Please use the drop down menu at the top of any page to explore our extensive line of beads, pearls and fibers developed especially with the needle artist in mind. "Charts & Booklets" will take you to Susan Johnson's designs for needlepoint canvas and evenweave linen.
This website will eventually be restructured as an easy-to-use reference guide to all the SJ Designs products that you'll find at your local needlework shop. Please feel free to comment on features you'd like to see added or if you find a broken link.
A secondary site at www.sj-designs.com has been created as a glimpse into the workings of my Hudson Valley studio, and will highlight an extensive collection of antique samplers and textiles as well as the wide range of products only available through the studio. The new site features many more bead color photos as well as online ordering.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your visit. Please scroll down for updates and news!
December 28, 2011 Update... 8mm Glass Heart Pearls are here! They've arrived! 3 colors-- White, Creme and Pale Peach (with Gold, Silver and Medium Copper still on the boat). I'll have them packaged up and ready to ship next week, and will add a link to the shopping cart ASAP. November 15, 2011 Update... Replacement for 9mm Heart Faux Pearls 9mm Heart Faux Pearls are out of stock and no longer being made. 8mm Glass Pearl Hearts will arrive in early December and should work as a replacement for most if not all applications. And as a bonus, they will be offered in 6 colors instead of just white!
8mm White Glass Pearl Hearts
September 21, 2011 Update... New 2mm Glass Pearls 8
colors in 2mm Round Glass Pearls have arrived and will begin shipping in early October! See below-- and if you'd like a PDF color
sheet that you can view on your computer or print out, just email me at
susan@sj-designs.net and I'll send you one!
July 28, 2011 Update... New Cocktail Mix Beads Colors 8 new
color assortments have arrived! See below-- and if you'd like a PDF color
sheet that you can view on your computer or print out, just email me at
susan@sj-designs.net and I'll send you one!
New Cocktail Mix Bead Assortments July 2011
July 18, 2011 Update... New Colors in 3mm Glass Pearls 16 new
colors and finishes have arrived. Opaque, low-luster Coral and Turquoise
that mimic the semi-precious stones; Crystal Mirror (clear glass with a
mirror finish); rose tones, two reds and new greens plus real metallics (Gold, Silver and Copper)! See below-- and if you'd like a PDF color sheet that you can view on your computer or print out, just email me at susan@sj-designs.net and I'll send you one!
February 11, 2011 Update... The New SJ Designs Bead Packaging It's finally here! New packaging for all the beads and pearls-- crystal clear and easy to open!
January 25, 2011 Update... Coming Soon! Real Metal Spangles Real metal spangles in 8mm Round and 10mm Heart shapes-- the original "sequins!" Click on the image below for more information (they are under "Trims" on the newer website).
Spangles will begin shipping February 7th in the brand
new bead packages (more on that news yet to
come!)
8mm Metal Spangles
January 24, 2011 Update... Coming Soon! New Rococo 2-color Seed Beads These are the first six colors to arrive... size 6/0 Glass Seed Beads-- these chunky, transparent beads are made of two colors seamed together with a silver-lined hole for mirror-like glitter. Rococo beads will begin shipping February 7th in the brand new bead packages (more on that news yet to come!).
New Rococo bead colors
December 14, 2010 Update... Good News! IVORY Faux Pearls are back in stock!
The direct-from-the-factory samples have arrived-- and they sent enough to restock until the order arrives early next year! I'll be having new colors manufactured, including replacements for the hand-dyed pearls. I'm thinking a couple more off-whites, pale mocha, icy gray, true black, poinsettia red and holly green... but would love to know your thoughts on the pearl colors you'd most like to see.
September 22, 2010 Update... Custom House Needlepoint Canvases
I've recently had the urge to start painting needlepoint canvases again– perhaps all the interior house painting is having that effect on me!
My newly adopted home town is famous for its architecture and full of historic house fanatics. For two local charities (Historic Hudson and the Hudson Opera House) I've donated custom canvases to be created in the likeness of the auction winner's own historic home. The advert shows my own home and studio.
July 27, 2010... GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS will be back in print this fall!
