The Sampler Stitcher

Neglected but not forgotten

2012-02-07T04:36:00.002-04:00

I haven`t picked up my Sarah Harris for quite awhile, but have been spending a little more time with her lately. I am stitching the 'queen' and have decided she was blending into the fabric too much and so I have given her a more starring role by giving her a golden brown crown and I will make her face flesh toned. As for her dress....maybe 2 yellows? Or a yellow and teal? Not sure yet....

Is anyone else still working on her??

Betty Ring books

2011-12-19T15:15:00.001-04:00

On-line, Betty Rings Girlhood Embroidery books !! I don`t know how long they will be shared, but go to Needleprint for the links to vol 1 and vol 2. These books are oop and expensive, so grab your quick peek while you can!!

Well, it`s been awhile, hasn`t it?

2011-11-03T06:37:00.001-03:00

I know I haven`t posted in ages. I have been in a stitching slump the last few months, but I think my stitchy mojo is slowly returning. I picked up Sarah Harris today and finished a motif, and am trying to finish my Judah Hayle re-creation sampler. I seem to have these slumps every once in awhile, usually when 'life' gets a little hairy and I get down in the dumps, which happens too often for my liking. I looked up my 'symptoms' on the net, and it seems I have PMDD, and have had it all my life. Not that hanging a label on it helps, except for the assurance that i`m not a total nutcase! (Just a partial nutcase, but anyone that knows me knows that!)

Anywho, as I really don`t like posting about personal stuff here and am trying to keep this all about stitching, that`s enough baring of the soul for now. I just thought a little explanation for my neglect of the blog and my stitching was in order. Expect some stitching posts soon, hopefully some interesting ones!

Keep stitching ladies!

Martha Edlin!!!!

2011-08-12T04:19:00.005-03:00

Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Martha Edlin sampler is now available as a kit from The Essamplaire. I adore this sampler. I have had it on my 'someday' list for ages! The price is a bit steep at $355.00-$368.00 (depending on the fabric count you choose) but this is a large very complex sampler, so the price is not outrageous. It is stitched with filament silk, which I have never used before, but i`m thinking that would be the least of the challenges with this sampler. It looks like a challenging stitch. For a better view, look on page 37 of Samplers From The Victoria And Albert Museum by Claire Brown and Jennifer Wearden, or here on the V&A website.

Keep stitching ladies!

I have been futzing...

2011-07-15T20:39:00.000-03:00

I can`t seem to settle down to one project lately, so I keep switching betweem WIPs. This is a 'recreation' of a Judah Hayle sampler(click here for previous post on the subject), courtesy of Needleprint. The bands are taken from various Judah Hayle school samplers, and I chose the colours. I went with a more modern pallet, partly because I liked these colours, and partly because when I started it I was in Nova Scotia and most of my floss was in Colorado, so I went to Wallmart and scrounged what I could (mostly Anchor threads). It`s fun to just do cross-stitch for a change....I can watch DVDs at the same time!

According to The Loudon Sampler Guild, "The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded a $300,000 grant to develop an online digital repository and searchable database of images and descriptive information about American girlhood samplers and pictorial embroideries from the 17th through the 19th centuries." How wonderful!! Click here to read more.

Keep stitching ladies!

17th Century Style Band Sampler

2011-07-12T21:04:00.004-03:00

No Loara update....I have been mulling some colour changes on her, so while I mull I am working on a few other WIPs.

I have been puttering away on this the last few days, so I thought I would post a couple of pics. They are not great pics....pretty craptastic actually. I don`t know if it`s me, or there is something wrong with my camera, but here they are anyway.

This is a row of zig-zag in faggot stitch The sampler so far. The entire bottom section is done in 'whitework' (ecru on mocha linen). I may do the alphabet at the bottom in colour though.

Keep stitching ladies!

Loara Standish...finally!

2011-05-29T23:45:00.000-03:00

Since the search for links to the Jane Turner 'sisters' have seemingly dried up for now, I am obsessing about another sampler, Loara Standish.

It`s a weird feeling when you finally start something that you have been wanting to do for years, and that something for me is Loara. I am fighting the urge to over-think her, and just enjoy the stitching. I must admit she has me a bit intimidated, and that`s when I start agonizing over every stitch and then there is the frogging. *sigh*. I am on the very first band, the row of 'Standish stitch'. I have ripped it out three times because I keep making mistakes. Even with the stitch chart right in front of me. I think I have it down now though *crosses fingers*. I`ll post a pic after I get the row done...

There is a stitch-along for this sampler, if you bought your kit through Traditional Stitches Janice is heading the stitch-along on Yahoo. It is always fun to do a stitch-along, esp. when there is a group leader. It tends to keep everyone on track.

Keep stitching ladies!

2011-02-26T05:54:00.002-04:00

There is another one that has the 'flower lady' on it. It is in the Goodhart Samplers book from Needleprint! Page 104/105. Thank-you for pointing it out Jaqueline!!

2011-02-25T12:14:00.002-04:00

The owner has kindly given me permission to post a pic of the latest find in this group. I haven`t had any luck in tracing her name...yet.

Is it a partial sampler that has been cut from a larger one? Stay tuned!

Hold the phone!!

2011-02-24T02:32:00.006-04:00

There is another partial sampler that looks like it is related to Jane Turner...this one by Mary Thomas Alias (?) Teethwell(?). Was Teethwell the town, or her last name? And why would she use 'Alias"? I have googled and come up blank so far. I will send the info along to Claire Browne and see if she has any ideas. I had this pic squirrelled away in my file on Jane Turner...

Evidently I found it here on this auction house site.

I had posted a pic, but the copyright statement on this site is particlarly harsh, so for now, just view it at the link..

Til next time, keep stitching ladies!

Jane and her 'sisters'.

2011-02-22T04:47:00.004-04:00

So, I know it doesn`t take much to excite me when it comes to needlework. A new pattern or set of silks send me into spasms of bliss...(it`s my geeky side and i`ve learned to embrace it!). But this is stupendous!!

I got an update in my email from The Essamplaire. In it there was mentioned a sampler that was coming up for auction at Bonhams in England. This sampler is nearly identical to Jane Turner! The pictures in the catalogue are flash pics, (which you can`t save to your hard drive) and I wanted close ups to compare with Jane T. With no great hope of success, I emailed Claire Browne at Bonhams, explained my reasons and asked if she could send me a large pic. I didn`t expect to really be able to get one...usually pics are tied up in copyright red tape a mile long. But not only did she reply (Claire Browne!!...insert geek squeal here) she sent me a GORGEOUS HUGE .jpg file of the sampler!! I am, needless to say, over the moon!!

So I spent some time squizzing around the net, and came accross the blog Stitching With Kittens and she is stitching Jane Turner too! In her post here, she talks about the Jane Turner sampler and what I have come to think of as her sister samplers. There is also, in addition to the one at Bonhams, one by Mary Lawley, and one that was exhibited at Whitneys in summer of 2010 with the initials MC. Four of them!! The samplers are different in the amount of filling stitches done. One is mostly just double running outlining the patterns, but they all have almost identical band designs and layouts!! If only the samplers could be linked to a school, teacher, or even a town!

I am going to pull out Jane Turner again and get some more done on her. I am hoping that Stitching With Kittens can share some of her knowledge of Trellis Stitch with me and that will give me the push needed to get over that hurdle.

You can view Jane Turner at The Essamplaire and in Patterns of Childhood by Rebecca Quinton, the MC sampler in the book Samplers by Rebrecca Scott, and the new find at Bonhams I haven`t had any luck tracking down a pic of Mary Lawley and likely won`t as she is in a private collection. Oh how I wish private collectors would share their collections with the public!

Until next time, keep stitching ladies!

Plymoth Jacket at Winterthur

2011-02-16T21:10:00.001-04:00

The gorgeous embroidered jacket that has cause such a sensation in the needlework world is on view at Winterthur through August 2011.

http://www.winterthur.org/?p=822

Click on the PDF link for a presentation for an article and pictures.
For the entire background story go to Tricia Ngyens blog

http://thistle-threads.com/blog/

it`s a wonderful tale of investigation, inspiration and work involving people banded together to bring 'Faith' (the name they gave the jacket) to life.
For my previous posts on the jacket see:

http://samplerstitcher.blogspot.com/2007/06/plimoth-plantation-recreation.html

http://samplerstitcher.blogspot.com/2009/12/have-little-faith.html

As for me...well, I am stitching 4 repro samplers at once(yes, i`m officially nuts!) and the wolves for hubby, as well as a rather large wedding sampler. Jane Turner, Mary Hurst, Sarah Harris, and the PatternBand Sampler (SL) and A Marriage of True Minds (DT). Sorry, no pics yet...I have been procrastinating about getting the camera out for some reason. Here are pics of the finished samplers from the various web sites:

Jane Turner
Mary Hurst

Sarah Harris
Pattern Band Record

Keep stitching ladies!

Bringing Home The Moon

2010-12-05T12:00:00.003-04:00

This is the story of the Sarah Moon sampler, and how it was found and returned to where it was made. By Jaqueline Holdsworth of Needleprint . I love this story...it`s so nice to know there are people out there that truly love samplers and are committed to caring for them. Thanks Jaqueline...

" "Mission impossible!" That was my husband’s verdict. Prostrate on the hard oak boards of the dining room, it was natural he was feeling less than optimistic about any energetic plans. Richard had wrenched his back lifting a box of my ‘stuff ’ out of the car the Sunday before. This was the very same car which had, this week, taken a hit from a deer and was now being straightened out in the garage. It was evident that neither he nor the car were going anywhere. Which left just me.

In 2 days I had to make a 600 mile round trip. I expect this is something you do regularly before breakfast – but remember that I am British and a 200 mile journey is normally the limit, thank you. With not much time for planning I had exceeded myself. I had overnight accommodation booked and ticket for the return leg of the journey by train. All I needed was to get to where I needed to be, but this was proving problematic: the train fares had quadrupled in the time it had taken me to lunch (this happens in the UK) and I was feeling the desperate need to be as parsimonious as possible since, I considered, one can never tell when one might have dire need of money.

So it was that I found myself in a narrow bed in a little North Yorkshire village after two train journeys, three bus rides and ten hours’ of travelling, unable to sleep. I was worrying about Richard, how events would unfold the next day, and the violent knockings in the central heating radiators. Towards morning there was the cry of a curlew to remind me, if I had forgotten, where I was, and that terrible angst one experiences when one is at one’s lowest ebb just before dawn, knowing where one is but no longer knowing what one is doing there.

