tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52075930538267729902024-03-12T19:11:22.099-04:00With My NeedleThe verse ".....is my name and with my needle I wrought the same" was the inspiration for my company name.
I hope you'll enjoy stitching my designs.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.comBlogger673125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-60439643581724965762022-10-04T15:31:00.002-04:002022-10-04T15:35:28.212-04:00Black Sampler November is Quickly Approaching!<p><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Black Sampler November</span></i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> will soon be here! Will you be ready?</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Choose your favorite</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b> black</b></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> thread and join in the fun. Perhaps one of the samplers shown below will tickled your fancy.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLS0QCVyhef-ZW64acodxoDYSTppxCBs7G5Q05hW_0vyQoIZXsdps1V0tyqxEOAimi1jpTGxqQ0fdMUKkaGz_UQT4dXL3v1WR5SkgDJfPgVj32AT2jlBUOdqrlctakoW6Yw9Fzl91EB4oBt1tyPIj7Z7dgBgfa1l2LHihnDxuXAIqvLqT5E0K10jnI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLS0QCVyhef-ZW64acodxoDYSTppxCBs7G5Q05hW_0vyQoIZXsdps1V0tyqxEOAimi1jpTGxqQ0fdMUKkaGz_UQT4dXL3v1WR5SkgDJfPgVj32AT2jlBUOdqrlctakoW6Yw9Fzl91EB4oBt1tyPIj7Z7dgBgfa1l2LHihnDxuXAIqvLqT5E0K10jnI=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJzp-s2PtL5FJ-STlnyK92xWGhqzR4HiAGGZf6pk-cyMW4Sate3ES9VOn-Dyow2EFIZN3jhsPbNQV12AK9EjRvoJ7YFfDCLJtKLC7SnCEhZHIuYIZjyEo1Qb7l19cqD4QDNr77NH2ytLRvNL8AhJ2MB0Vx2Qf6jUqCNfrnz3sGDCw6h40H9xkot0eJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJzp-s2PtL5FJ-STlnyK92xWGhqzR4HiAGGZf6pk-cyMW4Sate3ES9VOn-Dyow2EFIZN3jhsPbNQV12AK9EjRvoJ7YFfDCLJtKLC7SnCEhZHIuYIZjyEo1Qb7l19cqD4QDNr77NH2ytLRvNL8AhJ2MB0Vx2Qf6jUqCNfrnz3sGDCw6h40H9xkot0eJ=w310-h400" width="310" /><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJzp-s2PtL5FJ-STlnyK92xWGhqzR4HiAGGZf6pk-cyMW4Sate3ES9VOn-Dyow2EFIZN3jhsPbNQV12AK9EjRvoJ7YFfDCLJtKLC7SnCEhZHIuYIZjyEo1Qb7l19cqD4QDNr77NH2ytLRvNL8AhJ2MB0Vx2Qf6jUqCNfrnz3sGDCw6h40H9xkot0eJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2p3RIDI766wFAoklgehZfSj6EXtQvyUh-gNPa52mEDoyeRrhn5osjYpX_qx2y74JPPH-jsr2ObPHQVIdfnCDUAFc4k2uKvPT-ecOGpvQ1JPfknynx59TVYmfgg_zXj0E-q9W9jt5OFcnjZmxIw8rOhcbdaZLqYa3fXskrx5XYFNrCdOQWQ7TcHUi3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2p3RIDI766wFAoklgehZfSj6EXtQvyUh-gNPa52mEDoyeRrhn5osjYpX_qx2y74JPPH-jsr2ObPHQVIdfnCDUAFc4k2uKvPT-ecOGpvQ1JPfknynx59TVYmfgg_zXj0E-q9W9jt5OFcnjZmxIw8rOhcbdaZLqYa3fXskrx5XYFNrCdOQWQ7TcHUi3=w309-h400" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAZPpeCjIKUVe0AIMgWdmQkKpjszwPb9DleakWtlrQy5z7LeTjQFqHLWmwc-2WDbTvGsV4iM526lGVWBgMxGBttemHOJG4HFm42-6f-3gRE8rGzAwsL-y83_eN2QC0tBrde3dGMSvrHnuGMDfOfSCfNzT6Sou3swUIrvpLi9fH-lMDwMkzs47ofuzy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAZPpeCjIKUVe0AIMgWdmQkKpjszwPb9DleakWtlrQy5z7LeTjQFqHLWmwc-2WDbTvGsV4iM526lGVWBgMxGBttemHOJG4HFm42-6f-3gRE8rGzAwsL-y83_eN2QC0tBrde3dGMSvrHnuGMDfOfSCfNzT6Sou3swUIrvpLi9fH-lMDwMkzs47ofuzy=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6IrGHYok33gDNkGfzdpwT93KktsBFVcBpZ6uiZ06kfkL0xOMLQpyYC033Wsq3sbAcoNv_UvlpLAq2oE5qTXNeToOTO1yHCB6oKCydRrb1cgkE5Ij-GS1FF9DO0iZGzb6phtx2A91H6GY7fkF_Sifaj0JlJy2ooaecT-M_2d1jZ4PDpS4-AtOtvjZc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6IrGHYok33gDNkGfzdpwT93KktsBFVcBpZ6uiZ06kfkL0xOMLQpyYC033Wsq3sbAcoNv_UvlpLAq2oE5qTXNeToOTO1yHCB6oKCydRrb1cgkE5Ij-GS1FF9DO0iZGzb6phtx2A91H6GY7fkF_Sifaj0JlJy2ooaecT-M_2d1jZ4PDpS4-AtOtvjZc=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdJHV9kKWLFFhAENOm5Y2iHJwyFnL825MwBi1c9mgKhoA_kOGkd3YnmeTVT2y74Iyfw_dhG337tZk4V_V6c5VZm9ChtUjm8YdMOjZEj7koISHjaJ5o9EPTzsHE3V-m3BmX76R6QFBCVBEiIyRrpfkoWP6XdpSB3AqejyKcEu5Xla33JxVqAwXuHEmr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdJHV9kKWLFFhAENOm5Y2iHJwyFnL825MwBi1c9mgKhoA_kOGkd3YnmeTVT2y74Iyfw_dhG337tZk4V_V6c5VZm9ChtUjm8YdMOjZEj7koISHjaJ5o9EPTzsHE3V-m3BmX76R6QFBCVBEiIyRrpfkoWP6XdpSB3AqejyKcEu5Xla33JxVqAwXuHEmr=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjoKaYUBSMLdwibqv3FebCYmFMFiOuutJSfpx82KV_TD8xFdxrONRST_mMAeMZNj1AR_YwSrsVQl3MvlWk7sZT4uTPvzBjiW8_CyudbTRynrkY3JgvfQ1TpDP893YqwhpP-JKGFQkYOPg2sPOr_a7Cg0zd_T5_U7JK3YnAwQdfDXphkl7RS_4_rapF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjoKaYUBSMLdwibqv3FebCYmFMFiOuutJSfpx82KV_TD8xFdxrONRST_mMAeMZNj1AR_YwSrsVQl3MvlWk7sZT4uTPvzBjiW8_CyudbTRynrkY3JgvfQ1TpDP893YqwhpP-JKGFQkYOPg2sPOr_a7Cg0zd_T5_U7JK3YnAwQdfDXphkl7RS_4_rapF=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />Detailed descriptions can be found on my <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span> www.withmyneedle.com</a>.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-57546748553973679242022-09-27T12:14:00.006-04:002022-09-27T12:24:43.803-04:00Class Offering April 2023 in north Florida<p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm very pleased to announce that my<i> Kindred Spirits</i> class will next be offered in late April 2023 by the Sun Region EGA (about half an hour away from both Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida).</span></span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Right now there are only 7 remaining class spots. You must be in class to receive the kit.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000;">Information can be found at</span><span style="color: #050505;"> </span></span><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://www.sunregionega.org/seminars-retreats/rtsr2023/?fbclid=IwAR1xbM5zFSh8Za-THJR1YFwiEaDUn_ZZi85fCxg0Fv1WdG8i72IxOxTVSrM" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #050505; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.sunregionega.org/seminars-retreats/rtsr2023/</span></a></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: arial; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;"><a href="https://www.sunregionega.org/seminars-retreats/rtsr2023/"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sunregionega.org/seminars-retreats/rtsr2023/"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAQvRI9EJ3LHkd-ixvDxG6jvQiF-c_LYLpNvuGIrOYjyDDV_clVeRl72HVYOgIWQdasiA5FFFGsyNDSqFJILZJuu2hYin0BkMhhaDGYQS85PGJd4-HQfsSup1O26TpSB7A6vXPsa-4p6T_8x8rdI7H97FEHID99lSMOnYr0higCi4HVLurEuhKCJC/s801/carrier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="801" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAQvRI9EJ3LHkd-ixvDxG6jvQiF-c_LYLpNvuGIrOYjyDDV_clVeRl72HVYOgIWQdasiA5FFFGsyNDSqFJILZJuu2hYin0BkMhhaDGYQS85PGJd4-HQfsSup1O26TpSB7A6vXPsa-4p6T_8x8rdI7H97FEHID99lSMOnYr0higCi4HVLurEuhKCJC/w401-h271/carrier.jpg" width="401" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-55465740598885889762022-09-27T12:08:00.004-04:002022-10-04T15:22:35.356-04:00new designs for summer 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">These five designs are available through your favorite needlework shop.