tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90053435949923085942024-03-18T21:46:56.759-05:00C Street SamplerworksC Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-82996955748304864282015-08-10T18:29:00.000-05:002015-08-10T18:29:28.464-05:00Norden 2015 Fall Needlework Show<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I am happy to be one of the designers taking part in Norden Crafts
2015 Fall Online Needlework Show, which runs from April 10 through April 19.
For more details on the show, go to <a href="http://www.nordencrafts.com/C-1418/Norden-Fall-Show-2015.aspx">http://www.nordencrafts.com/C-1418/Norden-Fall-Show-2015.aspx</a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The first of my four designs for the show is Mary's Little Deer (retail price $14.00). This is a reproduction of an English sampler stitched in 1855 by
11-year-old Mary Maylett. It is stitched on 32ct Buttercream linen by
Lakeside Linens, using DMC floss. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">This lovely sampler was stitched by
Mary Maylett, the daughter of John and Ann (Monk) Maylett. She was
born in 1844 and baptised on 7 July 1844 in Lindridge, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Worcestershire</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Mary
was married in 1875 at the age of 31 to George Furness Smith, a Church of
England clergyman. They had two children: a daughter
Mabel Annie Smith born in 1876, and a son Francis Maylett Smith born in 1878. Sadly,
Mary Maylett Smith died when her children were very young--sometime between
1881 and 1886. Mary would have been proud of both her
children. Francis became a medical doctor and Mabel married a
British civil servant and traveled with him to his posts in Africa and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">When Mary Maylett was
eleven-years-old, she stitched her sampler in silks on coarse
linen. It was very nicely done and had few counting
errors. It measures 11.63 inches wide by 13.13 inches high, very
close in size to the reproduction. The antique sampler is unframed
and is stitched to a backing of polished cotton fabric.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsPybXjCCPIhw4M74kgY3NW1kCK4l_Go5CKxZEgDZRLDNcSMH7YNjyQh3e7dWRl36vrdOf2FL9oD39IhBWThvGIseGkmhLzo-xNhNmRoDszXv3uD2K21Ah9uxR_piShTDYquFNlancOk8/s1600/Antique+Mary+Maylett-for+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsPybXjCCPIhw4M74kgY3NW1kCK4l_Go5CKxZEgDZRLDNcSMH7YNjyQh3e7dWRl36vrdOf2FL9oD39IhBWThvGIseGkmhLzo-xNhNmRoDszXv3uD2K21Ah9uxR_piShTDYquFNlancOk8/s320/Antique+Mary+Maylett-for+Blog.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique Mary Maylett Sampler</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Mary’s two little deer are probably
fallow deer, which are common in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Adult fallow
deer often have fawn-like spots, just as the ones on Mary’s sampler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The second design is Elizabeth Hobson
1800 (retail price $14.00), but I call it the Checkerboard Deer Sampler, for obvious reasons. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">It is a reproduction of an English sampler. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model was st</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">itched on 25ct Natural Dublin linen using DMC
floss.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I wish we knew something about the
young lady who stitched this delightful sampler. Unfortunately,
there are many Elizabeth Hobsons throughout <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> who were in their 13th
years in the year 1800, so that without any other information, there is no way
to determine which one of them is our stitcher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The checkerboard deer was one of the
first things that attracted me to this sampler. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Then I noticed the t</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">wo little squirrels </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I wonder what</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Elizabeth</st1:place></st1:city> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">was thinking when she decided that they should have green tails!</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew_eD53AS5dyfGiKLs4z-8pjeqcRhBvb7Tuw1xaEeu7-nCyoGX2Z3xMr6K4Ld8fDsqBNbciEWn3VNSptLqYd5a5rIwG9OhT5f1_oH5nDHrQFyEs8B-1CWeddig2EWtOnC54c1oUXlLndL/s1600/Hobson+Antique-for+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew_eD53AS5dyfGiKLs4z-8pjeqcRhBvb7Tuw1xaEeu7-nCyoGX2Z3xMr6K4Ld8fDsqBNbciEWn3VNSptLqYd5a5rIwG9OhT5f1_oH5nDHrQFyEs8B-1CWeddig2EWtOnC54c1oUXlLndL/s320/Hobson+Antique-for+Blog.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique Elizabeth Hobson Sampler</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The antique sampler, measuring
approximately 10 inches wide by 15.1 inches high, was stitched on a coarse linen
fabric in colorful wools which have faded very little over the past 215 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The reproduction sampler is the same
height and slightly narrower than the antique, and the DMC floss almost exactly
matches the wools used in the antique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Next is an original band sampler Ladye
of the Castle (retail price $14.00). </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Suggested fabric is 32ct Summer
Khaki Belfast linen, and it is stitched with DMC floss. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Stitches used in </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">addition to cross stitch are long-armed cross
stitch, vertical and horizontl satin stitch, back stitch, tall Smyrna cross
stitch, diamond Smyrna cross stitch. <span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RIu01v4WHAMIIn5C68-Qou_xUBpIDtLQ4lZq-NrMXWn10YK_hFv9KaUFeznR_VztviC5YHfEPNrEbH5QbWCAZENPFYzjm69yRJVfVw169SJMq3xu6K4KBfmNgrPWKeX9CsGCW2gIUeb9/s1600/Ladye-for+Blog+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RIu01v4WHAMIIn5C68-Qou_xUBpIDtLQ4lZq-NrMXWn10YK_hFv9KaUFeznR_VztviC5YHfEPNrEbH5QbWCAZENPFYzjm69yRJVfVw169SJMq3xu6K4KBfmNgrPWKeX9CsGCW2gIUeb9/s400/Ladye-for+Blog+only.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">And finally we have the Ann Stone Sampler (retail price $12.00), a reproduction of
a sweet little English sampler that was stitched in 1816. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model was stitched on 25ct Summer Khaki Dublin linen, which
unfortunately is no longer available. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I
recommend using 28 count Summer Khaki Cashel linen, which will make the sampler
slightly smaller.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> Or if you prefer to keep the sampler similar in size