What was I doing there? Let me tell you. A small auction house in a small northern village had phoned the Bursar at Ackworth School to ask if he could authenticate a piece of embroidery dated 1791, which incorporated the name of the school. He asked for a picture of the embroidery and then emailed it to me. You are absolutely right – it was a sampler. In fact, the auction house found another lot which resembled this first lot and sent him a picture of that also. This sampler did not have the name of Ackworth, but looked like a sister sampler to the one owned by Beatrix Potter. The estimate on both items was £60 - £80, but the auctioneer thought that they could go for £150 on a good day. A Yorkshire woman myself, I know that the county has its fair share of shrewd business people, so I was concerned and thought that the bidding shouldn’t be left to chance. I talked tactics with the Bursar. The Bursar said he could bid up to a maximum of
£550 by phone. He was optimistic. I was not. Which is why, at daybreak, I was shivering with cold and nerves.

I was early along to the auction house to take a look at the samplers themselves. There are very few unframed medallion samplers, and both these samplers were unframed, and very fine. The Ackworth School sampler was stitched by S Moon who appears as Sarah Moone in the school lists. No one paid any really attention to the correct spelling of names at that time, not even registrars of births, deaths and marriages. Communication revolved more around how your name was said than written. I knew from the school records that Sarah came from Esher, which is in Surrey, and attended the school from 1789-1793. I found her sampler to be a densely packed, joyful, polychrome medallion sampler and I took courage from it. ‘I am going to take you home, Sarah Moon, where you belong,’ I whispered. I also knew that she wasn’t going home alone, the other Quaker sampler would be her companion.

I can’t say much about the auction. The pace of the auctioneer was such that he was clearing 3 lots a minute. There were three telephone bidders in addition to the people in the room. I kept my card up all the while and I remember the sound of sucked-in breath, like the tide on a pebbled shore. And then the bidding finally stopped, the telephones were put down, someone asked me to shout out my number. And that was just for the first Quaker sampler – not the Ackworth School sampler which was to be the next lot. The room was, by now, electric. People had stopped milling about. It was extraordinarily hushed. Once more the phones were picked up and bidding commenced. At one stage the bidding seemed to stop and there was a great, communal outbreath which turned to a groan, almost, of dismay as bidding resumed. Perhaps it was my groan I heard, but I kept my card up and after much longer than seemed possible, I knew for sure that Sarah was going home.

After the bidding, I left. People came up to me and asked if there was something special about these rags. ‘Yes,’ I said, and tried to explain. I told them about the school and about the Quaker girls who stitched there while a revolution overturned the monarchy in France, while English soldiers and sailors fought wars abroad, while food was scarce and auction prices of corn beggared communities. They asked me what I was going to do with the sampler. ‘It’s going back to school, where it belongs, where there is a context in which it can be studied and understood,’ I explained.

This is how I brought home the Moon. The true hero of this episode is my husband whose voice remained at the same pitch while I explained over the phone from the auctioneers that he needed to ask the bank to clear £13,000 to pay for the samplers......

You would have thought one encounter of this kind is enough for one timid human heart in a life-time, but as a sequel to this, more samplers came up for sale at an auction. This time the sampler was a fine early text sampler from Ackworth School with a good provenance. In fact, we already knew of its existence, since the owner had contacted us when it was known we were producing a book. As luck would have it, I had booked a trip to Paris to enjoy the splendid annual needlework market L’Aiguille en Fete. This time it was me who would be at the end of a telephone line bidding, and again I was nervous because I had never bid over a telephone - and this time I had an auction ceiling of just £3,000 which I felt was going to be inadequate. I waited in the hotel reception, a quiet, peaceful place to order my thoughts and to hear the instructions over my mobile phone. I knew the phone could ring at any moment and I could hear my heart beating. It was just then that a large family of talkative Irish guests decided to come and keep me company and when we had run the limits of conversation, well God bless us, they started to sing to cheer me up. Had I missed the ring tone of my phone during this musical interlude and missed the auction? I had no idea. I clung to some last shreds of hope by chanting my little mantra from Julian of Norwich - ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.’ Then men appeared with a huge roll of carpet, pulled out hammers and began, well, hammering ..... exuberantly! My phone rang. I ran outside into the busy street and rain to escape the racket. With one finger in my ear I heard that the bidding stood at £2,900. My heart splashed on the pavement. The auctioneer asked me again if I wanted to bid £3,000. I said, ‘Yes’ - it was more of a swansong than anything else. In my mind I was already packing up my phone and my heart. But that was it. The bidding stopped there. Quite unbelievable then as it is still today - what had happened in the room up to the point and why did the bidding stop so swiftly? ‘Congratulations,’ said the auctioneer.

Now the number of samplers returned to Ackworth School is 5, with gifts of others promised. "

Samplers being auctioned...your help is needed!

2010-11-18T22:50:00.004-04:00

The collection of samplers from the Burlington County Historical Society from which the 1804 Mary Bowker sampler was stolen, are putting to auction their collection of samplers on November 20th, 2010. A letter writing campaign has begun, stating why this would be a loss to the needlework community to have this collection dispersed. Jennifer of the Tennessee Sampler Survey has given permission for her very eloquent letter to be copied and forwarded with a brief note as to why you are doing so (this can be as simple as "I agree with this letter") to The Burlington County Historical Society. If we all raise enough protest, maybe this can be stopped! The dispersion of the collection that took from 1957 to date to amass is a serious blow to sampler scholars. Please, take a moment to forward the letter and show you truly care about historical needlework collections.The email is burlcohistsoc@verizon.net

To the Board of the Burlington County Historical Society:

I am writing to express my dismay at the theft of the 1804 Mary Bowker sampler. I am also writing concerning the Board’s decision to auction 29 samplers from the Society’s collection.
I have several questions.
1) How does this sale reinforce the BCHS’s stated mission (found on your website on November 17, 2010) “to encourage historical study and research; to acquire and preserve records, artifacts, and articles of historical interest; and to interpret the history of the area through education, programs, projects and pursuits in order to convey this historical legacy to current and future generations?”
Samplers are unique artifacts of material culture, for they contain within them the story of an individual girl, her school, her family, and her community.
2) How does this sale reinforce the BCHS’s recently adopted mission statement (found in the auction catalog on November 17, 2010) “to tell the rich history of the County to children and their families through new interactive exhibits?”
Samplers were usually made by children. Many of your samplers were made by children from Burlington County. I see from photos of your gallery space that these samplers are currently on exhibit. Would it not be possible to interpret samplers in a way that makes the rich history of Burlington County interactive? Children are fascinated by the toys, clothing, books, and yes, samplers, of their predecessors.
3) Is the Board aware that the intended use of the funds raised by the sale of the samplers is not in compliance with the American Association of Museum’s Code of Ethics? According to the auction catalog, “the sale proceeds of the needlework and furniture from the Society’s collection will be used to develop…participatory exhibitions and interpret the significant roles of transportation, agriculture, the military and the Underground Railroad.”
The American Association of Museum’s Code of Ethics states: "Proceeds from the sale of nonliving collections are to be used consistent with the established standards of the museum's discipline, but in no event shall they be used for anything other than acquisition or direct care of collections." Exhibit planning and interpretation is not included in this category.
4) Is the Board aware that sampler and needlework research is a field that has attracted serious scholarship?
Recent studies of Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Connecticut have all shown that samplers and needlework are unique among artifacts. A careful examination of samplers can reveal the not only the stitchers’ skills and personal preferences, but also their social status, geographic origins, financial straits, and family connections. Because samplers were a domestic and educational art, practiced by young girls, they are sometimes the only record we have of that stitcher’s life. They fill in the gaps in the written record. Women were not individually named in the US census until 1850, yet they left their signatures on countless pieces of linen. In my own work, documenting 19th Century Tennessee samplers, I have been known to travel across the state to examine one sampler. To find 29 samplers in one collection is a researcher’s dream.
5) How will the deaccessioning and sale of these artifacts affect the BCHS’s relationship with past donors? Are you sure the museum has legal title to the samplers? You must have a signed Deed of Gift or a sales receipt to prove ownership, otherwise it is illegal for you to sell them and you may run a risk of lawsuits.
I see from the auction catalog that acquisition of the samplers began in 1957, with gifts from an estate. Until 1998, the BCHS acquired samplers through a combination of donations and purchases. Have the donors who gifted the samplers been informed of the Society’s plans to deaccession them? Will potential donors be reluctant to entrust the Society with their family heirlooms? It took forty years to build the Society’s sampler collection, which will be dispersed in the space on one afternoon.
I sincerely hope that the 1804 Mary Bowker sampler is recovered. I suggest that the BCHS reconsiders the sale of these samplers and pulls them from the auction block. If the auction proceeds, I hope that new homes for the samplers are found in public institutions, where the residents of New Jersey and visitors to your state can appreciate them.

Jennifer C. Core

2010-09-10T19:45:00.002-03:00

We must remember 9/11 while not letting it overwhelm us with fear, or make us into the very thing we despise, people who hate. God bless America!

I`ve been remiss

2010-08-27T04:07:00.002-03:00

In posting here lately. I`ve been in a bit of a funk...some health issues and such. Nothing serious, just enough to make me feel blah. I have been stitching, but not a lot...I tend to look at projects and think "that`s not enough progress to bother posting about" and before I know it a month or more has gone by. I haven`t done much sampler research lately (read none) either. Sigh. I have begun a repro sampler by Charlotte Bronte. I`m stitching it from a picture....a fun challenge for me. The non fun part will be the three sections of over-one at the bottom...I detest stitching over-one. I may have to look them up and buy the charts (I intend to do all three, by Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, if I survive the over-one on Charlotte)

I am using plain ole DMC (761) on cream 32ct Zwiegart.

I don`t have any pics of my stitching to share...here are the samplers from pics around the net. I believe Anne of Tempus Fugit did them and that may be where these pics are from. I love the simplicity of them and I will love hanging these as a set. If you are interested in reading more about these three sampler sisters, there is an article here by Lori Bell, from a presentation to the EGA in 1996.

Keep stitching ladies!

ETA: The Bronte sampler patterns are available here.

Sarah Harris

2010-06-12T06:50:00.001-03:00

This is my progress on the Sarah Harris sampler from Needleprint. There is a blog here for the stitchalong. Sarah is proving to be a bit of a challenge....she wasn`t fussy about not making mistakes, and I have to resist the urge to correct it by making the medallions symmetrical...

I am still working on Marriage of true minds, i`ll do an update sometime around the first of the week. I should have lots of stitching time this weekend...my husband is busy building a computer for his son, so I have to amuse myself...that means lots of stitching!

This is my cat, Lady J. She is my stitching buddy lately, and so I figured i`d post a pic. She tends to contribute lots of fur to my projects!

Keep stitching ladies!

Marriage Of True Minds

2010-06-06T19:50:00.001-03:00

I am going to stitch my version of it...I am going to shorten it by a few bands, and change the verse. I like this sonnet, but I want something a little shorter and simpler. I am using DMC 522 for the grass in the top panel which is the suggested substitute for the Gloriana Luminescence 120...however, I have had to change the stems of the flowers in this area from the Weeks Blue Spruce to DMC 500 because they got lost in the grass (which I didn`t discover til both the grass and stems were stitched. Grrr)

My fabric is 36 ct summer khaki, and I am using one strand of thread. I changed the white floss to ecru, and the DMC 3790 to 3781. I am also having a problem with there not being enough contrast between the deer and the grass. I am wondering if I could back stitch around them, or if I should rip them out and stitch them in a darker shade. Still mulling that over...