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Detailed information about each can be found on my website <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com">www.withmyneedle.com</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOp0IYW3UfJx8lvQIxWXDk2AsC9oAsxNP8eoDdoJdgqQbcSUlg9fhtC_RAUbur6gWww7KXSut6O5zMsuSnYvwG3VDt_p9nWrsD76oZRn8Au2HSDDV8jWyHj0JfHnocb8H8X0pcDYsJs6OhhLsMiWEwMAkb4DVljUmSMABrAmbhdDe9f5R7ClJeg9lR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOp0IYW3UfJx8lvQIxWXDk2AsC9oAsxNP8eoDdoJdgqQbcSUlg9fhtC_RAUbur6gWww7KXSut6O5zMsuSnYvwG3VDt_p9nWrsD76oZRn8Au2HSDDV8jWyHj0JfHnocb8H8X0pcDYsJs6OhhLsMiWEwMAkb4DVljUmSMABrAmbhdDe9f5R7ClJeg9lR=w248-h320" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMZBz-7B7PRLSMfxlqNSlF303RsfwggFcX3gEP7NcXa31j0ZDRXNkkNUhYr6rMo--MiGsE3VKcFKase1WfOlhB9qRO6Kdp6dVz5yda8YGFu3EkNwxygrLJfTu7ZyLqHqSFl8wmuPqzlopiLsMekRnh5PrTb-v4U7QbE05pZDhPLCZoH05iD8Ej-8Rq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMZBz-7B7PRLSMfxlqNSlF303RsfwggFcX3gEP7NcXa31j0ZDRXNkkNUhYr6rMo--MiGsE3VKcFKase1WfOlhB9qRO6Kdp6dVz5yda8YGFu3EkNwxygrLJfTu7ZyLqHqSFl8wmuPqzlopiLsMekRnh5PrTb-v4U7QbE05pZDhPLCZoH05iD8Ej-8Rq=w248-h320" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipoKaVXlKU5sUzrKvxai0lwu2ZhW0fSVbW5wP4JSZ6mh42D9oSOvXKWchblcg072rCTvTzac-lDGbyWE7Swebuh4gzA3jwrEk9BRqjZgnQaV6NPUlveRbVfHIJRi0KHqXShKg0S18C-p8mv4iRrFYMHsBqRBhb-1zLfXDncaK2E-iMzhdFs5Gd7i2c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipoKaVXlKU5sUzrKvxai0lwu2ZhW0fSVbW5wP4JSZ6mh42D9oSOvXKWchblcg072rCTvTzac-lDGbyWE7Swebuh4gzA3jwrEk9BRqjZgnQaV6NPUlveRbVfHIJRi0KHqXShKg0S18C-p8mv4iRrFYMHsBqRBhb-1zLfXDncaK2E-iMzhdFs5Gd7i2c=w248-h320" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDh_RBnYnGMlf5gW1tU5g5BOEsWJ5YnD0UsVamT7-yVcrpMICuCGBmGZH3KsfGGw36-9ftdu5IxECotxBpU7EP1V1GDfu6aSJL2dwFBoQe_yZ_957zEm8ehLmxtQE75TFsqK0hAfY0nPTOiipHS98tSN2EYR-MxRqNqJNGOfjbztgzgzAZf2zjvxGZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDh_RBnYnGMlf5gW1tU5g5BOEsWJ5YnD0UsVamT7-yVcrpMICuCGBmGZH3KsfGGw36-9ftdu5IxECotxBpU7EP1V1GDfu6aSJL2dwFBoQe_yZ_957zEm8ehLmxtQE75TFsqK0hAfY0nPTOiipHS98tSN2EYR-MxRqNqJNGOfjbztgzgzAZf2zjvxGZ=w248-h320" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmNPQ-1iHOiVE-uvRV1BxPnTy6DsaWi9c4VNd3H1s1dodvh3a9mp8ejIvbfCBIKTY4rMd_NZmqm-r5VbK-J6lj4ifb-Ur2d0MU4_okK9w31qJl1ibJWyKJyJAJwbbv-KdO7Z_qIfRVq1xKtxusbjyoxMzNS6Aj84TrmdHoyrZrNbhYukKOCKZFED9o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmNPQ-1iHOiVE-uvRV1BxPnTy6DsaWi9c4VNd3H1s1dodvh3a9mp8ejIvbfCBIKTY4rMd_NZmqm-r5VbK-J6lj4ifb-Ur2d0MU4_okK9w31qJl1ibJWyKJyJAJwbbv-KdO7Z_qIfRVq1xKtxusbjyoxMzNS6Aj84TrmdHoyrZrNbhYukKOCKZFED9o=w248-h320" width="248" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-70084823391490060692021-10-25T14:43:00.004-04:002022-10-04T15:21:38.965-04:00Three New Releases from With My Needle<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Recently I sent three new designs to shops that requested them. You can read all about the designs at my website </span><a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com" style="font-family: arial;">www.withmyneedle.com</a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">If your favorite shops hasn't ordered, please ask them to contact me at </span><a href="mailto:examplar@withmyneedle.com" style="font-family: arial;">examplar@withmyneedle.com</a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">. </span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Feel free to email me if you need a source for the bobbins. </div></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akYZ35Y3cF0/YWRCX9UuyRI/AAAAAAAA_qs/DFGXCYR2PwA15N-jMibM5HbAoT4oNgGFwCNcBGAsYHQ/s793/PeacocksInTheGarden.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akYZ35Y3cF0/YWRCX9UuyRI/AAAAAAAA_qs/DFGXCYR2PwA15N-jMibM5HbAoT4oNgGFwCNcBGAsYHQ/w309-h400/PeacocksInTheGarden.png" width="309" /></a><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Peacocks in the Garden</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">(an historical adaptation)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpTvNqLe2xc/YWRCa-aXPjI/AAAAAAAA_qw/5oSu6rUzUDU8WO4gnjDNZg5lErd6r64igCNcBGAsYHQ/s793/QuakerSamplingVI.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpTvNqLe2xc/YWRCa-aXPjI/AAAAAAAA_qw/5oSu6rUzUDU8WO4gnjDNZg5lErd6r64igCNcBGAsYHQ/w309-h400/QuakerSamplingVI.png" width="309" /></span></a></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><i>Quaker Sampling VI</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></b></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Bobbins (often called spools) aren't a standard size so the chart pak has 3 charts to accommodate various bobbin sizes. The ones for <i>Quaker Sampling VI</i> are the same at the top and the bottom but different in between. These designs look cute on bobbins but can also be made into a little pillow or just laid on a table to display. If about 3-inches of linen is added to either side of the stitching, the design can be made into a drum. There are so many possibilities.</span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WH-k88n-TXo/YWRCcU7vyBI/AAAAAAAA_q0/VvCHM-l04PQsESYBqIQea3thVDuWIw6KwCNcBGAsYHQ/s793/SamplerMaker.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WH-k88n-TXo/YWRCcU7vyBI/AAAAAAAA_q0/VvCHM-l04PQsESYBqIQea3thVDuWIw6KwCNcBGAsYHQ/w309-h400/SamplerMaker.png" width="309" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Sampler Maker</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">Bobbins (often called spools) aren't a standard size so each of the bobbin chart pak has charts to accommodate various bobbin sizes. The 3 designs for the <i>Sampler Maker</i> are very similar.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">These designs look cute on bobbins but can also be made into a little pillow or just laid on a table to display. If about 3-inches of linen is added to either side of the stitching, the design can be made into a drum. There are so many possibilities.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"> <span> </span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p></p>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-8468240254408231222017-05-20T14:52:00.000-04:002017-05-20T14:52:01.023-04:00Samplers from the Warren County Historical Society<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I was sorting through old photos, I ran across these from the Warren County Historical Society Museum in Lebanon, Ohio. Taking photos was challenging due to overhead lights and flash reflections on the glass, but I thought you might enjoy seeing these photos anyway.</div>
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No matter what I tried, this photo would not upload in the right</div>
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orientation, but it is such a wonderful sampler that I decided to</div>
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include it anyway.</div>
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These are just a fraction of the samplers in the Warren County Historical Society's collection.</div>
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In 2013, I showed some more photos from this wonderful little museum. If you're interested, you can view them at <a href="http://withmyneedle-ellen.blogspot.com/2013/03/samplers-friends-and-hot-cross-bunsoh-my.html"><b><span style="color: red;">http://withmyneedle-ellen.blogspot.com/2013/03/samplers-friends-and-hot-cross-bunsoh-my.html</span></b></a>. You'll need to go about halfway down the posting to see the photos and write-up.</div>
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<br />Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-38408893497527796812017-05-13T17:34:00.000-04:002017-05-13T22:48:27.381-04:00Here's Info (and Photos) about My Third Class in Williamsburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>My Needle's Worke Sampler
Huswif</i> is my third class for this year's<i>
Christmas in Williamsburg Needlearts Festival</i>. The class will take place over
three consecutive days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This project can be made as
a sampler and framed or it can be made into a huswif. A "huswif" or "hussif" is
a folded or rolled case for holding needlework supplies. Women often carried a huswif in one of the
large tie-on pockets worn under their skirts.
