Oh, I’ve been a real Cotton-Headed Ninny Muggin lately! It seems I’ve not been as clear as I could be about our Needle ‘n Thread stitch-alongs, so if you are floundering with confusion about Harvest Hues and Sitch-Alongs in general, please read this article from tip to toe!
I’ve received many questions lately about the stitch-along, especially where folks can find all the instructions. I’ve tried to explain how the stitch-along will work (please read this article), and I’ve subsequently linked to that article so that people can find it and re-read it in case in case of uncertainty.
But questions still linger. So I will explain again, below, what to expect from the stitch-along and how it works, and hopefully, it will all be a little clearer.
I will also explain what a project index is for, and how it works. And hopefully, that will clear up any remaining confusion!
What is a Stitch-Along?
A stitch-along is a project that develops in stages, allowing followers to “stitch along” with the project as it develops.
The instructions are not available all in one place, at one time.
Instead, they are presented over time. It’s kind of like enrolling in a class that meets once or twice a week and that lasts several weeks. You don’t receive all the class material and information on the first day. The material unfolds over time.
This helps you experience the whole development of the project, from start to finish, at a reasonable pace, in a way that allows you to work at your own pace on the parts of the project that have already been presented.
Just to be clear, stitch-alongs are not a “Needle ‘n Thread novelty.” They happen in many arts and crafts fields and go by different names. In the needlework industry, stitch-alongs might be an embroidery stitch-along or a cross stitch stitch-along, but they could be quilting stitch-alongs, knitting stitch-alongs, crocheting stitch-alongs, and so forth.
Here on Needle ‘n Thread, they’re embroidery stitch-alongs. And they develop over a period of time.
Organizing the Stitch-Along for Easy Access
To keep the stitch-along organized so that you can easily find it, I add the installments (or “lessons”) to a project index (which is listed below).
On the project index, you will find all the lessons listed in chronological order (that is, order of time) from the first lesson at the top of the list, to the last lesson at the bottom of the list.
When a lesson is published here on the website, a link is to that article on the index list.
If you “bookmark” the project index, you can always come back to it to easily find the links to each lesson.
You can find the Project Index for the stitch-along listed under “Tips and Techniques” in the main menu of Needle ‘n Thread.
If you click “Tips and Techniques” in that previous sentence, you’ll discover that it is a link that takes you directly to the “Tips and Techniques” page.
At the top of the “Tips and Techniques” page, you will see a category called “Hand Embroidery Lessons & Step-by-Step Projects.” In that list, you will see the project indexes for many embroidery projects that have developed here on Needle ‘n Thread over the years, including all the most recent Stitch Snippet stitch-alongs.
The most recent projects are at the top of that list. The Harvest Hues Project Index is right at the top of the list.
Project Index for Harvest Hues
Below, you will find each installment of Harvest Hues listed in chronological order, from the first lesson to the last lesson. As the project develops and each lesson is published on the website, I will add a link to each lesson in this list.
- Harvest Hues, Part 1: Design, Materials, and Set-Up
- Harvest Hues, Part 2 (not yet published)
- Harvest Hues, Part 3 (not yet published)
- Harvest Hues, Part 4 (not yet published)
- Harvest Hues, Part 5 (not yet published)
- Harvest Hues, Part 6 (not yet published)
What to Expect Next
The next lesson for Harvest Hues will be published at the end of this week.
Once it is published, you will see it on the front page of the website, just as you would on any blog. (On a blog, the most current articles are visible at the top of the page.) If you are subscribed to my (free) email newsletter (which you can do here), the article will arrive in your inbox.
The Why and Wherefore of Patreon Membership
Needle ‘n Thread has a membership community hosted on a platform called Patreon. Many of you have asked about the membership community – why do I have it, what’s the benefit, and so forth.
I’ll do my best to answer those questions below. You don’t need to be a member on Patreon to enjoy the stitch-alongs. Yes, there are advantages to being a member, but it isn’t essential.
Membership Benefits for You
If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon (which requires a subscription for as little as $1 / month), you will have access to each lesson in the stitch-along in a downloadable and printable PDF format. There is often a little extra information available in the PDFs, because I cannot fit as much information in a single blog post as I can in a PDF.
Members also have access to extra content. For example, on this project, they have three leaf designs instead of one basic leaf design.
Members at the “dedicated” ($3+/mo) and “avid” ($5+/mo) membership levels will have access to one video on some aspect or aspects of the project that I video for them.
Members at the “avid” stitcher level also have access to the chat feature on Patreon, where they can chat with me (I check the chat about once a day) or with other members, to discuss the projects and other needlework related topics.
Patreon Benefits You and Me
I use the membership option on Patreon to generate extra income for Needle ‘n Thread. This extra income has benefitted Needle ‘n Thread in a couple key ways.
For example, because of Patreon, there are no network ads on Needle ‘n Thread. If you’ve ever visited a recipe website or a news website or practically any other kind of website online these days, you’ve been hammered with network ads. Those are the ads that jump in front of your face or show up between different sections or cover up different sections of articles while you are trying to read them. Because of Patreon, I can avoid network advertising for income. This is an obvious benefit for the Needle ‘n Thread viewer.
But behind the scenes and even more importantly, because of Patreon, I’ve been able to hire at least one full time employee and pay her a decent living wage. Neither Anna nor I make massive amounts of income, but we are both able to make a reasonable living wage serving the needlework world while living responsibly.
Without Anna, Needle ‘n Thread would not be able to offer needlework goods, tips, information, and so forth at the level it does, because it would be impossible to keep up with a consistent blog and a business this size by myself.
So that’s the why and wherefore behind the Needle ‘n Thread membership community on Patreon.
Apologies!
Sometimes, I tend to write my content as if you all have been with me for years. And many of you have! I guess I’ve grown accustomed to our easy online companionship!
I apologize to newcomers, for whom this type of online approach is unfamiliar, if I’ve not been as clear as I should be! I hope that I’ve answered your questions and provided more clarity for you about the Stitch Snippet stitch-alongs on Needle ‘n Thread.
Of course, if you have further questions, please reach out to me. I’ll do my best to answer your questions!
Tomorrow, we’ll have a little Thread Talk – I’ll show you some test stitching I’m doing with some threads I’m violently in love with.
And then we’ll get back to Harvest Hues on Friday. By that time, most of you will have your materials kits in hand and will have had time to set up your project!
If you’re still looking for a materials kit, by the way, you can still find a few available here!
Leave A Comment