Invasion of the threads, fabric and charts!

Yikes...they're HEE-RRR-EEE!!!!

We just got a giant shipment of beautiful hand-dyed threads from the talented gang at Weeks Dye Works! Here's a little Q & A about our big project...coming soon to a needlework shop near you!

Q. Who is this incredibly sweet-looking family?
A. It's the family behind Weeks Dye Works! It truly IS a family affair at this dynamic fiber/fabric biz. As the products at Weeks Dye Works continue to expand, it seems the family is growing, too! We always enjoy seeing the McGahey kids (and parents Miranda and John) at Needlework Market. They graciously shared a few pics with us of their WDW factory.

No, they don't work from home like we do at L*K. It's a large building located in Garner, NC.

Above is the Dye Room, where all the color magic happens!

WHOA! That's a lot of floss, ready for a colorful bath.

Here is Delia winding the 6-strand floss onto cones. Each cone holds an amazing 3,250 yars.

And, finally, here's the productive gang at Weeks Dye Works, working hard to bring beautiful fibers and fabrics to the needlework industry. Thanks for the mini-tour, John. I'd like to visit in person next time!

Q. How many threads arrived at L*K?
A. The most threads I've ever seen in my history at L*K. Enough threads to DIVE into, cannonball style (if we did that sort of thing at work!). Four giant, slightly-smushed boxes arrived at 7 PM via UPS last night.

Q. Who put all these threads in their lovely little sacks?
A. Again, the gracious staff at Weeks Dye Works sacked them for us (giant blessing for us!). Alan, Linda and our helper, Carmen, thank them with all of our tired little fingers.

Q. When will L*K customers get to see and hold the "mysterious" thread packs?
A. We'll be packing orders during the holiday weekend. Hey, it's aptly called LABOR Day! We'll be shipping to shops inside/outside the US on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Q. What does the thread pack look like?
A. It's a beautiful rainbow of muted holiday colors, including one new color that Weeks Dye Works developed on our request. It's a grungy olive green color called Oscar, named after the ever-famous Sesame Street resident, Oscar the Grouch.

Q. With all those threads, how about the fabric?
A. We picked up a whole carload of lovely hand-dyed linen and Aida from nearby Picture This Plus a couple days ago. The hard-working gals at PTP worked really hard (nights, weekends, overtime) to dye the fabric for the Mystery Sampler project. Then they went a step farther (actually several steps!) and volunteered to cut the fabric, serge the edges, fold, package and label each convenient pre-cut. Fabulous for shops and customers alike!

Q. How about the patterns?
A. Hey, we've been working on this part for 6 months!  After we designed and stitched the model, we worked on the printed materials. There's a pretty color cover, then 3 additional pages including color key (hang onto this!), chart for Part 1, stitch guide and BONUS pattern. You can see the final results on the photo below...sacked and ready to leave the nest!

Q. Whew? Do you celebrate after a big shipment? How?
A. You betcha!!!  Always, our post-shipment celebrations center around food...duh. The Sept. 3 ship date cleverly coincides with our 36 wedding anniversary, so we're having a few friends over to eat and party! Actually, we're doing a triple celebration...our 36th anniversary, another set of friends are having a 34th anniversary and our special friend, Doug, is turning 60 years young! We'll grill steaks and shrimp, fill in with some veggies, and finish with Vicki's famous German chocolate cake and Alan's renowned homemade vanilla ice cream. The evening will be filled with friendship and laughter...our favorite combination! And (bonus!) we'll have lots of hands available for cleanup afterwards. I'm nominating the men, in advance, for the cleanup portion.

Q. What's next at L*K?
A. Once Part 1 is out the door, we'll begin prepping to ship Part 2 on October 1. There won't be nearly as much confusion, as most of the threads/fabric will go out with Part 1. Still, each order is "customized" for each shop, so every order is different.

Enough photos and blogging...it's time for a rest! Here's Will from WDW lounging in the kid's area at WDW. Sweet!

it's time to start packing orders. Happy Labor Day, everyone!