The embroidery is the same for both the sampler and the huswif. The project also includes a coordinating
needlebook case and scissors sheath. All
of these pieces can be assembled by hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The stitches used are
Algerian eye, alternating double backstitch, backstitch, barrier, Belgian
cross, closed herringbone, cross, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion
(traditional and reverse slant), double-sided Italian cross, four-sided,
long-armed cross, Montenegrin, mosaic, padded satin, Rhodes, rice, small plait
stitch, Smyrna cross, star, straight, tent, Williamsburg, and zigzag stitch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
kit includes charts and detailed directions for stitching and assembly,
36-count linen, silk embroidery threads, dupioni silk, a needle, and
miscellaneous finishing supplies including overdyed silk ribbon, and three
beads for closures.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sampler and Huswif outside</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Huswif (closed). Scissors Case, and Needlebook (closed)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; color: #993333; font-weight: bold;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Registration
for this class and others can now be done at</span> </span><b style="background-color: #ffffeb; color: #993333;"><a href="http://www.just-crossstitch.com/seminar/class_list.php" style="color: #993333;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Needle Art's Festival </i>(click</span> here)</span></a></b><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-22736088312478563522017-05-05T15:05:00.000-04:002017-05-13T17:14:45.397-04:00More Williamsburg news!My second early bird class for the 2017 <i>Christmas in Williamsburg Festival</i> is <i>Olivia and Her Sampler.</i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A handmade Shaker box will hold your needlework treasures. On the inside, the box features an embroidered bottom. Dupioni silk lines the walls of the Shaker box. Also included are three needlework accessories -- a scissors case doll, a sampler needlebook, and a pincushion. The scissors case doll is perfect for storing your embroidery scissors. The case has a front and back view of a young lady, Olivia, with her embroidery work. You will be able to personalize your case with an initial on the linen in Olivia’s embroidery hoop. The needlebook is Olivia’s completed sampler. The second photo shows the back of the needlebook, scissors case doll, and pincushion.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This project uses the following stitches: Algerian eye, alternating double backstitch, backstitch, Belgian cross, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, double-sided Italian, four-sided, mosaic, nun’s, Smyrna, and tent stitches.</span><br />
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</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The scrimshaw ruler, threadwinder, and personalized box label shown in the first photo are not included in the kit but can be ordered at the class.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Registration for this class and others can now be done at<span style="background-color: #ffffeb; color: #993333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"> </span><b style="background-color: #ffffeb; color: #993333; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.just-crossstitch.com/seminar/class_list.php" style="color: #993333;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Needle Art's Festival </i>(click</span> here)</span></a></b><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">.</span></div><div><br />
</div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-8950679457802494622017-05-01T12:11:00.000-04:002017-05-05T14:39:44.792-04:00Exciting news!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Remember me? I'm terribly embarrassed that it's been so long since I've last posted anything on my blog. Please accept my apologies. I've <i>so</i> much to tell you that it may take me weeks to catch you up on things.</div>
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I want to start with some exciting news. I was approached a few months ago by Annie's to submit class proposals for their <b><a href="http://www.just-crossstitch.com/seminar/class_list.php"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Needle Art's Festival </i>(click</span> here)</span></a><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></b>this December in Williamsburg, Virginia. I was thrilled that they accepted all three of my proposals--two early bird classes and one regular class. Registration is now open for all classes.</div>
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Today I'm going to show you one of my early bird classes, <i>Be It My Ambition. </i>This compartmentalized-style sampler has nine octagonal cartouches surrounded by a luscious strawberry vine border. The center cartouche has an old sampler verse, <i>Be it my ambition to excel in the blest art of doing well</i>. This is truly a sentiment we should embrace not only in our needlework but also in our lives.<br />
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This project uses the following stitches: backstitch, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, horizontally elongated cross stitch, mosaic, padded satin, satin, ray, Smyrna cross, star, straight, tent, and vertically elongated cross stitch.<br />
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<o:p></o:p>Your class kit will include charts and detailed directions for stitching (18 pages plus the cover), 36-count linen, silk embroidery threads, and a needle.<br />
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The use of specialty stitches adds a lot of texture as shown in the following two photos.<br />
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For many needleworkers, <i>Christmas in Williamsburg </i>is <i>the</i> dream needlework seminar. Can you imagine wonderful classes in such a beautiful and historic location? You can also explore the village during your free time. Colonial Williamsburg is a very special place to visit, and it's even more wonderful at Christmastime. I've been there often over the years, and I'm always excited to return.<br />
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Don't worry about not knowing anyone if you're new to this seminar. As you probably know, needleworkers are an extremely friendly bunch, so it will be easy to make some new friends. If you don't want to travel alone, bring a friend, your daughter, sister, or cousin, or perhaps your husband. It will be great opportunity to indulge in your needlework passion, to explore wonderful Colonial Williamsburg, to renew old acquaintances, and to create new friendships with those who share your passion.<br />
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I've enjoyed hearing from some of the needleworkers who plan to take one or more of my classes. I hope you too can join us for a fun time in Williamsburg November 30-December 4.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-41152052287977224302016-08-12T15:39:00.000-04:002016-08-13T16:23:07.354-04:00On the Road Again--A Visit to Stitching Bits and Bobs<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">A couple of weeks ago Tom and I spent the weekend in Battle Creek, Michigan with dear friends. What a wonderful time the four of us had! On our way home, we decided to make a slight detour to visit Bobbie and Cam at their shop <a href="https://www.stitchingbitsandbobs.com/"><b><span style="color: red;">Stitching Bits and Bobs</span></b></a> in Plainwell, Michigan. What a treat that was!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Bobbie and Cam opened their original shop in West Memphis, Arkansas in February 2003 and attended their first Nashville Needlework Market about the same time. Bobbie told me that they had no idea what to expect so they drove to the market in a Ford Taurus. She said it was a good thing that they lived only four hours away because Cam had to pack things on and around her to get everything home. All you could see was her head. Obviously there was no stopping for anything (including a bathroom break). Wow--what we do for our love of needlework. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Here are some photos from one of the two large rooms in the shop. Look at all those fibers!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I was so excited to see Bobbie and Cam again that I forgot to ask them a number of things about the shop. (Thankfully I remembered to ask Tom to take some photos.) Once I got home, I emailed Bobbie with some questions, and she kindly answered them. (Thanks, Bobbie.)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Me: How did you get the name <i>Stitching Bits and Bobs</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bobbie: <i>I noticed a lot of the Brits in my stitching group would say they were going to gather their bits and bobs and go stitch. So that is how we came up with the name for our shop. Later on I noticed in one of the Harry Potter movies that Hagrid tells Harry that they need to go to Diagon Alley to get his bits and bobs for school. A lot of people assume it's because my name is Bobbie! </i> (Ellen: That's exactly what I assumed, Bobbie.) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Me: Please tell me about your shop and how you got started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bobbie: <i>We started out online only and originally thought we'd remain that way. Once our inventory started to take over the house we decided we needed a separate building for it. That is when we moved to Michigan and bought property that included a separate carriage house. We had our shop in the carriage house for about a year and then due to so many requests we decided to have walk-in customers too. We quickly grew out of the carriage house and were lucky to find a retail space only four blocks away. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We started out with 1200 square feet and within six months were able to expand into part of the space next to us which brought us up to 1800 square feet. Four years ago the business on the other side of us moved to a smaller space so we were able to expand again - we currently have roughly 3600 square feet.