Jane Tindall 1864

The model of Jane has been finished and framed. She's packed and ready to travel to the St. Charles Market on Thursday. The charts have been printed and will soon be available through Needlework Press.
This project has been a labor of love for me. I first saw Jane in the Summer 2010 issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly. I immediately wanted to stitch her, so I volunteered to stitch the model. Little did I know that it would lead me to collaborating with Vickie Jennett, who owns the antique, in reproducing this wonderful sampler. The original Jane spent the summer with me while I charted and stitched. I become very curious about this twelve year old girl. I would find myself sitting and staring at her sampler and wondering...always wondering what she was like. Hers was stitched on canvas with wool, and she had the most unusual way of using a variety of greens for the grass area. Was this her way of being creative or was she simply using what wool she had? I've stitched many samplers, but this one touched me like no others have. In an odd way, I felt a kinship with this young girl. When you stitch from a chart, the connection to the real thing is only through the cover photo. As I stitched, I constantly compared my sampler to Jane's. It was imperative that I stayed true to the original, while enjoying the linen and threads available today. I'd like to think that she would be pleased and happy to know that others will want to stitch and enjoy her sampler, these one hundred and forty-six years later.

It's that time...and another sneak peek of Jane

Here's another peek of Jane Tindall. This little shepherd fellow reminds me of a Quaker. Don't you just love the speckled dog? And the rather large duck? I have to laugh at how out of proportionate it is. I think it could herd the sheep on it's own. Many thanks for the kind comments and encouragement on peek#1.

I had precious little time this week to do much blog reading, but I did see that a few of you have decorated for fall. It's always so inspiring to gather glimpses of your homes and treasures. It is still warm here during the day, however, the mornings are almost chilly. I had to wear a light jacket, forgo my usual flip-flops and wear real shoes when I rode my bike early today. Next week, we'll be travelling to Iowa for a visit with family. I'm looking forward to eating some fair food, doing a little antiquing, and sitting and stitching by the lake. Maybe I'll even see some frost on the pumpkins. Since autumn officially begins while we're away, I spent some time this morning arranging some bittersweet and readying our house. I know I show you the same pictures practically every year, but I hope you enjoy seeing them again.

This cabinet and crow greet guests in a bathroom.

My husband will hate this. He'll complain about bumping into it, but I like the clock with a little bit of berry spray. Surely he can deal with it for a couple of months.

I wish I had enough bittersweet to fill every crock. I brought what I have back from the Midwest a few years ago. Each year I carefully pack it away, but it gets so brittle and breaks easily. At least I have some to enjoy.

Tomorrow is Henry Blue's 1st birthday. As I sit and type this, he is annoying the girls. It's what he does best. They'll be nice to him for a couple of days... in the event there is cake!

A sneak peek at Jane

Here is a little peek at Jane Tindall 1864. The last stitches have been put in the model, I 'll soon be framing her, and the charts are in progress. She'll be travelling to market at the end of the month. It has been my absolute thrill and pleasure to reproduce this wonderful pastoral sampler, and I cannot thank her owner enough for giving me this opportunity. I'll be offering more snippets in the next couple of weeks.

And now for something a little different, it's what every sampler enthusiast needs, right? I made this pillowcase yesterday. I love this sampler fabric and the contrasting colonial print. It's my hugging pillow. The one I scrunch up with and travel with. Here's the front:

and the back.

Now that it's September, the mornings are starting to be cooler here in AZ. We are approaching my favorite time of the year. I can't wait to drag out the pumpkins, gourds, and bittersweet and decorate the house. Is it too early? When do you do it?

Thanks for the sweet comments about my Minnesota souvenirs, and also for the new grandchild congratulations.