Not a monogamous stitcher

Ann Wright 1726 (drum kit)

Samplers Not Forgotten (Kimberly Nugent)

36 ct beige Weeks

Weeks Dye Works fibers

There are stitchers who choose one project and faithfully work on that project until it is finished.  I am not one of those stitchers.  I flit from one project to another, I either make a mistake and am to lazy to correct the mistake or I get distracted by another project.

Weeks Dye Works fibers is not one of my favorite fibers.  This is stitched with two strands, my stitching advisors did not recommend stitching with two strands.  Lesson learned.  

Catherington

Needlework Press

40 ct Vintage Butter Pecan Lakeside Linen

Gloriana Schoolhouse Red

There is something about red samplers!  This is a fun, fun stitch and don't you just love the font of those capital letters?  Yes, that break in the border is where I made a mistake, but I love stitching on this sampler I will correct the mistake and be back to her.  The more I stitch on this sampler, the better I like her.

Can't wait to get back to those capital letters!

Home for the Holidays

Blackbird Designs

Mystery linen (I think it might be an R & R)

Country Redwood

This is the third stocking from the Blackbird Designs book, Home for the Holidays.  I have two of the five stockings stitched and have big plans for them.  Hope I can get the other two stitched and fully finished for Christmas 2020.

My basket of shame has more than enough projects to keep me busy for 2020 and the Nashville Needlework Market starts March 6.  I have been stalking Instagram, Facebook and webpages to get a glimpse of what is coming and it looks like the designers have outdone themselves with more great irresistible designs.  

Grand Plans 2020

New Year's Start 2020

Brenda, the sampler stitcher said it best:  "we're going to stitch a sampler a week, a Christmas ornament a month, all the club and retreat pieces, and finish all the WIP's.  In reality, we are going to stitch those pieces which speak to us."  Sound like great plans to me!

The linen and most of the silks were purchased at SassyJacks when I was there in October.  This sampler has been in my stash a long time and is loudly calling to me.  

Am also starting Catherington or in my case Catherine.  She is red, simple and will be stitched with Gloriana Schoolhouse Red.  On those days when the simplicity of a sampler is needed, Catherine is going to be my go to girl.  Yes, Catherine is one of my ancestors, she has a very sad story.

"Jane" is also speaking loudly to me.  AppleJack Santa made a special delivery because he knew I wanted this sampler.  Rebecca Jane was my maternal Grandmother and Laura Jane was a paternal Great Grandmother--both Janes have special stories.  

Brenda also said, "it's great to have choices."  There are many samplers in my stash and I wish I could stitch a sampler a week.  Reality says "that ain't going to happen."  Am going to stitch what makes me happy.  The good news, I can start The Plantation Sampler when New York City drops the ball and start Catherine when Music City drops the musical note.  

Santa Delivers

Have I shared with you AppleJack Santa is the best guy ever?  Well he is!  I have admired this sampler for the longest. Jeannie at Country Sampler in Spring Green, WI has a great eye for color and her "dull it down" style is also my style.

This is also from County Sampler, it is a kit from the ABC Schoolgirl Needlework Club 2019.  From time to time, Jeannie has leftover or unclaimed club kits which she makes available.  I love the way this sampler has been made into a needle roll.  Again, love the "dull it down" colors.

One of my favorite fibers is Gloriana and one of my favorite colors is Schoolhouse Red.  Laura, the Serial Starter says everyone should have a red sampler in their sewing basket--it's the law!  I agree.  On those days when my brain is tired, stitching a simple sampler with one color is very relaxing.



Thank you AppleJack Santa for the wonderful gifts!  You sure know how to make this girls heart happy!

My Eyelet Christmas Miracle

Sarah's House

Blackbird Designs

Ahh December 26, one of my favorite days of the year.  I love Christmas: the decorations, music, special foods and even some of the hustle and bustle.  I do not love the commercialism and the self imposed stress.  My goal is to finish Sarah's house in 2019--not many days left.  

Sarah's House was designed by the Blackbird Girls (Barb and Alma) in 2012--it was the second in a series of their Loose Feather designs.  The design was inspired by an antique sampler in their collection.  Alma wrote this about Sarah's House:

The alphabet potion was left unfinished.  Maybe Sarah realized too late that there wasn't enough space to stitch all of her letters.  We added another row of the alphabet to the reproduction but we found as did Sarah, there really wasn't enough space for the entire alphabet.

Barb and Alma included photographs of the original (antique) sampler and the original was stitched with eyelets.  I thought the eyelets added so much visual interest to the sampler I would stitch my Sarah with eyelets.  With all due respect Barb and Alma, spacing might have been some of the reason Sarah did not complete her alphabet but after stitching these eyelets, I think they challenged Sarah's stitching sanity.  They certainly challenged mine.  Let me just say reverse stitching eyelet stitches is not one of my favorite things.  The letter I will be completed after I replace the floss color, I ran out.

Sunday Social 2007

Threads that Bind--Shawn Williams

To give my brain a rest from the eyelets, I started needle punching Sunday Social.  Yes, like most of my projects, it has been in my stash for several years.  Thank goodness it was not dry rotted.  It is a fun whimsical design and will share space with my other sheep in the spring.  

To finish stitching Sarah, I've got to replace NPI silks 696 and 294 and to finish Sunday Social I've got to replace Gentle Arts Evergreen and Corn Husk.  While waiting for Nashville Needleworks to reopen from Christmas holidays, I will play in my stash and decide on my New Year's Day start--it's going to be a sampler.  

