The Happiest Time of the Year!

Ode to the Ort Basket

With Thy Needle and Thread/Brenda Gervais

Released at the 2017 Nashville Needlework Market

Limited Kit

40 ct mystery linen from stash

NPI Silks 206, 209, 346, 695,  923, 925

The time between Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorite times of the year.  Things begin to slow down a little (shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, commitments), I take time off from my work, and there are many, many football games.  What makes the time extra special:  stitching, quilting, hooking, punching!

This Ode to the Ort Basket caused quick a kerfuffle in 2017.  It was released at the Nashville Needlework Market and there was a limited number of kits available to shop owners.  Shop owners struggled to get the kit and stitchers were on a search for the basket and design.  AppleJack helped with the painting and sanding of the basket.  It is stitched on 40 count linen, I am not a big fan of stitching on higher count linen.  I'm trying to get over my fear of stitching on the higher count linen and sticking to smaller, easier designs.

The Gift Keeps Giving #65 (2015)
Summer House Stitch Works/Beth Ann Seal
32 count mystery linen from scrap stash
Gloriana School House Red (my favorite color and silk)

At our Homespun Gathering Group in July 2019, we are having a box exchange.  I can't wait!  It is all about the box.  I thought I better practice.  I'm not happy with the way the piece fits in the box (the foam core is cut to small) and I may add some kind of embellishment (chenille or rick rack).  AppleJack helped with the painting, sanding, aging and waxing of the box--it came from Hobby Lobby.

This is the inside of the box.  Someone gifted me the flannel, I added the Lady Dot measuring twill, the scissors are from Hobby Lobby and the Needleminder is from Kelmscott.  

I am second guessing myself, I kinda wish I had added thread rings instead of the buttons.
This is not the box I will be exchanging--this is a learning piece.  Since the exchange is in July, we have a patriotic theme and since red, white and blue are some of my favorite colors, I have tons of ideas rolling around inside my pea brain.  I have already started gathering the inside contents--waiting until the last minute is not my style--I am not at my best under pressure.  

Snippet:  Thankful String
Lizzie Kate
35 count Weeks Dye Works Straw (a scrap from my stash)
NPI:  154, 184, 187, 245, 695, 865 and 904

This was suppose to be stitched and finished in time for Thanksgiving, I didn't make it for Thanksgiving 2018 but it will be ready for Thanksgiving 2019.  This is my first Lizzie Kate stitch.  It was simple, whimsical and perfect fall colors.

The board came from Hobby Lobby and am going to attempt another finish.

Am currently stitching the pig from the Prairie Schooler Barnyard Christmas, another quick stitch--one good football game and it should be a finish and then it is on to some punching.

Violet Noel

It is a busy time of the year for Santa and because he is so busy, he sometimes makes an early delivery.  Introducing Miss Violet Noel.

Miss Violet Noel is a Tori (Tortoiseshell):  black with orange and yellow, no white.  She is all Tori:  smart, feisty, curious, playful, expressive (a talker) and a hang-with-me girl.  Her most important trait:  she is a survivor!  The past few months have been challenging for Violet.  She was dropped off at the Humane Center, underweight and injured.  When the vet and techs evaluated her, she was thought to have a broken pelvis.  A very kind, generous, loving foster family family took her home because she was so underweight (4 lbs.) and to help her regain muscle strength.  When she was returned to the Humane Center,  she had gained a pound and was regaining muscle strength.  She was re-evaluated and the vet decided against surgery.

The day AppleJack and I met Violet she had had a very busy day.  She had gone from the foster home to the vet for evaluation and x-rays and then returned to the Humane Center.  Needless to say, she was more than ready to call it a day.  Enter her humans in training.

Violet is adjusting and learning her new home.  She has put her humans in a training program and feels confident she can have them whipped into shape and meeting all her needs in a short period of time.  Hopefully, the kitten food (high in protein and no grain) will help her to grow strong and heal.   She has a voracious appetite, I think she is making up for those times when she had no food.  She has a limp and may always have a limp.  But do not be deceived, she like the late President George H. W. Bush has two speeds:  full throttle and asleep.  She is very quick and fast.  With each day, she is gaining confidence and trusting her new humans to protect her and to keep her safe.  She can pack away all her fears, watch the birds from her personal upstairs window seat, sleep on a down comforter, have her own personal hairdresser and masseuse and be bold in asking for treats.

