Threaded Needle Designs

Treasures Today, Heirlooms Tomorrow!

I am Tracey Shultz and have been doing counted cross stitch and other forms of needlework for over 20 years. I have a new love for bead weaving and know that others will love it, too, after being exposed to it!

I previously owned Cross Stitch Treasures, a specialty needlework shop. I started Cross Stitch Treasures in 1999 as an online company and opened the brick and mortar store in 2001.

A couple of my customers were working on Ann Paxton's "Santa" at Camp Tangled Thread (a retreat sponsored by Cross Stitch Treasures) in the fall of 2003. One of them brought back the finished product to camp in Spring 2004. It was gorgeous! Shortly afterwards, I was at the SCR EGA seminar (South Central Region Embroiders Guild of America). The hosting chapter offered a class in bead weaving with the peyote stitch making an amulet bag. I watched as some of the attendees worked on this project. There was also a display of assorted finished projects. After being exposed to this technique several times, I bought a reference book and off I went! I made a bracelet, then a nametag, then an amulet bag, then a doll/necklace!

I started Ann Paxton's "Our Lady of Guadalupe". I only had a few rows finished when I taught a friend how to do the peyote stitch. She enjoyed it so much, she took my project home and brought it back two weeks later with the bag portion almost finished! I completed the bag, fringe and strap. I donated this bag to my church's silent auction. It made $250 for the church!

At the same time I was working on "Our Lady of Guadalupe", I started Chris Manes' "PMS Muse Doll". She was a lot of fun - stitched in flat peyote with bright colors. She is really neat! I taught this design in my shop and the ladies really enjoyed it.

Another class I taught in the shop was the Beaded Needlecase class. It uses the tubular peyote stitch around the wooden needlecases that needleworkers have been using for years! Now we can decorate it. The first tubular peyote class that was taught in the shop was an amulet bag. It was a nice design - a sampler type - but a little intimidating for the beginner because of the time it took to finish a "First" project. The needlecase can be finished in 8-10 hours. We would start the needlecase in class, learn to start a new thread and end a thread and learn the flat circular peyote stitch for the two ends of the case.

I also taught this class at Charlotte Needlework Market in August 2005. This is a trade show open to needlework shops only. I have since taught classes at Destination Dallas (April 2006) and the Nashville Needlework Market (February 2007 & February 2008).

Bead weaving uses primarily Delica Beads (similar to Mill Hill Magnifica beads). A lot of the projects also use larger beads in the fringe or neckstraps. Because I did not carry these beads in my needlework shop, I frequented some of the bead shops in Western Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The response I got from the bead shops really surprised me! It was always the same - "how do you see to do that?" or "how do you have the patience for that?" I have found that a lot bead shops (at least in my area) don't carry the patterns and supplies for bead weaving. They specialize in "stringing" bigger beads, not the weaving.

I believe that this technique is very much like counted cross stitch. It's small. It's intricate. It follows a graph. You do it one stitch at a time. And when the project is finished you have really accomplished something!

So . . . that is how this new addiction started and why my mission is to bring this technique to the local needlework shops! The purpose of Threaded Needle Designs is to provide charts and kits to your local needlework shops. We do not sell retail - ask for these items at your local needlework shop - or bead shop! If they don't carry these designs, tell them about us! We have no minimum order!

This page last updated: 02/17/2008

Threaded Needle Designs
PO Box 6325
Fort Smith, AR 72906 - 6325
479-459-1720

mail@threadedneedledesigns.com