Town Square: Indy 2006 Market

I found my CD ... long ago received from The Silver Needle as a premium with an sizable order, back when I was in my collecting phase and was still making sizable orders regularly. It had been taped to the underside of a Just Nan chart and I forgot all about it. This would make a great RR or SAL project or a series of ornaments if stitched over 2 on 36ct or 40 ct. Just what I needed, right ... another 42 charts??? But I really like these little gems and I have already started on my first chart. Will I stitch all 40+? It's like that old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Well, I'll be stitching the Town Square one building at a time.

Now to decide: do I want to stitch this as a wallhanging with several "blocks" of buildings, or individually over 2 on 28ct to make quilt squares or a bunch of stand-ups or cubes, or over 1 on 36 or 40ct as ornaments. I can see myself dividing these charts into rows by type: government buildings [firehouse, town hall, school, train depot, etc.], crafting shops [framing, quilt, knitting, fiber, cross-stitch, button, etc.], food & gift shops [tea shoppe, bakery, cafe, ice cream and sweet shops, gourmet, primitive, tannebaum, antique, books] and all the others [general store, toyshop, haberdashery]. So many designers and support companies [framing, button, fiber, etc.] are represented that the CD is like a snapshot of the industry in 2006.

I know one thing, though, I am stitching the Monsterbubbles Jail first, for no better reasons than that it is quirky and clever and mad and I simply want to stitch it. Next will be the Saloon and the Train Station ... I am not sure what it says about my character that these 3 charts jumped out at me ... of all the 42. Perhaps it means I am destined to get all likkered up at the saloon, tossed in jail to dry out, escape and make my getaway by train!

I posted about my find on the 123stitch message board and discovered that there are quite a few others who own this CD. It gave me the idea to start a SAL group blog. If anyone reading this post would like to join, please leave a comment below. As I read the copyright notice on these charts, it is my understanding that only retailers who attended the show have the right to distribute the charts ... so I, as an individual, can not share them. But I do know that The Silver Needle does still have them listed on their website ... when I got my CD, it came as a premium with an order at $5.00 to cover the cost of producing the CD. That's $5.00 for 42 charts ... all about the size of the typical LHN chart. Not a bad deal.