Now i`m also stitching on the Needleprint stitch-along, Sarah Harris. I`ll post a pic of that one soon...

Keep stitching ladies!

More stitching

2010-05-30T21:43:00.004-03:00

For some reason Blogger wouldn`t let me arrange my pics in my last post, so here is my square of HOHRH. I am loving these, and doing one a month seems managable, and lets me get on with my (er-hem) multiple WIPs.

I am doing them on 40 ct lambswool with DMC. I have enough lambswool to do 2 more I think, then i`ll likely switch to Zweigart fabric. Not sure if they make a 40 ct lambswool, if not I may do some in natural. They are going to be all framed alike, and I am going to mix in some squares of VOHRH as well...

Keep stitching ladies!

Some stitching progress at last...

2010-05-30T18:41:00.002-03:00

I have been stitching a lot the last month or so. I feel much better than I did, so now I can concentrate a bit. Here is Star Spangled Quilt.

I am regretting stitching the borders in straight 'up and down' satin...I should have slanted my stitches, the coverage would have been better. I may frog the borders and re-do them, but it`s a lot of stitching...I am also not thrilled with the way the metallic is turning out in the star in the corner. I may have to do something else there...

New Stitch-along!!

2010-05-02T18:21:00.004-03:00

Jacqueline over at Needleprint has announced a new Quaker sampler stitch-along! I am really buzzed about this one. It`s very different from Mary Wigham, it`s an interesting jumble of pattern and colour that should keep us all in stitchy bliss for quite awhile. I am anxiously awaiting the specifics of fabric count and floss, so i`ll keep you updated.

On the home front, I have made progress on Marriage of Minds, and a bit on my LJP quilt. I just have been to lazy to take pics lately for some reason. I had an interview with INS this week, and that had me stressed out, but all went well. It will be a year and 9 months before I have to worry about any more paperwork for them, then I will apply for permanent resident status. Then after that, it`s the citizenship test. I told my hubby he`s lucky I love him so much, or no way would I go through this much hassle. It`s been 2 years of paperwork, and we aren`t finished yet!

I will try to get a progress pic up soon of my stitching...til then, keep stitching ladies!

I really do think i`m just weird....

2010-04-11T00:18:00.004-03:00

No stitching to share, so i`ll share a confession. I`m weird. An oddball, and that is putting it kindly (it has been put far less kindly by many, so I know of what I speak). Here is exhibit A:

A pretty xmas tree, but why is she posting xmas trees in April? Because I just took this pic today. Yep....it`s April and my tree is still up. I love xmas trees....it`s my fav part of the whole season, the one thing I couldn`t live without (ok, if I had to I could, but you get my drift). I just didn`t want to take it down this year....and just when I was getting uncomfortable with my husband dropping hints and rolling his eyes, my gallbladder pitched it`s hissy fit....and so there it stands. I have no excuse really....it should have been taken down in January, same as always. And I still have it lit. I wonder what the neighbors think? That i`m Canadian, and just excentric I suppose. Little do they know....i`m just weird...

Keep stitching ladies!

No news isn`t good...er...something like that...

2010-04-08T01:00:00.003-03:00

No easy op....full blown lets-get-in-there-and-make-her-sit-up-and-take-notice kind of surgery. I`ll be back as soon as the nausea stops. Til then, eye candy. I started this, but am not far along with it. I am thinking of shortening mine by a few bands...Keep stitching ladies!

Ouch!

2010-03-30T01:01:00.003-03:00

I spent Saturday night in the ER at Fort Carson having my first gall bladder attack. It was more pain than I had ever had before! Thank god for my husband, who didn`t leave my side except to harrass doctors for more pain killers for me. He was wonderful....i`m ashamed to say I wasn`t...I yelled....a LOT!

The gall bladder gets yanked on Thursday. I hear it is a much easier op than it used to be. I hope to be back up and stitching again in no time...right now the meds are making my eyes cross, so no stitching for me...

Keep stitching ladies....

Stash...and crash?

2010-03-22T02:10:00.004-03:00

Pic of finished Mary Hurst sampler from Scarlet Letter

I recently ordered Mary Hurst from The Scarlet Letter after seeing it being stitched on one of my needlework boards...I just fell in love with it! The colours are so soft and pretty. I have started it, and only have the top row of alphabet done (it`s hard to see in the pic, but it is 'whitework', done in a very pale blue) because the frogs came to visit...I ended up restitching the letter 'Z' 6 times!! Oy!!! Hopefully the rest will go somewhat smoother...I`ll post a pic as soon as I have any real progress...

I also got these

Judah Hayle samplers from The Scarlet Letter

This is three patterns in one folder were done by students of Judah Hayle in Ipswitch England. I have been fascinated with the story of Judah Hayle since I saw an article in the issue of SANQ. Last year I got the book by Edwina Ehrman about the Judah Hayle school from Needleprint

that has pictures of the samplers from the school that are extant and a history of Judah Hayle herself. It is a wonderful book, and just whet my appetite for a closer look at the samplers associated with this school. I am stitching a 'recreation' Judah Hayle that was published by Needleprint using a somewhat more modern pallet.

but I am anxious to start one of the repros too...I have had a fit of 'startitus' lately...I have started 4 new projects and am planning more. I need more hands...and more time to stitch.

Keep stitching ladies....

Alisons Ornie

2010-03-13T17:44:00.000-04:00

A few years ago there was an ornie exchange on my needlework BB and I sent an ornie to Alison in Australia...it got lost in the mail. I meant to redo it, but I got busy and life skidded sideways, and like a dummy I forgot. I made this in December, finished it up in February (The back was an improvisation, as were the beads on the edge). It`s from the 2009 JCS ornie issue, by Little House Designs...

Keep stitching ladies!

3 finishes and new starts...

2010-03-11T01:27:00.001-04:00

I finished my first block of HOHRH...it was a fun and quick stitch, and I am choosing the next block...I want to finish a block a month...hopefully.

I have started a wedding sampler by Drawn Thread called Marriage of True Minds. I always loved this Shakespearian sonnet, and I adore Drawn Thread designs, so this one is a natural. I am stitching it on 36 ct Summer Khaki with DMC and Weeks threads. I have no illusions this will be a quick stitch... it`s big, and there is a stitch on it called rose stitch...many many passes of the needle for that one, and there are quite a few of them in the tree at the top. I need some thread for it...I am out of the Weeks Blue Spruce (I use that colour a LOT) and I need some brown for the tree. The Summer Khaki is darker than the material called for, so I have to adjust a few colours.

I put the last bit of stitching in Coffin Buzz...Have you ever done a project where you hated every stitch? That`s how I feel about Coffin Buzz...part of it was the material I used ( it was an evenweave with some rayon in it, can`t remember the name) and also I detest brown...and this was all brown. Ugh. I coffee dyed it...what do you think?

Sorry for the crooked pics...I was trying to snap them while avoiding the cats...as soon as the camera comes out they appear....right on top of the stitching!

I also want to finish my version of the LJP Star Spangled quilt, but I need some gold fiber for that. I went to to Fancy Mats on March 9th as I had an appointment with USCIS (more immigration crap ...er ah, I mean paperwork) so a little reward of some stash shopping was in order...Unfortunately I couldn`t get most of what I was looking for, but they will order it for me, so that`s fine. It`s not like I don`t have anything to work on!

I got some thread I needed for Grateful Heart from Anitas Little Stitches, so I finished that as well. That was a fun stitch...the colours and different stitches kept me from getting bored.

Hmm...3 finishes and 3 new starts. I don`t seem to be making any headway...And my WIP/UFO pile is still growing. I wonder who will inherit it?

Keep stitching ladies!

Another stitch-along!!

2010-02-19T08:24:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Needleprint. I hope it`s ok to blog about it, but i`m just so jazzed up about another chance to share a sampler with stitchers around the world. Read about it here!

I am already pondering thread and fabric choices. There were so many beautiful versions of Mary Wigham I may 'borrow' someones colour scheme for this one. Blue...or pink...or a two colour theme (I loved the combo of red and golden-tan that Kimiak in France did for her Mary)

Delicious decisions!!

Breaking my own rules

2010-01-26T23:35:00.004-04:00

I try not to post personal stuff here, on the theory that people have enough of their own troubles without listening to me blather about mine. However, I am breaking that rule and posting something personal...and it is GOOD news (at least I think so). I also don`t have much stitchy stuff to report as I have been visited by flocks of frogs lately (no, I don`t think that a group of frogs is really a flock, but as I don`t know what they are called, i`m sticking with flock).

On December the 24th, in front of the Christmas tree and with our furbabies as witnesses, my fiancee Andy and I got married. Just us and the JOP, quick and quiet. We were in our jeans and sneakers, and it was just perfect. Sorry, it`s not the greatest pic (Of me, I mean, I hate my photos) but here we are! It`s been a long road full of paperwork potholes, but we made it! The paperwork and money grabbing by the gov`t is not finished yet, but at least we are doing it together. He is a lovely sweet man....i`ve never been so happy!!!!

PS: This is sooooo embarassing....I recently enabled comment moderation and thought I would get a notice in my gmail. I didn`t realize I had to check my dashboard here at Blogger. Thanks everyone who commented (except the porn spammers that I deleted. What`s up with that all of a sudden, anyway???)

Judah Hayle and odds and ends

2010-01-10T08:26:00.000-04:00

I recently picked up my copy of Edwina Ehrmans book The Judah Hayle Samplers, published by Needleprint. This is a wonderful book, with lots of background material on the time period when the samplers were stitched, which helps the reader visualize the girls that stitched them, as well as the teachers (Judah Hayle and her daughter ). When the book was published, there was to be a pattern for a recreation sampler which (if I remember correctly) Jaqueline said there wasn`t room for. I have started stitching it, but am changing the colours completely. One reason is because this isn`t strictly a reproduction, but more a blending of motifs and bands from several of the Judah Hayle samplers, and I thought it would be interesting to see it with a more modern colour pallet. I also am planning to someday stitch at least one of the reproduction samplers from this school, as offered by The Scarlet Letter. It will be fun to see the differences in the two samplers.

