Thank you Prairie Schooler !

We received our Fall Prairie Schooler order - yes, the Santa is here, as well as some Halloween charts, too. We got a note with sad news,  Prairie Schooler will be retiring early in 2016......... We love their designs and want to thank them for all of their wonderful charts they have created for our enjoyment. We wish them well in their retirement!

We are finally dried out!! YAY!! Just in time for our Summer Retreat with Susan Greening Davis, she is so much fun and we can't wait to see her!! We are very fortunate that she will also be back with us in September for our Stitching in the Heartland Event. She will be one of many teachers that will be with us, teaching classes, in addition to our vendors and retreat that will be going on. I want to remind you that you may take a class or two or go to the retreat, or just come to shop. It is up to you!

I got a couple if my WIPS - top right the new Lizzie Kate Mystery Sampler - just started part 1 yesterday........beautiful colors!!
Bottom right is the Boston Band Sampler, have to finish the double satin stitch band, then on to the Boston Band! Love, love, love Samplers!!

Got to get going........have a great weekend! Thanks for checking out our blog! Enjoy your stitching time!

Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Joanna, Krista, Miranda, Cindy and Ann

Sunshine and WIPs !!

Today the sun is finally shining in Branson...........we are hoping for at least a week of sunny days. The shop is still topsy, turvy from our flooding..............we had to use shop vacs to get the water out of the shop, again. We did some drainage improvements outside, so hopefully that will work for us. 

I have some WIPs to show you..........  Little House new Sampler ornament - Peace, Kathy Barrick's Autumn on Lazy Bear Mountain, A Boston Band Sampler Reproduction from Needlework Press, and Pam has just started  The Raven Queen from Mirabelia.

Our classes for September's Stitching in the Heartland are starting for fill up, so if you are interested in taking a class, please let us know. Some of our classes have limits as to how many students can be enrolled. We are really looking forward to this event!! Our teachers are fantastic and several have exclusive designs, just for our event! Pat Carson will be our guest of honor for the whole event. She will be in the retreat room several times during the weekend to offer advice and stitching techniques. Pat has studied with teachers from all over the world and she is so willing to share her knowledge and love of stitching!
We are all looking forward to our Ice Cream Social on Wednesday evening.......it will be a casual dessert and coffee time. Our teachers and vendors will be there for a meet and greet with all of our attendees.There will definately be chocolate there!!
Got to go, it was fun to share some of our WIPs with you - hope you enjoyed seeing them. Have a good week!
 Margaret, Jessica, Pam, Amy,Cecilia, Joanna, Miranda,Krista, Cindy and Ann

God Bless America!!

We hope that all of you have a great July 4th weekend. We have been having an interesting week. The shop has been flooded again...........just too much rain in Branson! So we spent the last 2 days drying out again.........thank goodness for our shop vac and fans!

We are getting ready for our Simply Stitching retreat in a couple of weeks. Susan Greening Davis will be here with us. We always have so much fun with Susan when she is here - we can't wait to see her again!

Ann has been stitching for the shop, just about since we have opened - 12 years ago. She really loves stitching table toppers and has stitched over 50 of them. Lately, I have been doing the nun stitch for her.......I got a bit behind, as Ann stitches the table toppers so fast, and before I know it I had 5 table toppers waiting for me to nun stitch the edges. I finally got them done. Ann does such good working stitching these for us!! Here are some pictures of a few of her most recent ones.

 It is getting late and I have to get going - hope you enjoyed the table toppers! Have a safe and fun weekend!

Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Joanna, Ann, Cindy, Krista, Miranda

June 27th - What's happening at Cecilia's Samplers

It's been over a year since we posted on the blog...........we were so surprised that it had been that long!! We will try to do better about posting!!

We are all still here working in the shop - Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Joanna. Krista, Cindy, Miranda and stitching our models in Florida - Ann!!