to the antique, 25 count Natural Dublin linen would be a good choice. </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model was stitched using Soie D'alger silk by Au Ver</span><span style="color: #5c4a3d; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; letter-spacing: -0.75pt;"> à </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Soie<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Ann Stone stitched her sampler in
1816, but since her age is not given, we don’t know when she was born. “Barton” is the name of an English town,
either where she was born or where she stitched her sampler. But there are more than a dozen towns called
Barton in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
so I’m afraid the identity of our sampler stitcher will never be known.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZIEBF3pyKI8CH3oAZMBwXE9ar1ioqGQclsMqKUdG8sRAcA5yNz1yG0cvY_7R5us6jjsuX5vkOdf1gWZFryQqXzHd3tyIFoh7LQk46dfDJTqFSL3Ab1pe9f02jkrJ0pf5ApeO4Zl4H0Ei/s1600/Ann+Stone+Antique-for+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZIEBF3pyKI8CH3oAZMBwXE9ar1ioqGQclsMqKUdG8sRAcA5yNz1yG0cvY_7R5us6jjsuX5vkOdf1gWZFryQqXzHd3tyIFoh7LQk46dfDJTqFSL3Ab1pe9f02jkrJ0pf5ApeO4Zl4H0Ei/s320/Ann+Stone+Antique-for+Blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique Ann Stone Sampler</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Ann’s sampler was stitched in silks on coarse linen. It measures 9.75 inches wide by 8 inches
high, just a bit larger than the reproduction.
The colors on the back of the sampler remain bright, and the AVAS silks
match Ann’s silks almost exactly. I hand
matched the DMC colors, and they are very close matches to the AVAS.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-32057519780415076302014-08-06T11:09:00.000-05:002014-08-06T11:09:41.845-05:00Welcoming August with Three New Designs <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I
hope everybody is having a wonderful summer.
Our temperatures have been very pleasant here in northern <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Indiana</st1:place></st1:state>. We had a very rainy June, and having to mow
the lawn every few days certainly cut down on my stitching time. Now we could use the rain, but I’ve been
stitching more often than mowing, so I’m not complaining too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><u style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Corinne’s Sampler</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">“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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">*******</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">He Saith to the Snow<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-WlrtPhWX16vHK_cdK26keU8oQ4iNg6eRSwR-RufLyRVmoATHAraROboNivg_IupisG86Mh-Ye0pnVPp2DMHkyjY9PfqMTBDfECpCWuFdeWgWaSEhVKrnolH20-haKxCZxlf7q7rVjvX/s1600/He+Saith-FB+&+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-WlrtPhWX16vHK_cdK26keU8oQ4iNg6eRSwR-RufLyRVmoATHAraROboNivg_IupisG86Mh-Ye0pnVPp2DMHkyjY9PfqMTBDfECpCWuFdeWgWaSEhVKrnolH20-haKxCZxlf7q7rVjvX/s1600/He+Saith-FB+&+Blog.jpg" height="400" width="387" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">In
commemoration of our recent record-breaking winter, both in snow accumulation
and in below zero temperatures, I designed this little sampler.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The Bible verse (Job 37:6) seems fitting,
because last winter the snow certainly was upon the earth in the </span><st1:place style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" w:st="on">Midwest</st1:place><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">, as well as other parts of the country.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">“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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I
like to think that the people who live in that little house are cozy and warm despite
the wintery weather surrounding them.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">*******</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Age Improves with Wine<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCbciQk2YEuM_g57sgUdca2xdD7DJhUGdMYvJzJ3CwSCF09vfUrXfPnV7u_a40OmuhJ8E8dLrNzmpuFAnxNnMq9_lLAX-TsDsLHgnEE62iLiHKxjsbaaP-rDqvAPz097ZjsRLKdFuDEi8/s1600/ageimproves+-+FB+&+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCbciQk2YEuM_g57sgUdca2xdD7DJhUGdMYvJzJ3CwSCF09vfUrXfPnV7u_a40OmuhJ8E8dLrNzmpuFAnxNnMq9_lLAX-TsDsLHgnEE62iLiHKxjsbaaP-rDqvAPz097ZjsRLKdFuDEi8/s1600/ageimproves+-+FB+&+Blog.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">“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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Most
of the design is in cross stitch, but the corner grape motifs are stitched in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Smyrna</st1:place></st1:city> cross, and half of
the smaller grape bunches in the border are stitched in four-sided stitch. However if you’d rather, just stitch the
whole thing in cross stitch.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">*******</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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”!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">*******</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">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!)<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-45862123655954684022014-05-14T15:02:00.000-05:002014-05-14T15:02:39.666-05:00Two New Releases from C Street Samplerworks<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><u>Door
Prairie Barn Sampler</u></span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">One of
the most notable landmarks in my home town is the Door Prairie Barn, built in
1878 by Marion Ridgway. It is quite
unusual because it has nine sides. It
must be one of the most photographed structures in the area--I have seen photos
of the barn taken in the summer, fall, winter, and spring. It has also been the subject of countless
paintings by artists both amateur and professional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-ft_UgV82ANDjZ0kh5u96tviI3M0MzDJgfa09Iz8Wy9j_TSVAX-LOVU_pC3jtRiFlvshZsyqOjdgeVoJRu01IItKNTyXMTVaAW8hQDi_ITtTMIxglqMGBj19qKg3_gElfW05ilY5MEVg/s1600/Door+Prairie+Barn+2+-+500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-ft_UgV82ANDjZ0kh5u96tviI3M0MzDJgfa09Iz8Wy9j_TSVAX-LOVU_pC3jtRiFlvshZsyqOjdgeVoJRu01IItKNTyXMTVaAW8hQDi_ITtTMIxglqMGBj19qKg3_gElfW05ilY5MEVg/s1600/Door+Prairie+Barn+2+-+500.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door Prairie Barn, La Porte, Indiana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Years
before I had released any C Street Samplerworks charts, I designed and stitched
a band sampler featuring the Door Prairie Barn.