I have put aside Grateful Heart for awhile. I decided to wait to order the threads when I am stateside, so in addition to the Judah Hayle sampler, I am playing with this:

It`s all The Spinster Stitchers fault. I discovered her blog a few weeks ago, and stayed up a few nights into the wee hours reading all her posts from the beginning, and laughing my head off. If you haven`t read her yet, get yourself a cup of tea and settle in for some fun. She is witty and funny, and so is her little dog Stewey. Add to that her stitching is beautiful, and her blog is addictive. She stitches a lot of Laura J. Perrin designs on 18ct mono canvas. I was oogling these and started wanting to stitch them. Problem is, I don`t have access to a LNS and I have never worked on canvas. My threads are too fine to stitch on anything much bigger than 28 ct linen...but I have lots of that. So, I cut a square of white linen, picked out my three colours for the pattern I couldn`t get out of my head, Star Spangled Quilt, and looking at a photo, started stitching it. Now, I have done this before when I couldn`t get a pattern for what ever reason, and it usually turns out well. The inspiration is the design, and then I do my own thing from there. I must be doing something right here, because it is working out to look exactly like the pattern should. I am going to change around the border though. Unless you like a challenge, I wouldn`t recommend stitching from a photo though. If I had graph paper, i`d chart up a version for myself, but I don`t, and i`m too lazy to do it on the comp using software. Less time charting = more time stitching! For the next LJP i`ll buy the chart (yes, i`m planning my next one already...i`m doomed)

I am also working on an ornie that I can`t show because it is to be a gift, and there are at least four other WIPs in my basket yelling for attention. I am a little frantic lately with moving to the USA, getting married, and my mom not being well, so I don`t know how much I will get done, but at least I will be stitching something.

Keep stitching ladies!

How beautiful is this???

2009-12-22T11:52:00.001-04:00

This is the cover of a German pattern book published in 1882, by Dr Julius Lessing, Director of the Royal Industrial Museum in Berlin. The patterns are beautiful...but just look at this cover! Doesn`t it make you just want to frame it? I think it`s just gorgeous!

The book is quite rare, but Jaqueline of Needleprint owns one, and has made patterns available from it for download.

Every day I thank the heavens for the internet....it has made the world of stitching accessible with just a few clicks. It brings stitchers and information together in a way that was never possible before computers.

I have moved to Colorado, and with Christmas coming, I just haven`t had time to post any progress pics. I do try to put in a few stitches no matter how busy I am though. It keeps me sane!

Keep stitching ladies, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Have a little Faith...

2009-12-17T13:34:00.003-04:00

Well, although I haven`t been blogging about the Plymoth Jacket Project lately, I have been following it`s making. Named 'Faith', the Jacket is finished!!! Three years in the making (has it really been that long???) and the results are stunning!

If you haven`t visited the blog that tells the story of the creation of this gorgeous jacket, grab a cup of tea and read here.

Til next time, keep stitching ladies!

Colleen!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-10T14:19:00.002-04:00

Oh boy...I have had a brain fart again. It seems I deleted the name and addy of the winner of the Treasures in Needlework. I have been moving, tidying up, tossing things out, and it seems I had the not so brilliant idea of cleaning out my emails (even gmail has it`s storage limits!). I seem to have ...er-hem...cleaned it out too well, as I don`t have your addy anymore. Please contact me again Colleen...or if anyone out there knows Colleen, please tell her of my (not so) unusual stupidity. I will be soo glad when I get to Colorado. I may sleep for a week...

No stitchy updates, though I have been sneaking a minute here and there to stitch. My camera is packed, along w/ most of my stitching supplies. I just have to remember to pack my undies (priorities, don`t you know!)

Keep stitching ladies!

Mini stitchy rant

2009-11-21T14:46:00.002-04:00

Have any of you stitchers out there used 28ct Monaco fabric? I think it`s 100% cotton...and I HATE it! It`s rough and scratchy, and so closely woven it makes 2 strands of DMC drag and fuzz, and twist up til every stitch has to be either railroaded or smoothed with a laying tool. I have another piece kitted for an ornie, and will be unkitting it shortly. It might be ok to work it one over one, but I don`t do much over one, so I will likely set it aside. It might make good fire starter some cold winter day...

Til next time, keep stitching ladies!

And the winner is....

2009-11-21T01:23:00.000-04:00

The winner of the Treasures in Needlework mag with this sampler pattern in it is Colleen!

As for stitchy posting, I have been futzing (yep, stole that from Coni) with three projects, getting frustrated with each and unable to concentrate on any. I just need to get off my butt and get some pics taken, then I will post something. I try not to post personal stuff here...I figure you all have enough stress in your lives without listening to me rant on...

Til next time, keep stitching ladies!

Grateful Heart Update

2009-10-27T15:40:00.004-03:00

Here is a pic of my progress to date. As you can see, I have made some changes to this last band. (Geeze, that pic is crooked, sorry!) I like the way it has turned out. What I don`t like is that I ran out of one of the GAST threads. The pattern said to do the double running bands in 2 strands. I thought that was odd, as it`s usually done with one strand on 32 ct, but I followed the directions and used 2. Turns out it was an error and should have used one, thus my turning up short on the dk. blue. I am so close to finishing this, I guess i`ll do everything but the double running and wait til I can get more thread. It just ticks me off...it seems every time I stitch something from Just CrossStitch magazine, they have made a mistake in the pattern or directions somewhere. I know, we are all human...but they make more than their share of mistakes. Grrrrrrrr.....

Anywho, aggravation aside, keep stitching ladies!

Everything old is new again!

2009-10-21T01:40:00.002-03:00

I know, odd title for a stitching post, but I can`t get it out of my head now that I have thought of it. I posted about this sampler not too long after I started blogging. It is American Sampler by Sandy Orton, and was published in Treasures In Needlework magazine. I tried to find a copy for a fellow blogger, and a friend kindly mailed me her unwanted copy. In the meantime, my friend had gotten one, and to make a long story short, I have a copy of the magazine with this sampler in it, and it needs a good home. If there is anyone out there who needs the chart for this sampler, just leave your comment on this post and please make sure you leave your email in your comment. I will put the names in a hat and draw a name. I will draw the name on November 21. Please, enter your name only if you are serious about stitching this sampler, as there are a lot of stitchers out there that are really wanting this. Good luck!

I see some people are not including their e-mail in the comment. If I draw your name and don`t have the email, I will draw someone elses. Please put the email in your comment on this post.

Grateful Heart update

2009-10-14T04:00:00.003-03:00

Grateful Heart

I have, as you can see, been working on Grateful Heart, by Sharon Cohen. I`m changing some things (bet you`re not surprised!) as I go with the help of a new toy I got recently from the Needleprint site, called Jane Greenoff's` Cross Stitch Designer. A few weeks ago on the Needleprint site Jacqueline offered a free download of a pattern snippet from an antique Scottish sampler. This was undoubtedly the same band that had inspired Sharon Cohen when she designed the large band towards the bottom of Grateful Heart. Don`t get me wrong, I love Sharons designs...but this band bothered me. It just seemed too heavy, and the arcaded band seemed like it was grabbing too much attention from the rest of the sampler.

Changes so far

As soon as I saw Jacqueline's download, I knew I wanted to change the band...lighten it up, and soften it a bit. Time will tell whether or not my changes are successful. It has been fun tinkering with it, at any rate!

I love this band!

I am kitting up supplies an ornie right now too, Autumn Stars, by BBD in the Sept/Oct issue of Just CrossStich. I have always wanted to have some Autumn designs stitched up, as it`s my fav. time of year, but so far haven`t done any. Too many projects, never enough time.

Keep stitching ladies!

The kindness of strangers...

2009-10-08T19:36:00.003-03:00

Awhile ago I recieved an email from a fellow blogger regarding a post I had made here ages ago about the Loara Standish sampler. She very kindly is sending me the pattern for Loara! I am so pleased to be able to stitch Loara finally...I have admired her for years. The kit is too much for my budget, even on ebay, where there have been only a few for sale in the last couple of years. I am overwhelmed by her generosity...

I am back to working on Grateful Heart, and will have an update pic soon.

Until next time, keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham is Finished!!

2009-10-05T01:10:00.000-03:00

Ta-da!!! I finally finished my version of Mary Wigham. I started stitching this with the colours given for it, but I started making changes so certain motifs would show up properly. The more I stitched, the more I changed, playing around a bit with colour combinations within motifs as well.
I also left out some of the little diamond shaped decorations around the initials, as it made some areas too crowded. I am still not 100% happy with parts of it, but I don`t think i`ll do any more ripping out.

I have gone back to work on my Grateful Heart. It has been really hard to adjust to stitching with 2 strands of floss again. I much prefer stitching with one strand!

Keep stitchi9ng ladies!

Mary Wigham update

2009-09-23T19:49:00.001-03:00

This is my progress to date on MW. Sorry it has been so long since my last update, but I seem to have a major case of the blahs, and just didn`t feel like blogging.

There are two areas in the pic with thread attached, in different shades of pink. I am not happy with the very pale pinks I have stitched some of the motifs in, and have been on a search for 'the perfect pink'. I will keep the upper one, DMC 760. It`s a coral-ish pink, and I think it looks ok. The bottom pink has to go...it is too far to the blue side of the scale. Which means, back to hunting for another shade of pink. I`m thinking, maybe 3708?

Keep stitching ladies!

Marken bands...

2009-08-29T18:10:00.000-03:00

A few years ago I read in Piecework magazine (Nov/Dec 1996...wow, time flies!) an article about the hair bands of Marken. Wonderful cross stitched bands worked in black thread on snowy white linen. Each family had their own band, the pattern a carefully guarded secret handed down through the generations and worn by the women on what was known as a Big Cap...a cap made up of 12 pieces pinned together while on the head and worn even while sleeping! The stitched band was horizontal across the top of the forehead, and covered with a piece of gauzy fabric, making it difficult to distinguish the design by the casual observer. The design of the band was such a closely guarded secret, they were washed and hung to dry inside...just in case someone saw them hanging on the line and copied the pattern!

Where am I going with this, you ask? Right back to the Needleprint site! Jacqueline offers a sampler made up of wonderful Marken bands, and I just could not resist it! The pattern is lovely, printed on high quality card stock, and includes information about the Marken Bands. I love it done in the black, but there is a whisper in my ear that says "do it in blue"...beautiful indigo blue on white linen...but it would be equally as beautiful in red...or green...

Keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham update, and software fun

2009-08-07T16:15:00.000-03:00

This is my progress on Mary Wigham to date. I have had a few attacks of nasty frogs, or I would be further along with her. I am still subbing colours in some places, and I have added 3045 to my choices. I may take out the paler yellows and redo them in 3045, esp the small medallion just to the left of the blue flowers. It doesn`t show up very well against the cream. My goal is to finish Mary this month. Think i`ll make it?

Distracting me from MW is a wonderful new software program that I got with an e copy of the Beatrix Potter sampler. It`s called Jane Greenoff`s Cross Stitch Designer. Needleprint is offering infinity charts for use with it. They are called infinity because they will last you to infinity.You can change colours, flip, rotate, delete...in short, you can customize charts to your hearts content. You can import pics and change them to patterns, and print as many copies as you`d like. And, of course, you can design your own charts from scratch, print them out, and stitch away! The Beatrix Potter infinity chart including the software download is only $20.00 US !! There is a separate blog now for the infinity charts and masterclasses on using the software. I only wish there were more hours in the day for playing and stitching!

Keep stitching ladies!

Antique Samplers!