Because we have so many items in the shop, we just can't get them all on the website.........so here's a few newer items...........I just got in a Blackbird Designs stitching mood and did these 3 small projects. One is a tart pincushion, the second is a pincushion using a Lone Elm Lane pincushion base (her colors are beautiful with Blackbird's colors), and the third is an Impie, Hattie and Bea thread keep. They were all quick stitches and a nice break from the larger samplers that I usually do.

 Ann has been really busy stitching..........she is 82 years young and does ALOT of our models - especially the tabletoppers - She loves the patriotic charts and this is one of her latest finishes. It is very bright - looks better when stitched than in the chart photo.

 We have a new line of products in the shop - have any of you ever heard of Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods? Susan has moved to Arkansas and has left a good assortment of her products here in the shop with us - kind of like a mini Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods shop in Cecilia's. She has so many beautiful laces, buttons,ribbons,and accessory packs. They are all great additions to your stitching and help with finishing - it adds that extra special look to your stitching.

Oh, before I forget.......anyone doing the Blackbird Designs Abecadrian Series.........we were stuck on number 11 for several months, but FINALLY have the number 12 chart in stock, and that completes the series.
Our biggest news so far this year is out "Stitching in the Heartland" event coming up in September!!
It is the first time we are doing an event of this size and type. There is a retreat, ice cream social, classes, classes, classes and a SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) mall for shopping.
You can sign up for any or all of the events. Pat Carson, from Designs by Gloria and Pat, Inc. will be our guest of honor for the whole event. She is a wonderful person and she has a vast knowledge of needlework - she is always eager to share her knowledge and expertise with us. If you want to learn about needlework she is the person to visit with!! We will also have 9 different teachers, teaching a variety of classes and techniques. The dates are Sept 16-20, 2015. Check out Cecilia's website for more information.
It has been a fun year so far, next month Susan Greening Davis will be here for our Simply Stitching retreat - last call on that retreat!! We have a new venue, Lodge of the Ozarks, we have had 2 retreats there so far and our ladies LOVE it!!! It is a great location, has a restaurant, room service and a bar!!
The hotel staff is wonderful ! The stitching room is HUGE! We are very happy with our new location!
Got to go, hope you are having a good Summer and have a Great 4th of July weekend. We thank all of our military service men and women and their families for their service to our country !
Enjoy!
Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Joanna, Krista, Cindy ,Miranda and Ann

Thank you to our Spring Retreat Attendees!!!

Yes, I know this is my first post of 2014 - where does the time go?

We just finished our Spring 2014 Retreats and all of us at the shop would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to our attendees!!!!  We appreciate the wonderful gifts and kind

notes that you sent us - we are so happy that you all enjoyed your weekend!! The cookies were delicious!! And such a surprise!!
We had TADSAW as our charity for the Spring Retreats. We raised a total of $730.00 from both retreats. A BIG thank you to Louise for the pretty afghan that was also given away as a prize to help raise money for TADSAW. Cecilia's will match the donations from the retreats - so we will be sending a check for $1460.00 to TADSAW!!! Thank you all for your generosity!!

We would like to ask your feedback on this subject............"A Simply Stitchin' Retreat" or as Amy calls it "The Bare Naked Retreat". It is basically a "no frills" weekend. We are offering this because of several requests - a lot of ladies don't need the meal cards and have enough "stuff". They just want to visit and stitch with friends! So we would like to offer a simpler kind of retreat. We will start on a Thursday afternoon at 2:00. There will be a catered dinner on Thursday (pizza, sandwiches, burgers,chicken, ribs, the dinners will vary). We will do introductions, and buck a bag fabric on Thursday evening, too. Friday we will do Cecilia's 50% off sale at the conference room. We will still have a charity donation with a $100.00 Cecilia's gift card as the prize - drawing will be on Saturday evening. We will say our good byes Saturday night when the conference room closes at 11p.m. The trading and snack tables will still be there, too. All attendees will get a 10% discount on all purchases at Cecilia's during the retreat. And you will receive a t shirt and tote bag to commemorate the retreat!!  The cost for the "Simply Stitchin Retreat" will be $50.00 per person!!! You will be responsible for your accommodations and meals except for the Welcome dinner on Thursday evening. Let us know if you are interested...........we may be able to schedule one for this Summer if we have enough interest!!