It was for my own pleasure and I had no intention of charting it. However over the years, several local
stitchers expressed interest in the sampler, so I finally published the chart. Since the sampler depicts a local landmark, I
didn’t expect the chart to be popular nationally, so at first it was available
only through House of Stitches in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">La
Porte</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:place>. But I found that stitchers in other parts of
the country were buying the chart. So the
Door Prairie Barn Sampler chart is now available to local and online needlework
shops through my distributor Norden Crafts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><br /></span></div>
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_482wKOA8I_Mg3YTjQQ29TiU9hdXlLxMUcubQaRUkccDodSd8ubbV6nOYtwzTI1uTg3Bgr9lr_nWGCC8hLNFbr1ryCsOW6U8XaiBD3gD-RfhrUfk-6IHLy9aXtL3_3jVmpuyxp-dWMwrs/s1600/Door+Prairie+Sampler-for+Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_482wKOA8I_Mg3YTjQQ29TiU9hdXlLxMUcubQaRUkccDodSd8ubbV6nOYtwzTI1uTg3Bgr9lr_nWGCC8hLNFbr1ryCsOW6U8XaiBD3gD-RfhrUfk-6IHLy9aXtL3_3jVmpuyxp-dWMwrs/s1600/Door+Prairie+Sampler-for+Facebook.jpg" height="400" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door Prairie Barn Sampler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Several
of the bands reflect motifs that have come to be associated with the barn and
the area. For a number of years the
field in front of the barn was planted with thousands of golden
sunflowers. Other years pumpkins filled
the field. I included a band of maple
leaves, because </span><st1:place style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">La Porte</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">,
with its tree-lined streets, has long been known as The Maple City.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">I spent
many enjoyable hours researching the barn, including reading through 19th century newspapers for advertisements to find the names and breeds
of the horses owned by Mr. Ridgway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The verse on the sampler
reads: "South of LaPorte, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Ind.</st1:state></st1:place> stands a nine-sided
barn built in 1878 by Marion Ridgway. On
eight sides are stalls, each with its own door and window. The ninth side is the main hall. Ridgway was a breeder of horses—Normans,
Clydesdales, Percherons, Morgans, Cleveland Bays and Hambletonians, with noble
names like Grandee, Duke of Lexington, Lucas Brodhead, Greensburg, See-Saw,
Nevoy, Constellation, and Bordeaux."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The
sampler is stitched on 28ct Dirty Linen Cashel by Zweigart, and uses 12 colors
of DMC floss. Stitch count is 116 wide
by 245 high, and when stitched on 28ct linen the design size is 8.25 inches
wide by 17.25 inches high. Stitches used
are cross stitch over two threads, cross stitch over one thread, vertical satin
stitch, back stitch, straight stitch, herringbone stitch, rice stitch,
long-legged cross stitch, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Smyrna</st1:place></st1:city>
cross stitch and four-sided stitch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><u>Hannah’s
Conversation Sampler</u><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The
second release, also available through Norden Crafts, is a reproduction of a circa 1830s English sampler stitched by
Hannah Wilson, aged 11. I was first
attracted to this sweet sampler by the purely secular verse about the art of
conversation. It was such a change from
the more common, and sometimes depressing, religious verses. Then I noticed that the central motif at the
bottom was a variation on the small Solomon’s <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Temple</st1:place></st1:city> motifs that are among my favorites, so
I knew I had to add Hannah’s sampler to my collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Here is
a photo of the antique sampler:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><br /></span></div>
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-CCXa37gDCqDwslc9oj-nPFoxKwlXcFe_Id2uWO_KGp1xpQbU9hYpBzIYjR-BkbxJD2QbEr09Telp08cFxR5BiOq-Ooe1BwFYThhp1MN_tnc07zBf8_Cl_ce25T8AvRS-Cvk3rYDEANX/s1600/Hannah+Wilson+antique-for+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-CCXa37gDCqDwslc9oj-nPFoxKwlXcFe_Id2uWO_KGp1xpQbU9hYpBzIYjR-BkbxJD2QbEr09Telp08cFxR5BiOq-Ooe1BwFYThhp1MN_tnc07zBf8_Cl_ce25T8AvRS-Cvk3rYDEANX/s1600/Hannah+Wilson+antique-for+Blog.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circa 1830s English Sampler by Hannah Wilson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">It is
stitched on an off-white linen which has a horizontal thread count of
approximately 19 per inch and a vertical thread count of about 17 per inch, and
the stitched area measures approximately 7.75 inches wide by 12 inches high.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The
reproduction, shown below, is stitched on 32ct Homespun linen by Lakeside
Linens, using 6 colors DMC floss, and is worked entirely in cross stitch over
two threads. The stitch count is 149
wide by 202 high, and the design size is 9.25 inches wide by 12.63 inches high.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><br /></span></div>
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY0Tb5cWxC2i7tDe9bP0wxEBNUf0Lux_AzHQYRGLiSWqNR1r81D3N6CHaYTK1PFP4rc4LjKq1pzTv3JSNla7fHWPXvzhs8AcuxV4JKz7y2I-b-Exvof6beLAnmTiBUWUnW-4cuDuYFKPA/s1600/Hannah's+Conversation+for+Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY0Tb5cWxC2i7tDe9bP0wxEBNUf0Lux_AzHQYRGLiSWqNR1r81D3N6CHaYTK1PFP4rc4LjKq1pzTv3JSNla7fHWPXvzhs8AcuxV4JKz7y2I-b-Exvof6beLAnmTiBUWUnW-4cuDuYFKPA/s1600/Hannah's+Conversation+for+Facebook.jpg" height="400" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah's Conversation Sampler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Wouldn't you love to </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">know more about this little girl who preferred to stitch a verse about the lively art of conversation rather than one of the more usual religious verses? </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Unfortunately, she is likely to remain a mystery to us. The sampler isn't dated, and "Hannah Wilson" was a very common name in 19th century England, so I have been unable to determine which one of many possible Hannah Wilsons stitched the sampler. I like to think that she must have been a very special girl, though.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><br /></span>
