Heart's Ease Examplar Workes

Happy May!
          There is nothing like a big bouquet of flowers to sing out the praises of the month of May!  Here is a bouquet for all of you.
          It has been a very hectic month for me.  I am getting ready for a teaching project (my first) at the Schwenkfelder Museum's "Penn Dry Goods Market Days".  I will be teaching the stacking biscornus from my design "Mary Sophia's Pennsylvania German Sewing Set". 

It has been a real learning experience getting ready for this class, especially about ordering materials and how to put kits together.  I still have a lot to learn but hope that all will go well as I am a bit nervous, being a first time teacher and all.  Most of the people who've signed up are familiar to me, so I will be very grateful to look out among the participants and see their wonderful, friendly faces in the class.  And really, I think the stitching community are among the nicest, friendliest people ever!  Just don't bring any ripe tomatoes to class,
okay? ;-)
          I have some more good news regarding my designs.  "Stone House on the Brandywine" received a First Place Ribbon at the 50th Annul Woodlawn Needlework Exhibit.  I just got her back and am finishing up the final details on the chart.  She will be available for purchase within the next week or two, so check with your favorite needlework shop to regarding availability.  I also entered Mary Sophia's ... in the 3rd Annual Needlework Exhibit at the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society and won another First Place Ribbon for it (the design won a First Place Ribbon last year at Woodlawn).  Needless to say, I am so honored and thrilled!
          As I have done the past few months, I am attaching a copy of With my Needle and Pen's May stitching schedule for "A Maryland Inspiration."  I hope everyone is enjoying the project.
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Hello everyone,
          Okay, I think I finally know why they call people of a certain age "over the hill"! It is because everything goes very fast on the other side of the hill, especially time. I can hardly believe that it is May already and we are five months into the new year. If you are calculating the passed time by how much you’ve done on your sampler, I’m hoping that you are at least somewhere near May, in May or, perhaps, in June, July or August! Hope springs eternal!
          The stitching assignment for this month is the house. We will start with the roof and work our way down. I think you will find that the roof will be easier to stitch if you do just one color at a time. I also suggest that you stitch back and forth rather than diagonally, as it will help your stitching to lay much better and the roof will look more consistent with the color blend.
          When you’ve moved on to the house (bricks, windows, etc.) please be aware of the stitch change on the center window – there is one additional stitch to accommodate centering. You will note from the diagram that the windows, door and shutters do not have any detail in them yet, i.e., backstitching. You will not do the backstitching until all the stitching on the house is complete. I am saving that for next month, along with the window panes. Needless to say, it is a lot of stitching and I do not expect you to do it all in one month. I am going to break up the monotony with some of the motifs surrounding the house. The diagram below will show you what is on the plan for May:

          I’d also like to mention, there have been some concerns expressed over the colors of silk being too light or too dark for the linen. I mentioned in the chart instructions that it is impossible to guarantee colors of overdyed threads and linen. I purchased my Belle Soie when it was first introduced, and bought it as a package deal of 25 skeins. My "Butterscotch" is a rich, golden color with good overdyed effects along the strand. Several people have emailed me stating that their Butterscotch was very light. If you find that any color does not work with your linen, please don’t be afraid to change it. If you need some color suggestions, email me and I will let you know what alternatives might work. For the most part, if you are using NPI, then you would just choose a color shade darker or lighter, whichever the case may be, in the NPI color series, i.e., Palomino Gold series, etc.

          Have a wonderful month of May and don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!

Yours in stitches and friendship,

              Theresa