Heart's Ease Examplar Workes

It is hard to believe that it is almost the middle of March already and that St. Patrick's Day (not to mention Spring, Easter, etc.) is just around the corner.  I hope everyone has kept busy and warm stitching this winter.  I, for one, have been very busy.  I was asked to create a Delaware Sampler based on antiques from the area.  I settled on a New Castle County design to use as my footprint and filled the sampler with symbols representing Delaware, i.e., the Blue Hen (our State bird); Cardinal (runner up for State bird); Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (State butterfly); Grey Fox (State wildlife); Peach Blossom (State flower); you get the idea.  At any rate, I believe it is the best sampler I've designed so far!  I wish I could post a picture but, for now, I cannot as it may become a teaching piece for a sampler symposium in the Fall of 2013.  I can assure you, though, it will be worth the wait!

Also, I was asked to design the Mayflower Sampler Guild's Annual Christmas Ornament for 2013.  Each year the guild reaches out to a designer to have a limited edition Christmas ornament designed specifically for the purposes of raising money for conservation. In the past the monies raised from the ornament sale have gone to the New Bedford Whaling Museum to conserve a sampler, as well as to the Connecticut Historical Society to fund a sampler exhibit.  They also sent them a donation to acquire a sampler from Finkel's where the Historical Society owned a portrait of a young girl and wanted to get her sampler to bring both together. Last year's ornament, designed by Fran Colburn of Legacy Designs went to the Plimoth Plantation to help build a permanent home for the Plimoth Jacket.

 

I just finished stitching it and am waiting for the arrival of some beautiful tartan ribbon so I can assemble it.  Here is a sneek peak at the digital rendering.

It will be available for purchase through the Mayflower Sampler Guild as a limited edition of 50 kits.  As soon as I have information regarding the availability, I will post it on my blog.

Now, on to the business of the Maryland Inspiration SAL.  I'm a little late getting the schedule for March posted here on my blog, but for those who are following the SAL through Ellen Chester's "With My Needle and Pen" Newsletter, you already have it.  Here is March's schedule:
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Hello fellow stitchers,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The stitching schedule for March is going to be the upper left quadrant of the sampler:

 

Stitch everything in the illustration above (if you didn’t already stitch the numbers and the alphabet, you can stitch them now). NOTE: the Eyelet in the left corner border of the floral border is stitched using Belle Soie "Chester’s Blue". I’ve left out the interior of the lozenges, as they are over one and can be quite tedious. In future schedules, we will intersperse the over one stitching and the house stitching with other elements of the sampler interior so that you don’t get too bored or overwhelmed with the redundant stitching areas.

If you did not complete February’s schedule, you can incorporate that into this month’s schedule. The schedule for April will be the right side of the sampler (same as diagram above, but flipped). So, if you are ahead of schedule and would like to continue on, you can start on the right side of the sampler.

Since this is my first foray into leading my own SAL, please let me know if I am suggesting too much stitching, too little stitching, if I need to explain thing more thoroughly, etc. I’m all for constructive criticism and welcome your thoughts. You can contact me at HeartseaseEW@gmail.com.
Thanks again for your participation in this SAL. Stay warm for now – Spring is just around the corner!

Yours in stitches,

Theresa