C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-46955531161560828092013-08-10T10:28:00.000-05:002013-08-10T13:46:11.635-05:00New Designs<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">For the past several weeks I have been busy putting the final touches on the charts for three new designs, and late last week I breathed a great sigh of relief when I took them off to the printer. The designs are scheduled to be released through Norden Crafts at the St. Charles Market, August 22-24, 2013, and you can ask your favorite needlework shop to pre-order them for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">First is an original design, <b>Evergreen Friendship</b>, which I have dedicated to my wonderful friend Mary. We met in the summer before our junior year in high school over 50 years ago, and she has been my dearest friend ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The verse I chose for the sampler is one which was popular in autograph books in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span></div>
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWco6CI5q7PYkzwr4almyJdX_c1AAhrOrKEN9hPfZ-aEWJDf0TXA9XYQqG1lczYrRH5sxMrrcE8NZL8vjxDUYdhqEzxIh8fO29clIt3qM1HNkohje_xGmiyKPIfE5iYJK3ONsNeFNH1DA/s1600/Evergreen-350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWco6CI5q7PYkzwr4almyJdX_c1AAhrOrKEN9hPfZ-aEWJDf0TXA9XYQqG1lczYrRH5sxMrrcE8NZL8vjxDUYdhqEzxIh8fO29clIt3qM1HNkohje_xGmiyKPIfE5iYJK3ONsNeFNH1DA/s320/Evergreen-350.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Evergreen Friendship</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model is stitched on 32ct Pecan Butter linen by Lakeside Linens and is stitched with 6 colors of Gentle Arts Sampler threads, one of Weeks Dye Works, and one of DMC. The stitch count is 133 wide by 113 high and the design size is approximately 8.3 inches by 7.1 inches. It stitches up quickly, and would make a great gift for your own best friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The next design is </span><b style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">God Bless My LNS</b><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">, a little tribute to Local Needlework Shops everywhere. (Where would we be without them!)</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I have dedicated this to my beloved LNS, House of Stitches in </span><st1:place style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">La Porte</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Linda and her staff have been providing stash enhancement opportunities to area stitchers for over 26 years, and for the past few years have also been doing the same for stitchers all over the world through their website </span><a href="http://www.houseofstitches.com/" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">http://www.houseofstitches.com</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLL-pIEQJg8OTeAcAtYtsyyuyZ3pnUQ22OLbdvhtOczwjdTJakdj89HvXNo4LVpDMeU2Sop0uoH4WA22Z8phlMGeqq4gUdpZfYCwln5a5ZlbflQkakXz22fAkFEjP3IA3_4xdFhskvkf/s1600/God+Bless-350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLL-pIEQJg8OTeAcAtYtsyyuyZ3pnUQ22OLbdvhtOczwjdTJakdj89HvXNo4LVpDMeU2Sop0uoH4WA22Z8phlMGeqq4gUdpZfYCwln5a5ZlbflQkakXz22fAkFEjP3IA3_4xdFhskvkf/s200/God+Bless-350.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model was stitched on 30ct Straw linen by Weeks Dye Works. using ThreadworX overdyed cotton No. 1154 “Bradley’s Balloons”, which contains a delightful rainbow of colors.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Since only one color of floss is used, it would be easy for you to choose your own favorite floss and linen colors if you prefer a more subdued color scheme.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> The stitch count is 67 wide by 67 high and the design size is 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches. It</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> stitches up in no time at all and will fit nicely in a standard 6-inch by 6-inch frame. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">And last, but far from least, is the <b>Ann Leech Sampler</b>, a reproduction of an 1827 English sampler, one of my very favorite samplers in my collection. I adore the bright colors and the wonderful assortment of motifs in this sampler. It was a joy to chart and stitch. Here is a photograph of the antique sampler:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1sVAjWqPWycEKm7xfIoi6CzZY2v-9rjoeeuvLH-agrsvAMbgq_IwhlHCwmfQbdNR3M_eUTGFE6lPa8KKgXDYzJhJKcdZ8RlxO1iLmlMa1Dm05jjL_I8Lhp9ogh3kIzVOJn1L56hQBrOy/s1600/Ann+Leech+Antique-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1sVAjWqPWycEKm7xfIoi6CzZY2v-9rjoeeuvLH-agrsvAMbgq_IwhlHCwmfQbdNR3M_eUTGFE6lPa8KKgXDYzJhJKcdZ8RlxO1iLmlMa1Dm05jjL_I8Lhp9ogh3kIzVOJn1L56hQBrOy/s400/Ann+Leech+Antique-1000.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Antique Ann Leech Sampler</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The antique sampler was stitched with silk and wool on a linen fabric that has a thread count of approximately 28/30. The sampler measures about 12.75 inches wide by 16.5 inches high. Even after 186 years, the colors are amazingly vibrant with very little fading. Most of the stitching is over two linen threads, with only the lower case letters in the verse and the signature areas stitched over one thread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The verse on the sampler is from “Pilgrim’s Song”, an early Methodist hymn. The words were written by English clergyman Robert Seagrave (1693-1759?). and first published in his </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">in his </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">‘Hymns for <st1:personname w:st="on">Christian</st1:personname> Worship” <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place>, 1742. There is a wonderful website where you can read the words to the entire hymn and at the same time hear the lovely melody: <a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/i/risemssw.htm">http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/i/risemssw.htm</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Here is a photo of the reproduction model:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAqv2aKEJ8P9acPkpn9QACLR29q0NJm6GnxoxefG3U2QiLwjdTjnUDt7_FXtsHXMcXOkTsjlDkb0FYQdH-HsHB1bLs1zsI1vTj0Ur1zFAZX6HWEZaZtM9SehCzXTqs26kYyEfbnnuHA4l/s1600/Ann+Leech+Repro-350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAqv2aKEJ8P9acPkpn9QACLR29q0NJm6GnxoxefG3U2QiLwjdTjnUDt7_FXtsHXMcXOkTsjlDkb0FYQdH-HsHB1bLs1zsI1vTj0Ur1zFAZX6HWEZaZtM9SehCzXTqs26kYyEfbnnuHA4l/s400/Ann+Leech+Repro-350.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Ann Leech Sampler Reproduction</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The model is stitched on 29 count Natural Glenshee linen using 18 colors of DMC floss. It has a stitch count of 178 wide by 254 high. The design size is approximately 12.3 inches wide by 17.5 inches high, which is a bit narrower and a little longer than the antique sampler. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The DMC colors are almost perfect matches for the colors in the antique, and the Natural Glenshee linen gives an aged look to the reproduction. And stitching the over-one areas are a breeze on Glenshee.