Friday, April 30, 2010

Two Acorn Sampler Sewing Cases "in the works"

Quite a few people are stitching the Acorn Sampler Sewing Case as a SAL with my newsletter group. Earlier in the month I received photos from Janet B. in Massachusetts and Tedra R. in Arizona.

The first photo is from Janet. Janet wrote, What a wonderful time I am having stitching the "Acorn Sampler". I plan to make the sewing case and will add it to my collection of sewing cases and etuis. I am a retired nurse and having no difficulty keeping up with the stitching schedule. Just one of the perks of retirement.

I am using 32 count Autumn Gold linen by Lakeside Linen as well as Weeks Dye Works and Sampler Threads by The Gentle Art. I have changed the color of some of the squirrels to black as we seem to have an unusually large number of black squirrels running around in our yard.

I have finished Ellen's "A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif " as well as "Long May She Wave". When the "Acorn Sampler Sewing Case" is finished I will send a picture of all three together.
The next photo is from Tedra. Tedra wrote, I have stitched mine with the fibers called for on 32 ct. Mockingbird linen from R & R that I had in my stash - it's very similar to the autumn gold by Lakeside Linens. I hope to work more on it in a couple of weeks when some of us here from our stitching group go up to Flagstaff, AZ to hang out at a wonderful house and stitch the whole weekend!
Thanks, Janet and Tedra, for sharing photos and notes about your progress on this project. I think it is such a fun piece--I actually stitched it twice--once as a framed piece and then again as a huswif.

Tom is still in Florida with his parents. He had been hoping to come home in the next day or two, but they are having a hard time getting his father's blood pressure back under control. They had hoped that a change in medication yesterday would help, but it didn't.

Although we had suspected for some time, that his mother no longer knows who we are because of her dementia, it was confirmed yesterday when she looked at Tom and asked who he was. My heart aches. I know some of you have been through this with loved ones so you can relate.

On the "upside", the exciting news is that we learned yesterday the sex of our grand baby who is due in September, but I must keep you in suspense until Stephen and Michelle make the announcement on their Facebook pages.

This will be a quiet weekend for me.....I'll probably continue work on the L. Haworth sampler. I have made great progress on it during the past 9 days that Tom has been gone.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Another update....

What a wonderful surprise it was to receive these flowers yesterday from Tom who is still in Florida helping out his parents! They certainly brightened my day as do your lovely notes. Thank you!

Each day brings good reports on Tom's father's progress since his brain surgery. He is slowly getting back to normal, but we still don't know how much longer Tom will remain down there.

The other good news that we got yesterday was that my father, who will be 89 later this year, does not need the hip replacement surgery that he was told he needed a couple of months ago. Of course, we are all very relieved!

If the baby cooperates, we'll learn tomorrow whether our new grandbaby will be a girl or boy. Then I can start seriously thinking about a baby sampler.

Meanwhile, I'm staying busy with the L. Haworth sampler. I'm nearly 2/3s done. I've found that I'm not a very good rotation stitcher....I'm better off focusing on one or two projects.

Next month will mark the 11th anniversary of when I started designing. Also next month, 13 days to be exact, will mark the lst anniversary of this blog. I'm wondering if I'll hit 700 WMN Facebook fans (now at 682), 200 blog followers (now at 191), finish L. Haworth, or if Tom will be home by then. I guess time will tell. Regardless maybe I need to think of a give-away to celebrate and to thank you for your support!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Cheryl's Tokens from the Sea

Cheryl S. from Massachusetts recently sent me photos of lots of WMN projects. Today I'm showing you the ones of her Tokens from the Sea. (This is a class-only piece.) Cheryl took this class when I taught it at the New Bedford Whaling Museum--what a perfect setting for this nautical project!

Cheryl wrote, I redesigned the pocket in my Ditty Box and had a blast doing it. I changed the light to the Boston Harbor and added light rays. I liked the compass rose so I added that, and then birds and a blow for my whale. Then I decided that since I had a Kelmscott mother of pearl ruler, it needed a case and I designed that. The fob "anchors" my dolphin scissors.

an enlargement showing Cheryl's pocket

Cheryl added a ruler case and scissors weight to her project. Cheryl, I love the changes and additions you made to this project. Your photos brought back wonderful memories of our time in New Bedford!

Thanks for sharing photos of your wonderful work. Over the next few weeks I'll be showing photos of some more of your terrific projects!!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Ann's elegant Adorn Thy Heart!

