Amy Bruecken Designs : The Silver Needle, Fine Needlecraft Materials


Amy Bruecken -- 1/2 of Sisters & Best Friends -- introduces her new design company! Now, you can tell which designs from Sisters came from which sister!!! Printed as colorful 4-color charts, each comes with its necessary special embellishments!
You're My Hero Amy Bruecken is 1/2 of Sisters & Best Friends... and Amy Bruecken Designs is her new company. New company, new designs!!! You're My Hero is very timely and really cool! Dedicated to Amy's nephew, this'll be perfect for anyone you know who's serving our country. Offered as a chart, it finishes a quick 3 x 4 on a 16 or 32ct, is worked in a mixture of overdyed and DMC flosses, and comes with three olivine glass star bead embellishments. She has three other new things, and we have a new page for Amy Bruecken Designs... so click to see the rest!
I Run With Scissors -- The Fob & Pic 'Never mess with a stitcher... we collect sharp things!' AB Designs has a fun new stitcher-design... that she presents in both a scissor fob format, and a framed picture. I Run With Scissors -- stitch it on 28ct white/silver metallic and make it into a fob, or bag tag.... OR stitch it on 20ct Week's Peoria Purple Linen, and make it a door sign to your Stitching Cave! Same chart... two completely different applications! The framed pic is offered in single sheet chart format. If you like that fob, IT is offered in complete kit format with the same chart, the silver/white metallic Lugana fabtric cut, flosses, silver swirly charm, sparkly pink pom-pon that you can see in the finishing, and the cute pink, green and white finishing fabric on the back (which you can't see.) Fob finishes approx 5 x 3, framed pic approx 6 x 10. Very fun!
Snowpeople of the Month Talk about color and personality! Each month, we have a new person, doing all sorts of fun stuff -- people just might not notice that they all have carrot noses. From Amy's original paintings... June is Robin Beth -- playing on the beach. July is Sandra Lea -- under the fireworks. August is Sam -- he's wearing his cowboy boots and spitting sunflower seeds! September is Bubba -- he's on his way to school. Check out his uniform khaki pants and backpack! October is my favorite so far -- Winny. Too darn cute! All are offered as single sheet charts with great color pic on the front, and separate embellishment packs. Fabrics vary month to month -- all are various Weeks Dye Works solids and ginghams -- we have them all! Think about stitching just the people part, as I mentioned on Just Arrived... if you just can't fit them all into your stitching timetable. They are worth the effort!
Jack N Stein and Jackie O Lantern Quite the Party Couple! Amy has these worked on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Chartreuse Linen -- and it is BRIGHT! Stitched with DMC floss, you'll need her garnishment package which includes the necessary spiders, beads, noses, and shoe laces. What you will also need is some DMC Memory Thread. It is a covered wire product -- green on Jack, and black on Jackie -- that you simply twist and shape, and then attach to the finished needlework. Amy uses it a lot, and since one package has 3 yards on the card... it'll go a long way. Anyway, J & J finish approx 6 x 10-1/2. They look pretty good next to The Frankster and WitchyPoo! Lots of great linen color and design impact for all 4 of these.
Frost Soon Such subtle colors in a deep and dark colored piece, this is really pretty. Stitched on Weeks Dye Works 20ct Putty linen in overdyeds or DMC flosses, if you want a heavier and stiffer linen option, look at 18ct Natural instead. The bird is 310 or Mascara hand-dyed. The pumpkin is Swiss Chocolate, Sunset, and Terra Cotta... with dots of Ultraviolet!!! REALLY cute! Next, check out the black Memory thread and leaves. Amy has you making the leaves out of the wire and Weeks wool, and lots of glue. I'm not as crafty as she is... so I think I'd opt for store-bought-buttons (especially 'cause I own the store!), but her hand-made wool leaves do add an artsy touch! Frost Soon is offered as a chart. YOU make the embellishments!