Violet is still a kitten, seven months old.  She will have her kitten moments:  Climbing, getting into things she should not get into, breaking things, voicing her opinion.  Extra attention will have to be given to floss, ribbons and strings and her humans do hear bumps in the night.

We do not know who named her Violet, maybe her foster family, the person who rescued her, or a tech at the Humane Center, but AppleJack and I like the name.  She responds to being called Violet (yes she answers when she is called) and she needed something consistent in her life.  The name Violet comes from the French and means a diminutive flower.  With her challenging start in life, she may be a diminutive girl.

Welcome to our home and hearts, Miss Violet Noel!

Justice for All

Justice for All

Blackbird Designs released 2002

40 count Old Massachusetts linen by The Primitive Hare

Needlepoint Ink Silk Williamsburg Blue Range 328 and Russet Red Range 209

Christmas is in sixteen days, most people are stitching beautiful Christmas pieces.  Me, I'm stitching patriotic pieces.  Last night I was watching one of my favorite Christmas movies:  Griswold Family Christmas.  At the end of the movie, Aunt Bethany begins singing the national anthem as Santa and the reindeer are catapulted into the sky.  I had myself a double good belly laugh:  laughing at the Griswold's singing the national anthem and me watching a Christmas movie and stitching a patriotic piece.  Does this mean I am becoming Aunt Bethany?  

Those Blackbird girls have been releasing winning designs for many years.  The font of the elongated letters was very appealing to me and the sampler gave me inspiration to stitch more of my family history.  The initials JSS are for my 5th Great Grandmother, Julianna Steinz Shultz and the year 1780 is the year of the Battle of King's Mountain.  The Battle of King's Mountain was a Revolutionary War battle and a turning point in the war for the American patriots.  

The Battle of King's Mountain

October 7, 1780

By the year 1780, the American Revolutionary War was well under way.  Great Grandparents, Johan Martin Shultz and Julianne Steinz Shultz may have thought that moving west from Pennsylvania into North Carolina might be a way of escaping the war.  

A few weeks before the Battle of King's Mountain, British Major Patrick Ferguson bluntly warned the local revolutionaries who lived in the Carolinas, that if they did not cease their rebellion, he would march over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay waste their settlements with fire and sword.  This bold statement by Major Ferguson angered the colonists living in the Carolina's and they felt forced to defend themselves, their families and their homes.  

Colonel John Sevier learning that Grandfather Johan Martin was a (self-taught) surgeon, asked him to join his troops.  Colonel John Sevier and Colonel Isaac Shelby joined their troops together and rendezvoused at Sycamore Shoals (Tennessee) on September 25, 1780.  On that day, Sevier and Shelby arrived with 240 troops and joined Colonel Charles McDowell, who was already there with 160 North Carolina riflemen.  Colonel William Campbell joined the march with 400 Virginians.  

When the American revolutionaries arrived at Quaker Meadows in Burke County, North Carolina, they  were joined by Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and 350 North Carolinians. The Americans arrived at the foot of King's Mountain in the early afternoon of October 7, 1780.  They launched a four pronged attack with two columns on each side of the mountain led by Colonels Campbell and Sevier on the right and Shelby and Cleveland on the left.  Ferguson and his men were taken by surprise by the bold aggressiveness of the Overmountain Men.  Over the sound of the battle could be heard a shrill shriek from the silver whistle Ferguson used to direct his troops.  It was soon silenced, as Ferguson was killed while leading a desperate attack by a few of his men to break out of the mountaineer's cordon.  Captain Abraham DePeyster, the second in command of the British troops, almost immediately raised a white flag.  In an hour's time, Ferguson and 119 of his men had been killed, 123 wounded, and 664 captured.  The Americans had lost 28 killed and 62 wounded.  The victory at Kings Mountain demoralized the British.  No longer could the British depend on the Loyalists in the Carolina Piedmont.  King's Mountain was a turning point in the Revolutionary War, and on October 19, 1781, General Cornwalls surrendered at Yorktown.