Ann McDonald of Needles and Knowledge in Ontario, Canada recently sent me a photo of her Adorn Thy Heart sampler that she stitched in 2006. Wow--didn't she do a beautiful job? I really like the elegant frame and mat she chose.
If Ann's name sounds familiar, it is because a couple of weeks ago (April 9), I posted a photo of her Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif.

Adorn Thy Heart can easily be adapted as a wedding, anniversary, or birth sampler.

Later this week, we'll learn if Michelle and Stephen are having a girl or a boy in September. If it's a girl, I'm debating stitching the Family Record Sampler or adapting Adorn Thy Heart as a birth sampler .

I'm continuing to make great progress on the L. Haworth sampler. Perhaps later in the week I can get another photo posted.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

what's new around here....

Thanks for all your notes. Things are improving in Jacksonville. Yesterday my father-in-law had the stitches in his head (from the brain surgery) removed. On Monday, Tom takes him to the doctor to see if the cast on his hand (from the bad fall seven weeks ago) can be removed. Regardless, it will be at least a month before he can lift anything heavier than 5 pounds.

Today Tom took his parents out to lunch at their favorite seafood place. With my father-in-law's accident and recent surgery, my mother-in-law has not been out in seven weeks. My father-in-law has only been out for doctor's appointments. I'm sure they all enjoyed getting out, but I think Tom had his hands full with getting his mother in and out of the car with her wheelchair. Plus my father-in-law is having to adjust to the use of a walker until he is fully recovered.

I've been trying to stay busy. Today I decided that I would treat myself to a day of stitching. I've been working on the L. Haworth sampler which was reproduced by Darlene Lara (The Marking Samplar). Please excuse the poor photo. Tom took the camera with him so I had to rely on the one on my cell phone. I took this photo yesterday and have since finished one more motif. I think this sampler will look wonderful in our bedroom next to the four other Ackworth samplers I've stitched.
I hope you're enjoying your weekend!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

an update....

Thanks for all your notes regarding my father-in-law. Tom decided to fly rather than drive to Florida and left the house before 5am this morning. We are not sure how long he'll be down there, but he's cleared his calendar for 3 weeks. (He bought a one way ticket down there in order to allow for flexibility.)

Tom is very optimistic that his father will make a full recovery, but time will tell. Tomorrow he sees the neurologist.

Tom's parents still live in the same house they have for over 55 years. His father is the primary care-giver for his mother who has dementia and is in a wheelchair. He has help come in several hours a day six days a week. Obviously, he really needs more help now not only for her, but now also for himself.

What a difference a week makes--last week at this time everything was "normal". Life really comes full-circle when we must care for those who at one time cared for us.

Things will be very quiet here....I'm not looking forward to being alone for so long, so if you have time, keep those notes coming.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Family Ties

We've had a lot going on over the past week....well, actually over the last five days, and I'm terribly behind on my correspondence. If I owe you a note, please bear with me while I try to get caught up.

On Thursday, my father-in-law called to let us know that he was in the Critical Care unit of the hospital because he had blood clots in his brain. Within a few hours, he was taken to the operating room. My brother-in-law went over to Jacksonville last Friday. Tom will drive there on Thursday, and his brother will go back to New Orleans. My father-in-law is doing well, and the "good news" is that the blood clots were caused by the bad fall he had about 6 weeks ago and not vice versa.

Knowing that there was nothing we could do right now to help, we went to Chicago, as previously planned, to see our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. We even got to babysit Haiden (now 27 months old) on Saturday night when his parents went out to dinner and to the ballet.

Here's Haiden in the play area of the Museum of Science and Industry which he calls the "train museum". I'm no sure what he likes better--the trains or this playhouse.
In the afternoon after nap time, he wanted to go for a ride in his red wagon. Since he had lost his cap, he had to wear his father's Cincinnati Reds' cap.
We hadn't gone too far when he decided that he wanted to be the one to pull his wagon.
Sunday night, Tom and I went to see the Blue Man group. What an entertaining show even though we were among the oldest ones there!!

We headed home on Monday making a detour to stop at House of Stitches in LaPorte, Indiana to see Linda and her shop. House of Stitches has been in business since 1982, and Linda has been the owner since 1987. Boy does she have lots of goodies in her shop! Linda was one of my first "automatic" shops.
Here I am with Linda. Guess what she had in one of her showcases? Quaker Turtles!! She also had one of the Floral Needlerolls, but I forgot to take a photo of it. Today I've been filling orders from the On-Line Needlework Show, which took place over the weekend, and also catching up on email. Among the emails were photos from a wedding shower for my cousin's daughter-in-law-to-be, Amanda. Imagine my surprise to see that my cousin Nancy had stitched Family Ties! Isn't that a wonderful wedding or shower gift and a wonderful way to welcome Amanda to our family?