Sarah's House

Sarah's House by Blackbird Designs

Released in 2012 (she's still available) 

Lakeside Linen 36 count Butter Pecan

NPI Silks

This sampler has been in my stash a good long time.  She was calling to me.  I love the wonky border.    The Blackbird girls reproduced Sarah from a sampler in their collection.  In looking at a photograph of the original sampler,  the letters were stitched in eyelets.  I thought the eyelets would add interest and am also stitching the alphabet with eyelets.  Either because of spacing or Sarah got tired of eyelets she only stitched 12 letters of the alphabet using eyelet.

Am hoping to finish Sarah during my Christmas break and debut her at the January stitch-in's.

A Problem and a Solution

One of my huge frustrations in sitting down to stitch only to discover something is missing.  It's either my scissors, a floss, or the chart,  I always seem to be searching for something instead of stitching.  Just when I get everything located, Lucy jumps into my lap, everything goes flying and the search begins anew.  Does anyone else have these problems?

During a recent visit to Hobby Lobby, I found this tray.  It is large enough to hold my chart.  My homemade make-do helps to keep the fibers organized.

I added a magnet which holds the make-do in place in the tray and is a resting place for my scissors.  The ort cup came from The Country Cupboard in Crossville.

The Sew-Lutions magnetic box also came from Hobby Lobby and is the perfect place for needles, needle minders and threaders.  The tray is just deep enough to hold Q-Snaps with project.

When I am finished stitching, the tray sits beside my stitching chair.  It is a solution which is working for me.  With significantly cooler temps, it is finally beginning to feel like fall.  Weekend agenda:  fall baking (pumpkin bread) college and NFL football and stitching, lots of stitching.

Catching Up

Good Intentions

Kathy Barick

This piece says so much about me.  I had good intentions of posting more about samplers during Sampler September.  Then there was a great gathering with the Homespun group and the Music City Stitchers group, my awesome experience at SassyJacks and the Bristol Orphanage Sampler lecture and workshop and the relentless ninety degree weather . . .

Let's catch up

In All Things Be Exceedingly Diligent

Needlework Press

After posting about my dirty half dozen unfinished samplers, I did finish the sampler In All Things Be Exceedingly Diligent, my first horizontal sampler.  Diligence as I like to call her is in the capable hands of Lynn the framer.  She should be ready to bring home and claim her spot with the other samplers sometime soon.

One of the things which I did during Sampler September was go through all my sampler charts/designs and choose twelve which I am making a priority to stitch.

• A Sampler Study 1802 by The Primitive Hare
• Sarah's House and The Winter is Past by Blackbird Designs
• In the Berry Beginning by The Scarlett House
• Felicity's Sampler by Serendipity Designs
• Hannah Lancaster by the Porcupine Collection
• Noel and Quaker Handworke by With Thy Needle and Thread
• Companion to Beatrix Potter an Ackworth Sampler by Stitchy Box
• Hospitality by Words of Praise
• Plantation Sampler by Canterbury Designs
• Rebecca Robinson by The Scarlet Letter

Sandra was stitching The Plantation Sampler at the last gathering and Tanya Brockmeyer had this sampler on her sampler wall and my sampler mojo was rekindled.  I purchased linen and silks at SassyJacks's to to start her.  Time will tell the story of my progress in stitching these samplers.  Two thoughts:  Good Intentions and Diligence

Christmas Village

Prairie Schooler

stitched by Sandra

Our September Homespun Gathering was just the best.  We welcomed three new stitchers:  Karen, Allison and Jeanette.  Patty, Lori and Sandra also came--it was so nice to welcome them back.  Yes, we had a full house with many amazing finished pieces.  This group is a blessing, so many talented women and wonderful cooks.  Did I mention we shared a delicious pot luck meal?  We introduced ourselves to Karen, Allison and Jeanette by sharing how we came to shop and stitch at Homespun.  Reminiscing down the Homespun memory lane was good for more than a few laughs and tears.  Thank goodness Judy was there with her camera to take pictures of all the finished pieces, because I was to busy visiting and being inspired by all the projects (finished and in progress).

When Kim (SassyJack's) announced Claudia Dutcher Kistler would be coming to SassyJack's in October for a lecture and workshop on the Bristol Orphanage samplers, I immediately sent in my registration.  The entire weekend was an amazing experience.  From Claudia's very informative lecture on George Mueller and the British orphanage samplers, shopping at SassyJack's, the ambience of Weaverville, old friends, new friends, Vonna's delicious FiberTalk cookies, sharing and inspiration, it was one of the best stitchy events I have ever attended!  I don't have enough words to adequately express the wonderful experience.  

Returning home, Melissa reminded me Sat. October 12 was a stitch day for the Music City Stitchers.  This is a new to me group which meets once a month at the Brentwood Library.  It is a a young, growing group.  The group has outgrown three meeting rooms and now meets in the largest room the library has.  A special thank you to Ryann for organizing this group and sharing her exquisitely made counting pins and needle minders.  Several of the group are planning weekend shopping adventures to SassyJack's.  One of the many, many fun things Kim is doing is yearly squirrel needle minders.  Below are the 2019 and 2020 squirrel needle minders and Kim has already chosen the 2021 squirrel.

According to the calendar the first official day of fall 2019 was Monday, September 23.  Mother Nature did not get the memo.  This September in Nashville was one of the driest, hottest on record!  Day after day of ninety degree temps with no rain, just got the best of me.  I lost my stitching mojo, gardening mojo, fall decorating mojo, and AppleJack says my cooking mojo.  The kicker--Nashville went from ninety degrees to frost in less than a week.  It was wonderful to wake up Sunday morning to frost on the rooftops.  I have never been more ready for cooler temps.  Tennessee and much of the south has one color for fall:  brown.

Sarah's House

Blackbird Designs

Until next time, I will be stitching on Sarah's House, watching Flosstube, scanning Instagram and reading blogs.  AppleJacks says "keep those fingers away from the shopping carts."