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Me: I noticed lots and lots of fibers. Please tell me about them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bobbie: <i>Our shop has an extensive selection of fibers and I'm always finding ways to squeeze in a new fiber line! We carry threads from Dinky-Dyes, Rainbow Gallery, Gloriana, Needlepoint Inc., Thread Gatherer, Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art, Classic Colorworks, Carrie's Threads, Tentakulum, and many more. Our most recent addition are the cotton and silk lines hand dyed by Erik Shipley of Ship's Manor Designs. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Me: Tell me about the stitch-ins you have at your shop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bobbie: <i> We have a weekly sit and stitch that is open to all. Some of us meet for an early dinner at a local restaurant, The Old Mill, at four and sit and stitch is from five to eight. We are always happy to have people stop in and join us if they happen to be in the area! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Me: Is there anything else you would like to say?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bobbie: <i>I think the one thing that surprises most people is that we do not have employees. Cam and I do it all right down to creating and updating our website. My parents helped us quite a bit the first few years and we've had a few temporary employees but we really enjoy working together just the two of us. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Stitching Bits and Bobs</i> has a large mail-order business with many customers both in and out of the US. They are open Tuesday-Saturday or by appointment. We were at the shop on a Monday which is the day that they play catch-up from a busy week and get ready for the next one. The shop is on my automatic list which means they get my new designs as soon as they are available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you, Bobbie and Cam, for letting us stop by for a visit, especially knowing how busy you are even on your "off-day". Wishing you many more years of continued success with your shop. </span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-9051329776575417392016-07-18T08:09:00.000-04:002016-07-18T08:23:36.316-04:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh my goodness! Where does the time go? I can't believe that summer is halfway over! Our grandsons will be starting kindergarten and 3rd grade in a month.</div>
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We have had a busy time since I last posted. In late May, Tom and I went to Ireland for nearly two weeks. Our tour included both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The scenery was beautiful, and the weather cooperated. In fact, we were told it was the nicest May they had had in over 30 years. We also found the Irish people so friendly and hospitable. I'll share a few photos in a future post.</div>
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Shortly after getting home from Ireland we had a family trip to Disneyworld. A fun time was had by all.</div>
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Since we've been home we've been busy enjoying cookouts, concerts in the park, and time with family and friends. I'm also busy packaging class kits for a full fall of teaching--7 classes at four events (in Madison, Wisconsin; Bath, Ohio; twice in Sturbridge, Massachusetts).<br />
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Plus <i>at long last</i> I have some new products--three new retail projects and two new teaching ones. Details are on my website <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/"><b><span style="color: red;">www.withmyneedle.com</span></b></a>. The charts have already been shipped to the shops on my automatic program. (Those shops on listed on the shop page of my website.) The charts will be shipped to my distributors in a few weeks. I hope you like the new designs.<br />
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First is <i>Amidst the Crowd</i>, a sampler inspired by an antique I have in my collection. Since this sampler is mainly worked in cross stitch, it can be stitched on either linen or on aida.<br />
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Next is <i>A Gift from Heaven</i>. The are the birth samplers I made for my granddaughters. As you can see the samplers are very similar, but I wanted them to be slightly different. Both versions are included in the package.<br />
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And next are two small samplers, <i>When We Are Absent One From Another</i> and <i>To Love and To Be Loved</i>. This pair of samplers are part of a new series I'm calling <i>Sentiments</i>. In the photos, I show the mini-samplers framed, but wouldn't they be great as small pillows or perhaps as pincushions?<br />
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Next time I'll show photos of my new teaching projects.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-27783065959903597932016-05-17T17:28:00.002-04:002016-05-17T20:34:05.890-04:00I've Not Been Very Good...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't believe how terrible I've been over the past months about updating my blog. Please accept my apologies.</div>
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Several needleworkers have sent me photos of completed <i>With My Needle </i>projects. Thank you. So sorry that it's taken me so long to show off your work.</div>
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The first photo is from Mary Lou G. in Kansas. Her project is <i>A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif</i> which I taught for her guild. Mary Lou decided to frame the project versus making it into a huswif. (This is a class project only and not available in shops--sorry.)</div>
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Next is Joan C's <i>An Emblem of Love</i>. She chose to stitch the single color version of this sampler and used Spring Violets<i> Belle Soie </i>thread. Joan told me that the thread colors are much more vibrant than this photo shows. Joan's unsure what linen she used. Didn't she chose a beautiful frame to showcase her sampler?</div>
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Pam Z. stitched <i>Quaker Sampling III</i> as part of a SAL with the <i>Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild</i> in Michigan. She used <i>Birds of a Feather</i>'s
36-count Sandpiper linen and Cranberry <i>Gloriana Silk</i> thread. Pam said this was a fun stitch. She's also stitched <i>Quaker Samplings I and II </i>which I showed you in an earlier blog post.</div>
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I hope other members of the <i>Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild </i>will send me photos of their completed samplers. Thank you for choosing one of my samplers as your guild focus project.</div>
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Here is Clara's <i>With A Pleasant Thought.</i> Clara is an Italian doctor. She chose this project because she was "enchanted by the poetry". She also wrote, <i>I purchased your other designs: they are just beautiful!</i> (Thank you, Clara.)</div>
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Clara used 35-count Vintage Country Mocha linen from<i> Zweigart.</i> She personalized the sampler with her parents' initials so that the project would be a tribute to them.</div>
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And last, but certainly not last, is Gill F's <i>Elizabeth Wood </i>sampler. I had the great pleasure of meeting Gill in person a couple of years ago when I was in Australia. Julie, the owner of the Crewel Gobelin shop, hosted an open house, and afterward invited me to dinner at her home. Gill had a very delicious Pavlova for dessert...yum, yum.</div>
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Gill wrote,<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> I am writing to let you know I have just
collected from the framer my latest piece of cross stitch, your design –
Elizabeth Wood, 1822. It was an absolute joy to stitch and even more
pleasure to pick it up from the framers today. It is a not already
occupied. To have met the designer makes it even more
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">My life recently has been taken up with
grandchildren, of which I now have thirteen, so to finish and have framed a
cross stitch gives me great pleasure. Thank you for providing me with the
enthusiasm to complete this beautiful design and have the pleasure of admiring
it on the wall as I walk pass. I am attaching a photo of the said
Elizabeth Wood cross stitch. </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ladies, please accept my apologies for having take SO long to show your beautiful work. Thank you for the photos and notes.</div>
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Good news--at long last there will be some new <i>With My Needle </i>designs--three retail projects and two teaching projects. The directions are now written and the photography on four of the five is completed. The projects are now with my <i>wonderful</i> reviewers who read through the directions before I publish the designs. Look for all the new projects sometime this summer. I hope you'll enjoy them.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-29396533156801436122016-03-04T15:55:00.000-05:002016-08-10T21:07:57.210-04:00Time Is Getting Away From Me!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once again, time has gotten away from me. Since my last post I've been busy settling in our new home and working on two new teaching projects. In addition, I have these two new family members. Can you believe they are 6 months old?<br />
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Then last week we had house guests, Giulia Manfredini and her husband Mario. What a great time we had with them! On Saturday, Giulia taught a class for my guild, <i>The Queen City Sampler Guild</i>. While we were in class, my husband Tom took Mario to the Dayton Air Museum. We also showed them around Cincinnati and introduced them to Graeter's ice cream (a big hit) and our southern heritage with grits and biscuits and sausage gravy. Tom's sausage gravy was a bigger hit than Graeter's ice cream.<br />
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Thank you for all the comments to my last post. I tried to respond to everyone who wrote me, but quite a few of you are "no-reply" which means I can't get an email address to write you back. Now you know why you didn't get a reply from me.</div>