The British had one doctor, Dr. Uzal Johnson and the colonists had Dr. Martin Shultz.  The problem was lack of supplies:  no medicine, no bandages, no splints.  Amputations were carried out with whisky and brute force.

"A terrible night followed the terrible day of the battle.  the cold was intense, and a strong wind swept across the mountain.  The wounded lay around where they had fallen, upon the bare ground, among the unburied dead, with no shelter but the grey sky above them.  There were no splints for their shattered limbs, no bandages for their flowing wounds, and only one surgeon among the entire two hundred and fifty."  Said one who witnessed it:  The scene was heart ending in the extreme--the groans of the dying and the constant cry of the wounded for water.  Taken from the notes of The Bear Guard of the Revolutions by James R. Gilmore page 261 and 262.

While Grandfather Johan Martin was away, with Colonel Sevier tending to the wounded, Grandmother Julianna was home in Tennessee with their children:  Valentine 18, David 16, John 11, Jacob 9, Marin 7, and Julia Ann 5.  I sincerely doubt if Grandmother Julianna had the time, energy, linen and threads to stitch a sampler.  This sampler is my way of honoring and remembering my Grandparents and the sacrifice they made for me.

I've Been Framed!

The Dirty Brown Sampler (released in 2001)

Beside the Hearth by Janet Morse

Mystery Linen from stash

Needlepoint Ink Silk 587 Burnt Umber range

Gentle Arts Sampler Threads:  Gold Leaf, Mulberry, Forest Glade

Yes, I take ownership of not updating my blog since October 11.  Am always busy.  Busy does not mean the same thing as productive.  Book Festival,  football, election, trips to the apple orchard, walking, the passing of a friend and for good measure toss in everyday life events is what has been occupying my time.  Oh yes, throw in a couple of fun trips to the framer!  Aren't trips to the framer fun?  I can get lost looking at all the moldings and my head is spinning with visions of the finished product.  While my Dirty Brown Sampler was being framed, Rita, one of the stitch girls from the Homespun group was also having her Dirty Brown Sampler framed.  I think it was fun for the framer and her customers to see the framed samplers hanging side by side.  Two samplers stitched on different fabrics, framed differently and stitched by two different needleworkers.

Lydi Emaline Shults (Emma Lerch)

The Scarlet Letter

Mystery stash linen

A Ver A Soie fibers

Lydia Emaline Shults is a part of my family history.  Her story is rather sad.  She was born October 26, 1865 and was a baby and child during the reconstruction years following the end of the Civil War.  She married a minister and they had no children.  She died from consumption (tuberculous) most likely spread from her husband and his parishioners.  About those colors:  Lydia's crayon box was full of bright colors and she was not afraid to use them.  One of the stitch girls said she wolud glow in the night.  Yes, she just might which is okay with me.  It will be Lydia showing me the way.

All American Finn

Threadwork Primitives (Nan Lewis) released 2014

32 count dove gray linen overdyed with walnut stain

Gentle Arts Sampler Thread, Needlepoint Ink Silk, Sewing Notions Trip

Starfish from Michael's

AppleJacks' Granddaughter has transitioned her room from the pinks of a young girl to a beach theme of a teen.  I found the board at Michael's, AppleJack spray pained the board white and the framer added Finn, cording and the starfish.  A fun piece of whimsy.  My framer and I are calling it the Betty version of a Priscilla finish.

Justice for All

Blackbird Designs released in 2002

40 count Old Massachusetts linen by The Primitive Hare

Needlepoint Ink Silks Williamsburg Blue Range 328 and Russet Red Range 209

After finishing the Dirty Brown Sampler, I started Justice for All by Blackbird Designs which was released in 2002.  The weathering and distress of this linen fit my needs for more family history.  I will add the year 1780 which was the year my Grandfather Johan Martin Shultz joined Colonel John Sevier and his Over-the-Mountain men and defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.  To my knowledge there is no surviving needlework from my Shultz/Shults family.  (I think they were to busy surviving the challenges of living on the unsettled frontier and caring for their family.). Once again, I did some research and will add Grandfather Martin and Grandmother Julianna's story to the back of this sampler.  A very quick stitch--love the long, tall, leggy letters of this sampler.  Have set a goal for myself to finish this sampler during the Thanksgiving holidays.  No Black Friday shopping for this girl, but I can be talked into shopping for moldings at the frame shop.