I've got to get going...............I promise to post more often!!! Come by the shop and visit with us for a while when you are in Branson. We look forward to meeting you!

Take care and enjoy your needlework!!
Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Joanna, Krista and Ann

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014 !!!

We have had a really busy Fall and can't believe Christmas is only 4 days away!!! I have had some "blog issues" - basically my computer and blog had a disagreement - but we think we got it all fixed now.

So this is just a quick post to say a HUGE " Thank you" to all of our customers and friends that have supported our shop this past year! We really appreciate your patronage - weather it is by email, phone or visiting us in Branson - we couldn't do what we do with out all of you!!

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas Holiday Season and we wish you a happy and healthy New Year!! We look forward to seeing you in the shop, at one of our retreats, on the internet, or visiting with you on the phone.

We took the girls - Katelyn and Alice to "Supper with Santa" last night at our local Mcdonalds - they had a great visit with Santa!!!

 

We pray all of your Christmas wishes come true!! And we pray for our military for God to keep them safe wherever they are stationed as they serve our country.

 

Take care,

Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Lori, Cecilia, Krista and Ann

Celebrations of Needlework - St Charles, Missouri!!

Just a quick post to let you all know we will be at Celebrations next week. For those of you that are not familiar with Celebrations, it is the longest running needlework show in the country. There are classes!!! and Vendors!!! All Needlework!!! It is really a lot of fun  - we will be taking a smaller version of Cecilia's to Celebrations -with lots and lots of goodies to sell! And..........we have chocolate!!! We hope to see you there, come by and say "Hi" - we would love to meet you and put a face to the name and voice. Got to go and get more goodies packed. Lori and I will be there next week......hope to see you there!
enjoy your weekend!
Margaret

p.s. below is part 1 of the Lizzie Kate  Mystery Sampler Holly and Hearts - really beautiful!!

Market in 3 weeks!!

We have been having a great Summer here in Branson!! The St Charles Fall Market is in 3 weeks!! Jessica and I will be going ( we are taking Bob, Katey and Alice, too!!), so that will be a lot of fun for us. There are so many new designs and goodies coming out at market, if there is something in particular that you would like us to bring back - just let us know!! Otherwise we will be buying, shopping, and buying, and then buying some more!! This is just a quick update............Jessica and I have been stitching, so I will include some pictures of what we have been up to lately. I have been working on the LHN Sheep Virtues Series (the finished pillows are adorable) and the new Blackbird Loose Feathers  for 2013. Jessica has been working on the Lizzie Kate Jingles series - she is almost done!  We hope you are having a fun summer, getting lots of time to stitch and relax!
Have a good day!! Enjoy the pictures!
Take care,
Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Krista and Ann

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!

Yes, it is HOT here in Branson, Missouri!! Temperatures in the high 90's today and for most of the week. Summer is officially here!

Cecilia's has been busy during the past month. We were honored to get a visit from Pat Carson ( Designs by Gloria and Pat, Inc). Pat is a dear friend to us and is always ready to help us with her vast knowledge of the needlework industry. We had a wonderful visit and dinner together. And Pat went on to the Precious Moment Chapel in Carthage where she was teaching a class. If you ever get a chance to take a class with Pat - don't miss the opportunity. She is a fantastic teacher and an expert needleworker - you will learn so much from Pat!

My Dad came to visit for 2 weeks in June. We had such a great time with him while he was here. He will be 86 this year and was a World War 2 Tin Can Sailor ! He still works everyday and helped Kenny finish the deck we were building onto our house. And he beat all of us in cribbage, too!