The Gingerbread Christmas chart will be back in print in plenty of time for
you to stitch it for the holidays. I've completely updated it to include
suggestions for colored canvas (which didn't even exist the first time
around!) and new materials. All the charts have been redrawn and there
are lots of color closeup photos in addition to the stitch diagrams. All
that's left is for the skeins of overdyed thread to arrive so they can
be photographed as part of the color suggestions pages.
Gingerbread Christmas will be a spiral bound book with 16 pages of
instructions plus two, 11x17 fold out charts. It will begin shipping
September 1st.
The rough draft of the book cover is shown at right. I can't decide between the green banner at the top or a red one!
July 12, 2010 Update... visit SJ
Designs on Facebook!
July 11, 2010 update...SJ Designs Auctions on eBay! As the studio is undergoing some renovations, there are still-unpacked boxes needing to be moved up or down a floor and out of the way for the electricians. As I'm the one doing the heavy lifting, it's almost impossible to pick up a box without peeking inside.
I find myself sorting through boxes of merchandise from the needlework shops I closed years ago as well as goodies from older product lines-- including discontinued and end-of-dyelot beads, fibers, books (including some of my out-of-print charts from the 1980s) and accessories. I'll be listing items each week on eBay under the seller id sj_designs_online. Many items will start at only 99¢! The first batch of auctions will be up later this week. You can mark us as a "favorite seller" to get automatic weekly notices from eBay of new listings or check out our Facebook page.
Don't worry, none of the current contact numbers have changed! The local phone number from Illinois is still in service and calls made to that number were being forwarded to NY. After more than two years of forwarding, 708-754-7657 will be disconnected by the middle of August. Please update your records or call for new catalogs and price lists if yours have outdated information.
June 23, 2010 Update...Email box issues
One of our email boxes– info@sj-designs.net– isn't working properly. New emails are arriving and then disappearing and two entire years of replies are gone! If you've tried to reach us lately and haven't heard back, your email was likely one of the missing and we either haven't seen it or are unable to find your contact info in order to respond. I know there were several people overseas who were waiting for shipping quotes!
Please try again at susan@sj-designs.net or call 518-828-1003 or toll free in the US 1-800-742-3708. My apologies for the inconvenience.
June 8, 2010 Update... Faux Pearls Size & Shape Chart A size and shape comparison chart has been added to the Faux Pearls page. Silhouettes of each of our pearls will help you select the one that's perfect for your project!
May 26, 2010 Update... French Garden Folly!
The long-awaited sequel to English Garden Folly will be available September 1st! French Garden Folly is worked on #18 eggshell mono canvas with solid and overdyed floss. The format will be a spiral-bound book with fold-out charts and lots of full color close-up photos and suggestions for creating your own color scheme. I have someone stitching it on #24 Congress to proof the final directions. I won't know the price until we have the final page count but will keep you posted.
FRENCH GARDEN FOLLY
May
15, 2019 Update... A Very Special Offer! I've
been seeking a source of richly colored pearls for a few years now with
mostly frustrating results, although I am eagerly awaiting a batch of
samples from a new source. In any case, the beautiful shades below were
discontinued shortly after I received them. I have only a dozen or so
strings of each color left, so I'm offering them here on a first-come,
first-served basis! These are the very same top quality Japanese pearls
as our regular line. They are colorfast and have excellent
light-fastness; while they have passed my tests for needlework
durability I wouldn't recommend them for jewelry since the dyes may be
affected by perfumes and hairspray.
Each string of these 2mm
round pearls is 60-inches long, about 750 pearls and equal to 5 of the
regular Faux Pearls packages. These colors are available for $7.99 per
string. From left to right-- Champagne, Apricot Nectar, Pumpkin Spice,
Russet, Cranberry, Candy Pink, Fuchsia, Violet, Pine Green and Teal.
These won't last long, and once they're gone, that's it!
NEW LIMITED EDITION 2mm FAUX PEARLS COLORS!
May
2, 2010 Update... Ten new Cocktail
Mixes have
arrived and will begin shipping May 15th!
The new color names are Pink Lady, Cosmopolitan, Greyhound, Kir Royale,
Mimosa, Bellini, Creme de Menthe, Black Russian, Purple Haze and Zombie.
You can view all 16 colors on the Bead Cocktails page.
NEW BEAD COCKTAILS COLORS! Click on the picture to go directly to the Bead Cocktails page.