2009-07-22T17:19:00.004-03:00

I was reading some back issues of The Gift Of Stitching magazine the other day and came upon a link to Christies Auction House. Did you know they have a searchable data base of past auctions, and that there are many, many samplers pictured!?? Just go to the main page and type "samplers" into the search box. Then click on "Search past lots for samplers". So many riches...never enough time...

Keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham progress

2009-07-19T19:02:00.002-03:00

This is my progress on Mary to date....
I have changed more colours...the rosebuds in this wreath were done in a very pale pink, and when viewed from a distance it looked like I had forgotten to fill them in. I thought the red (3857) was a little too dark, so I choose a shade just a little lighter, 3721. It seems I keep adding colours to the pallet as I go along, subbing them for the creams and whites.

I haven`t decided what colour to do the initials in the center...I will choose something later to balance out the colours i`ve changed. I am skipping around on this, stitching what ever strikes my fancy, and just having fun and enjoying it.

Keep stitching ladies!

Mary goes for coffee

2009-07-18T08:08:00.000-03:00

I took Mary Wigham out for coffee the other day...I didn`t have any time to actually stitch on her here, as I had to shop before the stores closed...

This was my progress up til that point...you can see I took the black out the leaves around the squirrel were done in and used the lovely green (my favorite colour). In the medallion on the right, I substituted the black with the dark brownish red...

Isn`t this a cozy cafe? In fact, It`s called the Cozy Internet Cafe...I think i`ll take my stitching someday soon and drink lattes all day!

Keep stitching ladies!

Traditional Stitching

2009-07-15T16:16:00.002-03:00

I Have have been on a rather tight budget lately, saving for expenses which I am sure will be incurred during my upcoming move to the USA, but when I opened my email today and opened up the latest newsletter from Traditional Stitches I just could not resist buying some of her fabrics.

I have been stitching Mary Wigham on 36 ct. This has been somewhat of a stitching revelation for me. I have always stuck to 32 ct and larger, thinking I could not see well enough to go for a smaller count. As I have gotten older, I am now doing the 'trombone' manoeuvre (holding things at arms length to focus). I have started stitching with my glasses off. I am nearsighted, and I have tried magnifying lenses of all sorts, including prescription, but I can`t stitch using them. Glasses off seems to work fine, and I have not noticed any increase in eyestrain. Even while stitching Mary Wigham. Which brings me to my point...I love the higher count fabrics now! I especially love only using one strand of floss...no twisting, tangling is reduced, no laying tool!! Not to mention the mileage you get from a skein...not a big deal for DMC, but if you are doing a large sampler with expensive silks, it is much more affordable this way! Most antique samplers were stitched on very fine fabrics with one strand of thread. They knew what they were doing!

So, I ordered some of Janice`s fabrics...36 and 40 ct, from her pre-cut fabric selection. These are a wonderful deal anyway, but she is offering an additional discount to her newsletter subscribers. If you haven`t signed up for her newsletter, you should. Granted, she is In Canada, and shipping to the US would be more, but it still may be worth it to those of you 'south of the border'.

As always...keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham

2009-07-04T02:43:00.000-03:00

I am still loving stitching this sampler! (I bet you are tired of hearing that). It is so much fun completing one medallion at a time and seeing it develop into a cohesive whole. Well, somewhat cohesive...sometimes I wonder about the colour choices. Of course, maybe the girls at Ackworth didn`t have a lot of choice, they stitched with what they were given. It makes me wonder just how much freedom they had to choose designs and colours. Some of the motifs are a little puzzling...like this one. (I apologize for the poor pic)

Is it a turtle? A bird? A lump with legs? After looking at it for awhile, I thought it just might be a dove with an olive branch in it`s beak. But then that begged the question...why do leaves in black? So I dropped the black from this section...and possibly the whole sampler. It just looks too harsh in contrast with the other colours. And what the heck...as I had already made some earlier changes, and it will be hanging on my wall, I may as well do it so I will enjoy looking at it!

Keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham

2009-06-27T02:35:00.002-03:00

Not a very good pic colour-wise, but you can see my progress. I am still stitching directly from my comp screen, so it`s kind of slow going. I changed the colours on a few of the motifs as the ecru and white just don`t show up on the cream...I really, really am loving this sampler!

Keep stitching ladies!

Grateful Heart Chit Chat for Silklover

2009-06-27T01:42:00.003-03:00

SilkLover asked me some questions about my version of Grateful Heart. She wrote:

I Love the Grateful Heart Sampler. So happy to find someone else stitching it! I was checking Just Cross Stitch Mag for corrections as I had a question on the colors used in Areas C and E since the directions said to use color 7044 (Dungarees) for BOTH of the stitches, but the photo of the design (and your pic) differs. What I found instead was that all double-running and backs stitches should be stitched using one strand of floss rather than the two noted in the instructions. If I was more experienced, I would have figured that out. Too late. Since I have too many hand problems to rip out the work I have used these stitches in, and if I did I would toss it right now as the GAST floss is terrible quality and does not hold up, I will leave as is. I have a question - did you use Old Blue Paint or Blue Jay color for the long-arm stitches in Areas C and E? Thanks!

Hello Silklover! I looked for an email addy for you, but can`t find one, so i`ll answer you here...I really wondered about doing the double running with 2 strands, so I stood back and looked after I stitched it, and it looked ok to me so I left it.

I completely agree about the GAST quality...I have some older stock in my stash that is nice, but this is terrible...I won`t be buying their threads again unless I can see them first(I mail order all my supplies right now). This also makes me wonder if I am going to run out of thread because i`m using twice as much for the double running stitches. I know mistakes happen, but geeze...don`t they check things before they publish? Grrrrrrrr......

As for areas C and E... I used Blue Jay for the long armed cross...I think it is a mistake in the pattern saying to use Dungarees. The pic looked like she used Blue Jay, so that`s what I went with...

Thank you so much SilkLover for the info...I didn`t see any corrections for the sampler anywhere...where did you find them, and are there any more little 'surprises' I should know about? Do you have a blog where I can see your stitching?

Winter`s Lace update

2009-06-24T03:15:00.000-03:00

I spent last weekend with this project...I hadn`t worked on it for awhile, and I had to 'switch gears' to working confetti stitches....a big difference from Mary Wigham. I like working this though I wish it was going a little faster. I am trying to be patient with it, because unless I stitch it exclusively, it is going to be slow going.

I am back to working on Mary Wigham again...I have my comp on the side with the pattern on screen so I can stitch (no printer). It`s a bit awkward, but I just can`t seem to put MW down...I am officially Quaker addicted I think!

Keep stitching ladies!

Mary Wigham update

2009-06-20T00:06:00.001-03:00

Here is section one, (mostly) finished. There are a few stitches that go into the second part that I haven`t done. The only problem is I don`t have a printer, so i`m waiting for part two to come in the mail (my fiancee printed it off for me). I have tried stitching with the comp on my lap, but it`s a bit awkward...maybe i`ll stitch on Grateful Heart for awhile...or maybe go back to my wolves...hmmm. Decisions, decisions...

There is a lot of buzz about this sampler on the Needle and Thread board. I am loving every stitch of this so far, and i`m not alone!...come take a peek at our pics and join in the conversations! Joining YUKU is free, and there are a lot of stitching boards there...

Keep stitching ladies!

Grateful Heart and Mary Wigham

2009-06-14T19:28:00.001-03:00

Here is an update pic of my Grateful Heart by Sharon Cohen. I made a change in this band...the carnations had been done in green and pink, whereas mine are just pink. I made a mistake when stitching and decided I liked them better all pink, so I just left it. I wanted to get this band finished before I started Mary Wigham...my linen and threads for Mary came on Monday!

I started Mary Wigham a few days ago. I don`t know if I am going to be bored with all cross stitch and no specialty stitches, but it`s fun so far! Go here and click on the pic in the side bar to see how others are stitching theirs...there is so much wonderful variety in the colour schemes!

Keep stitching ladies!

June 6

2009-06-06T22:45:00.002-03:00

Today is the anniversary of D Day, The Battle of Normandy. I have 2 soon-to-be stepsons who are in the military, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. They are never far from my thoughts, but today they are especially on my mind. Stay safe.

Stitching...on a budget?

2009-06-04T20:22:00.003-03:00

Photo by Fry, Annapolis Basin. This is one of my favorite places to stitch...

I have been trying to be very conservative in my spending the last few months. I am going to live in the USA, and have been saving (or trying to) for airfares, etc. I have really done very well...until lately. I decided to join the Mary Wigham stitch-along over at the Needleprint blog, and so I ordered my material (from the sale section of Traditional Stitches) and my thread (DMC instead of silk). I made a donation for the continued upkeep of the sampler at Ackworth, and thought to myself wow...I shouldn`t spend anymore on stitching for awhile...after all, I have more in my stash than I will likely ever get stitched now...and then I saw this , the Ackworth School Memory Book. I could have a place to enter the names of all the stitchers, notes on my progress, mementos of the event, notes about the antique sampler....I hesitated...I hemmed and hawed...I slept on it. I tried to ignore the book, but it beckoned me...so I broke down and ordered it. By the time I get this sampler finished, I will have spent around $100.00...and that is before framing!

I plan on stitching a lot on Grateful Heart this weekend so I can have as much of it done as possible before starting Mary Wigham. I should have an update pic for you on Monday.

How do you all manage to stick to a budget when it comes to your passion? I need a needlework intervention!

Keep stitching ladies!

You learn something new...

2009-05-29T18:35:00.001-03:00

Every day. At least, that`s how the saying goes. I stumbled upon a blog the other day called Needleprint. How I had missed this blog for so long I don`t know, but upon reading it, I found out about this sampler, Mary Wigham, which is one of the Ackworth Samplers. I had seen this around the net, stitched by various people, and loved it, but I didn`t know that it had been reproduced and sold as a pattern without license or permission to do so. I myself have stitched from photos...sometimes the chart was out of print, and sometimes it just didn`t exist as a repro at all...but printing and selling (and thereby profiting from) a sampler without permission to do so is just WRONG!. I have NO idea why the person who has done this has been allowed to get away with it. It is the same as stealing from Ackworth...they cannot fund the publishing of this pattern now as they are not sure how many they could sell as it is already in circulation. They rely on publishing of their patterns for funds for preservation of the samplers in the collection. Sorry If I have gone on a bit, but this is a pet peeve of mine. *gets down off soapbox*

Mary Wigham is being made available as a free stitch-a-long by Needleprint. Stitchers joining are asked to please contribute to a fund to help preserve this sampler at Ackworth so future generations can appreciate it also. I am excited about this stitch along. I have never stitched a Quaker sampler before, so I am starting with a 'bang'. This one is HUGE...300 x 290 stitches. I think I an going to stitch it on 36 ct cream Edinburgh from Traditional Stitches using DMC threads. I would love to use silks, but that would just make it too expensive. I can`t really afford this as it is, but I have watched fellow stitchers doing Quakers and drooled over them...and I just want to, drat it! Why don`t you toodle on over to Needleprint and join us?