The end of June we had our Summer Retreat - Happy Campers!! We were happy to have Tracy from Ink Circles Designs and Cathy from Hands on Designs at our retreat.The ladies enjoyed visiting with both designers. Cathy and tracy both designed neat charts for our retreat and also brought their newest design models for us all to see! Cathy taught a really awesome finishing class, too!!

Next Summer we will be having a formal class for our Summer Retreat. "History in the Making" is our theme. We will be having Pam Reed from Olde Colonial Designs presenting a Limited Edition hand painted needlework tool box. We will learn how to line the box and stitch smalls to go inside. The box is just georgous! AND we will also be having Susan Greening Davis presenting the history of Antique Handkerchiefs (really facinating information) and she will also be teaching a make it, take it class. Susan will bring her "Boutique" with her - she offers these special items only at her classes. Very unique items that you
won't find anywhere else! The class is limited to only 30 people - so if this interests you, sign up soon!

Part 2 of the Little House Mystery Sampler should be in the shop this week. I have part 1 stitched and am eagerly awaiting part 2 to arrive.Can't wait to see it all together and done!
Lizzie Kate will be offering a Christmas Mystery Sampler soon. You just know it will be adorable just like other Lizzie Kate designs. And Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers will be coming to Cecilia's very soon, too. So much to stitch............so little time!!!

That's about all the news that has happened lately. We hope you are all "keeping cool" this summer. Have a great July and enjoy your needlework!!

Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam,Cecilia, Krista and Ann

p.s. Christmas is coming !!! Pre order your JCS ornament magazine now!!

Happy Mother's Day !!

 Happy Mother's Day to you all!!
We hope that you have a great day!! Just a quick update today. Jessie has finished a Lizzie Kate chart - she did it on a real bright green and it looks really great!! Ann finished a fun chart - "I run with scissors" - done on a pretty sparkly purple fabric!

We have been re- arranging the shop - trying to make more room and more organization to what is already there. It is a slow process, like fitting the pieces of a puzzle together, but we are enjoying the change.

We are eagerly waiting for the newest Loose Feathers Chart from Blackbird designs to get here. It is the last Loose Feathers for the 2012 series. And in June (about the middle of June) we will have part one of the new Little House Needleworks Mystery Sampler coming into the shop. Don't forget to sign up for our automatic on this one - from the sneak peeks I have seen it is a beauty!


Got to get going..........have to get stitching. I am working on the Blue Ribbon Mystery Sampler - about 2/3 done. It looks so bright and springy - I will take a picture of it again soon for the blog.
You all take care and have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy your stitching -
Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Krista, Cecilia and Ann

Where have we been?

The days and weeks fly by so fast, the next thing we know is a month (or two) has flown by and here we are............we had a good Winter retreat, despite the ice storm. It was smaller than our usual retreats, but still a lot of fun! We raised $25.00 for the Humane society along with dog food and treats for the dogs, too. Cecilia's will round that donation up to $100.00 for the Humane Society - every little bit helps!! We are planning another Winter retreat, just working on the dates for next year.
Our 2 Spring retreats were wonderful!! Lots of fun, goodies and of course Stitching!! We raised $500.00 for Breast Cancer and Cecilia's will double that, so our donation will be $1000.00!!!

We have changed the retreats and we are getting really good feedback from our ladies about the changes! The biggest change is the Hotel reservations. We have separated the Hotel and retreat. What that means is that you can decide if you want to stay at the hotel (we reserve a block of rooms for our retreat), but if you would rather stay at a different hotel,  your timeshare, your home (for the locals), or with a friend or relative that lives in the area you can do that. If you want to stay at the Hotel, you just call the hotel and let them know how many nights that you would like to stay. Our Spring and Fall retreat prices are now $225.00, and you pay the hotel for how many nights that you choose to stay.

We have a NEW MYSTERY SAMPLER coming to the shop in June!!! And it is designed by Little House Needleworks!!! We are already taking reservations for the sampler!! It is on our website front page. Jessie has uploaded all the details that we have about it - the sneak peek looks really neat!!

