For those who've been waiting for its release -- Good News!  Cottage by the Sea, a Salty Yarns shop exclusive, is now available for purchase.  If you are interested, you can purchase the chart at:  http://saltyyarns.com
          A little story about how this design came to be -- My local needlework guild, the Delaware Valley Historic Sampler Guild, has a retreat twice a year in Ocean City, MD at the Lankford Hotel.  Sally, the owner of the hotel and the shop, Salty Yarns, jokingly asked if I would design a "beach" themed sampler for the shop.  I knew that I did not want to design a sampler with beach pails and umbrellas or sea creatures - I really wanted to do something different.  The sampler actually evolved from the verse I composed and the above picture is the final result.  I hope you like it.
          Here is another picture of Cottage by the Sea, but with enhanced detail.  The colors, however, are more muted as in the first picture.

A number of people tell me that the design reminds them of Mackenzie Childs pottery.  If so, this is totally by accident, but it does have the characteristics of the check and roses on some of the pottery.  To be honest, I love checks and try to use them whenever I can in my designs.  The roses are my interpretation of the wild coastal rose that blooms along the dunes in New England, the Rugosa Rosa.  It is a rather flat rose, but has a wonderful fragrance and, so,  the theme built from there.  Here is a picture of the Rugosa Rosa:



           After I designed and stitched the sampler, I had a wonderful idea for a needlework set based on the design.  "Cottage by the Sea Sewing Set" won Best in Show and First Place at the 2nd annual Rehoboth Historical Society's Needlework Exhibit, and will be available as a teaching piece sometime in the future.  Here is a picture of the design:

          Sally, is now semi-retired (or so she says) and her wonderful daughters, Sara and Mary, run the day to day business affairs of the hotel and shop.  If you ever have a chance to visit Ocean City, MD, or better yet, book a stay and the Lankford, please stop by the shop - it is filled with eye candy for the stitching fanatic (and the knitter, too).  Have a great summer, everyone!

                                       Yours in friendship and stitches,

                                                          Theresa

Summer Has Arrived!

     And I just had my air conditioner repaired -- not a minute too soon!  Whew!
     I have a lot to report since last I posted.  The class at the Schwenkfelder Museum's "Penn Dry Goods Market Days" went very well.  It's always a good thing when no tomatoes are thrown.  I met some very nice people and may be invited to teach in several places in 2015!  How cool is that?
     I know I hinted about a new design that I wasn't able to disclose, but, now I am happy to be able to show you a picture of the design and tell you a little about it.  Earlier in the year, I was asked if I'd be interested in designing a sampler based on the style of antique samplers from Delaware.  After a little research, I settled on a beautiful footprint to follow for my model.  Since it is a Delaware Sampler, I decided to incorporate symbols from the "First State" into the design:  The Blue Hen, our State bird (as well as the Cardinal, as it was the Blue Hen's runner up); Holly, our State Tree; Sweet Goldenrod, our State herb; Peach Blossom, our State flower; Ladybug, our State insect; Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, our State butterfly; Grey Fox, our State Wildlife; and Strawberry, our State fruit.  Below is a picture of "A Delaware Inspiration", my design.  See if you can find the State symbols.

I drew my inspiration from the "Fruit and Flower" style samplers that were stitched by schoolgirls in New Castle County, Delaware.  Below are two examples of the style.

The border of these samplers was stitched using satin and stem stitches.  My interpretation uses cross stitches and a few specialty stitches thrown in for fun.  I will be teaching this sampler at the Delaware Sampler Symposium in November 2013.  More news to come ...
     Now, on to the task at hand.  I am attaching June's stitching schedule for A Maryland Inspiration.  Hope everyone has a wonderful June!
Yours in friendship and stitches,
Theresa
*     *     *     *     *
Hello everyone,
      I hope you’ve had a wonderful spring and that you’ve made progress on your Maryland Inspiration sampler. Since this is June’s schedule, it means we have reached the half way mark in our stitching. I know that the house and roof are quite a lot to stitch, so if you did not finish it last month, I hope you can do so this month. 
     We are going to move on to the detail work on the house. After you’ve finished last month’s assignment on the house you will be ready to do the backstitching. This will give dimension to your shutters and door and make your house come to life! 

     You will also be stitching the grids for the window panes. You will notice that I’ve given you two ways to do the grids – backstitching, or over one. Diagram 1 shows the over one choice and the backstitched choice. Either way you will have to pay attention to the compensation for the center window over the door. Both are clearly illustrated in the Diagrams. If you choose to backstitch, please don’t forget to go over the area indicated in the diagram "2 times" to give definition to the upper and lower sashes.