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Ellen L. recently asked me in an email about the new model that she saw on the floor in one of my office photos. The sampler, <i>Amidst the Crowd</i>, will be a retail product. This week we got the cover made, but I still need to write the directions. That will have to wait until I finish the two teaching products that will premier in October for the<i> Western Reserve Sampler Guild </i>in northern Ohio.<br />
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When I release <i>Amidst the Crowd</i>, I'll also be releasing two other products, A <i>Gift From Heaven, </i>the baby samplers I designed for my twin granddaughters, and <i>Sentiments I and II </i>which are the first two of a set of six small samplers that can either be framed or made into small pillows or pincushions. It will be a while before you see any of these designs in your local needlework shop because I must complete the two teaching pieces first.</div>
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The good news is that I have completed the stitching on the first of the new teaching pieces, <i>A Most Engaging Needlebook</i>. If you're interested, you can read a description of it <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html#MostEngagingNeedlebook"><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></a>. I'll post some photos later. Next up will be a sampler that will also premier in October.</div>
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I have also updated the <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html"><span style="color: red;"><b>teaching page of my website</b></span>.</a> </div>
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On September 10 and 11th, I'll be teaching the <i><a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html#FTOVSH"><b><span style="color: red;">Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif</span></b></a></i> and <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html#TFTS"><i><span style="color: red;"><b>Tokens from the Sea</b></span></i></a> at Lynn's in Madison, Wisconsin. I recently learned that the beautiful ditty box I use in <i>Tokens of the Sea</i> is being discontinued because it is so hard to make. (Boohoo!) I've ordered all the remaining stock, but once my supply is gone I won't be able to teach the class with the wonderful box. I have enough boxes for one or two more classes. If you've ever thought about taking this class, now is your chance before the boxes are gone. Please remember that if you sign up for the class, you must be there in person to get the kit with the box.</div>
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Then on October 17th and 18th, I'll once again be teaching for Sue Donnelly at one of her marvelous <a href="http://stitchershideaway.com/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Stitcher's Hideaway</b></i></span></a> Retreats in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The class, <i><a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html#KindredSpirits"><b><span style="color: red;">Kindred Spirits</span></b></a>,</i> has been so popular that it quickly filled up with a waiting list. Last week, Sue decided to add a second retreat (October 26th and 27th) and offer the same class, <i>Kindred Spirits</i>. The class is already halfway full, so if you're interested, it's best not to wait. Sue puts on wonderful retreats! Just ask anyone who has gone to one.</div>
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Registration information for all the classes can be found on my <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html"><span style="color: red;">website</span></a>.</span></b> </div>
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Thank you to those who have sent me photos of your recently completed <i>WMN </i>projects. I get so excited when I see what you have done with my designs. Since this post has gotten rather long, I'll wait and show the photos in my next post. Thank you for your patience.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-50477847575840613972016-02-10T17:12:00.002-05:002016-02-11T10:44:52.688-05:00Long Time, No See....<div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm very sorry I've been so remiss in updating my blog. Our lives have certainly been in a whirlwind over the past few months.</div>
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We are now pretty well settled in our new home although there are still a few boxes to unpack. We have hung over 250 things on the wall. Yes, you read that number right. Most of the items are framed pieces, and of the framed pieces most are needlework. It has been a very time-consuming process. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my new sampler walls. You can click on the photos for close-up views.</div>
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First, is a view of what I see from my new stitching spot. All of the samplers on these walls are reproductions.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsvTPv-Bqqk/VrusqevrMMI/AAAAAAAAal8/4cAwUxKmpi8/s1600/IMG_20160210_133114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsvTPv-Bqqk/VrusqevrMMI/AAAAAAAAal8/4cAwUxKmpi8/s640/IMG_20160210_133114.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is a close-up of the samplers on the lower wall.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9uPca3NhtDU/VrusqKl5cAI/AAAAAAAAal4/fBLlmKoFbwQ/s1600/IMG_20160210_133908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9uPca3NhtDU/VrusqKl5cAI/AAAAAAAAal4/fBLlmKoFbwQ/s640/IMG_20160210_133908.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying the samplers starting with the top sampler on the left<br />
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in the hallway of the 1st photo--a partial view of <em>Dutch Beauty</em> (Permin)</div>
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Column 1--<em>Isobel Doig</em> (The Examplarery); <em>Rachel Allen</em> (The Scarlet Letter)</div>
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Column 2--<em>Amy Eliza Herbert</em> (The Porcupine Collection); <em>Janet Gibson</em> (Hope's Dwelling Place)</div>
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Column 3--<em>Sarah Owen</em> (The Essamplaire); <em>Frances Eden</em> (Handwork Samplers--OOP)</div>
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Column 4--<em>Sovine Palphryman</em> (Handwork Samplers--OOP); <em>Rachel Hyde</em> (Threads Through Time)</div>
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Column 5--<em>Lucy Adams</em> (The Examplarery); <em>Mercy Hopkins</em> (The Examplarery)</div>
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Column 6--<em>Ann Bowers</em> (The Examplarery)</div>
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Column 7--<em>ES Sampler</em> (With My Needle)</div>
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And here is a close-up of the samplers on the staircase. It was quite a process to get the spacing right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR1CWKtGe6Q/Vrusq29MCzI/AAAAAAAAamA/NqwIjv8Ljm8/s1600/IMG_20160210_134231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR1CWKtGe6Q/Vrusq29MCzI/AAAAAAAAamA/NqwIjv8Ljm8/s640/IMG_20160210_134231.jpg" width="612" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying the samplers starting with the sampler on the top left<br />
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Column 1--<em>Elizabeth Mears</em> (Queenstown Samplers); <em>Sarah Salter</em> (Sheepish Designs)</div>
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Column 2--<em>Ann Raynor</em> (Threads Through Time); <em>Hannah Lancaster</em> (The Porcupine Collection); <em>Elinor Simpson</em> (Historic Stitches)</div>
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Column 3--<em>Mary Gibson</em> (Haslemere Museum); <em>Margaret Gibson</em> (The Scarlet Letter); <em>Mary Sharp</em> (Handwork Samplers--OOP)</div>
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Column 4--<em>Anne Maria Clarke</em> (The Essamplaire); <em>Ann Hair</em> (The Scarlet Letter); <em>L. Haworth</em> (The Marking Sampler)</div>
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Column 5--<em>Deborah Walker</em> (Just Cross Stitch--The Chester County Collection--OOP); <em>Hannah Pepper</em> (Fine Lines Magazine--OOP); <em>Mary Katz</em> (Mercer Museum)</div>
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Here are three samplers (non-reproductions) which are on the wall above the tv. I can see 35 samplers from my stitching spot. How wonderful is that? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCaycLa2zdQ/VrussQs7YbI/AAAAAAAAams/Os1Mr8d7aCQ/s1600/IMG_20160210_134911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCaycLa2zdQ/VrussQs7YbI/AAAAAAAAams/Os1Mr8d7aCQ/s640/IMG_20160210_134911.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying the samplers starting on the left<br />
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<em>American Sampler</em> (Treasures Magazine)</div>
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<em>Queen City 20th Anniversary Sampler</em> with minor changes (Heart's Ease Examplar Workes)</div>
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<em>Snooty Parrots</em> with minor changes (Barbara Ana Designs)</div>
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Next up are photos of some of the models in my office. The one on the floor is a new one--just waiting for us to write the directions. I chose the wall color to go with the drapes that were already in the room.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4taxUUe4Bqs/Vrusrbk4xCI/AAAAAAAAamE/8RDsfj8SqnI/s1600/IMG_20160210_134355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4taxUUe4Bqs/Vrusrbk4xCI/AAAAAAAAamE/8RDsfj8SqnI/s640/IMG_20160210_134355.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C2cYzlLySlM/VrussC9832I/AAAAAAAAamI/Z9dVQlty9_I/s1600/IMG_20160210_134544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C2cYzlLySlM/VrussC9832I/AAAAAAAAamI/Z9dVQlty9_I/s640/IMG_20160210_134544.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying my <em>With My Needle</em> samplers starting with the sampler on the top left<br />
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Column 1--partial view of the<em> Family Record</em> Sampler</div>
