch designer, Joan Elliott, that explains copyright laws in respects to the cross stitch hobby:

Crafts and Copyrights

It is never okay to make a copy of an original pattern to give to someone else. In doing so, you are hurting the pockets of the wonderful designers who spend many hours making these designs and not earning a lot for them in the first place.

If you want to sell or give an original pattern away after you have stitched it, that is not illegal. However, just take into consideration that you are still hurting the designer by doing so because that is now a pattern that person you gave it to will not buy. It is NEVER okay to make a copy of a PDF to give or sell to someone.

When buying patterns from places other than a local needleshop or reputable online retailers, be very mindful to look for signs that indicate a pattern is not legal and violates copyright laws. It is our duty and responsibility to be aware of these things and to try to support the designers of this industry so that they keep feeding our addiction…errr..I mean hobby!

Here is an article that is very interesting and informative and talks about how you can spot these illegal patterns:

What’s The Big Deal About Copyright

Many designers have quit designing because they get tired of people stealing and selling their designs. When their designs are stolen and sold for someone else’s profit, it no longer is profitable for them to keep designing cross stitch patterns.

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Veteran’s Day Salute – 2018

Happy Veterans Day

American Flag

Honoring Our Veterans

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Why Should We Honor Our Veterans?

In my opinion, there is nothing much more honorable that anyone can do other than be willing to sacrifice their own life for that of another. There are many jobs where people put their lives on the line every day to help others, however, for our military members, it goes a little deeper.

When one decides to serve their country, that is not the only sacrifice they make. There is so much more they end up sacrificing and unless you are a veteran, currently serving, or are a family member of someone that served, this is not something most people understand or have a clue about.

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Clare Bray – Cross Stitch Designer

oday I want to introduce you to another great designer in the world of cross stitch.  Her name is Clare Bray of Climbing Goat Designs.  I stumbled upon Clare  through another cross stitcher, Timothy Johnson.

Tim is doing great work with a charity project for the victims and first responders of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL.  I wrote a feature on his story and if you have not read that yet, please take a few minutes to read it here now.  It’s a VERY inspiring story!

Now on to Clare’s story.

Clare lives with her adorable pooch in a lovely area on the southern coast of England.  I asked Clare how she came up with the name of Climbing Goat Designs and this was her response:

” I’d seen pictures and stories about tree-climbing goats in Morocco, and goats teetering precariously up steep cliffs, and thought they were basically awesome! I am crazy about animals and wanted a fun and funky shop name which matched my spirit, and it just fitted!”

I am going to let her Clare tell you her story in her own words. Hope you enjoy!

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Mel Farnsley – Cross Stitcher and Marathon Runner

This feature story is about a member of my Facebook group, Cross Stitch Club. Her name is Mel Farnsley and of course, she loves to cross stitch. I had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful woman at the 2015 Cross Stitch Club retreat I hosted in Hershey, PA.

Just in case you are not aware yet and are interested, I am hosting the next retreat this coming September in Harrisburg, PA and you can find more information on that by joining the Facebook group 2018 Cross Stitch Club Retreat. I also have started to plan for our 2019 Cross Stitch Club Retreat to be held in Nashville, TN in August 2019. You can join the 2019 Cross Stitch Club Retreat on Facebook to keep up on details for that one as well.

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Ursula Michael – Cross Stitch Designer, Publisher and Book Author

Who is Ursula Michael?

I am going to begin this story about how I first got to know who Ursula Michael is. When I became admin of the Facebook group Cross Stitch Club, I wanted to create a logo for our group. So I began to search on Google looking for the right image. The first one I came across that caught my attention was this one:

Let’s Cross Stitch

 

I posted the picture to the group and asked what they thought. A group member commented, “That is one of Ursula Michael’s designs so you had better get her permission.” At this time, I really didn’t fully understand the copyright laws and such, but I quickly became really well versed in them! LOL

I looked for Ursula on Facebook and I sent her a message asking her if I could use this design. She said that if I bought the pattern and had someone stitch it and then took a picture of it, I had her permission to use it.

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Heather Maraldo – One of A Kind Baby Designs

I want to introduce you to a cross stitch designer, Heather Maraldo,  that I just recently had the pleasure of getting to know. Her name is Heather Maraldo. Back in the beginning of November, I had attended a little cross stitch retreat in Allentown where a group of about 40 or so stitchers got together for a weekend of fun and stitching.

Meet Heather Maraldo

 

Heather was at that retreat, but I really did not get the chance to meet her at that time. Then a couple weeks later I was searching on Google for a baby birth sampler to do for a co-worker that is about to have a baby.

I let my co-worker choose a design she liked and this is what she had chosen.

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Learn To Cross Stitch – Great Tips To Get You Started!

Whether you are 7 or 70, male or female, anyone can learn to cross stitch. I learned when I was 14 and was taught by my mother.

What materials do I need?

Here is a list of the basic materials you will need to get started. If you start with a kit, some of these materials will be included in the kit:

  1. Scissors
  2. Needle
  3. Pattern (included in a kit)
  4. Fabric (included with a kit)
  5. Thread (included with a kit)
  6. Q Snap frame, hoop or scroll rod frame

Now let’s talk about a couple of these materials.

Continue reading Learn To Cross Stitch – Great Tips To Get You Started!

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Must Have Tools for Cross Stitching!

If you are just beginning to cross stitch, you might think that all you need is just a needle and thread and you are good to go, right?

I know that is what I thought and continued to think for many years, but then I joined a Facebook group  for stitchers and boy, did I find out how much more there is to make my cross stitching so much more fun!

I am now admin of a great Facebook group called Cross Stitch Club…please come join us if you are not yet a member!  It’s a great and caring community of stitchers from around the world and we have a lot of fun!

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Hoops, Q Snaps or Scroll Rod Frames?

Hoops, Q Snap Frames, or Scroll Rod Frames?

If you are just starting the wonderful hobby of cross stitching, chances are you have no clue what a Q Snap frame is.  I know I didn’t!  But now I do and I LOVE them!  Most likely you know what a hoop is, but maybe not so I will talk a bit about them first.  Here is a cross stitch hoop. These are what I started stitching on.

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Timothy Johnson and Rainbows for Peace and Comfort

Meet Timothy Johnson

This story is a feature story on a fantastic gentleman that became a member of my Facebook group Cross Stitch Club Originals sometime early last year. This story tells about a man who had a vision to reach out using the art of cross stitch to provide peace and comfort to those suffering from a great tragedy.  Read on to see how you can help him achieve this great vision and help him bring peace with his cross stitch charity project.

His name is Timothy Johnson and he is from the Sunshine state we all know as Florida.  He is one of the most upbeat and happy go lucky people I have had the pleasure of meeting.  I asked him to write me a little bio about himself and you will find that below the picture.

This is Tim.

Tim

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