Yesterday when I was at the bookstore I bought this British cross stitch magazine, Cross Stitch Collection. The bookstore carries several different stitching magazines, but they do not carry SANQ unfortunately. I subscribe to that one, though, as it is my favorite. I wish Fine Lines would also come back, but I am not sure what is going on with them at present. Usually I just flip through this one, but there were a few interesting things in it, so I broke down and bought it (as it is on the pricey side--being in import). It is nice to see what the trends are in other countries in terms of stitching. I can only find American and British stitching magazines at my bookstore, however.
I have always been intrigued by Henry VIII, and his many wives. I saw this sampler and I thought it was kind of cool. I am not sure I will ever stitch it. It might be fun to do it on a very small count fabric and hang it in my book room. The magazine came with a pull out chart, which I have pulled out and I hope I don't manage to lose! While this is not in the magazine, it is along the same lines--look at this Mary Queen of Scots Sampler. Another lovely one I wouldn't mind stitching. It is interesting how some designers are offering their charts as PDF downloads--instant gratification!!
I think these DMC kits are kind of cool, too. I wonder if they make them to represent American historical events as well? I don't think my Michaels store carries any DMC kits. They just seem kind of fun, though they are rather different than my usual stitching choices. The Christian Dior one is the one I found most interesting.
There is also an article on Blackwork. I have never tried this before, but I do have the Drawn Thread chart A Little Blackwork, which I do want to stitch sometime! I know there is a special way to stitch when doing Blackwork, but I have always wondered if it is very difficult. Another thing to learn!
FInally there was a little blurb about this sampler, also by DMC, called Roses Sampler. I think I may have seen this mentioned before on the Legacy board. I think it is very elegant. I would definitely like to stitch this one. It would look very good in my house. It looks as though it is sold as a kit, but I wonder if there is just a chart of it available? Another project to add to my wish list.