I
hope everybody is having a wonderful summer.
Our temperatures have been very pleasant here in northern Indiana
Here
are three new C Street Samplerworks designs which will be introduced at the St. Charles Market, August 16-17, 2014. You can ask your favorite needlework shop to pre-order them for you:
Corinne’s Sampler
In
September of 2013, my great-niece was born.
Her birth was quite an occasion, as she was the first baby born in our
immediate family in 29 years. Of course
I had to design and stitch a birth sampler for her! I chose a Dutch theme because our Corinne has Dutch ancestry by way of three
of her four grandparents.
“Corinne’s
Sampler” is stitched almost entirely in cross stitch on 32ct Lentil linen by
Lakeside Linens, using DMC floss. The stitch
count is 119 wide x 129 high, and the design size is 7.4 inches wide by x 8.1
inches high. The grass in the model
is done in satin stitch. But if you
aren’t a fan of satin stitch, don't worry--go ahead and stitch the grass area in cross
stitch. I promise that it will look just
fine either way.
Corinne’s
Sampler could easily be made into a wedding or anniversary sampler. Instead of stitching baby information,
substitute the names of the couple along with the date of the wedding or
anniversary, using the upper case alphabet in the sampler, and the lower case alphabet and numerals provided on the chart.
*******
He Saith to the Snow
In
commemoration of our recent record-breaking winter, both in snow accumulation
and in below zero temperatures, I designed this little sampler. The Bible verse (Job 37:6) seems fitting,
because last winter the snow certainly was upon the earth in the Midwest , as well as other parts of the country.
“He
Saith to the Snow”, all cross stitch over two, is stitched on 32ct Examplar
linen by Lakeside Linens using Gentle Arts Sampler Threads, Weeks Dye Works,
and DMC flosses. Stitch count is 91 wide
x 99 high, and the design size is 5.7 inches wide x 6.2 inches high.
I
like to think that the people who live in that little house are cozy and warm despite
the wintery weather surrounding them.
*******
Age Improves with Wine
This little design is dedicated to all my friends who, although perhaps not quite as old as I am,
still appreciate the healing qualities of the occasional glass of wine. This would make a perfect little gift for a
friend who is facing one of those pesky “milestone” birthdays.
“Age
Improves with Wine” is stitched on 32ct Examplar linen by Lakeside Linens, using
Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. Stitch
count is 63 wide x 63h, with a design size of 3.94 inches square. I chose to have it framed, but it would be
great finished as a cupboard hanger or an ornament.
Most
of the design is in cross stitch, but the corner grape motifs are stitched in Smyrna
*******
A note about overdyed floss: I
love stitching with overdyed flosses, especially those from The Gentle
Art. But as most of you know, the dye
lots of all of the brands can sometimes vary. For this reason I generally list DMC equivalents for comparison. I match the DMC to the actual skeins of
overdyed floss that I use in the design.
Each DMC equivalent listed in my charts is as close as I can find to the
particular dye lot that I use when stitching the models.
I
never use conversion charts of any kind, because although suggested individual
colors in the charts can be a close match, they are often just a bit off. And when you combine several colors that are
just slightly off, they can clash with, rather than complementing each other. That is why I always match colors by hand.
(Make that “by eye”!)
*******
Currently
I’m working on the model for, a reproduction of an 1855 English sampler
stitched by Mary Maylett. It has the
first verse of the beautiful hymn “Jesus Lover of My Soul”, and among the
motifs are two sweet little fallow deer.
Mary was born in 1844--100 years before the year of my birth, which
makes me feel connected to her. (It also
makes me feel very old!)
