Christmas House Sampler

Coming Soon to your favorite Needlework Shop!  Christmas House Sampler!

30 count R & R Reproductions Old Town Blend.  Threads used are overdyed by Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works.

Preview of Noble, Right, Pure!

Hello Everyone!  It's always so exciting to release a new design.  I picked up two yesterday from my framer.  They always do such a fine job and make my designs look better than I ever imagined!  I am working on my photography skills but I still have a long way to go I'm afraid!


Noble, Right and Pure
Stitched on 30 count Espresso, R & R Reproductions
 

I need to take a class...but time is always an issue.  This one will be available at Hoffman Distributing and your local needlework stores in about a week.  I will post the DMC colors soon as I did use Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Sampler Threads on this one.

I also picked up my small Christmas Sampler, I will post pictures later on it.  It is small and can be stitched up quite quickly for the holiday season.  I usually design an ornament, but this year wanted something in a frame. 

Happy Stitching and have a great weekend!

Happy Thursday!

Hope everyone is having a great week!  Every year about this time, I get the urge to clean and organize.  I don't know what it is but...I have been cleaning eveything in sight!  I've been wanting to organize my sewing room/office so I have been working on it too.  I didn't get too far with it yesterday, but I will work on it again today.  I went over to Hobby Lobby to find some type of cabinet to organize my thread...I have quite a bit...don't you know!  My husband, who was trying to help me identify how large my cabinet should be said..."so how much thread can you haveanyway, that you need something large."  So I showed him... I've been collecting for awhile!  Since 1997...that's when I learned to stitch.  He should see my collection of linen!  I'll save that for another day!

I found these cute shelves at Target, a good way to display some small stuff. I am planning to add a couple more of these. I have some smalls that I would like to display and you can change your collections easily.  Although they are sturdy, I wouldn't want to put my collectables on them. 

My husband found this old sewing machine with cabinet.  I'm not really into sewing....although I did try my hand at quilting, but I prefer cross stitch.  I love the cabinet though and it also a good place to display things you collect.

Now here's the mess!  I have tried everything to organize these shelves.  Usually there are more baskets...but I take them off to sort thread, or whatever else I need to do and then I do not return them!  I also have another set of wooden shelves with baskets...you know, they look so cute in magazines, but they are not very effective.




Most precious of all though, is my helper, Coco.
She's very patient and sits on the rugs while I sort through my stuff!

Monday, I took both of my new designs to the framer, so I am hoping that at least one of them will be ready to release next week.  Several weeks ago, I put together a Christmas design, but just didn't have the time to stitch it.  I sat down last weekend and started to work on it and before I knew it, it was almost stitched.  So I put my self in high gear and finished it by Sunday night.  It is a small sampler, titled, Christmas House Sampler.

Happy Stitching!

Noble, Right and Pure!

New Design!  I haven't written much lately but I have been busy working on a couple of new designs!
Also did a bit of traveling over the last few weeks so that kind of slowed me down a little...
It has finally cooled down just a tad here in South Texas.  I won't get too excited, it's only in the upper 70's but it is better than the 100 degree temperatures that we've had since June!  The winters here are great and something I look forward to every year.  I grew up on the east coast so I do remember the long cold winters and I don't think I could handle that anymore!  The winters here are mild, warm days, ususally, and cool nights.  About 5 years ago, we had a big surprise when we woke up on Christmas morning.  We had snow!  Not much, but enough that it did lay on the ground until the sun came out and melted it!  That hadn't happened in over 100 years so I don't expect it to happen again...in my lifetime!

I included a sneak peak of my new design.  It goes to the framer tomorrow, so it should be released in a couple of weeks.  It comes from a bible verse...Whatever is noble, right and pure, lovely.  Think on these things.  Hope you will enjoy stitching it...warning there are a few eyelet stitches, but they are easy!

Also working on my Christmas design...Christmas House Sampler.  Love working with red and greens.  I'm expecting a late October release on it.
Happy Stitching everyone!

New Fabric, New Threads!

