Today, I want to share with you three things that every avid embroiderer should read.

Two are what I’d call “serious” subjects – they’re for embroiderers who think about wider issues related to needlework.

The third…well, the third is your dessert. It’s your reward for reading the other two articles. So, if you clean your plate on the first two articles, you may go ahead and follow the third link.

Or you can go for dessert first and save the substance for later…

Whatever order you take, they’re all worth reading!

The first article is titled “The Dreaded Backorder,” and it can be found on Thistle Threads.

Why is it important to read this article? Because it unfolds for us – the embroidery “consumer” – the tenuous nature of the embroidery supply chain.

In an age where we’ve become all-too-accustomed to the “I Want it Now” model of shopping, the article will go a long way to remind us of the old adage, Good Things Come to Those who Wait.

When we order specialty threads and supplies, they may very well not arrive on the doorstep in three days’ time. Amazon and other major online shopping venues have accustomed us to instant gratification, but in the needlework world, instant gratification comes at a very high price, and it isn’t always achievable.

Tricia’s article should awaken in us an appreciation for the risks that small businesses – from the manufacturers to the distributors to the retailers – take to bring fine needlework supplies to the market.

The second article on my “Must Read” list for this week came to my attention via Mollie at Wild Olive.

The article is titled “Can you Copyright a Sewing Pattern?”, featured on While She Naps.

I’ve written about copyright and embroidery here in Needle ‘n Thread, and if you read “Can You Copyright a Sewing Pattern,” you will see how the concept of the sewing pattern parallels the same idea in embroidery, when discussing embroidery stitches and techniques.

In the article, attorney Jen Bernstein, offers a good explanation (with supporting documentation) of a subject that can be somewhat hazy to the legally uninitiated.

And now that you’ve had your dinner, it’s time for dessert!

The catalog for Beating Around the Bush 2014 is available from Country Bumpkin! To get the free PDF download, you’ll be asked to input your contact information and you’ll be placed on the BATB mailing list. Once you do that, you’ll have access to the catalog.

Whether you’re going to Beating Around the Bush at the end of September this year (it takes place in South Australia) or not, you’re going to want to see the catalog!

Of course, seeing the catalog could just lead to a nasty case of Envy…but the catalog’s worth it. There are some Really Beautiful Projects on offer this year, and you’ll definitely be inspired by them!

And that’s your reading activity for the day! If you did it all, you get three gold stars.

Tomorrow, we’re going to look at a piece of embroidery by a reader. It’s her first piece of embroidery of this type, and wow – it came out nice!

And later in the week, we’ll look at the Secret Garden up close again. On a completely unrelated topic, I’ve been experimenting with some ground fabrics for hand embroidery, so we’ll also look at some ground fabric testing. And other tidbits, too…

Questions, comments, suggestions on the topics above? Have your say below!