There are so many things in the stitching box sitting beside my stitching chair which I want to stitch.  The two samplers which seem to be calling my name the loudest is Sarah's House by Blackbird Designs released in 2012 and the Hospitality Sampler by Words of Praise which was released in 1970.  Thank you for asking, I do have some golden oldies in my stitch stash.  The verse on this sampler has always spoken to me:  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers;  for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  

Thanksgiving plans include staying at home, cooking some family favorite recipes, planting daffodils for the spring, decorating for Christmas, morning walks, watching some SEC football and time in the Stitch Room!  No road trips, no trips to the malls for this girl.  Our Homespun group is going to do a July exchange and I have already started working on mine.  Thanks to Flosstube, I have some great ideas.

Next

The Dirty Brown Sampler (2001)

Beside the Hearth by Janet Morse

Mystery linen from stash

Needlepoint Ink Silk 587 Burnt Umber Range 2+ skeins

Gentle Arts Sampler Threads Gold Leaf, Mulberry, Forest Glade

This sampler has been in my stash for years!  Yes, Janet Morse released the design in 2001--seventeen years ago!  Both Debby and Rita from the Homespun group have stitched this sampler, there may be others in the group who have stitched the sampler just can't recall right now.

What is it about this sampler?  Is it the simplicity, the undulating border, or the cartouche?  Janet's alphabets are beautiful and stitching with just one color except for the cartouche adds a special touch.  If you are looking for a quick stitch--Dirty Brown Sampler is your girl.

You know my mantra:  finish a sampler, start a sampler.  Who is next?  There are several contenders:  Sally Spencer by Birds of a Feather, Anna Grater by The Scarlet House, and Justice for All by Blackbird Designs

In an attempt to rightsize my stash, I have been sorting, passing and prioritizing.  One of the things I have discovered in this process is the rediscovery of older charts in my stash which I really like and I keep asking myself why I have never stitched them.  It is hard for me to resist the call of new releases.

I am not sure how long Sally Spencer has been released, let's just say she is not one of the newer girls on the block.  Sally Spencer or Mustang Sally as she was nicknamed by Mischievous Stitches has beautiful colors and who can resist Sally's mantra:  Sooner Begun, Sooner Done.  This sounds like something Grandmother Bessie would have said to me in her very pragmatic voice,  (see #mustangsallysal on Instagram)

Anna Grater by The Scarlet House is another contender.  Anna Grater was a club project Tanya designed for the Sampler Club at Country Sampler.  Tanya released Anna at the 2018 Nashville Needlework market and Lynette at Homesteading on the Homefront floss tube also did a SAL with Anna.  (see #annagratersal n Instagram)

Contender #3 is Justice for All by the Blackbird Girls which was released in 2002--another colder design and perfect for all the red, white and blue at my house.  I found some 36 count Patriot's Brew linen by R & R Reproductions and some NPI Williamsburg Blue in my stash.  Seems all the elements are coming together for this sampler.  Am thinking of changing the date to 1780 (the Battle of Kings Mountain) and adding the initials JSS for Grandmother Julianna Stentz Shultz.  I will add Grandfather Johan Martin's story and his contribution at the Battle of Kings Mountain and attach to the back of the sampler.  The alphabet on this sampler just sang to my heart, there are only two colors in this sampler.  (I think Emma Lerch wore me out with all the greens she used in her sampler)

Finish a sampler, start a sampler!