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Finally, I’d to share with you a "gift" that I found in my backyard the other day. This lonely, lovely little petunia somehow managed to seed itself and grow in an arid crack in the cement in front of my old barn-like garage. I had no idea it was growing there, and finding it in bloom was a surprise that made my day! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Bloom Where You’re Planted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-63777436711562498082013-05-11T11:39:00.001-05:002013-05-13T06:46:01.766-05:00Happy Mother’s Day!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">First of all, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you are all blessed with children as caring and thoughtful as mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I hope you will excuse me for indulging in a tribute to my lovely mother, Martha Duke Borg.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MUG5flGcsyoTkEIKCLFDgBpc1gY3iyX7hIP3SPEhe1eq7xv0g43G4Kmfuo7f2DcgzGP-VJu69_uhu9WlM5BvJzG6IEVmjei_f5xGdx7kTPHRAwXPzELikeOzemxKiC4VGRVSERt_lzAo/s1600/01-Mom+&+Me+Winter+1945-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MUG5flGcsyoTkEIKCLFDgBpc1gY3iyX7hIP3SPEhe1eq7xv0g43G4Kmfuo7f2DcgzGP-VJu69_uhu9WlM5BvJzG6IEVmjei_f5xGdx7kTPHRAwXPzELikeOzemxKiC4VGRVSERt_lzAo/s320/01-Mom+&+Me+Winter+1945-500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Mom and Me, Winter 1945<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">As a child I knew I loved my mother and that she loved me, but it wasn’t until I was older that I realized what an extraordinary person she was and what a special childhood she gave to me and my brother and sister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Martha Elizabeth Duke was born in January of 1910.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was over a month premature and since there was no central heating she was kept warm with hot water bottles and blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of her precarious beginning, she survived and soon grew into a normal healthy little girl.</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuTQ3yJabEofKsIAkia7jE9Xsneuzo4oDn8F7lezEwWszckt5OfaV3F0L0a9xrAa6F6c4N2w6Chl9cUsf9cp8yNTZmpxmI5zqZ98SIJT31FZbEccBFbC88SDb5Aj5BX2TRyEpZGH4RX1t/s1600/02-Martha+Duke+ca+1912-a-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuTQ3yJabEofKsIAkia7jE9Xsneuzo4oDn8F7lezEwWszckt5OfaV3F0L0a9xrAa6F6c4N2w6Chl9cUsf9cp8yNTZmpxmI5zqZ98SIJT31FZbEccBFbC88SDb5Aj5BX2TRyEpZGH4RX1t/s320/02-Martha+Duke+ca+1912-a-1000.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Martha Elizabeth Duke in 1912</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">My maternal grandmother, Hazel Whitcraft Duke, being an artistic woman, imparted that trait both genetically and by example to her children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since child care was rarely an option, Mom recalled spending time in her mother’s millinery shop before she was old enough for school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in order to keep little Martha out of trouble, her mother taught her how to make miniature hats which were proudly displayed in the window of the shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many decades later, Mom made a little display recalling those miniature hats of her childhood:</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">By the time Mom was 8 years old, her mother was struggling as a single parent to raise Mom and her 6 year old brother Bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My grandmother was a rare bird in those days—a career woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t easy, as you can imagine, especially when the Depression came along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandma began as a talented milliner, and late worked for a company that established hat shops in department stores throughout the <st1:place w:st="on">Midwest</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This necessitated the family moving to a different town or city every year or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(At one time they lived in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Waukegan, Illinois,</st1:city></st1:place> and Mom remembers knowing Jack Benny, whose father owned a haberdashery shop near where Grandma worked.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrary to what you might think, moving frequently brought this family of three even closer together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom often recalled all the fun they had as a family, even though there was rarely any money once their basic necessities were met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laughter didn’t cost a cent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">As Mom grew up, she learned to make her own clothes, designing the patterns herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loved to draw and paint, and her goal was to become an art teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time Mom was a teenager, the family had settled down in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">La Porte</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:place>, where Grandma worked for a local department store in various capacities, eventually becoming the head buyer for the ladies’ wear department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To illustrate what a modern woman my grandmother was, beginning in the 1930s she was flying to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state> on buying trips, rather than taking the train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an article in the local newspaper on the occasion of Grandma’s first trip by airplane stated, ”It was her first flight and was most thrilling, but of course Mrs. Duke has to become air-minded because her son, Bill, is a recent graduate of the Boeing School of Aeronautics in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Oakland</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Calif.</st1:state></st1:place>, and is now connected with the United Airlines.” (He later became the head mechanic for American Airlines at Midway Airport.