I have been working on the Blue Ribbon Mystery Sampler - it is a really pretty Spring Sampler - done on a nice bright blue fabric, with lots of Spring type motifs. Now that we have a new mystery sampler coming in June, I had better get stitching.

Another really cute and quick to stitch item we have in the shop is the mini sled. We stitched on gold perforated paper and glued to the sled for a quick finish!! There is also a larger sled available and a miniature bed that finishes as a pincushion! All quick to stitch and finish!
That's about all for today..........hope you are all enjoying Spring and finding time to stitch!
Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Krista and Ann

Off to Market!!!

February 20, 2013
We are just a day and a half away from our first Winter Retreat!! And Branson is under a Winter weather watch - we are expecting ice!!! It will all work out great - we always enjoy hosting our retreats and the new hotel we're using this year has an indoor pool and hot tub!! It may be icy outside, but we will be nice and warm inside!!

Jessie and I are getting ready for the Nashville Market - we will be leaving on Friday March 1st and be back March 3rd - we should have all the new goodies set up in the shop by Tuesday. We are leaving Pam, Amy, Cecilia and Krista to run the shop while we are gone. They will be eager to help you with your needlework needs. If there is anything that you would like us to bring back from Nashville - just let us know -we will be happy to bring back all the goodies on your list for you.

Got some pictures to share with you - Jessie has been stitching Lizzie Kate's Jingles, she is using 36 count precious metals (it twinkles). I have been stitching the mystery sampler by Blue Ribbon Designs - got part 1 done. The colors are so pretty - really makes you think of spring!! Pam (Moonlit Needlearts) has been making thread keeps - all different designs. She can custom make just about anything that your heart desires.

And about a month ago.......Jessie left Pam and I alone in the shop with 3 (yes 3) of our yarn representatives visiting us over the course of a week. Well..........Pam and I get very excited about yarns and we "may" have ordered way too much yarn - but it is so beautiful!!! We have a new wide ribbon yarn that makes real fluffy and ruffle scarves. We have stretchy yarn, a cotton yarn that looks like mohair(for those of you that are allergic to wool), a flower yarn that makes its own flowers as you knit or crochet, a very delicate yarn with sparkles in pretty spring colors made from cotton and acrylic. New wool blends - wool and silk, wool and alpaca, and new twirly scarf yarns!! So come by the shop and see the huge selection of yarns (and buy some before Pam and I get in too much trouble) Pam even has knitting classes here, if you need lessons!

I'm going to add some pictures and get going. Hope you are all having a good February and I think we are all just about ready for Spring to get here!! Enjoy your needlework!!
Take care,
Margaret, Jessie, Amy, Pam, Cecilia, Krista and Ann

Happy 10th Anniversary to Cecilia's Samplers

January 28, 2013  -  It is 72 degrees and sunny here in Branson!!! Can you believe it!!We have been very fortunate to be having a mild Winter here in Branson. We all hope that you have had a good New Year and that 2013 will be a great year for you.

We are planning an exciting year at Cecilia's - 2013 is our 10th year of being in the needlework business. We plan to be celebrating all year - sales - giveaways and lots of fun!We are LOVING meeting new people and being able to welcome them to our shop, website and retreats. It doesn't seem like 10 years has gone by..........but here we are. And just to dispel any rumors that have been spreading around.......WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!

We have so many new goodies for you to see!!! Several automatic going - some monthly, some 3 part , and of course if there is a favorite designer - we can automatically ship all of their new designs to you. We can customize each shipment to your specifications. We have the Blue Ribbon Designs Mystery Sampler - Blue Jeans and Daisies ( I am stitching that one!), Lizzie Kate Jingles (Jessie is stitching that!), Country Cottage Santa's Village, and Little House has 2 series going - The Sheep Virtues (another one for me to stitch) and a Hometown Christmas series with no end in sight - it will last as long as Diane keeps designing!!