Finish a sampler, start a sampler

Emma Lerch (aka Lydia Emaline Shults)

Scarlet Letter

Linen--mystery stash

Fibers a ver a soie

One of my stitching goals for 2018 was to finish Emma Lerch.  It was Emma's big, bold asymmetrical border which drew me to her.  Emma was not afraid to use color because the colors in this sampler are anything but timid.  Emma either liked pink, she used what she had or her LNS had closed.  At the September Homespun Gathering, Lori shared a wonderful quote:  Done is better than perfect.  This quote comes from the Facebook motto.  Perfectionist continuously tweak projects and never finish them.  Perfection can be an enemy of progress.  I get bored or distracted or discouraged that my project is not perfect and give up.  No finished project is perfect, and if I keep trying for perfection, I will never finish.  There is no perfect project anywhere, ever.  Every project has a flaw that someone can point out.  Done (meets and surpasses standards) but not perfect is okay.  When I wrap my head around this concept, maybe just maybe, I will get more accomplished and will have fewer WIP's and more FFO's.  When I am searching for something in my sewing room and find unfinished projects and look at them and ask myself why I stopped, I am going to remind myself that done is better than perfect.

Yes, I changed the name from Emma Lerch to Lydia Emaline Shults because she is a part of my family.  Attached to the back of the sampler will be an envelope with Lydia Emaline's story, sad and true.  Yes, I also know leaves are missing from one of the bottom sections of the border--the leaves will be stitched before carrying Emaline to the framer.

The Dirty Brown Sampler (2001)
Beside the Hearth by Janet Morse
Mystery stash linen
Needlepoint Ink Silk 587 Burnt  Umbre Range

Being a sampler lover, there is always a next sampler waiting to be stitched.  At the gathering, Rita brought her beautiful Dirty Brown sampler to share.  It was wonderful to welcome Rita back to the gathering group.  Stitchers are kindred spirits.  Seeing Rita's beautifully stitched sampler reminded me I had this sampler in my "to be stitched sooner rather than later" pile it was time to get stitching.  So, I did what every sampler lover does:  finish a sampler, start a sampler.  Dirty Brown Sampler has been a delight and joy to stitch.  Letters stitch fast.  Hopefully without any life distractions, I will have my own version of Dirty Brown Sampler to share at the November gathering.

Rita's sampler

At the September Homespun gathering, I was too busy visiting, eating and admiring WIP's to take many photos. I did take a photo of Rita's sampler and I also took a photo of Judy's exquisitely stitched and finished Carriage House (Kathy Barrick) Quaker stocking.  A beautiful stocking and it will be a treasured family heirloom.

Judy's Quaker stocking

In keeping with the spirit of done is better than perfect, Stacy Nash's Rose Garden basket, Threadwork Primitives All American Finn and Erica Michael's strawberry are waiting to be FFO'd.  None of them is perfect, they each have flaws and each will be finished and will be good enough.

All American Finn

All American Finn

Threadwork Primitives (Nan Lewis) 

copyright 2014

32 count dove gray linen overdyed with walnut

Gentle Arts Sampler Threads

Needlepoint Ink Silk

Sewing Notions Trim

Spent my Labor Day holiday stitching a seasonal.  I did make a few changes:

Black Raspberry Jam instead of Black Crow, Lambswool instead of Parchment and NPI silk Chinese Red 502 instead of Turkish Red because it was the color in my stash which best matched the red in the rick rack.

Doesn't the red in this design just make everything pop?  I had intended to tack down the rick rack  and after trying to pierce the rick rack with my needle realized there was a reason Nan's instructions said to use fabric glue.  

Instead of framing this piece, am going to visit my local Goodwill, second hand store, Miss Lucille's or antique shop and look for older cutting board or wooden paddle.

This is a good mindless stitch because of the dense stitching of the whale.  Just a tiny bit more work on this piece and I can call it an FFO.

Elizabeth 1823

Emilia Pool Sewing Basket (copyright 2014)

Stacy Nash

Linen:  Weeks Dye Works Dolphin

Fibers: combination of NPI silks, Weeks and Gentle Arts

Prized Pig Sewing Book (copyright 2015)

Stacy Nash

Linen:  Weeks Dye Works Dolphin

Fibers: Gentle Arts (Antique Rose, Harvest Gold)

What makes us fall in love with a design?  Is it the verse, a border, motifs, colors, a big old house, the proportions?  When Stacy Nash released this design at market in 2014, I fell hard.  I think it was the colors and turning a simple paper mache box into a sewing basket.

