Blog Tour- The Stitching Hour by Amanda Lee

I am excited that Amanda Lee is here with her newest book The Stitching Hour (An Embroidery Mystery Series). Released on November 3rd. You wont want to miss this one.

Series: Embroidery Mystery (Book 9)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: NAL (November 3, 2015)
Language: English



In the latest mystery from the bestselling author of Wicked Stitch, the future of Marcy Singer’s embroidery shop is dangling by a thread…

Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, is one year old this October so it’s time to party in little Tallulah Falls, Oregon. Aside from the Halloween decorations and festive stitching kits and patterns, Marcy’s got all sorts of celebratory swag, including Seven-Year Stitch key rings and goodie bags.

Unfortunately, her new neighbors might spoil the revelry. An eccentric couple has opened a haunted house next door, and all that screaming will certainly scare off customers. But there’s even more to be frightened of after a local waitress is found dead on the sidewalk with mysterious markings on her neck—and one of Marcy’s key rings beneath her. With no time to hem and haw, Marcy must act fast if she hopes to restore the peace to Tallulah Falls…

The Stitching Hour was the best one in this series so far.

Amanda Lee brings you back to Oregon for a visit with Marcy Singer,her Irish wolf- hound Angus and friends.It's Halloween and also the one year anniversary of The Seven Year stitch and there is a party in the making.Decorations,food, great friends and murder make this book a fast-paced action packed read that will keep you captivated and up late reading.

I loved this book and read it in one day. Didn't want to miss a single page of excitement and fun solving the murder case and getting on with the party. You will be hooked from the start.

Guest Post:

Embroidery – Good Enough to Appreciate Real Talent

I love to embroider. The little porcupine there on the left was done from a pattern I ordered from Follow The White Bunny (she has an Etsy shop). I transferred the design to a canvas tote and carefully stitched the little guy rowing downstream in his teacup. Once I finished the tote, I refused to carry it because I didn’t want to get it dirty or risk tearing out any of the stitches. The tote sits on a bookshelf.

Another project I’m particularly proud of is my angel tree-topper. I can’t remember where I got the kit for her, but I bought her because the angel we’d used for years had begun falling apart the Christmas before and I couldn’t find a suitable replacement. So I found this one and worked on it on the weekends as I watched The Bionic Woman on Netflix. (I was doing that in the bedroom as my husband and son watched football games in the living room.) And, together, Jaime Sommers and I got the job done. J There was a lot of metallic thread used in the pattern, so I sometimes had to use my “bionic” strength to pull it through!

I also enjoyed making this redwork pillowcase. The thing about redwork is that you don’t have to constantly change thread colors. For me, that’s nice because I can concentrate solely on the pattern rather than trying to figure out how many spaces I need to leave for the next color, as I do with cross-stitch. I finally learned—thanks to researching one of the embroidery mystery books—that most cross-stitchers work with several colors of thread at the same time. That’s a really neat idea, and I intend to give it a try the next time I’m working on a more complicated project.

With all that said, I can honestly say I embroider well enough to truly appreciate those who do a fantastic job. I once began the ambitious task of making a cross-stitch picture of a herd of horses racing out of the ocean toward the shore. I planned to give it to my husband as a gift. Not terribly far into the project, I realized I needed to get him something else. The unfinished project is, I believe, in a tote in my closet. L

In studying various forms of embroidery for the Marcy Singer books, I’ve been so impressed with the stunning projects I’ve seen. For instance, Japanese embroidery involves forty-six techniques, and I believe the pattern is the same on the back as it is on the front. I’ve discovered embroidered projects that look like oil paintings. And, I’ve become a student. Through Craftsy, I’m taking ribbon embroidery and crewel classes.

I’ve also seen wonderful projects from readers. One reader from the Netherlands sent me this photo of the Irish Wolfhound her husband cross-stitched using the pattern from my site. Isn’t that terrific? I have to say that after I made that pattern, I looked at it and immediately knew I didn’t have the skill to complete it. I’m glad Louis did!

And I couldn’t end this article without sharing the Stitchy Witch my friend Donna sent to congratulate me on the release of Wicked Stitch. Not only is it adorable, but Donna really showed me the importance of adding your own flair to finishing a piece. Look at how beautifully the ribbon hanger and bow accent the piece.

So when readers ask me if I do embroidery, I guess my best answer is, “I dabble.” And, as I pointed out in the title of this post, I’m good enough to really appreciate the experts.

About the Author


Gayle Trent (and pseudonym Amanda Lee) writes the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating series and the Embroidery Mystery series. The cake decorating series features a heroine who is starting her life over in Southwest Virginia after a nasty divorce. The Embroidery Mystery series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop.

Author Links

https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee

https://twitter.com/GayleTrent



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