June 2010 V3 I6

This being my first “Stitchers’ Voice”, I would like to say that I am very excited to join all of the members of The Stitchers’ Village. Janie and Jo have laid the ground work for a most wonderful community and I hope to continue with their vision. You will notice some minor changes in the upcoming months. The most exciting will be some new additions to the shops. I hope you will all bear with me as I familiarize myself with the Village and get to know you a little better. I have received a number of great suggestions and am working to put some of them in place. You will note that I will be working hard to communicate with the shops of The Stitchers’ Village to keep up with all things new in the needle art world and keep you up to date. The Summer wholesale market is this month which means new releases! Look for a report later in June! Happy stitching! 

The June 2010 Shop Focus is Picture This Plus located in historic Abilene, Kansas and in building #1, shop #9 in the Stitchers' Village. The owners are Shari Strauss and Marilyn Thurlow. They began their partnership in 2000 with the opening of a picture framing business in Junction City, Kansas and very soon after added the needlework shop. They moved to a brand new building in 2004 so that they would have more room for the needlework shop and the fabric dyeing. Soon after, when they "fell into" a bookstore they realized they needed more space and began searching for a unique location. Just when they were ready to give up the search, they found their new home in Abilene. Both Marilyn and Shari have long been involved with needlework through personal interest and in the local 4-H chapters working in sewing, cross stitch, needlepoint, quilting, and weaving. They have both tutored and judged for the local 4-H chapters and offered inspiration for future needle workers. They share a love for creating with needle and thread and are happy to share this by offering a place to promote needle art through their shop. If you have an opportunity to visit Picture This Plus, you will find a cozy shop with much to browse through and an area to sit, relax, stitch, share your projects, and gather materials for new ones. They carry lots of fibers and accessories. There are many stitched models to view and charts from which to choose. They work to keep a variety of current new designs as well as some old favorites, and proudly promote the unique and hard-to-find designs. There are many items to choose in house, and are happy to order whatever you may be seeking for your projects. The special feature of their shop is that, in the next room, the dyeing of the Colorscapes line of hand-dyed fabric takes place. So, you can put together a one of a kind masterpiece stitching project!  Picture This Plus is now in a building that was built in 1901 as a department store and continued as such until 1990. At that time it became a textile museum which was there until PTP purchased the building. It is a wonderful shop to visit with either your fellow stitching companions or the whole family. Along with your stop at Picture This Plus, Abilene offers a wide variety of must-see sites including the Dwight D. Eisenhower Center, Historic Old Abilene Town, The Seelye and Lebold Mansions, and the Greyhound Hall of Fame. There are many one-of-a- kind dining places including the coffee shop located upstairs in the book store, the historic Kirby House Restaurant, and the Brookville Hotel which serves a family style chicken dinner.

May Competition Winners Paula Shelgren Stitching Friends Story drawing JoAnn Biddiscombe Submit a Suggestion drawing and Terry Allison for her suggestion which will be used in the “Voice” Each person whose name was drawn will receive a $50 gift certificate Compliments of The Stitchers’ Village good in any one of the Stitchers’ Village Shops.