A finish!  Apologies for the poor photos.  Antonia Gonzalez is on her way to be framed at Lynn's in Madison, WI, tomorrow morning.  Do you remember when she was first "unveiled"?  After careful analysis of the color on the reverse side, this is the amazing palette that resulted. Good weekend to everyone!

Mary Baker is coming Right along

I have finished the first half in red and green, and I have finished the verse.

A good name is rather
to be chosen than great
riches and a loving Father
than silver and Gold

Next I am on to the other motifs and the declaration.

Elizabeth Sheffield update

I've been focusing exclusively on Miss Sheffield for the last month or so.  That's pretty unusual for me since I seem to suffer from ADD when it comes to stitching - I prefer dating multiple projects instead of having a dedicated relationship.  Maybe some of the other group members' focus and discipline is rubbing off on me.

Anyway, I've managed to get to the point where I can see the finish, so I'll continue with Miss Sheffield and ignore all of the other girls screaming for attention.  The colors in the photo aren't accurate, I never seem to remember to take a picture during the day, only late at night when I'm actually stitching.

Elizabeth Sheffield, stitched on 36 count with
The Attic's silk conversion, with slight modifications.

So far behind

I am just in awe of all the beautiful progress and finishes on so many samplers. I have barely enough progress to even post. We're doing some house renovations and I'm very slowly going through everything to see what I can "deaccession". We had some floors refinished so there's also a thick layer of dust on everything, including the insides of everything, and that all needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Well, enough of the excuses. I got most of the sea god done and started on the next band.

Half Outlined

Yes, I have gotten And All was for an Appil halfway outlined.  I also made a tiny start on page three.  Hopefully I will be having a bit more time for stitching soon.  Silly life getting in the way.

Katie Sym Framed

I have received an email from Sampler Annie showing the new Scarlet Letter sampler Katie Sym framed - isn't she a beauty. I have to order the chart. Maybe Marsha can let us know when she will be available? 

Katie Sym

Miss Sym is stitched with AVAS on 40ct.

Annie is working on some more samplers, I for one cannot wait to see them.

The Winners Are .......

I am sorry to be late posting today but I have been very busy being a Nana. Archie was a very good boy for me and even made the draw. It is lovely to see him reaching for things now and everything goes straight into his mouth.

I am sorry that there are no photos of the draw but I couldn't manage to take one by myself  as I had to hold him up to the hat.

The winner of the chart and yard of linen of their choice is MARGARET of DAYS OF A SAMPLER LOVER and the winner for chart they would like to purchase next is BETHANY GALLANT. Bethany's choice of chart is Mary Ann Macdonald.

Congratulations.

The prize for June is a particular favourite of mine. 

Good luck everyone. Don't forget to post, each post is an entry for the draw.

I got my frames and stand!!!!

I received my millennium frame, Little Wizard frame and stand a couple of weeks ago.  I am soooo happy with them and have since ordered extra bars so I can change out.  Thanks Nicola and Kevin for your encouraging words.  I am now back to working Country Life, but it is slow progress.  I was having trouble with the floral motif on the outside border.  Then I realized that the top was a little different that the bottom. I decided that they all are going to be the same.
I enjoy checking in to see every ones progress but get frustrated at myself that I am a slow stitcher.
Happy stitching.
Martha S.

Polly Phillip and Spot Sampler

I almost forgot again this month to check in! I am happily stitching away with my Scarlet Letter Samplers and reading both blogs. I thought I should post my progress photos. I have outlined the top panel of Polly Phillip and am now filling in the pieces. My goal on her for the year is to complete the top panel.

My goal on the Spot Sampler Motif is to complete 25% this year. I have outlined the entire top and am now going backwards across the top and filling it in- it is over one on 40 ct tent stitch. This is my current piece, and I actually have more of this done now. It is much more relaxing now that the outlining is complete. The symbols for this one are quite small on the chart, so I take pictures of each motif and blow them up with my phone. It is going much faster since I started doing that.

I received my premium HDF this month to start stitching Rebecca Cullin again, so I should get back to her soon!!

Many Happy Returns Leona

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LEONA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Wishing you a wonderful birthday from all of us.

A Post for Lori

I have not been very good about posting.  This is the first time I have participated in something like this, so I need to remember! 

 

I have not been stitching much this last month or so.  Work commitments have been overwhelming and I usually collapse when I get home!  School will be out soon and I’m hoping to be able to stitch a lot this summer.

