This little piggy...

sits in the corner, and is stitched over one. It's a darn good thing I love this sampler like I do because I'm going to be working on it for a long, long time. There's nothing complicated about it, but the border alone is quite involved and time consuming. I'm thinking of taking a tiny break from it to stitch a pin keep.

Sorry to be such a downer on my last post. I'm leaving the news off for the most part, so if an asteroid is heading towards Phoenix, let me know, will ya? It was nice to hear from many of you that I'm not alone in taking comfort in my stitching. Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if we needle workers were in charge?. Although that would mean major decisions would have to be put on hold while we added to our stashes, converted fibers, and fondled our precious linen. That could be a problem.

There is nothing like a little retail therapy to cheer a girl up. So, I took my own advice and went shopping for charms online late one night. Here is what landed in my cart:

The artist palette is vintage, but not the others. I found a great source here. The Mini-Cooper is my dream car, and my hilarious dh says this is as close as I'm getting to one. The sewing machine wheel turns, and the bottom opens up to reveal scissors, needle, and thread. The one on the bottom left is Noah's Ark. The apple in the center is the really special one as it opens up to these two.

Adam and Eve pop up out of the apple. Is that cool or what? Mr. dh doesn't get it, but you do, don't you?

I've spent a good part of today going through some charts to offer for sale. I don't have a list yet, but I'm working on it. Email me if you'd like to see the list at thescarletthouse@gmail.com.

Life goes on

Country Life by Scarlet Letter

40ct Sandstone~NPI silks

The dog days of summer are here. My three pups are lazy during the heat of the day, spending most of the time napping. Occasionally, an eye will pop open to see if they're missing anything, like treats being handed out. I can't really blame them, the heat has the same affect on me.
Maybe it's not only the heat that's wearing me down. What a crazy, conflicted, out of control world we seem to be living in. I can hardly stand to have the news on as there seems to be little good news out there on any continent. I honestly believe that is why we needle workers lose ourselves in our stitching. These pastoral sampler scenes are reminders of simpler times. We need this escapism. It soothes our souls. As I stitch on Country Life from Scarlet Letter, I occasionally yearn for a country life myself, far away from the rat race of the city. I'm envious of those who can look outside and see rolling green hills that are dotted with cows and sheep. Wow, I had no idea what I was going to post about when I sat down. I seem to be feeling melancholy today, so I'll stop.
To answer the comments left on last post about whether I frame my own. I do frame them using archival foam core, light-weight batting, billions of pins, and framer's tape. It's not hard, it just takes some practice. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions.

Framed!

Ann Wragg

40ct Lakeside's Meadow Rue

NPI

What's a person to do when the temps are nearing 100 degrees? I think the answer is to stay inside where it's cool and frame these. It is summer all of a sudden. Spring is just a memory now. I've heard that it's supposed to be anywhere between 108 and 112 this coming weekend. I'm not ready for that.

Isabella Johnstone

S&ANQ Summer 2010

45ct vintage Lentil from Lakeside

Belle Soie

I love love love this frame. I'm not sure if it will be visible, but the filigree part has bits of red showing through. I thought it was too perfect for Isabella, and I ordered it before I even finished stitching her. I've put a few stitches into Country Life, but very few. I wished someone would have warned me about the border on that one. That will be a long term process. It's okay though, the hibernation for the next 3-4 months has begun here in AZ.