      If you are all caught up and ready to do the detail, then I would like you to also stitch the over one sections in the left set of cartouches. When I stitch over one, I always use a small hoop. For me it is a lot easier to see and do the stitches when the fabric is tight. Since this is 40 count linen and you will be stitching over one, I suggest you use the tent stitch on the motifs in the cartouches. Your stitches will look less bulky and it will be a lot easier to do your stitching.

Here is a link with diagrams and instructions to do the tent stitch: http://www.threadneedlestreet.com
Click on the menu at the top of the page where it says "Stitches" and it will take you to a page with a selection of stitches on the left hand side of the page. You will find the tent stitch option there.

     Well, I hope I haven’t given you too much to do. As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at HeartseaseEW@gmail.com and I will do my best to help you. This is a large sampler and I apologize for the equally big assignments, but I am hoping we can get through the entire chart by November and free up your Christmas holidays for other things. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to treat yourself to the gift of your sampler being framed and ready to hang on the wall for all of your holiday guests to see?!

Yours in friendship and stitches,

Theresa
*     *     *     *     *
Oh!  I almost forgot.  "Stone House on the Brandywine" is now available for purchase.  Please contact your LNS and they can contact me regarding how to purchase the chart for sale.  Thanks so much for all your support.  It is much appreciated.

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.
*   *   *   *   *   *
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                 

Hello again,

I just wanted to add two more update pictures from Anne.  She is really moving along and is way ahead of the stitching schedule.  Here are the pictures:

Great job Anne!

I would like to mention, Anne expressed concern over the bright color of the peacocks.  As I stated earlier in the SAL, dye lots of hand dyed silks can vary considerably.  If you feel that a color is too bright, or too light, or whatever, feel free to change it to something you like better.  There are no hard and fast rules for the colors used in any sampler, and I encourage you to use your own color sense if you don't like what I've chosen.  That will release the designer in you!

Yours in friendship and stitches,
Theresa

Hello fellow stitchers,

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.  The stitching schedule for April is going to be the upper right quadrant of the sampler:

You will note that I’ve added a few motifs from the body of the sampler, i.e., the peacock, apple tree, hearts and crown. You will stitch these on both the right and left quadrant of the sampler. I’ve also included the queen stitched grape cluster/strawberry centered above the carnation motif. If you are current with the schedule, you will have already stitched the center carnation motif but, if not, stitch that now as well. Stitch everything in the illustration above (if you didn’t already stitch the upper case alphabet, you can stitch it now). NOTE: the Eyelet in the right corner border of the floral border is stitched using Belle Soie "Chester’s Blue". As indicated in last month’s schedule, 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 March’s schedule, you can incorporate that into this month’s schedule. Attached to this schedule are several shots of progress photos from SAL participants. Great job! As always, if you have any questions of comments, you can contact me at HeartseaseEW@gmail.com.

Thanks again for your participation in this SAL and have a very happy spring!
Yours in stitches,
Theresa

P.S.  Here are update pictures from two of our SAL members:
Anne's progress:



Kay's progress:

Congratulations ladies and thanks for sharing your pictures.  Looking very, very good!

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:
*  *  *  *  *
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

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Hello everyone,
           What a surprise to wake up this morning and see a few inches of snow on the ground!  I don't think snow was in the forcast, so it was really unexpected, but very pretty.  That thought just reminded me of something my big brother said when we were kids -- it was snowing and was getting deeper by the minute.  I commented that the snow was so pretty, it covered everything that was ugly outside.  My brother didn't miss a  beat when he suggested, "Why don't you go out and stand in it for a while."  Wasn't that mean?  LOL
          After six months of stitching, I finally finished "Stone House on the Brandywine."  My framer, Karen (also a fellow DVHSG member), sent me a picture before framing.  Since I stitch in hand, by the time I finish the piece, the linen is pretty wrinkled.  Karen always does a wonderful job stretching and lacing my pieces, so a picture of it during the process, without all the wrinkles, was a welcome treat.



