Blast from the (Lizzie*Kate) past!

I began Lizzie*Kate in 1996. It was supposed to be a hobby...a little extra income while being a stay-at-home mom to 2 busy daughters. And then things took off at our first summer needlework market. What a surprise and a great blessing this business has been! This pic is in front of the old Lizzie*Kate office doorway...otherwise known as the basement!

Here's my original logo - I haven't updated it (perhaps I should?). It was a quick pencil sketch that I filled in with a handy marker. I meant to refine it a bit, but ran out of time, or perhaps forgot in the hustle to get to my first market.

Since then, my daughters (Sarah "Lizzie" and Ali "Kate") have turned into lovely young women, my husband Alan has joined me full time in the biz, and it seems we've all gotten almost 20 years older. Strange how that happens...

Back in the 1996, my very first design was Hats Off to Halloween. I took 20 designs to my first market and this one was the top seller. Originally, I was hand stenciling the custom frames to go with this one - what was I thinking? I was thankful to hand that responsibility off a few months later to a great frame company.

Anyway, I was looking for a great Halloween saying for a new Halloween chartpak this fall. The "Hats Off to Halloween" phrase kept popping into my head. I found my self sketching ideas, and realized I could, indeed, use this phrase again...almost 18 years later!

A lot of things have changed since the original Hats Off to Halloween. The speckled Heatherfield fabric (which everyone loved) was sadly discontinued. The frame company is no longer in business. Even the copper-y cover paper is no longer available! Alas, nothing stays the same....

So here's quite a different "take" on this fun Halloween sentiment! It's brighter than the original and has lots of spunk! We decided to include an addtional "bonus" project...a little "one night" stitching wonder!

We're also offering a new (optional) funky geometric button pack. Look closely and you can see the 3 square buttons on the big designs - 2 on hats, and one on the letter "N".

Hats Off 2 will be available in your favorite needlework shops by the middle of July. We're still waiting for the publishing (and then we'll be busy sacking), and can't wait til those gorgeous little button packs from Just Another Button Company arrive in the mail.

More quick Halloween fun is coming soon, so get your spooky stitching groove on. It's Hats Off to Halloween!