New Sets

No stitching today. My hand has been holding a paintbrush instead of a needle. These new sets are going up on my Etsy tonight. If the last set looks familiar...well yes, I did get my inspiration from my stitched Bird Sampler. I have birds on the brain! Thanks once again for all of the wonderful comments. It's a real treat to hear from each and every one of you. I had no idea that anyone was curious about the ladies in my banner photo. Well, now you know. My Grandmother's name was Fredericka Anna Amelia Christina Grater Schick. That's a mouthful, isn't it? Maybe I should try working that into a sampler one day.

And Julie, I don't know if I should be mad or glad that you inspired me to get into the Twilight madness or not. All I know is this, I am hooked! Those books are seriously interfering with my stitching.

Happy Mother's Day!

If you are a Mother, I hope this day is special for you. My own Mom has been gone for many years now. I've always loved this picture of my parents. They looked so happy together. I miss her not just today, but everyday. The little girl on the left on my banner photo is also my Mom. She was the baby of the family, as am I. The woman in the middle was her Mother, and my aunt is on the right.

I was in the mood to start another sampler the other day. I thought I'd give myself a break from the 45ct. linen. Here's a sneak peek. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll remember that I am a huge fan of The Sampler Company's designs. This one is called Margaret Simcock. It's from the book Traditional Samplers by Brenda Keyes. My copy is signed by Brenda, which she will do if requested. Since I have proclaimed myself her biggest fan, it's one of my treasures. This design is very sweet, lots of soft muted colors. The verse and hair are done in black. I love that contrast and look in a sampler. I dyed some 40ct. Bisque to age it a bit. The corner that you are seeing is the darkest.

I treated myself to a new DVD called Monarch of the Glen. It's a BBC video, and it takes place in the Scottish Highlands. I believe it ran for seven seasons. I love British TV shows, and I happened to come across it yesterday at Barnes & Nobles. Have you seen it? Please let me know what you think. I plan to watch some of it today.

Enjoy your day!

Warm Wednesday

Things are heating up here in the desert. We're supposed to reach 100 degrees today. Oh, goody! Happy, hot days are here again. It's actually not that bad until the humidity creeps up, which happens in July. I've lived where I was housebound because of the snow and cold, and I'll take the heat any day. You can always stay inside and stitch or cool off in the pool. My stitching progress has been fairly insignificant this past week. I did two motifs (the pink rose and the tulip) over one on Sarah Hartley on the 45ct. I have to admit that the first couple of stitches made my heart race a little. I was just sure that I had bitten off more than I could handle. It got easier as I kept going, and it actually went fast since I'm doing the tent stitch. I love how they look, so my anxiety was worth it. The Sand Dune fabric looks really pink in the photo, but it's not that bright. I finished the Bird Sampler, too.

A frame finish, a stall, and a start...

Like I said in my last post, I am all over the place with my stitching lately. I made a bit more progress on the Bird Sampler, then I got sidetracked again by the Sarah Hartley 1827 Sampler. I'm not one to move from project to project without finishing them usually. I'm going to blame it on the Internet. I mean, gee whiz, all of these are so right in your face 24/7. How can you not be tempted? So, here's some more of the stalled sampler.


The chart photo is next, and it is terrible, by the way. It doesn't do this sampler justice at all.


I'm stitching mine on 45ct. vintage Sand Dune by Lakeside with NPI. The 45ct. is quickly becoming my favorite. I wonder if I'll still feel that way when I get to all of the over one stitching. There's a lot of it on this piece and my plan of attack is to do the tent stitch instead of full cross.

And lastly, here is Adam & Eve framed.

Switching gears

When I last posted, I was just starting The Green Linen Sampler. I didn't have the perfect green linen for it but, I went ahead and put a few stitches in the piece I had. Big waste of time. I hated it. It was a teal colored 36 ct. It was stiff, the edges kept fraying, and it was just plain yucky. Having been used to the wonderful softness of Lakeside Linen for so long, I just couldn't make myself stick with it. I eventually found another piece of green linen in the old stash, and I'll restart it sometime. It's a different shade, but if I choose my own thread colors, it will be fine. In the meantime, I got a little side tracked and went off into other directions. I've long loved the Bird Sampler by Birds of a Feather. It's all done in Sampler Threads, which I rarely use anymore. I have them though, so it's good to use them up. I recently heard that BoaF have quit designing. What a shame, I always thought their stuff was kind of funky and fun. I had to dye some linen before I could get started. Here's a little of my start.

Then I got side tracked further by the Blackbird Designs freebie. I'm a sucker for red...so I off I went. I love the idea of making it your own, and here is my version. I used vintage Lt. Examplar linen and Gloriana's silk in Poinsettia. Another good way to use up old stash. I chose to stitch my Mom's name and birth year. The other requirement was to add a bird. I did my two over one. I think their idea to do this was really fun. You still have time....

Adam & Eve and my own garden...

I finished this up yesterday. That snake eye was the very last stitch, too, lol. It was stitched on 40ct. Days Gone By linen with NPI. As usual, I made a few changes. I had to substitute a couple of the colors that didn't show up very well on the linen. I know I say this with every sampler, but I REALLY love this one. I started adding a few pieces to the craft room wall, and this one will probably join the others.

I started this one last night. It's The Green Linen Sampler by The Scarlet Letter. I had to dig very deep in the old stash of fabric to find some green linen.

These next two photos were taken this morning in my own Garden of Chandler. They are for you, Sherry. Hopefully, you can enjoy some nice days outside very soon. And for you, Sue. Get well soon.

Thank you for the sweet comments on The Plantation Sampler.

The Plantation Sampler is framed

Finally. Wow, what an ordeal. I had my heart set on this particular frame from the minute I saw it. I placed the order and patiently waited. It came in warped and not very burled in some areas. We reordered it, and it is much better, BUT ,I'm not too happy with the way the veneer is pieced. I checked with a few places that carry this same molding and they all told me the same thing. It's because of the veneer not always being in long enough strips. I'm not sure I buy into that, but I've ordered burled frames four different times, and they always came in the same way. Over all, I love the way it looks and when it's hanging with the others, I won't notice it as much. The Adam and Eve is more than halfway done. I'm on the verse now, and I'll post a photo soon. Today I plan to move things around in my craft room. I have a whole wall that I hope to fill with samplers from top to bottom. I need to reorganize things a bit before that can happen. Poor Isabella Brackin is hanging there all by herself, and she's longing for some company.

I managed to squeeze in some painting awhile back. This set is on my Etsy.