We have also gotten many beautiful yarns in the shop - Pam and I were left alone with our yarn reps - like leaving a kid in a candy store -  we are FULL of so many wonderful yarns -different fibers, lots of free patterns, and gorgeous  colors!! Amy, Pam, and Cecilia are having way too much fun with the yarns!! I actually made a felted purse for myself, my first felted project. It was really fun to combine yarns and see the felted result - so pretty!!!

Jessie has been doing some beaded Mill Hill Kits..........she enjoyed doing the beading and they came out really nice!!! Now she is starting on the Lizzie Kate Jingles series........We'll have pictures as soon as she gets going with it.

We are working on our Winter Wonderland Retreat that we will be having next month......then the week after that Jessie and I are off to market in Nashville. If there is anything you would like us to pick up for you , just let us know.

I am going to add some pictures and get back to work...........have a good day!! And take some time to stitch!!

Take Care,
Margaret, Jessie, Amy, Pam, Ann, Krista and Cecilia

Happy New Year!! 2013

Happy New Year!!! 2013

All of us at Cecilia's Samplers want to wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!! We thank you very much for your support of our shop, website and retreats - we appreciate all of you very much!!
2013 Is going to be a very exciting year for us! It is our 10th year in business and we have lots of surprises coming up during this new year. We have grown our shop, website and retreats over the past 10 years and we couldn't have done it with out you!!
Sorry for not posting since July (really?? July??)............I guess time flies when you are having fun!
We have so many new items coming into the shop...........Blue Ribbon Designs Mystery Sampler, Country Cottage's Santa's Village, and Little House Needleworks' Sheep Virtues, just to name a few. Any of you Hawk Run Hollow fans?? Spring at Hawk Run Hollow will be here soon......just in time for spring stitching!
We also have hundreds of pounds of new yarns coming into the shop - sock yarns, baby yarns, wools, silks, cottons - beautiful colors and textures. And, yes we have the frilly scarf yarns, laces and ribbons, too!!

For those of you that are Crewel fans..........we have gotten a line of crewel kits that are really beautiful!! Tatting is making a comeback - we have new tatting books and vibrant threads to make your tatting even more pretty.

 

I am adding some pictures of my Grandkids ,visiting with Santa (Jessica is also there as Katey and Alice are not too sure of Santa!!) and Tyler and Andrew also enjoyed visiting with Santa!!

Katey and Alice in Grandma's sewing room - having a good time in the rocking chair!

 

Got to get going............we are looking forward to a wonderful year!! Thanks again for your support - we couldn't do it without you!!

 

Enjoy your needlework!!

Cecilia's Samplers

Margaret, Jessica, Amy, Pam, Holly, Ann, Krista and Cecilia

beads, beads, beads!!!

Lizzie Kate Halloween Mystery Sampler

My first beaded /perforated paper project!

Finally framed Margaret Cottam Sampler

We are taking pre orders for the JCS Christmas Ornament issue!!

As a shop owner, I do alot of stitching of models for the shop. All of us at the shop make our models and we usually do a design or type of needlework that we enjoy. I had really wanted to try a Mill Hill Button and Bead kit on perforated paper. i chose a Christmas design. Had never done one before,and now I am hooked!!! After you get the cross stitching done, then the fun starts as you add the sparkling beads and your stitching takes on a dimentional, twinkling look!! It was something so different for me to stitch - I am usually the sampler stitcher - and it was really alot of fun!! So sometime, try to stitch something completely different from your usual choices.......you never know - it could become your new "favorite" type of stitching .
We will be having our Summer Stitching retreat next week. The featured designers will be the gals from Cherry Wood Designs!! Holly has been working on planning this weekend for quite a while. She has been packing up lots of goodies to take to the hotel for our guests to enjoy!! We've got door prizes, raffles, games and lots and lots of stitching time!! I will post some pictures - our theme is a summer beach party!!
Got to get going - hope you are all "staying cool" in this very warm Summer season. Enjoy your stitching!
Margaret and the crew at Cecilia's Samplers