As always, keep stitching ladies!

This and that...

2009-05-24T10:42:00.000-03:00

I have been working on Coffin Buzz a little, but have switched back to Grateful Heart sampler for now. I don`t have much progress to show you, so here is a pic of the Plymoth Jacket project as posted on Tricia Nguyen`s blog Thistle Threads,The Embroiderers Story. The post is called Eye Candy , and that`s just what it is!

I had lost track of the jackets progress a bit lately, and spent some of the weekend catching up on the blog...the jacket is almost finished! It`s a gorgeous thing to behold...go take a peek!

Keep stitching ladies...

Mothers Day Start

2009-05-14T00:35:00.000-03:00

It was really hectic here last weekend, so I decided I needed something to work on that was simple and didn`t consist of overdyed fibers that the two visiting dogs could drool on...so I started this:It`s Coffin Buzz, by Plum Street Samplers. I am stitching it on 28ct mushroom Jazlyn with DMC 3031. After it is finished I think I will coffee dye it, just for fun!

Thanks for looking, and keep stitching ladies!

Grateful Heart Update

2009-05-07T21:30:00.001-03:00

This is my progress on Grateful Heart by Sharon Cohen. These rather large flowers are done in Irish stitch. According to the instructions it is, anyway, although the diagram is a bit puzzling. After the first row or two I figured it out, and if it isn`t exactly as diagrammed, it turned out ok.

I just love the precise look of this stitch!

The leaves are filled with satin stitch

And the vine is filled in with upright gobelin.

Next is a row of long armed cross and double running that is exactly like the row above this one, only it is inverted. I`m not too sure about the word 'stitches' in the verse...it is done in a very pale yellow (willow), and it makes it hard to read, so I think i`ll change it. There are lots more changes i`m going to make further down also, but i`ll leave discussing those for another day.

I must admit, I am a little discouraged with the number of comments I get on my blog...some days it feels like no one is reading, so why do I bother? If anyone has any suggestions as to things they would like to see here, please leave me a note.

As always...keep stitching ladies!

Red Finish!

2009-04-28T14:37:00.000-03:00

Thanks to Mudmonkey of Needle and Thread who was kind enought to send me a skein of DMC 115, I finished my ABC Heart sampler. It is stitched on 28ct Amber linen. I do love a happy dance!!

Keep stitching ladies!

Scissors Fob

2009-04-26T01:50:00.000-03:00

I stopped at a bead shop the other day and could not resist buying some beads. I can see why this craft is so popular...the variety, the colour, the sparkle! I bought some favorite colours and made a fob. It was easy, and only took about 10 minutes to make. It`s my first beaded one, so don`t look too closely!

Thanks for looking, and keep stitching ladies!

Grateful Heart

2009-04-24T20:25:00.006-03:00

This is my progress to date. I am enjoying the colours, though not the thread so much (see previous post). Some of the skeins are fine though. If I was near a needlework store, I would try to exchange the ones i`m not pleased with, but that is out, unfortunately. I have not complained to the thread company...I hate doing that sort of thing, but I may yet. Anyway, the colours are pretty, and just the thing for spring.

For some reason, pics are loading so slow on my comp it is making it almost impossible to view my own blog, so I am displaying one post at a time on my front page. Sorry for the inconvenience...I will change it as soon as I figure out what is up.

Thanks for looking, and keep stitching ladies!

A question regarding floss

2009-04-18T21:55:00.003-03:00

What is up with Gentle Art Sampler Threads cotton overdyes? Has anyone found the quality has gone downhill, or is it just my imagination? I am stitching the Sharon Cohen sampler Grateful Heart with the called for GAST threads, and they seem oddly stringy...the twist is looser than it should be, and they lack the smoothness they had before. Anyone else finding this?

A Mystery Item

2009-04-18T16:57:00.001-03:00

This piece of linen (not the stitching, i`ll get to that) is a mystery to me. I found it in an antique store in a pile of miscellaneous linens….doilies, runners, handkerchiefs, etc. It is approx 15" by 15" , and is of an uneven count of 28 x 30. It appears to be a raw, undyed linen. When I washed it, it appeared to lose some colour, but upon further examination, I think it was just dirt and smoke that turned my wash water brown.

It has a folded edge secured by a row of chain stitches in a blue thread that appears to be silk. It had a multi looped bow of silk ribbon in the same pale blue as the silk chain stitch, attached to the center of the piece. It has been obviously washed many times in its life…the linen is soft and supple, with a slight sheen. I bought it to stitch on…I thought it would look good with a simple sampler on it, and that`s what I`m using it for….but all the while I have had it, it has been nagging at me….what is it? There was another one in the shop with a dark gold edge of stitching and matching bow, again in the center, that I didn`t buy (I regret that now). Why on earth would someone put a large bow dead center in a square of linen? I wonder if I will ever know?

The sampler I am stitching is a Margaret and Margaret design called Seasonal Sampler with DMC.

Keep stitching ladies!

Stash arrival!

2009-04-07T01:11:00.000-03:00

I have stash! Bless Traditional Stitches!

First, the new issue of SANQ magazine. I love this magazine..it seems to be the only one of it`s kind published now. It has a blend of patterns and informative articles about needlework and needlework tool collections. Just some of the goodies in this issue include a look at the 'little dog' samplers of Tennessee, a pattern for a Jacobean pin-keep, a collection of filigree needlework tools in silver and gold, a peek at the book The Goodhart Samplers and an in depth look at Gilt Sylke Twist, a thread 'reinvented' for the Plymoth Jacket Project (a fiber I covet to the point of obsession).

Next...a pattern for a German Show Towel from Carriage House Samplings. I have admired these towels for a long time, and when this pattern came up for sale at 50% off, I could not resist!

A pattern from Little House Needleworks called Necessities Sampler...for obvious reasons. Fabric, needle and thread are necessities as far as I am concerned!

Last, but not least, another beautiful pattern from The Victoria Sampler called Tea and Stitches. A lovely box lid, scissors fob, scissors case, and needle-book. Such pretty colours! (Sorry for the oddly angled pic, but the cover is shiny and I was getting flash bounce)

I have made some progress on my sampler, but am saving that for another day. Keep stitching ladies!

Red disaster...

2009-04-03T02:15:00.000-03:00

Not so much of the needlework genre...although it is bad enough! I have dyed my hair a most disastrous shade of red...I thought I had deep auburn, and it was deep red. It is much too bright...rather traffic stopping, and not in a good way. In the sun it looks streaky...rather like the DMC 115 I have been using....which brings me to my second problem of the week.

I was zipping along on this sampler, having such a good time with it, and wham...the frogs struck! I just couldn`t seem to stop making mistakes! When I finally got back to stitching it right, I ran out of thread. So I guess i`ll just have to set this aside for a bit while I wait for my thread to come from more than halfway across the country, from Calgary to Nova Scotia. Can you believe it? There is no place to buy DMC 115 within easy driving distance of me (ie: less than 3 hours)

So...while I was debating if I could 'make do' with some DMC 75, which is also a red variegated (now discontinued) I decided to try a few stitches of the Sharon Cohen sampler. I have never worked on the Summer Khaki linen before, and it is lovely stuff! I adore Zweigart fabrics, and this one is like all the others I have used...smoothly and solidly woven with nicely 'fat' rounded threads that don`t abrade the thread. This is going to be a lovely stitch...the colours are just gorgeous, and so spring-like. I know I won`t be happy with the colour mismatch of the DMC 75 on the red sampler, so i`ll switch to this for awhile while I wait for the thread to come from Traditional Stitches. Janice is always so good about sending me things quickly, even when I 'add' things to an order that has just gone out, which I think will be the case again this time.

Sorry to be so wordy this post...it just seems to be one of those weeks when nothing goes right, and so takes a lot of explaining. Here`s to hoping my hair fades quickly, and the frogs stay away! Keep stitching ladies!

What do you do

2009-03-25T20:52:00.000-03:00

When you aren`t working or stitching? I tend to surf needlework related sites, and I though i`d share a few favorites.

A site to oogle antique samplers: http://www.antiquesamplers.org/home.php you need to be a member to access the site, but sign up is free.

http://www.exemplum.co.uk/home.html a British site with lots of good info about antique samplers, including how to go about researching the provenance if you are lucky enough to buy an antique.

http://www.atticneedlework.com/ The Attic....right now I am scrolling through their past editions of their newsletters and remembering all the designs I meant to buy...and stitch...(dangerous if you are on a stash diet)

My interest in 16th century English samplers has started to ooze over into Elizabethan costuming...the motifs practised and perfected on the samplers were intended to make the clothing resplendent...and this site is just overflowing with everything Elizabethan.
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ including some lovely jewelery (another passion of mine)

http://www.gtj.org.uk/index.php?id=227&L=0 This is a site on Welsh culture, with some lovely samplers to enjoy.

http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/showExhibition.cfm?venueid=12&itemid=99&Showid=85 and of course, the Burrell Collection. The samplers are really hard to find if you go to the main site, so I just Googled the exhibit and found it that way.

These are just a few sites I have browsed lately. They cut into my stitching time, but they are still time well spent, IMO. There is so much information out there now, and well worth the time it takes to do a few searches.

Well, it`s time for me to get cosy with a Harry Potter movie and my red sampler....Keep stitching ladies!

Update on red sampler

2009-03-24T13:50:00.000-03:00

Here is an updated pic of my red sampler. Not as much progress as I would like, but some is better than none.

I also have decided to do a SAL...well, I think i`ve decided. I downloaded the first part of the newest Papillon Creations SAL, Castles in the Air, the specialty stitch version. I immediately see a problem...I have to choose 8 colours of thread for the flowers, 2 shades of green, and a fabric to stitch it on. I just am having so much trouble with decisions lately. I think it`s stress, and as I hate boring you with my personal problems, i`ll just leave it at that. Anyway, here is a rough idea of what the first section looks like.

If you want to join the SAL, click the link above and sign up for the free newsletter. There is a small charge of 1 GBP (about $1.70 Canadian) for the charts, which are then emailed to you in PDF form.

Keep stitching ladies!

Red red red....

2009-03-01T02:15:00.001-04:00

I love red. Especially the DMC variegated red 115, with which I am stitching this small sampler on 28ct Amber linen (I have no idea who the manufacturer is). I got the pattern on the Yahoo group The Sampler Life . It is called One Heart ABC and was a freebie. There are lots of sampler enthusiasts there, so take a moment to check it out!

Thanks to a news letter that I subscribe to, I also found a new collection of samplers on line, here and have been happily browsing this weekend. I have been so exhausted lately that stitching and browsing is about all I have the energy for right now. Work is killing me...when I get on to my regular schedule, i`ll be working four 10 hour days with three days off a week. I`m hoping I will get more done at home that way.

Time to turn in...keep stitching ladies!

PS- The date of publication on this post is wrong, it should be 3/2/09, but blogger doesn`t like that date for some reason...