As you can see, it is still in the process of being stretched, etc., but I thought you'd like to see it.  This design means a lot to me as it brings back many memories of "rides in the country" when my children were little.  We lived in the city, so I often took them for rides in the Brandywine River area, hoping to see some wildlife, horses and grazing sheep and cattle.  There were many stone houses in the area and I often wondered to myself about the stories they could tell of all the history of the area and the people who had lived and visited there.  So when I wrote the poem, it was a take on that memory.  The sampler itself is rather large, but if you don't want to stitch the whole thing, you can stitch the top or bottom part alone, just move the bottom border to replace the blue cornflower border.  I tried to incorporate symbols of Pennsylvania in the sampler, i.e., quaker motifs, which I pumped up with a bit of color; quilt blocks; deer -- you get the idea.  It is stitched on 40 count Lakeside "Maple Sugar".  The linen is not vintage like it was for A Maryland Inspiration, because this design was not meant to look like a reproduction.  I hope you like it.
          Have a great super bowl Sunday, and I hope your team wins!

Yours in friendship and stitches,

Theresa

Hello everyone,

          Can you believe it is almost February already?!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I will be posting the With my Needle and Pen stitching schedule for the "A Maryland Inspiration" SAL, here on my blog each month.  Here is what is on the drawing board for February:

*  *  *  *  *
Hello fellow stitchers,

          Brrr, it is cold outside here on the northeast coast of the US. If it is cold where you are, I hope you are staying warm and cozy and have enjoyed, or are enjoying, the January stitching schedule for "A Maryland Inspiration". Because last month’s schedule was a lot, I am going to keep it light this month so that those who did not finish January’s assignment, can finish it, and those who did rinish, can leisurely stitch February’s assignment.
          For February we will be stitching the alphabets and numbers in the alphabet border, which should not take long at all. I also thought you’d like to move into the main field of the design and stitch the carnation motif in the center top portion of the design.

           When stitching the carnations, if you are using an overdyed floss, use the lighter hued portion of the strand (Belle Soie Rosebud) for the light pink part of the carnation, and the darker hued portion of the (Belle Soie Rose of Sharon) strand for the outside edge of the carnation.
          For a little inspiration, I am including a picture that one of the SAL participants sent me of her progress. Candace actually started stitching her AMI (A Maryland Inspiration) in October, when the chart was first released. She still, however, has achieved a lot in the short time she has been working on it. Isn’t her stitching lovely?!


As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at HeartseaseEW@gmail.com.

Yours in stitches,

Theresa

*  *  *  *  *
          I also have some news regarding one of my designs.  I will be teaching a class in May at the Schwenkfelder Museum for Mary Sophia's Pennsylvania German Sewing Set. 

The class itself will be for the stacking biscornu's, but a chart for the entire set, with finishing instructions, will be available for purchase.  I will let you know all the pertinent information, i.e., place, date, time, etc., for the event in a future post.
          If you are in the frozen Northeast, I hope you are staying cozy and warm, if not, stay cozy and warm anyway! :-)

Yours in friendship and stitches,

Theresa
 

          Well, it looks as though another year is about to have come and gone.  I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Christmas and, now, it is on to the New Year!  Happy New Year to you all!
          I've been busy at the old drawing board (or should I say, computer), designing some new things, redesigning some old things and, of course, always stitching in between.  Here is a digital rendering of one of my new designs.  I hope you like it.  It is called "Willow Flower".



I haven't started to stitch it yet, as I have several things that are taking priority right now.  I can't wait to start it, though.  Here is a redo on an older design, which I've renamed "Belsnickle's Journey". 

 





The original one was square and, I felt, had too many trees.  I've narrowed and elongated the design and I like it much better.  What do you think?  This is another I have to stitch.

          On another note, I would like your thoughts on purchasing digital rendered charts.  Several designers do release charts that have not been stitched but are digital renderings of the design on the cover.  Do you prefer a stitched sample or digital, or both?  Your response would be greatly appreciated.



          Well, again, Happy New Year!  May it be the best one for all!
Yours in stitches,
Theresa

Hello, Hello, Hello! 
          Is everyone ready for Christmas?  Okay, I won't ask -- but if you must know about me -- I am NOT, in any way, shape or form, ready for Christmas this year.  That's okay though, my grandchildren are grown and prefer a card with cash (as do my children) so they can take advantage of the after holiday sales.  They have come a long way from wearing the things I used to buy and/or make for them.  Here are Jacki and Ashley in flower girl dresses I made for them in 1995:

The dresses had 7 layers of tulle in the skirt, my first time working with it no less, but I used my handy, dandy rotary cutter to cut them out, and especially for the hems, it worked marvelously!  Aren't they (the girls) just beautiful!  Time passes so swiftly ...  I'm hoping someday their interest in stitching and knitting will be rekindled, as I taught them all how to do basic needlework when they were little.  I can still remember how they would describe me when their Grandpop would ask, "What is Grandmom doing?"  They would reply, "She's needleing."
          Speaking of needleing, I just finished putting the last stitch in "Stone House on the Brandwine" a few evenings ago.  I stayed up until I finished -- 3:30 a.m., to be exact.  I commented on one of the needlework forums that I actually felt a little sad to be finishing it.  I wonder if anyone else has ever felt that way when they finish a big project that has been a constant companion for many months?  Now I will have to get it to the framer, but that will have to wait until after the holidays.
          On another note, I have decided to post the stitching schedule here as well as in Ellen's Newsletter for the With My Needle & Pen 2013 SAL "A Maryland Inspiration".  So now those who are participating will have two places to check and see what is on the drawing board for the month.  Here is the schedule for January as written for the newsletter.