Puppy Love Just a big 'ol puppy to stitch on larger fabric -- the Weeks 20ct is soft and perfect for this. The chart calls for Crescent Colour's Belle Soie Silk. You'd need 11 skeins... but they're $7.50 a piece! Get the large linen -- we have several fun colors -- and choose cotton floss to ease the wallet a bit. Back your puppy pillow with something super fun and soft -- there are a million fluffy and furry fleece fabrics out there.. even some gigantic rick rack trim would be darling! Puppy Love needs to be stored on a child's bed. The chart cover tells us that he is soft, sweet and waiting for a home... and that he is Snugglelicious!
We've Been Waiting for You! A cute birth announcement, you could change color and count of fabric to match the nursery, get it stitched and add that name and any other details as soon as you are done waiting!!! What a darling adoption celebration!!! Offered as a single chart, this is coded for hand-dyed cottons as well as DMC. Amy warns that 4-legged babies would like this, too!!!
Bless You! 'Pillow this, or frame this... Add a name... whatever you choose... this is one lucky baby!!!' AB Designs has released a really cute bedroom piece stuffed FULL of bright and happy COLOR! Stitched on Week's 20ct Guacamole linen in shades of overdyeds or DMCs... this finishes approx 6 x 13. Those fluffy, colorful sheep... besides offering the nighttime blessing... they can be counted if need be!!! Offered as a single sheet chart... VERY, VERY cute!
Presenting Stack of Bees and Butterflies AB Designs has finished her 4-season set of Stacks with these two bright, fun, fresh warm weather themes!!! Amy's original artwork charted to stitch on Week's Guacamole linen in bold overdyeds, you just can't help but love these! Offered as charts, they feature lavender bead embellishments, and Bees even sports a green glass leaf! Companions to Stack of Winter and Stack of Jacks, in Amy's words -- A Whole Bunch of Fun!
So Very Merry! Amy Bruecken of AB Designs has another really fun Santa Claus this year -- he and his little buddy are sporting DMC Memory Thread embellishment of their faces. Santa is stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple Linen in DMC and overdyed flosses. After all is stitched, take your black and white Memory Threads (actually thread-covered wire) and bend and tack down! The little snowman has a sticky-outy clay carrot nose, too. Very cute and colorful, So Very Merry is offered as a chart, embellishments, Mem Thread... all available separately. Note: One package of Memory Thread has something like 3 yards on it... If you have one card from a different project... you don't need more for this!
Stack of Snow The second of the four seasons... Stack of Winter goes with Stack of Jacks! Three fat little snowmen, all stacked up, Amy's artwork is so cute! It's colorful, funky, fresh, lively, and just plain FUN! Stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Guacamole Linen in various overdyeds, this is a great contemporary look. Offered as the chart with everything else offered separately.
Key Toys Little beaded-edge pillows that come with a sturdy crimp-bead attachment to make a key ring fob! Offered as kits (you supply bits of flosses and the stuffing), do your stitching on the provided 20ct blue Lugana. Back each with the included fleece (angel has bright pink, snowman has bright orange) and then... do the easy looped and beaded edging. (It's just beads and loops... not rocket science!) Then... attach the lanyard and crimp bead (already assembled for you) through that big, colorful heart bead... and you're FINISHED! Really colorful, small (2 x 2-ish), and finishable!
TaDa Quickies! A tiny Santa, penguin and snowman are all doing a balancing act with their red glass ball ornaments! Just perfect sizes for ornaments, each measures approx 40 x 40 stitches, and these are stitched on Week's Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple. Depending on finishing, they'll turn out about 3-1/2 inches in size. Offered as small charts.
Stack of Jacks One of 3 new designs... AB Designs has the cutest new stack of pumpkins -- all decorated with Charcoal noses and wired Memory Thread smiles -- stitched in colorful overdyeds on Weeks 30ct Guacamole linen! Offered as the chart, with embellishments, Stack of Jacks measures approx 3-1/2 x 7 inches -- actually kind of teeny! It is the first in 4-seasons... Stack of Snow will be Winter's design, (coming the end of Sept.) Stack of Butterflies comes for the Spring, and Stack of Bees is the Summer edition. The black Memory Thread is a coated wire that you bend and twist, to make any shape you want. It gets 'tacked' onto your finished stitching, and really POPS! I just love the colors on this one -- green linen and backgrounds, bright oranges and yellows in the pumpkins, and that purple moon! Offered as the chart with embellishments, the Memory thread is separate, and comes on a card of 3 yards, which will probably last you forever!