Anna Elizabeth was my Great Great Grandmother.  She lived most of her life in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina near Asheville.  The dolphin linen by Weeks was a rich blue color which reminded me of the mountain colors and changing Emilia to Elizabeth was an easy change.  The rest required  time and some thought.  Turning a Hobby Lobby paper mache box into a sewing box and a simple notebook into a journal were new to me finishes.  (I am not a finisher, finishing is a struggle, there are mistakes and tons of room for improvement, watching tutorials is helpful).

The inside cover(s) of the journal is finished using the Nun's stitch.  Years and years ago, Ginnie Thompson released a book called Linen Stitches.  I often refer to this book and if you don't have it in your stitching library, I highly recommend it.  It is an excellent resource guide and Ginnie's step by step instructions are easy to follow and execute.  The Nun's stitch is an easy stitch with the rhythm one-two change direction, one two change direction.  The stitch is pulled tightly and makes a lovely finished edge.  The Nun's stitch works well for finishing when you don't want a hem, it is less bulky.

The back of he journal was the most challenging part.  The back of the design was plain and I wanted something on the back of the journal.  In 2015, Stacy released a design called Prized Pig Sewing Book & Flower Urn Pinkeep, and the design had a beautiful cartouche:  simple and elegant.  It took some careful counting and recounting to see if the design would fit.  I added the letter NC for North Carolina--where Anna Elizabeth was living and attended school.

For the spine of the book, I dug into my wool stash and found a soft cream fabric.  Is there anything more fun than shopping for silk ribbon?  I'm not sure which part I enjoy most:  the beautiful colors, the sheen, or the luxurious feel of the ribbon running through my fingers.  A silk ribbon for a girl living in the mountains of North Carolina in pre Civil War America would have been an extravagance, I doubt Anna Elizabeth tied her journal with a silk ribbon.  I thought it was past time Anna Elizabeth had a silk ribbon for her journal.

SassyJacks, Nicola and Esther Benson

This post begins with an apology--my body is back in Nashville but my head and my heart are still in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina and at SassyJacks.  AppleJack and I have spent the last few days enjoying the mountains and taking a class with Nicola Parkman at SassyJacks in Weaverville, North Carolina.  If you haven't been to SassyJacks, what are you waiting for?  Go!  The linens, oh the linens:  Lakeside, Weeks, R & R, Silkweavers, you name the linen, the color, or the count and Kimberly Young, the proprietress of SassyJacks has it.  Fibers, again, name the color or manufacturer and your needs can be met.

If anyone is looking for linen for the Sarah Braizear 1829 sampler, SassyJacks has an abundance and the linen is beautiful!

SassyJacks is currently located at 30 Main Street Weaverville, North Carolina.  Weaverville is just north of Asheville, North Carolina.  Walking or driving through the town I was quickly reminded of Mayberry, Aunt Bee, and Andy Taylor because Weaverville has all the quaint charm of small town America.  People stop their cars and allow you to cross the street and shop owners keep water outside their shops for the people who are walking with their dogs.  The photo above is the future home of SassyJacks.  This is the Zebulon Baird House built in 1878 and is currently being restored by Kimberly and her husband Everett.  Isn't it fabulous?

This is the back or ell of the house.  There are great plans for this porch:  teas, receptions, stitch-ins.  And one day, there will be a carriage house which will serve as a classroom and gathering place for stitchers.

Back to Weaverville, this is a photo I took one day while I was walking to lunch.  Weaverville has many artisans and eateries.  In a future SassyJacks newsletter, appropriately called Jack's Journal, Kimberly and Jack are going on a walking tour of the cafe's, coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, food trucks and eateries of Weaverville.  When you go to Weaverville be sure to check out the Creperie & Cafe, you will not be disappointed.  On the corner next to SassyJacks is a bakery called Well Bred Bakery and Cafe, Travel and Leisure magazine has discovered them, whatever you select, your tastebuds will be satisfied.