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Here is a photo of my grandmother, Hazel Whitcraft Duke, boarding a United Airlines passenger plane at <st1:placename w:st="on">Midway</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype> in <st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city> on August 24, 1934, for her first airplane trip to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks a bit primitive, doesn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">As soon as my mother was old enough to get a work permit, she began working every day after school, and on Saturdays at the department store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">My Mother, the Flapper<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">After graduating from high school in 1928<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Wouldn’t it have been fun to come of age in the “Roaring Twenties”?) she had saved enough to enroll at the Art Institute of Chicago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Two of Mom’s watercolors done circa 1929-30 while a student at the Art Institute </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">She attended classes at the Art Institute for close to two years, living in a boarding house for girls and waiting tables for her keep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then illness forced her to drop out of school, and she returned to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">La Porte</st1:place></st1:city> and resumed working at the department store, contributing her income to the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About this time she met my father, and after a courtship of 7 years, (trying to outwait the Depression?) they were married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom was 27 and Dad was 29. There were no wedding photos, but this is one of my favorite pictures of them at that time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p>Bernard and Martha Borg, circa 1937</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Now her job was being a housewife and mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time were hard—the Depression was still going strong, and then came World War II with its own set of difficulties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From her earliest years, Mom was able to make something out of nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old adage:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Use it up, wear it out</span>, make it do, or do without” could have been written by and for my mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit that at times while growing up, I was embarrassed by this frugality—I didn’t realize<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>then that it was fueled by necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Mom taught herself to do everything--upholster, make slipcovers and curtains, as well as our clothes, do carpentry, plumbing, and fix just about anything that needed fixing or make anything that needed making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She found time to be involved in our school functions, and she was a girl scout leader for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I well remember one time she had our entire girl scout troop making Christmas cookies on card tables throughout our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you imagine the chaos, not to mention the mess, with cookie dough everywhere?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it didn’t faze Mom in the least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">In spite of her busy home life, Mom never lost the art “bug”, though, and throughout the rest of her life she never stopped learning new things about art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">In the early to mid 1950s, with all three of us settled in school, Mom taught at a community crafts program, teaching any craft that the adult students wished to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often she had no background in a certain craft, so she taught herself how to do it, frequently without any instruction books to help her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would keep a couple of lessons ahead of the class, both learning and teaching at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the storeroom of the community center, she once found an old table-sized loom in pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never having done any weaving before, she still managed to put the loom back together, taught herself how to “string” it, and learned to weave throw rugs so that she could teach her students yet another craft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">In our small town, there was no place to buy craft supplies, so to make it easier for her students to acquire what they needed, Mom acquired a retail sales license and opened “The Craft Shop” on our small back porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was crammed full of supplies for crafts like basket weaving, pottery making, copper enameling, bead weaving and other bead work, sketching, painting, and plaster casting to name just a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that wondrous back porch to keep us occupied, my younger brother and I were never bored, nor were the neighbor kids!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were always able to find interesting projects to keep us occupied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">After her family was grown and Mom and Dad were “empty-nesters”, Mom became interested in crafts that were popular in the 1970s: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apple-Head Dolls, Cornhusk Dolls, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She found a market for her doll creations and they were sold throughout the country for several years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">She then became fascinated with the beautiful Russian Faberge eggs and taught herself the art of decorating goose (and other) eggs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She became so good at it that she was invited to join an exclusive national Egg Art group and she and Dad attended shows all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The creations of all the women in this group were astoundingly beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What set Mom’s pieces apart from the rest, though, was the fact that aside from some of the more basic embellishments, most of the materials that went into Mom’s creations were “found objects”, bought at garage and yard sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She managed to combine them into pieces that rivaled those that had cost hundreds of dollars to make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The egg shown below is one of my favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom sliced a goose egg lengthwise into 8 sections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Can you imagine trying to do that?) </span>She then hinged the sections together, and inserted on the fronts and backs of the center six sections her paintings of songbirds, finally added gold braid and other embellishments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">This is the closed egg resting on it’s side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">This is one side of the egg when opened up<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">And this is the reverse side</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Another of my favorites is made from a chicken egg nested inside a duck egg, which is nested inside a goose egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice the birds and the tiny flowers—all of which were handmade by Mom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">This shadow box is very special to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nearly everything in this little kitchen scene is made from eggs—the pot-bellied stove, chandelier, wall pocket, fruit bowl, coal scuttle, “salt-glazed” butter churn, and all the little knick-knacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the blue striped “wallpaper” is leftover fabric from one of my maternity dresses!