A small happy dance

2009-02-22T23:52:00.000-04:00

I started this last weekend and finished it today. It is a Sampler Girl design that I stitched using my own colour choices of DMC that I had on hand, from the Jan/Feb issue of Just CrossStitch. I have folded the edges back to show you what it will look like once it is finished into a small pillow. This was a quick fun stitch...just the thing to take to work with me to get a few stitches in at lunch time.

Keep stitching ladies!

Stash Heaven!!!!

2009-02-21T02:56:00.003-04:00

I got this in the mail Friday from Traditional Stitches. It is the linen and GAST threads for the Sharon Cohen sampler, plus 2 spools of linen thread and some lovely scented lavender bees wax (it looks like it somehow got melted a bit, but no matter...it will soon have thread marks in it anyway) The parcels sat in the car all day Friday while I was at work...whenever I had a minute to draw breath, I thought about my stash and the coming weekend. I am almost finished with a small sampler and may have a pic to share tomorrow. Keep stitching ladies!

Moms Afghan

2009-02-19T14:31:00.003-04:00

This is the afghan mom has been working on since Christmas. There are 64 crocheted squares, all the same...the pattern is formed by the arrangement of them. It is called Chevron Log Cabin. Isn`t it pretty?

This and that....

2009-02-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

I have been stitching almost every day lately, but don`t seem to have a lot to show for it! I started a small design by The Sampler Girl called persuasion. It is in the Jan/Feb issue of Just CrossStitch. I am having fun changing the floss colours and the linen...I am using what I have on hand because there is no LNS nearby. I am ordering all my supplies through Traditional Stitches of Calgary, and while I get wonderful service from them, sometimes I just start something on the spur of the moment and can`t wait for thread. I have ordered the fabric and threads for the Sharon Cohen project I mentioned here, as well as some linen thread, thread wax, and Coton a Broder in a few sizes to experiment with doing pulled and drawn work. It was interesting trying to find out about the Coton a Broder...Traditional Stitches has a thread called Broder Special , which I found out was the same thing as Coton a Broder thanks to Mary Corbet of Needle and Thread ...if you haven`t read her blog, you should check it out. She does goldwork and whitework and freehand embroidery...lots of wonderful things!

I have been surfing some this weekend drooling over needlework threads and tools...Lacis is a wonderful site, but due to the shipping and difference in the dollar i`ll save any buying until I am back in the US. I also found a wonderful site with some blackwork freebies called WyrdByrd`s Nest .
There are some wonderful designs there.

Well, back to my needlework. Sorry this is a picture-less post, but I will try to make up for it next time. Keep stitching ladies!

Learning something new?

2009-02-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

Given unlimited time and funds, is there a needlework technique you would love to learn? There are so many wonderful types of needlework out there...hardanger, drawn thread, needlelace, bobbin lace, goldwork, whitework...what would you like to try?

I have been reading the Plymoth Plantation blog The Embroiderers' Story , and if I had the time and money for teavelling, I would go to one of the embroidery sessions. I can`t imagine anything more fun than spending time with ladies who love history and needlework as much as I do, learning to do detatched buttonhole (The blue petals) and plaited braid stitch (the gold work you see below). Just look at this flower:

Isn`t it wonderful? Keep stitching ladies!

Aftermath...

2009-02-06T02:23:00.000-04:00

Thought you might like a pic of the workshop and the barn in back of our house...after the plowing and shovelling! I used to love snow...

Brrrrrrrr

2009-02-04T04:22:00.002-04:00

Another storm! We got a nor`easter...30 cm of snow, and winds in the forcast for tomorrow. Classes for work were even cancelled, and that almost never happens! It has only been a week since the last storm. Thank heavens I didn`t drive home after that one...I got a ride with a guy who was used to driving on snow covered roads...good thing too, as the highway wasn`t even plowed. What a mess!

I did get some stitching in today...I worked on the wolves. It was cozy with the wind howling around the eaves. Not looking forward to the drive in tomorrow though.

Keep stitching ladies!

Dreaming...

2009-02-01T15:07:00.002-04:00

I received this pattern in the mail last week from Traditional Stitches. It is the Heirloom Stitching Sampler from The Victoria Sampler, and I LOVE it! The only dissappointment was that it is not charted for DMC as well as the various silks and specialty threads. A pack with the threads, beads and charms is available, but it is $86.95!!! I just refuse to spend that amount of money on specialty silks when DMC would (IMO) look just as nice. I will likely buy the overdyed threads the design calls for and match my DMC threads up to those.

So for now, I am looking and dreaming of having the time to start it. I`m sure once I get my time organized I will be able to make time for my stitching...until then, I am reading and dreaming....

Keep stitching ladies!

Tagged again!

2009-01-31T16:57:00.007-04:00

I have been tagged with the Fabby Award from Barb at Stitching Again . I had never read her blog, so now I have another wonderful place to read about stitching! I Have to list 5 of my addictions and then pass this award on to 5 other bloggers. So here, in no particular order:

Samplers...I love them. If I am not stitching them, I am reading about them or dreaming of the ones i`d love to stitch.
Coffee...I am an addict, I freely admit it! I have an espresso maker, a drip machine, and a french press. I don`t ever drink instant...I buy whole beans and grind them myself. I love coffee cream chocolates...coffee ice cream...chocolate covered coffee beans...coffee granola bars...well, you get the picture!
The internet...I love bulletin boards...I belong to several Highlander fans BBs, as well as a lot of stitching boards. I even met my fiancee on line. Which brings me to....
My SO...I met him on-line, and hope to be back in Colorado this year for good. He is a wonderful, kind, sweet caring gentle man. This may sound trite, but he is truly my soul-mate.
Jewelery and gemstones. I love the history of them, and of course the sparkle. I collect them...one of my favorite stones is peridot. It is also my birthstone.
I am passing the award to:

Sharon B`s Pin Tangle
Catherine Noon`s Knoontime Knitting
Staci at Snippets and Stash
Gio at Giovanna Stitches
Alison at The Crafty Squirrel

I tried to give the award to blogs that haven`t received it yet, but if you have, you now have it twice! *grin*

I am still debating about the Sharon Cohen sampler kit. If I get it in the US, it is $52....here in Canada it is $76.45 because of the difference in the dollar. But if it is in the US at my fiancees house, I won`t get to see it for months! (I have no illusions I will start it anytime soon) I have started a new job, but don`t want to count my chickens before they are hatched. The big problem is, attendance is mandatory...miss three classes and you are gone. Travelling this time of year is tricky, at best. Our road isn`t cleared from the last storm, and it`s snowing again...So no grocery shopping today. This weather really stinks!

Well, I have to get to work around here, so I can stitch tomorrow (hopefully)

Keep stitching ladies!

Additional note on yesterdays post...

2009-01-24T17:40:00.002-04:00

The kit for the Sharon Cohen sampler is available from Traditional Stitches (no affiliation, except for me being their satisfied customer). The kit contains 32ct Summer Khaki linen and The Gentle Art Sampler Threads. You can also have the two issues of Just CrossStitch that the pattern is in added to your order. I am soooo tempted. This is one of the most beautiful samplers I have seen in years. I start a new job on Monday, so I suppose I could afford it. Hmm....

Just CrossStitch...Just Gorgeous!

2009-01-23T19:40:00.003-04:00

This is the new issue of Just CrossStitch. In fact, it is so new, I couldn`t find a pic of it on line, so please excuse the blurry photo...shiny covers are hard to capture accurately. I just could NOT resist this issue...Sharon Cohen has part I of a beautiful band sampler in this issue. The colours are spectacular, and there are lots of specialty stitches. It is stitched in colours from The Gentle Art Sampler Threads, with D.M.C substitutions listed. I LOVE it. I won`t be starting it anytime soon, but I can oogle it. Here it is in all it`s glory!

On the personal front, I got a new job working at a call center. There will be 5 weeks training, then I will be working 10 hour night shifts. It sounds rough, but I chose those hours so I could have three days a week off...so I will still have stitching time!!!

Sampler Update

2009-01-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

I have been working on my sampler again...I felt in need of colour to brighten the dreary days here by the bay. I have sort of mastered the needle weaving in the chain stitches leaves, and done some passable chain stitch. I picked out some areas where I finished my threads on the back and re-wove them more neatly. I may remove the cream satin stitches at the top of the sampler...the night I put those in I must have been having a brain lapse or something...I didn`t start and end my stitches neatly at all, instead, I ran the ends under the pink crosses outlining them. I don`t think I am going to frame this one, i`m going to hemstitch it,make a bag for it, (instructions are included with the pattern) and roll it up in the embroidered bag. I want to be proud of the back if someone flips it over, instead of hoping they don`t and cringing if they do.

Next up are sections of hemstitching and weaving...one problem though. I don`t have my linen thread with me. I don`t have floss in the right colour to substitute, and I also don`t have beeswax. I considered pulling threads from the sides of the sampler material, but without beeswax, those kind of linen threads are not really strong enough for stitching (i`ve done that before). There isn`t a needlework store closer than an hour away on icy roads, so i`ll have to see what I can scare up on-line. Until then I guess i`ll just run a line of basting where the cut areas should be and start on the other rows...satin stitching mostly.

Keep stitching ladies!

Sampler Stitches

2009-01-18T21:41:00.004-04:00

These are the satin stitches on my version of 17th Century Style Band Sampler that I subbed for the buttonhole variation that was giving me fits...I will have to try the buttonhole variation on a scrap at some point and try to figure out what I was doing wrong, but I think this looks fine on this sampler. I also gave the chain stitches another try...it called for them in an earlier band, but mine didn`t look neat enough, so I used something else...four-sided stitch I think. I have changed so many bands I can`t remember now.

This is interlacing done on chain stitch outline...where you see the diagonal dotted line of floss is where I wove to start my thread, which will be hidden by the lacing...to finish the thread I took the needle to the back and wove it again, filling in the gaps in the diagonal line. I am trying to find ways to end threads that are as neat as possible.

This is what the leaves look like with the needleweaving finished. The one on the right could be neater, but it looks worse in the pic than it does in real life. I may redo that leaf...

This is another shot of the needle weaving in progress, along with some blanket stitch.

I added these satin stitched hearts to fill in the end of the row...I think there is room for another one...or maybe a cross. Hmmmm...

This is a variation of a Rhodes Stitch I substituted for satin stitches...I love the raised texture it adds! I will show a progress pic of the whole sampler in my next post.

Moms Post...

2009-01-17T22:03:00.001-04:00

My mom, in her lifetime, has sewn clothes for her three children, including hand smocked dresses for me that, unfortunately, I only have pics of, made my sisters wedding dress, outfitted all the bridesmaids and flower girl (me), knit more sweaters, mittens, hats, scarfs and socks than I can count....made baby clothes, knit dolls and stuffed toys, crocheted afghans, pillows, baby blankets...well, you get the picture. If it could be made on the sewing machine or with yarn, she has likely done it. She is crocheting squares for an afghan as I write this. She loves making up her own patterns, and I have seen her look at something and say "I can make one of those, I don`t need a pattern" and she did it every time!