 

I am working - slowly - on Nancy Nurse 

and the Scottish Band Sampler.  

loving both.  I am enjoying everyone’s posts and am so impressed with all the beautiful stitching.

 

Lori

Joanna Warren - third time lucky!

Joanna Warren
taken from Scarlet Letter website

I started Joanna Warren about a month ago.  I had purchased her many years ago as a kit, had plundered the DMC threads for other projects, so just had to replace them with AVAS!  The linen that came with the kit, I have to admit I was not crazy about - to me the unbleached had the colour of chicken poo - but that is maybe just my warped mind and my obsession with our feathered egg-laying friends!

So along with the change to AVAS I made a start on Floba 35ct cream.  Start number 1!  The cream really didn't show up the pale colours so well.  I should learn to trust Marsha.

Back to the unbleached linen and start from the top with the double running and satin stitches. Start 2!  Now maybe it was just me, but I couldn't get the satin stitches to sit right, and to be honest, Joanna was about to be put into a dusty corner once more.

Then we had our trip to France, and I couldn't really take SDW to finish...too big...so I printed off the final page of Joanna, and hid her in the suitcase.  The final panel is all in cross stitch - or so I thought - something nice and simple to get to grips with.  Get a good start, working upwards towards that blasted satin stitch.
Start 3!

Joanna Warren from the bottom up

I was only when I read the instruction properly on the ferry, that I saw that the letters are alternating eyelets over 1 (I think not!) and satin stitches.  Well I did a couple of eyelets over one, and a couple of cross stitches and my conclusion was that a blind man would be pleased to see the difference.  So cross stitches it is.








I had a lovely surprise on my return, the Simile Chart that I was lucky enough to win arrived.  Many thanks to Nicola, and Marsha for their generosity and for making this Scarlett Letter year so much fun.  Another one I can't wait to start.  This Scarlet Letter year is going to have to go on longer than 2014!

SDW Week 28 - A Finish!

I was so close to finishing SDW before we went to France last weekend, but it was not to be.  All I had to do was the top band of running stitches and a little bit of colouring in to do on the church.   So over the this weekend gone, I stitched long and hard, and on Sunday evening just had two windows and a door to colour in on the church, but my eyes were closing and finally husband sent me off to bed.

So yesterday evening, it was with joy and  I have to admit a little sadness, that I put the final stitch into SDW.  I have enjoyed every stitch of "her", and the new and hopefully continuing friendship that has come out of my very first ever SAL.

SDW
35ct Edinburgh Linen in Flax
AVAS Thread

 I did change the colour of the top band, and had left it until last so that I could decide which looked best.  In my head, all the while of stitching, it was going to be red, but when it came down to it, the blue looked best balanced.  Just goes to show!

SDW Top Band in AVAS Colour 1744

Off to the framers we go!

My Next Stitch - The Mary Baker Sampler

For some time now, I have been into genealogy, exploring my family history.
My great grandmother was Mary Jane Baker, born in Liverpool, England in 1870, of Irish parents.
She came to New York with her parents and brothers when she was 3 years old.

When I saw The Mary Baker Sampler, I knew I had to stitch it! Of course, this Mary Baker is not a relative of mine, but I thought it would be fun to have her name on my wall.

The Mary Baker Sampler - The Scarlet Letter
Stitched on 30 count linen using DMC

Here is the photo I took of my progress the other day:

The piece of linen that came with the kit didn't seem to be that big, so I chose to start in the center and work my way up.
Most of the sampler is stitched in green and red, with a touch of pink. The verse is stitched in black.

This seems to be a very quick stitch. I have already made more progress. I will be back in a few days with another photo.

May I introduce Susan McPherson? :)

Hello!

It has been quite a long time since my last post. In January I finished Ann Hall and after that decided to take some break and finish off some of my non-Scarlet Letter WIPs. Now when it is done I am back to the Scarlet Letter and have started Susan McPherson. An easy and joyful stitch :)

Here are 2 pictures of my progress:

I am stitching on 38ct Gander Ecru Nacre with DMC and The Gentle Art threads. 

Hoping to finish Susan by the end of  this month. 

Happy stitching to everyone!

Inguna

Mother's Day Manifesto Update....Left side done!

I am happy to report that I have completed the left side of the Manifesto...My family allowed me to stitch the entire day yesterday.  I was able to accomplish completing the left hand side:)  Woop-Woop!

