Sampler Fun!

Things have been busy around here!  I'm in the process of putting together class kits.  Last week several bolts of dupioni silk arrived, so I've been busily cutting away.  (I still have one bolt left to do.)  Add to that yards and yards and yards of beautiful overdyed silk ribbon.  Next up will be the silk threads.

Also, we're now working on chart directions for two new retail products.  Earlier today we finished Mini Quaker Samplings.  These are a pair of small Quaker samplers.  By small, I mean one is only 73 x 93 stitches, and the other is only 103 x 102 stitches.  They are fun (and quick) samplers to stitch because not only are they relatively small, they are stitched using just one thread color.  Choose your favorite overdyed thread. The chart cover is also done, but I'm holding off giving you a glimpse until I'm about ready to ship to the shops. 

Hopefully later this week we'll be able to do the directions for a new sampler inspired by one of my antiques. I'll be picking up my model on Thursday from my framer, so we can do the photography this week also.  I hope you'll like it...tease...tease...

I like to stitch a bit each day, and I'm so pleased relieved to finally have in the border for the Anne Maria Clarke sampler (The Essamplaire) that I'm doing as part of my newslettter SAL!  The border has two rows of cross stitch (that's the easy part), and in the center are two rows of queen stitches.  I never thought I'd get those done.  Typically I don't complete a border first, but this one was so regular that I decided to get it in first.  I'm so glad I did!  I think from now on my progress will go much quicker.

I've now put Anne Marie Clarke temporarily aside to work some more on Ann Hair (The Scarlet Letter).  I typically don't work on more than one sampler at a time, but somehow (?) this year I committed myself to 3 (yes 3!) SALs.  I hope to be more disciplined than in the past so that by year's end I'll have all three completed!  Please wish me luck!