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Column 2--<em>Accept This Posey</em> (from a Friend); <em>Adorn Thy Heart</em> (can be adapted to be a wedding sampler)</div>
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Column 3--<em>Kind and True</em>; <em>Elizabeth Wood</em></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxNSx83iiX0/VrussaoS4TI/AAAAAAAAamQ/NEXKR-HW0Bg/s1600/IMG_20160210_134727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxNSx83iiX0/VrussaoS4TI/AAAAAAAAamQ/NEXKR-HW0Bg/s640/IMG_20160210_134727.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying my <em>With My Needle</em> samplers starting with the top one<br />
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<em>An Emblem of Love</em> (single color version); <em>Caroline Bevan</em></div>
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Next is a view of one end of the hallway at the top of the stairs between my office and our guest room. (There are four more samplers there that aren't shown in the photo.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtAtTMpJ3TE/VrustIywFMI/AAAAAAAAamU/ufSsQtT6BPw/s1600/IMG_20160210_135111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtAtTMpJ3TE/VrustIywFMI/AAAAAAAAamU/ufSsQtT6BPw/s640/IMG_20160210_135111.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying the samplers starting with the sampler on the top left<br />
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Column 1--<em>Williamsburg Lady</em> (Historic Stitches for Kreinik's <em>Remember the Ladies </em>series); <em>Three Things Sampler</em> (Moira Blackburn)</div>
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Column 2--<em>Gratitude</em> (The Scarlet Letter)</div>
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Column 3--<em>Ellen Murray</em> (The Essamplaire)</div>
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Column 4--<em>Mary Trelfall</em> (The Marking Sampler); <em>Eleanor Taylor</em> (The Examplarery)</div>
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And here are some samplers at the other end of the hallway.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFRE8QmnEYM/VrustmdZpFI/AAAAAAAAamY/6SPvUsntVGo/s1600/IMG_20160210_135253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFRE8QmnEYM/VrustmdZpFI/AAAAAAAAamY/6SPvUsntVGo/s640/IMG_20160210_135253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Identifying the samplers starting with the sampler on the top left<br />
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Column 1--<em>Let Virtue</em> (Sheepish Designs);<em> Elizabeth Easton</em> (The Good Huswife--OOP)</div>
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Column 2--<em>Marquoir Sampler</em> with quite a few changes); <em>Wisdom Sampler</em> (Vermillion Stitchery)</div>
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Column 3--<em>Jacobean Sampler </em>(??); <em>Aires of Green</em> (Sheepish Designs)</div>
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When looking for the names of some of these samplers I ran across the old Geocities page where I used to show my needlework. The photos aren't particularly good because most photos were taken before the advent of digital photos. Nothing has been added to the page since 2007, but you can see lots of my older pieces which are in other rooms of our home. <a href="http://www.oocities.org/heartland/4801/gallery.htm"><span style="color: red;"><strong>http://www.oocities.org/heartland/4801/gallery.htm</strong></span></a></div>
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I have several new designs, but it will be a while before I can get the directions written as I'm in the midst of developing a couple of new teaching projects that will premier with the <em>Western Reserve Sampler Guild</em> in October. In a future blog post, I'll have more information about those classes and also classes in Madison, Wisconsin in September and in Sturbridge, Massachusetts also in October.</div>
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In closing, I thought you might also enjoy seeing new photos of our little girls. It's hard to believe they're already 5-1/2 months old. Both have been plagued with ear infections especially Norah who has had three ear infections already this year and a ruptured ear drum right before Christmas. Katie got two teeth last month. Norah doesn't have any yet. Her favorite thing to do is roll over, and over, and over. It's so much fun to watch the changes as they are discovering the world around them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z74OTgf1imc/Vrtd4gcM1iI/AAAAAAAAalY/hePdCc-hBWg/s1600/Katie%2BJanuary%2B2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z74OTgf1imc/Vrtd4gcM1iI/AAAAAAAAalY/hePdCc-hBWg/s640/Katie%2BJanuary%2B2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXiqQjXzur4/Vrtd41xtt6I/AAAAAAAAalY/pa1_L9aieMw/s1600/Norah%2BJanuary%2B2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXiqQjXzur4/Vrtd41xtt6I/AAAAAAAAalY/pa1_L9aieMw/s640/Norah%2BJanuary%2B2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norah</td></tr>
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If you ask me a question in the comment section of this blog post, please make sure I have a way to contact you. For many of you, there is no email listed. So if you ask me a question, and I don't respond you now know why. You can also <a href="mailto:examplar@withmyneedle.com"><strong><span style="color: red;">email me</span></strong></a> if you have a specific question.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-22968875420986157912015-12-31T13:50:00.002-05:002015-12-31T14:54:28.390-05:00Wishing You A Very Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wish everyone a wonderful start to the New Year! Hopefully you'll have lots of stitching time not only today but throughout the year.<br />
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Thank you to everyone who has supported my design business. My <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/With-My-Needle/153360478194?ref=hl"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>With My Needle</i> Facebook page</span></b></a> now over 2200 fans. Also, thank you to those who have bought my designs, contributed photos of your completed <i>WMN </i>projects for my blog, and taken classes. I've been blessed to make so many wonderful friends worldwide through our shared needlework passion.<br />
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For whatever reason, I no longer getting notifications when someone signs my guest book and leaves a note there. I answer all notes I know about, but without automatic notifications I sometimes miss your notes. If you have a specific question, please email me directly at <a href="mailto:examplar@withmyneedle.com"><b><span style="color: red;">examplar@withmyneedle.com</span></b></a> or leave a comment under one of the blog posts.<br />
<br />
If you've left a comment on one of my blog posts and I haven't acknowledged it, it's because your email isn't visible...in fact, it's set as "no reply". There's no way for me to contact you. I feel badly about that, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do. If you aren't sure if you're set as "no reply", ask me or another Blogspot blogger to check for you. Most people who are set as "no reply" have no idea that's going on.</div>
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I didn't produce many new designs in 2014. I hope to do much better in the coming year. We had quite a year last year, and I wasn't able to fully concentrate. I hope you understand.</div>
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2015 was not much of a stitching or designing year for me. There was too much going on with my father-in-law's illness and death the first part of the year, travels and teaching later in the year, the birth of our twin granddaughters in August, and our moving in November. I certainly hope to do better in 2016.<br />
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Below is a photo of the pieces I stitched during 2015. I forgot to take a photo of <i>Ann Smith</i> (by <i>The Scarlet Letter</i>). I made a lot of progress on her at the beginning of 2015, but still have quite a ways to go.<br />
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If you look carefully, you will see that there are two new <i>With My Needle </i>designs, <i>Amidst the Crowd</i> (inspired by one of my antiques) and <i>A Gift From Heaven</i> (a pair of birth samplers designed for Katie and Norah). We just need to write the directions so hopefully we can have both designs available in another month or two.</div>
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Knowing that many of you enjoy seeing sampler walls, I hope to show you my new ones over the next couple of months. We've already hung over 195 pieces, but have a few more to go.</div>
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For whatever reason, I no longer getting notifications when someone signs my guest book and leaves a note there. I answer all notes I know about, but without automatic notifications I sometimes miss your notes. If you have a specific question, it's best for you to email me directly at <a href="mailto:examplar@withmyneedle.com"><b><span style="color: red;">examplar@withmyneedle.com</span></b></a> or leave a comment under one of the blog posts.<br />
<br />
If you've left a comment on one of my blog posts and I haven't acknowledged it, it's because your email isn't visible...in fact, it's set as "no reply". There's no way for me to contact you. I feel badly about that, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do. If you aren't sure if you're set as "no reply", ask me or another Blogspot blogger to check for you. Most people who are set as "no reply" have no idea that's going on.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I'd like to leave you with the sentiment expressed on this vintage postcard as I wish you the</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><i style="text-align: justify;">best</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">in 2016!</span></div>
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Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-24557761095831753972015-12-25T06:47:00.004-05:002015-12-25T06:47:40.285-05:00Wishing you a joyous Christmastide!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Wishing you a joyous Christmastide!</strong></span></em></div>