This is Nicola Parkman, Hands Across the Seas Samplers beginning her talk and instructions on stitching the Esther Benson sampler.  Nicola does extensive research on each sampler she releases and shares the stitchers story.  Don't we all want to know more about the sampler and the person who stitched the sampler?  Nicola's enthusiasm and passion for needlework is contagious.

Esther Benson 1739, the reproduction.  Esther doesn't disappoint with her version of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge.  Check out the moon and the sun--easy to fall hard for them.  Esther didn't leave anyone guessing with her name, the year she stitched her sampler and where she lived.  The reproduction is stitched on Lakeside Linen vintage meadow rue and the fibers are Au Vue A Sore.

On our way to Weaverville, AppleJack and I took time to enjoy and hike a stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

If you look closely at the sign, it says Spring Creek Tavern.  Yes, Spring Creek is a real place.  It is part of the Appalachian Trail and where my Great Grandmother Sarah Miranda and Great Great Grandmother Anna Elizabeth were born.

Walks in the cool mountain air, reconnecting with my roots, delicious crepes, SassyJacks, Nicola, the Baird House, Esther Benson--I have new found energy!

Finishing Fool

Two Red Houses (copyright 2003)

Little House Needleworks (Diane Williams)

Mystery Stash Linen (30 count overdyed with walnut?)

DMC fibers

Two Red Houses is stitched and at the framers.  I waved a white flag when I entered the framing shop.  I was afraid when the framer saw the one inch margin and how poorly the needlework had been centered on the fabric, she would send me and my red houses home.  

Land of Liberty

With Thy Needle and Thread (Brenda Gervais)

Mystery Linen (I think this is a scrap of Birds of a Feather)

NPI silks

For years Betty Mansfield finished my needlework.  She did an excellent job!  I always told her she made my needlework look good.  I am not a finisher.  I am learning, I watch a lot of tutorials, I make many mistakes, I need to improve,   Land of Liberty was not fully finished in time for July 4th 2018 but will celebrate Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Summer & Winter Book No 90

The Prairie Schooler 

More Mystery Linen

NPI Fibers

Every year I promise myself I am going to add more seasonal smalls.  The year comes and goes and there are no smalls stitched.  This has been the year.  There is a turkey in the Spring & Fall Book No 91 which I hope to stitch and have finished for Thanksgiving (the overlooked holiday).

Spring Stitching Box

La D Da 2017

Tomorrow's Heirloom Kit

My first time sewing chenille.  It's not as difficult as I thought.  Watching tutorials helped.  Lady Dot has some great trims, if you haven't ordered or used her trims give her a try.  Adding crushed walnut shells can be tricky and messy.

Blackbird Designs

Loose Feathers Pattern #20

Necessity box and Strawberry
Mystery Stash Line
Sullivans fiber

I stitched this strawberry in preparation for a strawberry finishing class Linda Stoltz (Erica Michaels) was teaching.  It was a great class--Linda was so very kind and patient to answer questions and share many ideas for topping the berries.  Linda has many great berry designs.  Sheep roving is my favorite stuffing material.  This was my first time stitching with Sullivans--I love the color but the fiber is very flat and that I don't like.

There are more items in my "to be finished pile."

1.  Bindings on three quilts

2.  Assembly on the Stacy Nash Rose Garden Basket

3.  Hem stitching a sampler

4.  Stitching the cartouche on a Stacy Nash piece, which I hope to finish into a journal.  

All American Finn copyright 2014)

Threadwork Primitives (Nan Lewis)

32 ct Dove Gray overdyed with walnut

Gentle Art--Barn Gray

NPI Chinese Red

The summer heat has taken its toil on my stitching mojo.  Am currently stitching All American Finn by Threadwork Primitives (Nan Lewis).  It is a very whimsical piece.  While shopping at Ye Old Mercantile, I found a bread board which I thought I would use to mount the finished piece.

E*X*P*A*N*D*I*N*G

Little House Needleworks (Diane Williams)

Two Red Houses Copyright 2003

Mystery Stash Linen (Overdyed with walnut stain?)