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">This is my darling Bird Girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom made the cornhusk doll and all the birds and other animals that she is feeding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fragile beauty lives under a glass dome, which I removed so that I could get a better photograph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Mom made hundreds of egg creations over the years and sold most of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made many Christmas ornaments, cake toppers for wedding cakes, and very elegant Faberge-like items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made a lovely Victorian clock out of a huge ostrich egg, and an elaborate perfume container out of a beautiful black emu egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I do not have good photos of those stunning pieces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Some of the joy went out of Mom's life when my father passed away in 1995, But in spite of that, she was unstoppable. E</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">ven well into her 80s, Mom continued to take art lessons, belonged to a local art league, and exhibited and sold her oils, acrylics, and watercolors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was living proof that you’re never too old to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, about this time she developed macular degeneration, which affected her eyesight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that didn’t stop Mom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She continued to do lovely paintings and create unique greeting cards until the last year of her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Mom painted this when she was in her 80s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a scene showing a walking trail in a local park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the lower right corner of the frame, Mom inserted a photograph of her and my father which was taken at that very same trail some 60 years earlier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Even after her eyesight began failing her badly, Mom stayed creative and kept a positive attitude, saying that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">her art became more abstract as her eyes got worse. Above are s</span>ome of the greeting cards that she made in her late 80s and early 90s. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><strong>Martha Duke Borg in 2003 at the age of 93<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Until the last 8 months of her life, Mom lived independently in her own home, and even after she became ill, she was able to remain in her beloved home with a live-in caregiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And perhaps it will come as no surprise to you that Mom had designed that home herself, over 40 years earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">My mother passed away in 2005 at the age of 95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had been in less than perfect health much of her life, and I know she never expected to live even half that long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we celebrated her last birthday, she was surprised when we reminded her that she was 95 years old!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">I know I'm biased, but I think my mother was a truly remarkable woman, and I miss her every day!</span></div>
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C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-67122054275982548902013-02-14T10:53:00.000-06:002013-02-14T10:53:12.070-06:002013 Nashville Market Releases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">I can't believe it's almost time for the 2013 Nashville Market! I had hoped that my Ann Leech reproduction would be ready in time, but unfortunately I'm still plugging along on the model. So Ann will have to wait until another day!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">The two C Street Samplerworks designs that will be released at the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nashville</st1:place></st1:city> market are Heavenly Paradise and Elizabeth Girling.</span></div>
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<strong>HEAVENLY PARADISE</strong></div>
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<strong>An Original Adam and Eve Design </strong></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">The Heavenly Paradise model was stitched on 28ct Light Espresso linen by R&R Reproductions, using Weeks Dye Works and DMC floss. The stitch count is 105 wide x 93 high, and the design measures approximately 7.5” wide x 6.6” high, when stitched on 28 count linen. A variety of stitches are used, including Cross-both over two and over one, Satin, Round Rhodes, Double Leviathan, Rice, Smyrna Cross, and Round Eyelet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">The verse is from a poem by Thomas Campion, an English composer, poet, and physician who lived from 1567 to 1620.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found the quotation in my 1937 edition of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bartlett</st1:place></st1:city>’s Quotations, and it fit in perfectly with the Garden of Eden theme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently I have found that several sources quote the poem as “ wherein all pleasant fruits do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">flow</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m going to go with my trusty 1937 volume and stick with <i>“grow”</i>!