Here she is!

Happy Stitches,

-Holly

Beyond the Little X - An Interview with Ellen Chester

It's time for another interview with one of our stitchers!  This month we'll be talking to Ellen Chester.  Everyone knows Ellen and the wonderful designs that she has produced and the classes that she teaches throughout the country.  Her work is exquisite and I think that anyone that has been been honored to take a class with her has come away with a newfound knowledge and appreciation of samplers, and a wonderful day spent working on a beautiful design.  Her pieces are wonderful.  She has her own designing company - With My Needle and a blog that I'm sure that most of everyone is familiar with - With My Needle.  And she is an incredible stitcher.  I, for one, would love to take a tour of her house and see all her pieces up close.  So today we're going to get to know Ellen a little bit better.  

How old were you when you first picked up a needle?

My first needlework was filling the background on needlepoint seat cushions when I was in Junior in High School.  I didn’t stitch any more until after my husband, Tom, and I, both native Floridians, moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he worked as a chemist and I as a teacher.  I needed something to occupy my time before school started in the fall, so I bought a very large crewel kit.  I must have had "big eyes"--the project I picked was 22 by 26 inches…probably not the average starter project.

The following year, we returned to Florida, and Tom started graduate school.  During this time, I discovered cross-stitch--the stamped kind.  I stitched several stamped samplers.

In 1976, we moved to Ohio where Tom worked as a research chemist at the Procter and Gamble Company.  We raised our two children in Cincinnati, Carolyn and Stephen.  When they were young, I did lots of volunteer work at church, at their schools, and for Kindervelt, a community organization that raises money for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  It was during this time that I discovered counted cross stitch on aida.  I really liked the freedom it provided to make design and color changes.  Then came the great "awakening" when I discovered linen.  Today I would never use anything else.

What was the first sampler you stitched?

My first sampler was a stamped one that was advertised in a woman's magazine.  I can't remember which one, perhaps Good Housekeeping.  The design was called "Bless This House" and was designed by Julie Nixon Eisenhower.  I still have this sampler hanging in my home.

What time of day do you stitch?

I am an early riser, so I usually stitch a couple of hours before "beginning" my day.  I used to always stitch some at night too, but sadly I now find myself too tired to stitch many nights.  I never thought that would happen.

Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have to hand?

Here's a photo of my "stitching nest".  I usually "stitch in hand", so I use my stand not to hold a frame, but to hold my chart and threads.  Of course, I also have a pair of embroidery scissors nearby.

Do you use the stick and stab technique or a sewing stitch?

I usually stitch in hand and use a combination of the sewing method and stick and stab depending upon the stitch.  For example, closed herringbone, four-sided, backstitch, and cross stitch lend themselves well to the sewing method.  I use stitch and stab for tent stitch, cross stitch over one, queen stitch, etc.  I'm trying to get myself to feel comfortable using the sewing method for queen stitches, but that hasn't happened yet.

What is your favourite period of sampler-making and why?

I like almost all reproduction samplers, with no particular time period being my favorite.  If I stitch a non-reproduction sampler, I lean toward those that have the look of old samplers, for example, "I Sigh Not For Beauty" by C Street Samplers.  I stitched that a few years ago.

What designs appeal to you the most? (e.g. Scottish needlework, certain stitches, colour schemes, animal motifs, houses, figures, Quaker style,  etc) 

I guess my taste in samplers is eclectic, but I really prefer traditional-looking designs over modern ones.

Have you had any formal education in textiles?

I have had no formal education in textiles.  I sometimes wonder if I were to do my education over again if I would study textiles and perhaps work in a museum.

Why do you find antique samplers appealing?

There is a timelessness about reproducing antique samplers unlike the teddy bears and geese pictures that I stitched in my early 30's.  The teddy bears and geese have long since been given away or relegated to a closet or the basement.  My samplers are all hanging on our walls.  I don't think there is a sampler I don't love.

Do you collect antique samplers? Apart from samplers do you collect anything else?

Yes, I collect antique samplers as well as antique needlework tools.  I also have a pretty extensive needlework library.

What other types of hand work do you enjoy?

In the past I have done some crewel, crocheting, knitting, and quilting, etc., but these days my focus is on counted thread work except for the prayer shawls I knit for my church.

Any guilty secrets to confess?  (e.g leave tails on the back, drink tea or coffee whilst stitching, let your cat sleep on your work, etc)

Well, I do usually have something to drink next to me when I stitch.  This makes my husband very nervous, but (knock on wood) I've yet to spill anything.