Wilma Witch and My Buddy Two fun mini-designs, each is stitched over two on Week's 20ct hand-dyed linen, they're quick to stitch. Each features more of that fun Memory Thread - the coated wire stuff from DMC. Check out their mouths -- Amy took the wire, shaped it (she's drawn you her line pattern as your guide), and tacked on instant personality! Offered as charts with embellishments of clay noses and beads, you'll want both of these!
The Frankster Witchypoo's Main Squeeze! ab Designs has sent us the cutest little Frankenstein monster to stitch, and we have plenty of time to finish him before The Big Day!!! The 5 x 9 Frankster belongs to previously-published Witchypoo, and while she is stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple, The Frankster is stitched on 30ct hand-dyed Banana Popsicle. He features right, fun Halloween-y colors, and some DMC Black Memory Thread on his pumpkin's smile! Actually, we think that Memory Thread is totally awesome, and it'd be fun on all the spider legs, too!!! Offered as the single chart, check out the trio of smaller matching pumpkins, with those same wired-thread smiles!!! Such a cute set of designs!
Punkin Witch, Crow and Spider Here are three 'Just a Quickie' pumpkins that match those carried by The Frankster and Witchypoo! Offered as small card charts, each little pumpkin is stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Carrot hand-dyed linen, and features the mouth stitched with DMC's Memory Thread. (It's a thread-covered wire that you bend and curl... then simply tack onto your needlework.) If you stitch Frankster and Witchypoo and these pumpkins... you'll have a trio of bright pieces... all on different lip-puckering fun colors of linen!
Witchy Poo 'A whole bunch of cute, a little scary, a pinch of creepy, and a dash of ick!' Ms Witchy Poo is so darn CUTE! She's stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple Linen, but as Amy points out... there are several other colors and kinds of fabrics that would be perfect for her. Using DMC and overdyed flosses, our very favorite parts are her hat jewel, and her bright green sticky-outy clay nose! It has a black wart on it!!!!!!! Approx 5 x 11, there are seed beads scattered around the spiders, and their legs are long straight stitches. Offered as the chart with embellishments.
Cupcake Girl! Ab Designs is really into cupcakes, and hot pinks and greens this spring!!! Joining her Sweet and Salty collection, we have some really fun new designs that offer over-the-top finishing trinkets and YUMMY, LIPSMACKING 30ct Chartreuse Linen backgrounds!! Cupcake Girl is this funky, skinny little thing -- who obviously doesn't indulge in cupcakes -- juggling our temptations, perfectly! What's cuter than she are AB's three cupcake fob kits! Ms Cupcake Girl is offered as the chart, with a few real cute heart buttons and a little clay cupcake!
Cupcake & Yummy This is a set of two 3 x 3-ish designs that are offered in chart format with ALL the cute finishing stuff! Stitched on Weeks 30ct Chartreuse Linen with overdyeds from your stash... these are teeny little things. What makes them special are the pink chenille pipe cleaners, the hot pink and green wool in here, and all the funky beads that you need to create the 'rolled' thingie down there gracing each bottom!!! Cupcake & Yummy are simply two really cheerful chicks... waiting for a place to be displayed and loved! Charts include the chenilles, beads, wools -- just everything except the bits of floss and stuffing. SO CUTE!
Cupcake Fob This is a smaller companion to Cupcake and Yummy... just a darling, wildly colored wisp of a thing! Stitched on the same 30ct Weeks hand-dyed Chartreuse linen, this package contains the chart, pink and green felt, and a REALLY CUTE 3-dimensional 1/2-inch clay cupcake!!! The pinks, purples and hot green colors are awesome!!!
Bed & Breakfast Well... read it! 'Bed & Breakfast... you do both!' I'm thinking this is more appropriate for your teenager than the upcoming houseguest!!! Offered as the chart, it is darn CUTE! Finishes approx 10 x 7.