I don't know if you are like me...but I'm guessing you are...I get so excited when I get some new fabric and some new thread! It's not like I don't already have some...I have cabinets full! I'm not fabric or thread deprived! But there is nothing like the sight of some brand new stash. It gets your spirit soaring....I had some ideas in mind when I ordered the linen and thread...but now that it has arrived....my mind is really racing! I've been asked where do my ideas come from and I can tell you it is a multitude of ways. Sometimes it a verse I have read, it might be a motif I've seen but some times it comes with colors I love, linen I love, the season. Anyway, I have discovered that I have the attention span of a fly! My designs are usually something that you can stitch in a couple of days or a weekend and they are simple cross stitch. Now every once and a while I throw in an eyelet or another specialty stitch, but not often. Beware, I am working on a design that has a few eyelet stitches, but I'll put a warning sign on the back of the package to let you know. I read a cute blog the other day where the writer said it upsets her when she finds out there are other stitches included...I thought it was cute and I understand! Basically though I design what I like to stitch. If I start a design and it doesn't feel right or I'm not enjoying it, I move on. If I'm not having a good time, I don't think you will either. I do have favorite designers and I think they influence me, I love Blackbird Designs, I'm a fan of Plum Street Samplers and I admire Lizzie Kate's, graphic arts talent. Wish I had more of that in me! I do follow quite a few blogs, such as Sampler Girl, The Scarlett House and quite a few other stitcher blogs. My favorite linen is R&R Reproductions, always has been. I did see some Old Salem linen that I would like to try. I loved the antiqued look. I like the coffee dyed and the smell when it comes out of the bag. Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works are my favorite over dyed thread. I use both in most of my designs. But I've know from reading the blogs that there are so new overdyed companies and I will probably try some of their products eventually. I also have a love of old antique samplers. I have already released "Ann Merchant" who was a distant relative on my mother's side. I have two more in the works. One is Mary Pilgrim and the other is an English sampler that I purchased and it is very colorful. That's the reason I chose it....although I do like the subtle colors in the American Schoolgirl Samplers. My ancestors were from Virginia and I grew up in that area, although I have been in Texas for the last 35 years. We were fortunate enough to visit many historical sights as a child and I think that is where my love of history and antiques began... We'll enough about me. I have to get back to stitching my new design. Hopefully I'll have a photo soon. I'm expecting it will be a mid October release. Happy Stitching! Happy Weekend!

Oh Happy Day....New English Sampler

Today my new sampler came in the mail! Oh happy day! It's feels like Christmas! I really need to stay off eBay,but I can't seem to help myself. This is my first English sampler and I have to say when I opened the package I was pleasantly surprised. Although I absolutely love our american samplers they sometimes lack the vibrant colors I long to use when stitching. This one has vibrant pinks, greens (my favorite color),blues and beiges and even a tad of violet. I believe this time I'm going to use overdyed threads. The original Ann Merchant was stitched with silks and I tried to stay very true to the original (because she was a family member). But this one has all kinds of possibilities. With Ann, I also tried to recreate what she would have looked like 150 years ago. On this one, I think I will reproduce it looking aged. It has stood the test of time very well. It came to me already framed so it has been preserved well. The verse on it reads: Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. Eccles. XII I. I have so many ideas for new original designs and am working on a new release for later this month. I am still charting another sampler, Mary Pilgrim that I purchased last summer! She is very detailed and has some over one stitching that kind of slows you down when charting...but I think she's also going to be a beauty when completed. Also planning to participate in the Online Needlework Show in October. The summer went by quickly here in south Texas. I'm ready for some cooler weather...no hurricanes so far this year...but we aren't out of the season yet....so I'll just keep my fingers crossed that we can make it on through hurricane season without any storms. A cool front is scheduled to come through here tomorrow...it will be 90 degrees instead of our usual 100-102 degrees :). I don't care, it's a start to cooler days! Happy stitching!

Ann Merchant

Model is stitched on 30 count Weeks Dye Works Parchment

Available now through Hoffman Distributing or your local needlework store!  

Ann Merchant 1838 Reproduction Sampler