What has been your worst needlework disaster (loss, stains, holes)?

Two needlework disasters come to mind.  Years ago when we were visiting my sister, her son was running through the house eating something.  Somehow, mustard landed on a project in my stitching basket.  I still don't know how that happened, but luckily we were able to get it out.  Then there was the time that I was assembling a project stitched with overdyed threads, and my iron decided to "spit" water.  Of course, the overdyed threads ran.

If your house was on fire and you could only save one sampler which would you choose and why?

My goodness asking me to chose one sampler is like asking which of your children you love the most.  If I could grab only one sampler, I think it would be the American Sampler because of all those queen stitches.   Or should I grab Ann Bowers (The Examplarery)?  Or how about Agnes Scott which I reproduced?  Or how about Margaret Gibson (The Scarlet Letter)? Or how about.....?  I would ask my husband to grab Dutch Beauty, not because it was a difficult sampler, but because it is SO large!

American Sampler

Agnes Scott

Dutch Beauty

Am I the only one who forgets that her glasses are on top of her head?

You won't see me with glasses on top of my head.  I've worn glasses since I was in elementary school except for a short period of time when I wore contacts.  When I had my cataract surgery a few years ago, I told the doctor that I wanted to see the best I could for my needlework and I didn't care if I wore glasses or not.  I just didn't want to be putting glasses off and on all the time.  I now have tri-focals, and the top section of the lenses has no correction.

What else would you like to add?

I have several sampler walls in almost every room of the house.  I  think there are 35 samplers in the family room. Here are two of the sampler walls in our family room.

(editor's note - I could not get the picture to right itself)

Here is a view going up our staircase.

Here is part of one of the sampler walls in our bedroom.  These are the five Ackworth reproductions I have stitched.

And Samplers in our office:

Wow!  Can you believe all these beautiful samplers filling Ellen's house.  Such a wonderful inspiration to all of us.

Thank you so much Ellen for taking the time and agreeing to our interview.  I'm sure that everyone is going to be absolutely awed by the beautiful work that you have stitched!!  

An OOP Chart to be won

Let's have some fun, there is an OOP chart to be won that has very generously been donated by Marsha.

Fill in the grid below with your answers to the 12 questions, then the highlighted letters will spell out the name of the chart.

1.                                      

What did St John write here ?

2.

Do you recognize this sampler?

3.

          and

4.  

A long serving monarch and a high spirited friend of Miss Sewell's beauty.

5.  

With his creator

You might see him here

6.

The flag she is famous for making is not flown where Mr Beckham was number seven.

7.    

She lives in a beautiful cottage in Iowa with her brother Owen, does Kind of Blue play in the background.

8.     

How well do you know your samplers ?

9.

You can get darters, skimmers, emperors and even hawkers.

10.

Do you recognize this sampler?

11.

Craddock was famous for cooking but he went large when he declared Independence.

12.

31st October - (Ever let the Fancy roam, Pleasure never is at home)

EMAIL your answers to the 12 questions and the name of the Sampler  to nicola.parkman@gmail.com and a name will be drawn on June 1st.

You are welcome to leave a comment but not the answer.

GOOD LUCK.

Working on Another OOP: The Product of My Needle

Here's my next out-of-print Scarlet Letter sampler, "The Product of My Needle." This is the second time I started this. The first time was years ago, and I was using 32 count fabric. When I stitched the black background, the fabric showed through, so I scrapped it and restarted it not too long ago on 40 count fabric. Much better! This is a close-up of the cover photo.

And my restart. I'm using AVAS. I love the colors and the design; the sheep's body is stitched in french knots, and the deer is either stem or satin stitch. I'll probably stitch the deer using stem stitch. These colors are exactly the colors in the sampler (which also includes a shiny strand of silver. Heavens, don't I love glitter, sparkle and shine.

Marsha, you should bring this one back--it's so much fun to work on!

Dorothy's Progress 4

Progress on Dorothy is slow! Too much distractions along the way ha ha!

A closer look at the over 1!

Can you see? I am still struggling with the over 1 stitching, only a few letters were added! I am doing one letter at a time and move on to do the border and the eyelets. Hope to show more progress in my next update!

I am enjoying all the beautiful wips here! And there are so many gorgeous finishes!

Hugs,
Ellen