Better With A Cupcake Well... read it! 'Bed & Breakfast... you do both!' I'm thinking this is more appropriate for your teenager than the upcoming houseguest!!! Offered as the chart, it is darn CUTE! Finishes approx 10 x 7.
Sweet & Salty ab Designs has a trio of cupcake designs... two are 'sweet' and one is very 'salty!!!' Offered as small cards, each is a chart for a 2 x 3-ish design, that is embellished with Memory Thread or beads. Stitch them on something bright green, like the Weeks 30ct Chartreuse hand-dyed linen... and add the sentiment you like best! Be thinking Valentine's day here... or maybe a birthday for someone sweet... use your imagination!!!!!
All Things Warm and Cozy ab Designs has another charming design that uses the new DMC Memory Thread! This awesome stocking would be awesome FINISHED as a stocking... it's stitched with Sampler Threads, and features a neat woolen heart applique, and a few red glass seed beads. Deep, rich colors of Apple Cider, Woodsmoke, Buckeye Scarlet, Dark Chocolate, Raven Oatmeal and Parchment... it just LOOKS like a comfortable old sock! Notice the curly-Q stuff around the sheep and holding the heart? THAT is the DMC Memory Thread. It's actually thread-covered wire that you twist and attach just however you want, to get such a fun and whimsical effect! This design uses the Gold color, and finishes approx 9 x 11 on 28ct. Offered as the chart with woolen heart and beads, linen, flosses and Memory Thread offered separately.
Silent Night, All is Calm, All is Bright A trio of small designs... I LOVE that little sheep with the French Knots and the Memory Thread! 'A Whole Bunch of Cute'... each is offered as a single small card chart.
Five O'Clock Well, this speaks for itself!!! A cute row of yummy fruit, the central drink -- a martini -- is 'stitched' in bright green beads and garnished with an olive on a toothpick! Way too cute! Offered as the chart, it's stitched on antique green (we have several options) and finishes approx 2-1/2 x 7-12 on 28ct! Just for fun!
Just Be Claus An exuberant Santa, dressed in a coat of 'Merry Wildness', he's sporting a beard of the new DMC Memory Thread! First the coat -- swirls, stripes and polka dots of regular DMC cotton floss -- Be Claus is stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple linen, in reds, greens, purples and white, and measures approx 6 x 10-1/2. He's embellished with black buttons and some silver bugle beads. His beard has wired-thread curls all over it! DMC's new Memory Thread -- this variety of it -- is a thin copper wire, wrapped with cotton fibre. You wrap it around something like a pencil to get the little swirlies... and then just tack those onto the needlework! Totally fun and different... the wired Memory Thread comes in something like 14 colors on individual spools -- and we're getting it!Make sure to see ab's Halloween pieces that feature Memory Thread, too!
Frankenfriend, Crazy Legs and If The Shoe Fits Three new small designs for Halloween, each is stitched with bits of floss and metallics on Weeks Dye Works 30ct Peoria Purple Linen. They come alive with their Memory Thread embellishments! A new cotton-covered wire by DMC... you curl and bend it however you wish, and EMBELLISH! Offered as small card charts, you'll need 4 to 8-inch schnibble/scrap cuts of whichever fabric you choose (all three designs are different in size), and that fun Memory Thread!
EEK & BOO! Unique (?) names for Delightful (!) little Halloween pieces... released in plenty of stitching time before the big day!!! abDesigns offers two small charts, stitched in DMCs and overdyeds on bright linens. Embellished with COOL glass and plastic beads, I LOVE that little witches hat and boots! Quick to stitch, this kind of thing looks great made into a stand-up cube, and makes a cute Halloween decoration. We have loads of obnoxious colors of hand-dyed linen in the shop -- and these are the perfect things to stitch multiple times on all different colors, and give to all your favorite people! Offered as small charts with emb packs.
