Stuff & Things & Helping Ukrainians

 

Hey, y'all. I'm still here, at least for a little bit. We got our orders and will be moving in the middle of April, but I'm not sure how long it will be before we're settled enough for me to post regularly. The house is pretty much ready for the movers, and I've already done the pre-move heavy cleaning I always do. All that's left is my sewing room, which is partly done and isn't much trouble anyway. So over all, we're in good shape as far as that's concerned. As for other things, this move is going to be considerably more challenging than others we've done, but let's not dwell on that here. Let's just look at pretty scissors, and fabric, and stitching goodies, and stuff.

I haven't done much shopping; been too busy pulling the house apart for the move. But I have managed to pick up a few Emotional Support Goodies here and there. Treated myself to a new pair of Bohin scissors and a cute little needle minder. The polka dot scissor sheaths are a favorite of mine and you can find them in lots of Etsy shops. 

This is the fabric info. I ordered this from a Ukrainian seller on Etsy before the war started (can't believe I have to type that) as I'd never seen this in the US market. The number 7159 is the color designation, in case you go looking for it. More on the Ukrainian Etsy shops in a minute.

A few more bits of fabric, because fabric cheers us up. Left to right: Sandcastle Jobelan, PTP Mello, PTP Crystal Arctic. 

Couple of winter charts I picked up. The Heart in Hand one will be getting a color conversion at some point, just to deepen the colors a bit.

I also got a new stitching bag for the move. More on this bag in a few days. Watch this space, because you're gonna want to see inside this thing.

So about the Ukrainian Etsy shops. I have been ordering from a number of them for years and have always had very good service. Some ship stitching supplies and kits, some sell only pdf downloadable designs, some sell all of those things. I've linked many of these shops whenever I show a finish or a product. As of this writing, most of the Ukrainian shops I've ordered from are still up and running, though some have pulled the listings for anything that must be shipped (for obvious reasons) and left only pdf listings active.

There are numerous aid organizations to choose from to help the Ukrainians, but if you're looking for yet another way to do so, you can directly help them by supporting their shops. It may not seem like much, but for someone who is unable to work because of the war, four or five orders coming in may put food on the table for the day. 

If you're looking for a change from the sampler/primitive-heavy, muted color palette of the American market, check out Ukrainian designers. Their work is detailed, colorful, cheerful, whimsical. I'll list the shops I've purchased from, but there are more to explore. You can search "cross stitch patterns" on Etsy and filter the country of origin. (Shops are active as of this writing.)

KitsBySAstitch  Check out the series of animals in winter clothes... gorgeous! (I have the fox, chipmunk is on my list!)

NonStopStitch  I've stitched several designs from this shop. Beautiful set of lighthouse designs and so much more.

CutePatternsByMaria  Really charming. The Pet Collection has wonderful dog designs in many breeds. I stitched the Chow as a bookmark.

2x2StitchArt  Bold, bright designs. The nature category and the geometric category are not to be missed!

WonderlandUkraine  In calmer times, this shop has beautiful wood stitching accessories. Their digital downloads are still active.

AwesomePatternStudio  This is the shop where I bought my gorgeous Mandala Fox. So many animals to choose from, and such an enjoyable and relaxing style to stitch.

StitchyPrincess  Unique, folk art-style designs. I just purchased that lovely, swampy green sampler.

I hope you find some things you like. And remember...

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.