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I've been very remiss in updating my blog over the past few months, but hope to do better in 2016. Thank you to those who checked in to see if everything was okay.</div>
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We've had lots of changes in the past months with the addition of our two granddaughters and also a move. Our new home is still about 10 minutes from our son's house and 90 minutes from our daughter's. The move happened very quickly, and we're still settling in. Most of the boxes are now unpacked and over 190 things have been hung on the walls (mostly needlework). I think we still have 25 or so to go. Once things have settled down, I'll have a couple of new <i>With My Needle </i>designs that were stitched a few months ago. I hope you'll enjoy them.</div>
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Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-40227688264347494502015-08-28T16:11:00.002-04:002015-08-28T16:14:31.306-04:00Introducing the Two Newest Members of Our Family<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Wednesday, August 19th we welcomed two new members to our family--Kathryn Paige and Norah Grace. (They are being called Katie and Norah.) Katie weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. at birth, and Norah weighed 5 lbs. 6 oz. Their amazing mother worked a full day on Tuesday....in fact, she stayed extra to make sure that she had everything covered for the time she would be off with the girls.</div>
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Here Katie and Norah are with their parents Michelle and Stephen and big brother Garrett.</div>
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How nice that we each have a baby to cuddle. Here Tom is holding Katie and I'm holding Norah.</div>
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Katie</div>
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Norah</div>
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Here's Garrett getting to know his sisters.</div>
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On Saturday Michelle and the babies got to go home. Here are a couple of photos from the past few days.</div>
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Katie</div>
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Norah<br />
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Their baby samplers are now with my framers. I hope to show them to you soon.</div>
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We are truly blessed by the birth of these two sweethearts.I'm titling their birth samplers "A Gift from Heaven Above" because that is what I believe they are.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-75729590947831466142015-08-18T13:32:00.000-04:002015-08-18T13:32:49.187-04:00Canadian Beauty<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tom and I were lucky enough to spend some time in the Canadian Rockies earlier this summer. We had heard how beautiful they are, but seeing them in person is unbelievable! Words cannot describe the beauty! The colors you see in my photos are the true ones--they have not been photo-shopped.</div>
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The next photos were taken at the Columbia Icefield.<br />
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I got the idea from another needleworker to do some stitching on the glacier. So here I am in four layers of clothing and wool socks putting in a few stitches on <i>Lizzie A. Rees</i> (<i>Handwork Samplers</i>). </div>
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And here we are on our last evening. We hated to say good-bye to this beautiful part of the world, but we have exciting times ahead with the arrival of our twin granddaughters. </div>
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Tomorrow is the day!! Tomorrow morning our daughter-in-law Michelle will deliver the girls by C-section. We are all <i>very </i>excited! I have their birth samplers all stitched except for the girls' names .... Michelle and Stephen are still trying to decide on them.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-18206316576072759222015-08-06T14:59:00.001-04:002015-08-06T14:59:16.528-04:00Marilyn does it again!!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Things continue to be very busy around here. Last month Tom and I took a trip to the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Normally we don't take two trips so close together, but knowing that we are getting twin granddaughters this month, we wanted to get our travels in before hand.</div>
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While we were away I received photos from Marilyn V. of her completed <i>Kindred Spirits</i>. Marilyn took this class a few months ago when I taught it for <i>Stitchville </i><i>USA'</i>s retreat. I was so surprised to see her there because she lives in the Chicago area.</div>
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Marilyn is an exquisite needlework stitcher and finisher. Over the years she has taken most of my classes. Knowing her level of expertise, I think she takes the classes not necessarily for the instruction, but because she really wants the class project.</div>
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Look at her beautiful workmanship! Would you believe that this is the same lady who years ago told me she only made framed pieces and not "smalls"? Wow--what a turnabout she has made!</div>
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Thanks, Marilyn, for your photos. I hope our paths will cross again very soon!!</div>
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<i>Kindred Spirits</i> is available only as a class project. It will be taught twice more this year--in Seattle, Washington and in Shipshewana, Indiana. Both classes are in October</div>
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Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-55527809120520364362015-07-22T15:00:00.000-04:002015-07-23T12:19:48.507-04:00Meet Ann M, the Queen of Needlework Pocketbooks and Wallets<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My friend Ann M. has an obsession for stitched wallets and pocketbooks. I first introduced you to her three years ago when I showed some of the wonderful pieces she has completed. You can see that write-u</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">p </span><a href="http://withmyneedle-ellen.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-sampler-guild-friends.html" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the past few years, Ann has stitched several more beautiful pieces, including most recently my queen-stitched pocketbook, <i><b><a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/WPocketBook.htm"><span style="color: red;">A Work'd Pocketbook</span></a></b></i>. This project is an adaptation of an antique I own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ann changed the thread colors to suit her taste. She used 32-count <i>Wichelt</i> Lambswool linen, <i>Needlepoint Inc. </i>silk thread, a linen lining, and grosgrain ribbon for the closure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ann wrote, <i>As a lover
of counted stitch I must admit I so enjoy reproductions and right now my
focus/obsession is on wallets. On </i><i> "</i></span><i>A </i><i style="font-family: inherit;">Work'd Pocketbook" (I changed thread colors) with
LOTS of queen stitches I used Needlepoint Inc. silk thread. Thanks to Ellen for the wonderful adaptation and the superb instructions</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;"><i>A</i> </span><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;"><i>Work'd Pocketbook</i></span><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;"> has over 7000 queen stitches! Yes, you read that correctly. I've nicknamed this project </span><i style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Not for The Faint of Heart</i><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">. While this project is LOTS of work, I think you'll agree the results are well worth the effort! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #ffffeb; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; text-align: justify;">I was lucky enough to see Ann's completed <i>A Work'd Pocketbook</i> at the last <i>Queen City Sampler Guild </i>'s daylong stitch-in--in fact we sat together at the same table. It was so great to see her pocketbook in person. I can't believe that I forgot to take a photo of Ann with her piece. So sorry!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffffeb; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">As you probably realize, I have taken time off from designing because of all that has been happening in our lives during the past couple of years. The good news (well, hopefully it is good news), is that I've recently designed two new samplers. The first, <i>Amidst the Crowd</i>, is currently with my framer Carol. This sampler was inspired by a wonderful antique sampler that hangs in our bedroom. It has an incredible border which I've adapted from the antique, a beautiful verse taken from the antique, and some wonderful deer. I've also designed birth samplers (<i>A Gift from Heaven Above</i>) for my twin granddaughters who are due in late August. The samplers are basically the same, but have small changes to make them slightly different. The models are stitched except for the three lines of personalization which I'll add once the girls are born in late August.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffffeb; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">I"ll let you know when I'm ready to release the designs. It may be awhile because I have a busy few months ahead with the arrival of my granddaughters and teaching in both Seattle and in Shipshewanna, Indiana. </span></div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-50769458284988257322015-07-14T18:48:00.001-04:002015-07-14T18:48:50.860-04:00Annette's Beautiful Finish!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Earlier this summer Annette completed her <i>A Lady's Worke Box</i>. (She was in the class with the <i>Bay Area Sampler Guild</i> in San Francisco.) I think you'll agree that she did a beautiful job both with stitching and assembling this project. Bravo, Annette!</div>
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Annette wrote, <i>I finally finished "A Lady's Worke Box"! It really didn't take
that long to stitch up I just needed to focus and spend a little time with it.
