Walls for the wind and a roof for the rain and drinks beside the fire ~
laughter to cheer you and those you love near you and all that your heart desires.

Tuesday, October 03, 2023

 The Day is Done 

The day is done, and the darkness
      Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
      From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village
      Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
      That my soul cannot resist:

A feeling of sadness and longing,
      That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
      As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem,
      Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
      And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters,
      Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
      Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music,
      Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
      And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet,
      Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
      Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who, through long days of labor,
      And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
      Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet
      The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
      That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume
      The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
      The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music,
      And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
      And as silently steal away.

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Well life never goes as planned....

It has been a year since I have posted. A back issue, multiple health issues, depression and loss of two beloved pets has meant a year of no stitching or sampler love. 

The sampler research in the previous post went no where as when I contacted a certain author and collector I was basically stonewalled. What is it with some collectors? Are they afraid by giving out info someone might steal the scoop and publish findings? Instead of being happy others are interested and helping out a fellow stitcher they clam up and give you the cold shoulder. There was one time someone had bought a sampler at auction, contacted me for an opinion on something and got furious when I gave it. If I was correct it was worth much less than she thought. The almighty dollar.

I am stitching a tiny bit on Ann Morison. Way too far behind to catch up with the others in the stitch a long, but I like the sampler so will try and finish it. Christmas is coming, and no, not ready....

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Down the Rabbit Hole

Sampler from Feller Needlework Collection Vol 2, figure 450.
  It all started with the book 'The Feller Needlework Collection : 2'(OOP). Aside from it being a gorgeously illustrated book, inside the front cover is a sampler pattern that had me drooling from the first time I saw it. Since it had been calling to me since the book was published in 2002, It went on my "to do" list. Then I got the book 'Embroidered Stories: Scottish Samplers' by Helen Wyld published in 2018,and I saw a sampler that looked so familiar, The Elizabeth Hadden sampler on pages 16 and 17, circa 1770. It was nearly identical to the sampler in the Feller book. I was so excited, wondering if anyone else had made the connection between these two samplers! These are the times I wish I had money...money to travel and research and find connecting samplers. Maybe they were done by sisters? At the same school? Under the tutelage of the same teacher?
   I then started to delve into some of my other sampler books. I found a sampler on page 69 of 'Samplers and Tapestry Embroideries' by Marcus Huish, but it was an earlier picture of the sampler in the Feller book. I had been perusing my issues of SANQ (Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly, now OOP). Something was nagging at my brain that I had seen these beautiful samplers before. Suddenly there they were. in Volume 27 on page 56, three more! They were so similar that they had to be related, three samplers done by three sisters, Hillen (Helen), Elizabeth and Caroline Scott, circa 1730! I don't know just how rare sister samplers are, but this is the first set of three that I had seen. Even better, they nearly matched the one from the Feller collection. The floral bands and the geometric red and green band were there, just in slightly different positions.The arrangement of the bands and motifs are slightly different on all the samplers, but the similarities just screamed at me. The predominately satin stitch floral bands were so strikingly beautiful, and to my mind, firmly established that they were related to the Feller sampler. The samplers had been part of an exhibition at the Cora Ginsberg Gallery in 2002. On page 63 of Naomi Tarrants' book on Scottish samplers 'Remember Now Thy Creator' there is a sampler by Ann Scott that has a very similar floral band, and another sampler on page 139 has a similar geometric band. I have a feeling there are more out there, waiting to be found. It is so much fun to make finds like this...I have gotten in touch with a collector, and I am hoping they can connect the threads and perhaps fill in some of the blank spaces in the history of these samplers and the girls that made them.


 PS-I wish I could find more pictures of the various samplers, but all I can find is the one at the top of this post.

Friday, September 04, 2020

I must be getting old...

I hate change, and Blogger is changing, just when I am trying to get back in the Blogging spirit. I can't tell if major change is happening yet, so maybe that is a good thing. I have read that the changes are making it difficult for some bloggers, so we will see what happens.

I have started stitching again, and have some new starts lined up. 



First is a Little Gem from Hands Across The Sea Samplers, Agnes Husband. A small sampler, bought as an instant download. Such a sweet little band sampler, I am stitching it with DMC on 40ct Flax linen. I may tea dye it after I am finished to give a warmer colour to the linen. The Flax is a bit of a cool grey. 



Then, on Sunday the 6th, the Coming To America stitch-a-long starts. I have the pattern by Brenda Gervais, which I got from Sassy Jacks with a lovely storage box, an adorable needleminder and a free pattern. (I see they are out of stock, but there are some charts available on Etsy, and possibly other on line retailers). I am using some 40 ct Flax (again) and DMC, Weeks Dye Works and Sampler Threads I have matched up as best I can to the called for colours. I have so many threads I will never use them up in my lifetime, so I refuse to buy any more...at least no more cottons other than replacing DMC as it is used up. 




Next will be the Traditional Stitches exclusive stitch-a-long for the Ann Morison sampler, starting in early December. The pattern can only be purchased through Traditional Stitches in Canada, and I am not sure how many pattern booklets are available. This is another stunning reproduction by HATS, an exclusive offering from Traditional Stitches for their 20th anniversary. I am quite addicted to their patterns, I love to collect them even if I won't stitch them. Their charts are clear and there are always stories about the sampler and/or stitcher inside. Nicola is a lovely lady, really the nicest stitcher I know, and is always willing to give so much of her time to help out a fellow stitcher. 

Well that should keep me busy for awhile. I have figured out a way to lay flat on my back and stitch, at least on small samplers, so maybe I will get some progress on the smaller pieces. Not sure if I can work on larger samplers that way, we will have to see. 


Keep stitching ladies!


Tuesday, April 07, 2020

No stitching

There has been no stitching and sporadic posts here for a while now. I have hardly picked up my needlework all year. I have done maybe an hours worth all told. I am done trying to get my stitchy mojo back. I have depression, and have lost interest in a lot of things.

 I am on medication and am thinking it just isn't working. As soon as the pandemic recedes I will see about increasing my dose. The AFB that we go to to see our doctor and get our meds has closed to retirees. So no docs and meds will have to be purchased instead of getting them free. (sort of, nothing is free)

I am just soooo tired of everything. All I see are nasty selfish people, hoarding and bullying on the net. I am so tired.

There will be no more posts til further notice.

Mj