She taught me to crochet, and while I have done some with yarn, I prefer crochet cotton. I don`t crochet much, mostly when I need a ruffle to go around a cross-stitched pillow. But I think I got my creativity from her, and my love of colour.

She has no idea how to use a computer, however, so I am posting this for her. These are some of her latest creations...they are toilet tissue covers. I think they are really adorable...there is just something about those poodle faces!

Needlework stand follow up

2009-01-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

Awhile ago I told you I bought a floor stand to hold my scroll bars. I set it up yesterday, and put my 17th century style band sampler on it. The frame is lovely, easy to use and sturdy, but I need my magnifier lamp in order to use it. I just now found it, after looking all day. Since I am still at my moms, all my stuff is packed in boxes...and boxes....and more boxes.

I hate getting old. From the time I hit 41, my eyesight, which was never great to begin with, has gotten worse. I was always far-sighted and wore glasses, (they were really thick before thin ground lenses became available) but now I can`t see close with my glasses on, or far away with them off. I got a spare pair of glasses to wear with bi-focal strength lenses for stitching, but they don`t work well. The best way I can see to stitch is with no glasses holding my work really close, but that is hard on my eyes. I am going to give it a try stitching with the magnifier and floor stand. It is going to be difficult to get everything arranged with all the clamps, cords, and wooden arms in the way. Wish me luck!

Buttonhole Blues...

2009-01-13T23:48:00.003-04:00

So, I picked up my 17th Century Style sampler again, needing a break from the multiple color changes of greys and browns of the wolves, and remembered why I laid it aside in the first place. Buttonhole stitch. Usually I don`t mind it at all...once you get a rhythm going, it is fun and goes quickly, but this was a buttonhole variation. Unfortunately, I didn`t think to get a pic of what I had done before I cut it out, but i`ll try to describe the problem.

The stitch is done over 2, 3, 4, 5, then six threads, then you reverse the order and repeat the sequence, with the 'looped' end of the stitch forming a wavy edge. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the threads to lie smooth. Instead of the thread lying in nice straight lines, it always had a bit of a curve. I ripped and stitched it several times, and no matter how I adjusted my tension, it just looked messy. If you look closely at the pics that came with the pattern theirs also looks messy...the threads have the same curve, although mine was a little more pronounced.

So now I am staring at the sampler and wondering if I should try the buttonhole again, or just substitute a row of satin stitches in the same wavy pattern. I think i`ll go with the satin stitches. If something is wrong on my stitching, it seems to mock me every time I look at it, so I am thinking neat smooth satin stitches are the way to go. I will update with pics soon...keep stitching ladies!

Same book, different cover...

2009-01-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

I bought the first book below after having borrowed it from the library. I then ordered some more books, among them the second book below. I was dissapointed to discover they are the same book! One published in England, the other in North America, different covers but word for word the same. Very annoying.

Wolves Update

2009-01-11T03:00:00.000-04:00

I figured it was time to update my wolves. It seems to be going slow, but I am enjoying it. I am getting the itch to stitch a sampler though....I may go back to working on 17th century style sampler soon...maybe after this wolf is done. It is number three of five. The background should go more quickly as it isn`t full crosses for the most part, it is half stitches. We will see, I guess.

Library Find!

2008-11-15T20:44:00.000-04:00

I borrowed this book from my local library the other day. I was firstly very surprised to find it (I haven`t had much luck looking for needlework books at the library) and then enthralled when I opened it. What an exciting find! Tips on designing your own samplers...ideas for adapting existing patterns...instructions for many different stitches...inspiration on every page! I just ordered one from Amazon for $4.oo! (used). If you love stitching samplers you should check this one out!

Tagged!

2008-11-12T10:58:00.003-04:00

By Gio: http://gio162.wordpress.com/ (I never have figured out how to add links where you click on a name instead of the actual addy...I need a course in comp basics I think)

I must post six random things about myself. The rules are:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Tagging six people could present a problem...Dial up doesn`t like some blogs, esp the ones with flash displays, (you know...those cool boxes that display an ever changing pic of their work.) But I will give it a shot!

Six random things:

1 I am agnostic but love touring cathedrals

2 I love mystery novels

3 I am a Highlander fan

4 I collect gemstone jewelery

5 I have many relatives in England

6 I dislike my name

Hmmm...six people:

Allie: http://www.allieswonderland.blogspot.com/

Becky: http://beckysc.blogspot.com/

Christin: http://christinramblings.blogspot.com/

Dani: http://www.tkdchick.blogspot.com/

Leah: http://the-useful-needle.blogspot.com/

Cathy B: http://needleandthread.blogspot.com/

On the stitching front, I have been puttering away at my wolves...I have my x-mas project on the scroll frame, but am waiting for the allen key (little tool dohicky) that Jen forgot to send so I can tighten up my stand properly. Did I mention I bought a floor stand? I love using a scroll frame as it keeps my stitching so neat and hoop mark free, but find it too heavy to hold. Jen had a floor frame for sale on the Needle and Thread board at a lovely price, so I grabbed it! I am so excited to try it! Here is a pic:

The chart holder is slightly different than that one, but you get the idea. This will allow me to use my frame. Keeping the linen taut is much better...putting it in and out of a hoop sometimes seems to stretch the linen, making for a wonky finished project.

EveningStarDesigns http://www.eveningstardesigns.citymax.com/page/page/3991044.htm are having a sale of Needle Necessities overdyed floss...perfect for cross stich and embroidery. I love this thread...lovely big hanks of the most spectacular colours...Other threads are on sale also...I can`t justify spending money to buy more threads I don`t need right now, but I wish I could place an order...

Keep stitching ladies!

Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T08:12:00.004-04:00

Take a moment today to honor those who fought for our freedom...and those who are keeping the peace in the world right now as well.

This Remembrance Day my thoughts are with my soon-to-be stepsons. Kevin is in Iraq, and Kyle will soon be going to Afghanistan. Stay safe.

Christmas Stitching

2008-11-06T22:59:00.000-04:00

This is going to be my Christmas project this year. I don`t expect to have it finished by the 25th, but I like working on something seasonal at Christmastime.

I had wanted to do this one for a few years now, and actually thought I had bought the pattern, but I hadn`t, so I picked it up this summer. I love the look of hardanger on a sampler done as a bottom edge like this. I can`t wait to get started.

Progress...

2008-11-05T19:51:00.003-04:00

Slowly but surely...

I am making some progress. This is turning out to be a fun stitch, even though it`s not my usual thing at all.

I`m still here!

2008-10-26T01:00:00.005-03:00

My comp problems seem to be fixed *knocks on wood*. It seems that a program called RealPlayer was causing the crashing. I uninstalled it, and so far, so good.

This is my progress on Winters Lace. I am enjoying stitching this much more than I thought I would. My only peeve is I don`t care much for the fabbie I replaced the aida with. I think it`s Lugana...white 'fuzzies' seem to be separating from the fabric as I stitch. It also feels rough to the touch, and seems to be making my floss fray easily. I will be getting back to my sampler when my floor frame arrives.

Comp problems

2008-10-21T01:56:00.000-03:00

My comp seems to be having a major meltdown. I may be gone for awhile.

Not A Sampler...

2008-10-14T11:19:00.000-03:00

I have been working on 17th Century Style Band Sampler for a while now, and have hit a snag. There are two rows of a decorative buttonhole stitch that I can`t seem to do neat enough to suit me. So, after stitching and ripping it several times, I have switched to a different project for awhile.

My SO saw this in Fanci Mats and loved it, so I am stitching it for him:

It is a Dimensions kit. It came with Aida, but (no offense to those who like it) I despise Aida. So I picked out a 32 ct Zweigart and matched it as closely in colour as I could. Here is my progress so far:

It has been a fun stitch so far...lots of colour blending, of course, but not a lot of what I call 'confetti' stitches. The shades of colour move in a somewhat logical progression. The quality of the floss seems better than in most kits also (another pet peeve of mine...I don`t usually buy kits for that reason).

I am still packing...I think I have enough needlework packed to last me several lifetimes, but I figure choice is good. It`s going to be a long, cold winter.

Til next time, keep stitching ladies!

The Last Roses of Summer

2008-10-06T20:53:00.000-03:00

These are the last of our roses. We are getting a hard frost tonight. Fall is here.

I have been busy lately

2008-10-04T21:47:00.000-03:00

I am trying to get my supplies organized for the trip back to Nova Scotia. Sounds simple, right? WRONG! It involves making decisions...what to take, what to stitch, which threads go with which project...do I want to frame the finished item, or make it into a pillow/wall hanging/ stand up/needlebook etc, etc. I am having trouble making decisions lately.

While I am not actually dreading going back, i`d much rather just stay here. But, thanks to Homeland Security, and US law, I can`t. I knew I could only stay 6 months at a time, and that`s fine (well, not fine but I realize they need to set a limit), but when I came into the US this time I was told i`m spending too much time here. I have been flagged by Homeland Security as a possible risk of becoming an illegal alien. Excuse me? I don`t THINK so! I would just LOVE to become an illegal, have to change my name, live on the run, have my SO quit his job, sell his house, and change his name also. (are you sensing the sarcasm?) It`s like they have me convicted of a crime I haven`t committed...that they think I just might be tempted to commit. Good lord! I feel guilty when I jaywalk, so it just isn`t even within the realm of possibility.

So, I am headed back to Canada, and don`t know when I will be allowed back. My SO is filing paperwork to bring me here legally, but it takes years to get it sorted, so i`ve been told. So i`m busy...and cranky...and distracted...and, it seems ranting, so i`ll wind this up now.

As for stitching, i`m still working on 17th Century Style Band Sampler. I have stitched and ripped a few sections as they just didn`t suit me. I would post a pic, but my SO is asleep and the camera is in the bedroom. I will post a pic soon. Hopefully stitching will keep me from coming unravelled. Til next time ladies...keep stitching!

Answers to questions.

2008-10-04T02:47:00.002-03:00

Samplerjane...to answer your question, the first sampler (Suzey Oliver) is available from The Scarlet Letter .
http://www.scarlet-letter.com/

The second sampler (Lucy Ann Parker) is published by Amy Mitten Designs and is available from Wyndam Needleworks
http://www.wyndhamneedleworks.com/index.htm

It is possibly available other places as well.

UFO becomes a WIP

2008-09-18T09:34:00.001-03:00

I dug this out of my UFO pile and am determined to finish it.

I have changed the verse and some of the bands. I didn`t chart my changes, i`m just making them up as I go along. For some reason I have much more fun stitching something when I do that. I am almost finished the queen stitch strawberries.

I wish I could take better pics...I must dig out the book to my camera some day.

Keep stitching ladies!

Celtic Banner finally finished!

2008-09-14T04:10:00.002-03:00

Here is a full shot:

And two close ups:

I am SO glad to be finished with this. Now I need to decide if I should tackle another UFO or start something new.