I absolutely LOVE my box. What a special treasure that is all mine and I made
it. Every small piece is so lovely the specialty stitches adds texture to their
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<i>Thank you for such a wonderful & beautiful treasure you
designed. I sure enjoyed stitching it and while doing so brought back all the
wonderful memories of the other ladies in class and getting to meet you!</i></div>
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Annette, thank you for your photos and kind comments. It certainly was a delight meeting you and spending time with you and members of the <i>Bay Area Sampler Guild</i>.</div>
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At the class, Annette gave me a beautiful needlecase she had made for me. This is the case I take with me almost every time I travel. On the inside of the case are two needlepages and a pocket--perfect for carrying my scissors. You can see the needlebook in the photo below in the Amish basket.</div>
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<i>A Lady's Worke Box </i>will next be taught on Saturday October 3, 2015 in Seattle for the <i>Northwest Sampler Guild</i>. You can get class information by either writing Theresa at <span style="color: red;"><a href="mailto:kiddlady@yahoo.com"><span style="color: red;"><b>kiddlady@yahoo.com</b></span></a><b> </b></span>or by visiting the guild's <a href="http://www.northwestsamplerguild.com/index.htm"><b><span style="color: red;">website</span></b></a>. <i>Kindred Spirits</i> will be taught on Friday, October 2 and <i>A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif </i>will be taught on Sunday, October 4th.</div>
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You <u>must</u> be in the classroom to receive the kits. The registration deadline is on July 28--just two weeks from today. I hope to see some of you in Seattle.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-26387484221498372422015-07-08T11:28:00.000-04:002015-07-08T11:28:20.767-04:00Seattle Classes in October<div style="background-color: #ffffeb; color: #993333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; text-align: justify;">
Registration is currently open for the three classes I'll be teaching in Seattle October 2-4, 2015. </div>
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There are only a couple more weeks before registration closes, so please don't hesitate if you're interested. I'd love to see you there. </div>
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You can get information about the classes and contact information on the <a href="http://www.withmyneedle.com/teaching.html" style="color: #993333; text-decoration: none;"><b><span style="color: red;">teaching page of my website</span></b></a>.</div>
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(You must be present in class to get the class kits.)</div>
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Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-28904208528544002172015-07-04T08:35:00.004-04:002015-07-04T08:35:55.044-04:00Happy birthday, America!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">The 4th of July is Independence Day in the United States. It was 239 years ago, in 1776, that our Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress paving the way for the formation of a new nation. Throughout the country there will be parades, picnics, fireworks, and concerts to celebrate our country's birthday. Happy birthday America!</span></span></div>
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Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-21043749595231831492015-07-03T21:34:00.002-04:002015-07-03T21:59:55.277-04:00An Adventure of a Lifetime, Part 4<div style="text-align: justify;">
This will be my final post about our great African adventure.</div>
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One morning, while still at Sabi Sabi, we were given the option of either walking a bush walk or going to a local rural village. Tom chose the walk, and I chose the village. The village has a population of about 4000. I particularly enjoyed going to the pre-school. The children were so friendly! They loved giving "high fives" and having their photo taken.</div>
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This is the school's library.</div>
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We all were amused by the title of this book.<br />
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When it was time for us to leave, a large group of children sang to us.</div>
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A group of ladies from the village also sang and danced for us.</div>
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The sounds you hear in the background were made by this woman.</div>
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I also enjoyed watching another woman who was beading.</div>
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We next headed to Zimbabwe. We had a boat trip on the Zambezi River our first evening. We saw only a little bit of wildlife, but still enjoyed the trip.</div>
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Monitor lizard (He was enormous!)<br />
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From our hotel we could see the mist from Victoria Falls.</div>
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The next morning we visited a wildlife sanctuary.</div>
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This is Sylvester, a cheetah, who was rescued as a cub before his eyes opened. When he was two days old, his mother and her four other cubs were attacked and killed by a lion. Luckily for Sylvester, a game scout witnessed the event. A husband and wife decided to take care of the cub and named him after the game scout who had saved him. When he opened his eyes there were only humans around, and he bonded with them. If interested, you can read more about Sylvester <a href="http://www.vicfallswildlifetrust.org/OUR%20ORPHANS%20Sylvester.html"><span style="color: red;"><b>here</b></span></a>. He even has his own Facebook page.</div>
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We were also able to get close to some elephants at the sanctuary. The elephants are very accustomed to people. There is a one-to-one ratio of elephants to trainers. These elephants are not held captive but are free to leave whenever they'd like.</div>
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If you wanted, you could feed them.<br />
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After lunch, it was time for a mud bath.<br />
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Then we were off to Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Falls are on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. This bridge connects the two countries.<br />
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It was a beautiful day, and we were lucky enough to see several rainbows, including a double rainbow. We just didn't find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.</div>
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And so ends our great African adventure! It has been fun to share it with you.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-2954803072864492522015-07-02T16:23:00.002-04:002015-07-03T21:50:28.738-04:00An Adventure of a Lifetime, Part 3<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm glad that so many of you have been enjoying my photos. As you can probably tell, we were amazingly close to the animals. Yes, we had a telephoto lens, but we were often too close to the animals to use it, sometimes within just a few feet of lions and leopards. Despite that, we never felt endangered because our trackers and rangers were experts. We were told what to do and what not to do. For example, we were told not to stand up in the Land Rovers. The animals were used to seeing Land Rovers and thought of the Land Rovers and those inside it as another "animal" who would not threaten them. They are not used to seeing people standing up in the vehicles. That might startle and scare the animals.</div>
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Today I'm showing you photos from the remaining game drives. There will be little text, because I think the photos speak for themselves.</div>
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There were lots and lots of impala.<br />
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wildebeest<br />
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cape buffalo<br />
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The lions were sleeping when we arrived, but slowly began to wake up.<br />
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There was a limit of three Land Rovers at any site.<br />
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Our tracker, Zulu, heard that there was a cheetah nearby. Since they are rare in the area, he suggested we try to find it. Although it was dark by then, thanks to Zulu and his spot light, we were able to find the cheetah.<br />
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The morning game drives began at 6am, before sunrise. Here is a view of sunrise one morning<br />
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These people were so absorbed looking at elephants that they didn't realize there were some also behind them.<br />
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These zebras are black with white and brown stripes.<br />
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more cape buffalo<br />
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wart hogs<br />
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leopard<br />
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hyenna<br />
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rhino at night at a watering hole (Zulu shone his spot light on him.)<br />
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another sunrise<br />
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Do you see the lion in the tree?<br />
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more rhinos<br />
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lilac breasted roller<br />
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And this was the last thing we saw as we were getting ready to leave our Lodge and head to Johannesburg and later to Victoria Falls.<br />
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I'll wrap up our amazing adventure in my next blog post.</div>
Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207593053826772990.post-64071825894442727842015-07-01T10:27:00.001-04:002015-07-02T16:27:02.582-04:00An Adventure of a Lifetime, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I last left you as we were getting ready to board our Land Rovers to head to our lodge, Lion Sands, in the Kruger National Park.</div>
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We were all so exited at our first wildlife sighting. Much more exciting viewings were to happen.</div>
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In order to get to our lodge, we had to go over this bridge, The Sober Bridge. Joe, our ranger and driver, told us it was so named because you need to be sober to drive over it.</div>
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Off to our right, look what we spotted in the water--a hippopotamus!<br />
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Excitement was mounting as we approached the lodge where we were to stay for two nights.</div>
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This is the main building. Our "hut" was to the right.</div>
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This was our "hut". We were told that after dark we should call the office and ask for an escort from our room to the main facility because of the animals (sometimes leopards!) that roam the area.</div>
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And see what was right outside of our window! We were warned to make sure our windows were closed when we left because the monkeys like to come into the rooms and thoroughly enjoy themselves.</div>
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After settling in, we went on our first game drive with Ranger Joe and Lucas, our tracker. Lucas' seat is actually attached to the front of the Land Rover. Lucas is one of four Master Trackers in the whole world. Weren't we lucky to end up with him? </div>
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Here are some of the highlights of our first couple of game drives.</div>
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We quickly learned that monkeys can be a nuisance at lunch on the deck at the lodge.<br />
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We had to threaten the monkeys with a slingshot (don't worry, we weren't allowed to shoot anything, it was just a threat) in order to try to keep the them from grabbing food off the tables. Generally all you need to do was to show the slingshot to the monkeys, and off they would run. If the sight of a slingshot didn't work, the staff had an air gun handy (it shot only air), and that certainly served its purpose.</div>
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Here's Tom with the slingshot.</div>
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I wish I had taken a video of the monkeys making off with dinner rolls from our table.<br />
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Late afternoon we headed off again in search of more animals.<br />
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I couldn't get over the size of the termite mounds!</div>
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We certainly weren't roughing it. During the late afternoon/early evening drives, Joe would stop at a scenic safe spot, and we would climb out of the Land Rovers for drinks and appetizers. These events were called "sundowners".</div>
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Later we took an off-road excursion when Lucas learned there was a leopard nearby on the other side of the river.</div>
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Lucas heard that there were lions nearby, so we set off to try to find them, but first he had to help Joe get our vehicle back on the road.</div>
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Whew! We made it there in time to see this...<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">We did four drives at our first lodge before heading off to another lodge, Sabi Sabi, for more drives and more adventures.</span></div>
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...to be continued.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14523407606564012693noreply@blogger.com11