Here is Amanda with the framed sampler and my cousin Nancy. Kylie, Nancy's granddaughter, is also in the photo. I bet she enjoyed being part of the festivities for her "aunt-to-be". Here is a close-up of Amanda with the sampler.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Maria from Italy shows off her Quaker Schoolgirl Needle Necessities

How much fun it was to receive these photos from Maria of her Quaker Schoolgirl Necessities!

Maria, who lives in Napoli (Naples), told me that needlework is her passion. She worked this project using the same linen and threads I used on my model.

The first photo shows the front of Maria's sewing case, the inside of her needlebook, and the scissors sheath. This next photo shows the outside of her needlebook, the reverse side of her scissors sheath, and the back of her sewing case.And here is the inside of her sewing case along with the needlebook and scissors sheath. Instead of gathering the top edge of pocket as I did on my model, Maria chose to pleat hers. Her lining fabric looks so lovely, don't you agree?Thank you, Maria, for sharing photos of your lovely work.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Chizue has another incredible finish!

Chizue from Japan has another incredible finish to share. This time it's My Needle's Worke Box. Wow--another beautiful piece, Chi! Your workmanship is so wonderful!
Thanks, Chi, for your photos. I hope you're now enjoying your worke box--it sure is a nice size, isn't it? (Hmm--I wonderful what your next project will be?)

Chizue's name is probably very familiar to regular readers of this blog as I've shown quite a few of her pieces in the past. I'm hoping Chi will send me a photo of herself surrounded by all the WMN projects she's completed! To see more of Chi's work, just type her name in the Google search engine on the left sidebar of this page.

On the personal stitching front, this week I completed a small design for UNICEF. More details will follow later.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Needlework in art

Several people wrote to find out more information about the picture I showed in yesterday’s blog post. The name Madeline LeMaire is in the lower right corner. I did a little research and found that Madeline was a French painter and illustrator. She was born in 1845 and died in 1928. My print was made from her painting, An Afternoon Embroidering.

Also in Carolyn’s room is a small picture of Madame Pompadour at her tambour frame. It is actually a greeting card I bought at the National Gallery of Art in London. This is available for online purchase in several formats here. The framed card looks wonderful in Carolyn’s room.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Now that my children are grown, samplers cover their walls of their old bedrooms also. Here is the sampler wall in Carolyn's room.

I don't remember all of the names of the pieces. The one on the far left is The Garden Path from Sheepish Designs. The second one from the left is a Drawn Thread sampler and the original ES Floral Sampler is below that. Next is Sara Hathorne from Hester's Needle. Since that wasn't a reproduction sampler, I changed the information on the sampler. I think the sampler to the right is Family Ties by Needlemaid Designs. I added my own verse. Below that is the Blue Rose Sampler from the Nostalgic Needle. The final sampler is Kind and True from Sheepish Designs.
 There are a few more samplers in the room on other walls, but one of my favorite things in Carolyn's room is this wonderful print I found a number of years ago. I just love the view of the ladies sitting at their needlework frames.
I'm sorry that I couldn't get a clearer photo, but there is an enlargement below.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Wow--look at Nancy's Alphabet Samplings Book!!!

Nancy Molka from New York stitched her Alphabet Samplings Book back in 2005 when it was first published in Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly. (It's also now available as a separate retail chart.) I think Nancy's book was the first one I saw completed.

There is lots and lots of stitching on this book! Didn't Nancy do a fantastic job? Thanks, Nancy, for sharing photos of your wonderful work!










The inspiration for the book is an antique stitched book I own. It was stitched on canvas using wool threads. I stitched my adaptation on linen using silk threads.

Did you notice on the book pages that, when the original stitcher ran out of room on a page, she just ended the alphabet? Then she stitched the remaining letters on another page where she had some extra room. Isn't that whimsical? I love the charm it adds to the book.

The stitched book can be a great addition to your needlework basket--just look at all the wonderful alphabets you'll have handy.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

More samplers...

Thank you for all the lovely notes about my sampler wall and the new display cabinet in my office.

I thought that you might enjoy seeing some more samplers that I've stitched over the years. There are samplers in every room of our house except the dining room. I guess I need to look into getting some in there also. Now that the children are grown and on their own, even their rooms have samplers. (Poor Stephen has 16 in his old room!)