Quit Yer Bellyachin! Quite a favorite American saying to 'warn the whiner' ... this is a riot! Amy Bruecken of AB Designs has 4 new One-Liners, each offered as a chart, and embellished with hand-dyed buttons. THIS ONE is my personal favorite, because my Dad used to say it to all five of us kids all the time!!! Just for fun... check out the other three, I bet you know someone who deserves one of these! Offered as the chart with button set, stitching is approx 1 x 6 depending on fabric size, and then figure button placement.
Jingle all The Way Sock Amy Bruecken has released a skinny 'ol sock that charms the heck out of me! Stitched on Weeks 30ct Guacamole linen in a few shades of overdyed flosses, it measures a long and skinny 5 x 11, and features a few jingle bells on the long and skinny greenery! Very Dr Seuss to me!!! Offered as the chart with bells. Old Wool Sock Gotta love that old lambie! He measures the same size as Jingle All The Way, stitched on Weeks 30ct Lilac. He comes with 4 buttons.
Rise & Shine A vibrant design, celebrating the Summer Season! We have the model in the shop, and it is very eye-catching! Rise & Shine is stitched in Weeks flosses on 30ct Morris Blue hand-dyed, and is shown mounted onto a piece of Weeks's Morris Blue Houndstooth wool as its mat! Offered as a chart, the 4 x 6 design also features 3 milky-glass heart beads as embellishments. Cute and colorful! The wool cut will do at least 2 mats for you, and although she uses houndstooth and solid... ANY of Week's three 'finishes' of wool would be great for this! Tell us if you want something different!
Spring & Summer Snowman Samplers Just little people dressed for the weather! Offered as charts, cute and colorful, each finishes approx 4 x 6, and includes the bead embellishments in the background, as well as the carrot sticky-out nose. 30 Ct Weeks Morris Blue Linen is shown on both designs.
Cup of Cocoa Don't let that snowman hiding the in the cup of cocoa melt away!!! At first I thought he was a marshmallow... but you get to add that (in wool) to the end of the stitched stick. Offered as a chart, this includes the Weeks wool for the mallow, a big orange carrot nose and beads to adorn the mug. Stitched with Weeks overdyed flosses, this finishes approx 4 x 7. Real cute!
He Loves Me Don't let that snowman hiding the in the cup of cocoa melt away!!! At first I thought he was a marshmallow... but you get to add that (in wool) to the end of the stitched stick. Offered as a chart, this includes the Weeks wool for the mallow, a big orange carrot nose and beads to adorn the mug. Stitched with Weeks overdyed flosses, this finishes approx 4 x 7. Real cute!
Big Mama Claus Here's Big Nick's Main Squeeze -- Big Mama!!! This is a darling companion to Big Nick -- published by Sisters & Best Friends. AB Designs is half of 'Sisters'... who are still sisters and best friends... just not a team of designers anymore. They each have their own company... so now its kind of fun to look back at the Sisters Page, and guess who really was behind which design!!! Anyway, here's Big Mama... waiting for her man with a big 'ole Christmas Pudding on her lap! Check out the reindeer slippers! There are more snowmen you can see through the window in the background, and even though the wallpaper is the same... the friends in the room have changed. Offered as the chart with lots of fun bead embellishments, she measures approx 12 x 12 on 28ct. Pretty colors... lots of visual impact!!!
Ice Cold Beer Something fun for the 'ice cold beer lover of the house... and probably not the best for a college dorm room... this is just a fun little piece. It goes with the Sister's Ole Margarita and the 5 O'Clock Martini! Another really cute embellishment, this one has a little pretzel loaded with salt and lots of gold beads to add to the popcorn kernels. Finishing approx 5 x 6, it's stitched in a variety of overdyeds and DMC flosses. Cute!
Ho Ho Ho Here's a colorful trio of friends... Santa's coat trim is stitched in Wisper thread and garnished with red seed beads. The snowman has that cute pointed clay carrot nose, and the reindeer has antlers full of a red bead garland! Offered as the chart, this is smaller than the rest of the Sisters & Best Friends Santa patterns, and finishes approx 6 x 6-ish. Lots of pretty fabric options for them, too!