DMC Fibers

(My framer is going to hate me for the margins)

AppleJack and I took a road trip last week and there was catching up and shopping but not much stitching.  Was it a hot Fourth of July?  I can't say driving west in 95 degree heat is my cup of tea.  It rained on Friday and the rain brought much needed relief from the temperature and humidity.  Progress is being made on Two Red Houses--three fences, two saltbox houses, one tree and almost one-half of the alphabet.  Do I see a finish in the near future?

One of the first things I do when traveling is look for needlework/quilt/wool shops.  Yes a 50 mile radius is considered "within the area."  There are TWO wonderful needlework shops within the 50 mile radius parameter.  The shops are The Stitcher's Garden in Conway, Arkansas and Shepherd's Needle in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Both shops are filled with so much goodness and both are E*X*P*A*N*D*I*NG.  Isn't that the best news?  In this age when LNS/brick and mortar shops are closing exponentially, it was a shot of encouragement to see TWO needlework shops growing and doubling their retail space.  The Shepherd's Needle was preparing for a two day workshop with Shawn Williams from Threads that Bind.  Shawn was teaching a workshop on July 25th and July 26th and a second workshop on July 27th and 28th.  Darn, due to poor planning on my part, I missed her workshop two years in a row.  If you are in the Little Rock/Conway Arkansas area, plan a visit to these wonderful shops--linens, walls of fibers, models, the latest releases, and all the things--you will be so happy you took the time.

So what did I purchase?

Plum Street Sampler (Paulette Stewart)

Sheep Heap

36 count PTP (Picture This Plus) Oaken

Sarah Jane Grant 1845 Deconstructed

Summer House Stitch Works (Beth Ann Seal)

36 count vintage pear Lakeside

This was released at the Nashville Needlework Market in Nashville.  This linen is awesome, I see more of it in my future.

Mary Barres Sampler 328 x 355

Stacy Nash

36 count Weeks Dye Works Parchment

Mary Barres is a big girl--another beautiful linen.
See that label on the linen?  The shop owner has written the count, manufacturer and name of the linen. She also included the name of the design, thread count and size of the piece of linen.  This is such a nice touch.  

A Sampler Study 1802 Sampler Reproduction

The Primitive Hare (Isabella Abbiati)

40 Count Olde Massachusetts linen

40 count is not one of my favorites.  However, it is a lighter piece of linen, I am hoping it will be easier to see.  When framing this piece, The Primitive Hare had used a piece of lace at the top of the house--I thought this was a cool idea and I happened to have a piece of lace in my stash.

TWO expanding needlework shops made for a great (hot) road trip. Neither one of these shops know me from Adams house cat, if you are in the area--treat yourself, you will be so happy you did.

Sampler Sunday: Two Red Houses

Little House Needleworks (Diane Williams)

Two Red Houses Copyright 2003

Mystery Stash Linen (overdyed with walnut stain?)

DMC Fibers

The other day I was searching for something in my stash and I came across this red saltbox house.  I looked at it and it spoke to my stitching heart and I asked myself why I had sat it aside and maybe it was time to give it some love and stitching attention.

It didn't take me long to figure out why I had abandoned this piece.  It is not centered on the fabric and I clearly did not use my corner gauge for measuring.

There is barely one inch of fabric on the left side of the fabric and will be about three-four inches of fabric on the left hand side.  After a consultation with my framer, who is a miracle worker, says it can be salvaged.  Thank goodness I like my needlework framed tight.

The other reason this piece was set aside is because it is stitched with two strands of fiber.  While the coverage is nice with very little shine through, I do not enjoy stitching with two threads.  I am constantly asking myself if my threads are railroad (lying side by side).

I seldom use needle minders, but this little Stitch Dot made by Needle Nannies has been very useful.

One of the changes I am considering is changing the checkerboard underneath the alphabet to a grass stitch using a scotch stitch.  AppleJack had not seen the photo and asked where does the grass go?  Since I am not a big fan of the checkerboard and with AppleJack's question, I see grass in this samplers future.

Two red houses:  simple, primitive, timeless saltbox houses, I'm glad this small sampler is finally getting the love and attention it deserves.