*     *     *     *     *

           Ever since Ellen asked to feature my sampler “A Maryland Inspiration” as one of the 2013 SAL picks, I’ve been counting the days until we begin. Before I get too far ahead of myself though, I’d like to welcome everyone and thank you all for your kind words and enthusiasm regarding my first published sampler design. I hope you will enjoy stitching this sampler as much as I did. It is a biggie, that is for sure, but I found it to be a fun and interesting stitch, especially the motifs.
          As most of you already know, the nature of over-dyed flosses and linens can change significantly with each dye lot. If your floss colors get lost in the linen because they are too light or dark, feel free to change out the colors to one that is more suitable. I did a conversion to all NPI silks and, since they do most of their colors by range (light to dark), you can check the color number and go lighter or darker by the hue in the particular color range. Another suggestion is, if you are changing out solid colors to over dyed ones, use the color chart for the NPI silks to gauge the correct hue of your new selection.
          I am hoping to break the sampler schedule down to 11 months, so everyone who is stitching along will be finished in time for the holidays. For the first month of the schedule, I would suggest you stitch the vine of the Strawberry Border – then stitch the vine of the floral border. The Strawberry Border uses "Belle Soie Collard Greens" which is very close in hue to the "Belle Soie Creme de Menthe". The dye lot I used for these colors had a significant difference between the two -- the Creme de Menthe being nicely variegated between the light and dark along the strand. Some of the latest dye lots of this color closely resemble the Collard Greens. If you find this to be so with your dye lot, I would like to suggest that you can switch out the Creme de Menthe for "Belle Soie Ivy League". It is up to you, of course.
          The vines will be the most tedious part of the sampler to stitch, but it is necessary as it will aid in the placement of the Alphabet Border, as well as the motifs within the body of the sampler. Also, when your Strawberry Border meets, you’ll breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that your count was spot on!
          If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at HeartseaseEW@gmail.com.

Yours in stitches,

Theresa

Hello again,

 

Donna, one of the participants in the 2013 SAL, pointed out to me that on the chart I had referenced NPI 298 twice on the floss chart.  This will help solve the confusion (I hope ;-)  I had originally used a few of Vikki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibers' silks when I stitched my sampler. Since Vikki is going out of the silk floss business, I did not want future stitcher's of the sampler to not be able to find that floss, so I did a complete conversion to NPI for all the floss used in the design. In the conversion, the closest color to Belle Soie "Collard Greens" was NPI 298. You will need 3 skeins of 298 if you don't use Collard Greens. If you do use Collard Greens, you will need 2 skeins of Collard Greens and 1 skein of 298.

 

On another note, I just want to thank everyone for the wonderful response to my designs and, especially, my first publication "A Maryland Inspiration".  I spent a wonderful day yesterday in Ocean City, MD at the Salty Yarns and, as always, enjoyed my time chatting and laughing with Sally and friends from the DVHSG.  Sally and Sarah host a retreat for our guild 2 times a year and it is always something I look forward to.  Sally has supported and encouraged me in my designing endeavors for a number of years now and I know she is happy that I finally made the step to publish my designs.  She's the BEST!

 

Yours in stitches,

 

Theresa

Hello everyone,

Some of you may already know this, but I wanted to post an announcement for those who do not.  The "A Maryland Inspiration" chart is now available for purchase.  I am also pleased and honored to announce that the sampler has been chosen as the Attic's October Sampler of the Month, as well as one of the 2013 SALs on Ellen Chester's With my Needle and Pen forum.

The Attic in Mesa, AZ has all the supplies you will need to stitch this design, as well as the chart.  Here is a link to the website:  http://atticneedlework.com

You can also purchase the chart from In Stitches, Alexandria, VA:  http://institchesneedlework.com
and Salty Yarns, Ocean City, MD:  http://saltyyarns.com

I will be leading the 2013 SAL and break down the sampler into manageable and, hopefully, interesting segments to keep you stitching throughout the year.  I'm looking forward to it!