Here are some more samplers in the family room. Some of these designs are old, and I don't remember the names.
Starting on the left and working down in three columns:
Column 1--Blue House sampler (??) from Merrily Beams, Pomegranate sampler from The Needle's Prayse, Blue Tulip Sampler (??) from The Golden Needle
Column 2--Marquoir Sampler (with lots of changes), Sarah Owens from The Essamplaire, A Time to Sow from Margaret and Margaret
Column 3-- Aires of the Green from Sheepish Designs, Elizabeth Easton from The Good Huswif, Mary Sharp from Handwork


Next are the samplers on the stairway looking down from the top. (No matter how I stood, I couldn't get Mercy Hopkins in a photo.)
Eleanor Taylor from The Examplarery, Mary Trelfall from The Marking Samplar, Mary Ann Rundle from Historic Stitches, unknown (a gift from a friend), Mercy Hopkins (just a snippet shows in the photo) from The Examplarery, Elinor Simpson (just a snippet shows in the photo) from Historic Stitches


Here is a view looking up at the samplers. (We hope to get rid of the wallpaper later this year.)

Mercy Hopkins (just a snippet shows in the photo) from The Examplarery, Elinor Simpson from Historic Stitches, Blue Flax Sampler (not visible) from The Sampler House, Sarah Rogers from The Examplarery, Ellen Murray from The Essamplaire, Isobel Doig from The Examplarery, Simple Guidance from Sheepish Designs, and Ann Bowers from The Examplarery

This is just the tip of the iceberg....I guess I'm a true addict!!

On the stitching front, I've just finished stitching the first set of needlework accessories for Mrs. Waddelow. I hope to publish them in the fall and then do a second set in time for Nashville 2011. I've had so much fun with these pieces. Your many sweet notes about my designs have really been inspiring me!! Thank you!!!

Hopefully tomorrow I can get in some stitching on L. Haworth from The Marking Samplar. L. Haworth will look so nice in our bedroom next to the four other Ackworth samplers I've stitched.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Ann's Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif

Can you imagine my excitement to receive these photos from Ann of her Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif? Ann's is the first completed one I've seen.

Ann stitched her huswif on 30-count linen from R and R using Bordeaux embroidery thread from Weeks Dye Workes. Look at the wonderful lining fabrics she chose. Wow!!

Ann is the owner of Needles and Knowledge in Ontario, Canada. Her shop will be doing a SAL for Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif. Doesn't that sound like fun? I think the stitchers are now gathering their lining fabrics. I hope they'll keep me posted on their choices.

I've been busy this week working on some accessories for Mrs. Waddelow. The basket bottom is already stitched along with several other small pieces. I'm really excited about the items.

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned. Spring is beautiful here in Ohio, although it is rather cold. It went down to freezing last night, so I'm glad that I haven't taken the electric blanket off the bed yet.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

What I've been doing recently....

I started stitching Amy Eliza Herbert, a reproduction sampler from The Porcupine Collection, years ago before I ever thought about designing. Heaven knows why I put her aside. A few months ago, I decided to finish Amy, and I just got her back from my framer, Carol.


I hung Amy in our family room as you can see in the photo below. This is just one of the sampler walls in the room--I think there are around 20 other samplers in there.
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The samplers (going from left to right) are the Red Flower sampler (although mine is blue instead) by The Sampler House, Ann Pennsylvania Peacock (with quite a few changes) from Little by Little, Amy Eliza Herbert, Mary Victor from The Examplarery, the Three Things sampler from Moira Blackburn, Rachel Allen from The Scarlet Letter, the Newburyport Sampler from Samplar Workes, the American Sampler from Treasures Magazine, Margaret Gibson from The Scarlet Letter, and The Embroideress from The Examplarery. You may have also noticed my needlework casket on the sewing table on the left side of the sofa.

I "live" with all my With My Needle models. Over the past year or so, I've been moving them upstairs into my office. We painted the walls a lovely golden color which really shows off the framed pieces beautifully. You may remember seeing some of them on the walls in a blog post last month.

For quite some time, I've been looking for a glass-front case for the three-dimensional pieces. I was delighted to find this wonderful barrister bookcase over the weekend.
 
I still need to work some on arranging the pieces. I think some more lucite stands will help. I think I'll also move my Petit Sampling Etui from our family room to the top of the bookcase.

I'm delighted to now have all but one of my models in my office. The only one missing is the framed model of A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif (a teaching project) which is in our kitchen. It looks so wonderful there against the deep blue walls!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A special young man in Chicago....

Helping Mom make cookies
Haiden and his Easter basket
(notice the spiderman slippers and egg)
Hmm--there's a firetruck in the basket too!
Chilling out at the park
Another fun day!