On another note, I've had requests for Belsnickle's Victorian Christmas, Mary Sophia's Pennsylvania German Sewing Set, and Stone House on the Brandywine.  These are not ready for publication yet.  I am planning a move from my house of 25 years and will probably not be able to get these charts ready until January.  I'm still not sure if I want to do Mary Sophia's ... as a teaching piece or release it as a chart with finishing instructions.  Once I am settled into my new place I will have the time, and the organization, to get most of my designs ready for publication or as teaching projects.  I am going to sign with a distributor so my designs will be available in most LNS after the new year.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for their kind words regarding my designs and for your support of my new business venture.

Yours in stitches,

Theresa

Stitching and stitching and stitching and .....

Hello everyone,

I admit it!  I am a lousy blogger.  My only excuse is that I'm busy stitching away on the Stone House on the Brandywine Sampler.  I am now in the home stretch and will, hopefully, have it completed in the next month or two.

In the meantime, I wanted to post pictures of my finished samplers -- Thistle House and The Dianthus Sampler.

I had these both stretched and matted but haven't chosen the frames yet.

I also wanted to post some pictures of my Cottage by the Sea Sewing Set.  I'm very proud of it and was so honored and humbled that it won the Best In Show and First Place Ribbon for Counted Thread at the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society's 2nd Annual Needlework Exhibit.

Here is the basket with all the pieces:

Here is the inside of the basket.  A ribbon ruched cartouche -- that rhymes!

Here it is in the display case at the museum wearing it's wonderful ribbons.

I hope everyone is having a great summer and staying cool.

Yours in stitches,

Theresa



Christmas in May????

Just thought I'd post a preview digital rendering of a small Christmas design I'm stitching.  It should be ready to purchase in July -- stitched on 36 ct. linen it is 5-3/4" wide by 5-1/2" long, and can be made up as a framed piece, a door hanger pillow, ornament or needleroll --  more news to come ...

I thought I would throw in this little Christmas design I did for myself.  Do you think I have a fondness for Old English Sheepdogs???

A Regal Bee Finish!!!

Hello all,

I just have to share a link to Stasi's blog where she has posted pictures of her completed "Regal Bee".  http://beemusedandbeestitching.blogspot.com/2012/05/regal-bee-is-done.html

I love the little personal additions Stasi has made to her set.  Congrats for a wonderful job stitching and assembling my design (and in record time too)!!

Yours in stitches,

Theresa

A Banner Year!!!

I hope you won't mind, but I just have to share this with everyone.  This morning I found out that my designs "A Maryland Inspiration" and "Mary Sophia's Pennsylvania German Needlework Set" won ribbons at the Woodlawn Plantation Needlework Exhibit.  "A Maryland Inspiration" won the Frank Lloyd Wright Award for Outstanding Original Design, and "Mary Sophia ..." won a First Place Ribbon in the Counted Thread category.  Needless to say, I am both humbled and honored to have received the awards, especially since this is the first time I've ever entered anything at Woodlawn.  Here are pictures of the two designs:

Oh, my goodness, I am so excited!

Yours in stitches,

Theresa

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone.  I hope it was a good one for all. 

I thought I would write a short note to show you my latest design.  I am busily stitching away on it and am very pleased so far.  My mother was of Pennsylvania/German decent and this design was inspired by the Brandywine Valley and the flora and fauna of the area.  The corner blocks on the edges of the flower bands are in homage to the quilt, the colorful quaker adaptations are in homage to their influence in the Brandywine area.  The many fruit motifs signify the richness of the soil and the verdant pastures.  Of course, the stone house speaks for itself.  It is inspired by the many stone houses that dot the Pennsylvania countryside.  I composed the poem to go along with the design.  It reads:

Oh, what stories it could tell, this old house of mine
a long standing sentinel on the Brandywine
Built strong of granite and of wood,
on verdant acres my stone house stood
with window sills so deep and wide and
walls made thick on every side
While o'er the hill, not far away,
the Brandywine River did flow and play
Afar to behold the strength of the two,
the house and the river and the stories they knew.

I hope you like it.

Theresa

Okay, here I am again, lagging waaaaaaay behind in posting, but I do have some news.  For the first time, I entered a needlework exhibit/competition -- it was (is) at the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society.  I submitted my design "Cottage by the Sea" and the accompanying sewing set.  To my amazement, I received "Best in Show" and "First Place" ribbons for the sewing set and a "Second Place" ribbon for the sampler.  Here I am posing along side of my winning designs.