</span><span style="color: black; layout-grid-mode: line;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">ELIZABETH GIRLING SAMPLER</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">The Elizabeth Girling model was stitched on 28ct Claire's Classic linen by R&R Reproductions, but if I were going to stitch it again, I think I'd use Lakeside Linen's beautiful Pecan Butter linen, which was not available at the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; layout-grid-mode: line;">The stitch count of the reproduction is 96 wide x 152h, and when stitched on 28 count linen, and the size is about is 6.9 inches wide x 10.9 inches high. That is very close to the size of the original sampler, which measures approximately 6.6 inches by 11 inches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: black; layout-grid-mode: line;">Elizabeth</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: black; layout-grid-mode: line;">'s sampler apparently was never framed, but was hemstitched and basted to a heavy laid rag paper of the type which was used in the 18th and early 19th centuries. If you look closely, you can see a little loop at the top. It is a buttonhole loop, and it's grubbiness tells me that <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Elizabeth</st1:place></st1:city>'s sweet little sampler was displayed proudly for many years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; layout-grid-mode: line;">Now that these two charts are all packed up and ready to go to Nashville, I am going to concentrate on finishing the Ann Leech model. This is a reproduction of a delightfully colorful 1827 sampler which is loaded with fun-to-stitch motifs and borders. I have researched the stitcher, and it appears that Ann was born in 1814 in the village of St. Bees, Cumbria, England Check out the <a href="http://www.stbees.org.uk/">St. Bees website</a> to see what a picturesque and interesting place it is!</span></span><span style="color: black; layout-grid-mode: line;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!</strong></span></div>
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</span>C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-44456018872666274422012-10-14T08:43:00.001-05:002012-10-14T08:43:52.054-05:00Weekend of Stitches--Fun, Fun, Fun!!!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was fortunate to attend a 2-day class taught by Ellen Chester of With My Needle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was sponsored by House of Stitches in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">La Porte</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:place>, and it was the best stitching fun I’ve had in a long time. In fact I was enjoying myself so much that I almost forgot to get my camera out. I did manage to get Ellen and Linda to stand still long enough for this photo:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The main piece in Ellen’s newest teaching project, A Lady’s Worke Box, is a lovely box lined with dupioni silk, and having a stitched piece on the front and on the inside of the box lid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The matching accessories consist of a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>needlebook, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3-sided scissors fob, pincushion, and an adorable little hornbook threadholder. Two threadwinders were also included in the kits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Ellen’s permission, here is a photo showing all the pieces:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spent much of the first day working on the needlebook back, which is a miniature band sampler with several whitework bands at the bottom, each using a different specialty stitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I'm done stitching the needlebook back and will start working on the front soon. </span>Here is the back of my needlebook:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Sunday we did more stitching, and then Ellen taught us how to assemble models of the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob’s Ladder-style needlebook, using scraps of ribbon and cardboard pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her instructions were very methodical and easy to follow and even though I’m somewhat “finishing-challenged”, I am confident that I’ll be able to finish my stitched needlebook without too much trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of Ellen’s chart instructions are detailed, complete, and so easy to follow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday afternoon Ellen presented a slide show of some incredibly beautiful antique wooden work boxes and their contents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The workmanship on these boxes was unbelievable! If I ever win the lottery, one of the first things I'm going to buy is an antique workbox of my very own.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Throughout the weekend, door prizes were given out, and Linda made sure there were enough that each of us received one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before we left, Linda gave us lovely wooden tool blocks and rulers which were inscribed “House of Stitches Weekend of Stitches October 6-7, 2012”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’d like to see a photo, check out Ellen’s blog at </span><a href="http://www.withmyneedle-ellen.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">www.withmyneedle-ellen.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you ever have the opportunity to take one of Ellen’s classes, please jump at the chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is an incredibly good teacher--knowledgeable, informative, very organized, and above all, interesting and FUN!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A great big THANK YOU to Linda for bringing us this wonderful weekend of stitching!</span><br />
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C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-35879790138345156722012-10-05T15:06:00.000-05:002012-10-05T15:06:23.052-05:00A Gift from the Birds?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The other day I discovered a lovely new resident in my garden. I love the triple petals on the bottom of each flower!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I looked through my wildflower books, and it appears to be a wild lobelia. Now, I live right smack in the middle of town, far away from wooded areas and fields, and I'm not quite sure how this little beauty found its way to my yard, but I suspect that birds may have helped it find a new home by unwittingly transporting its seed. I wish I could get them to bring only flower seeds to my garden, because I also found sprouts of poison ivy that had appeared out of nowhere. I guess every silver lining has a cloud!</span></div>
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C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-3064212782870956512012-09-20T17:23:00.000-05:002012-09-21T17:34:41.826-05:00Baltimore Market Releases<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Three C Street Samplerworks designs were released at the Baltimore Market earlier this month. First is the Jane Rushton Sampler, a reproduction of an 1829 English sampler from my collection, and the second in a series of reproductions featuring Solomon's Temple motifs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (The first in the series was CS-109, Ann Bagley Sampler, a reproduction of an 1824 English Sampler, which was released in late 2011.)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Jane Rushton was from Newark on Trent, which is likely where she stitched her sampler. I've done some genealogical research on Jane and her family, and the chart includes a bit of her family history. I found it interesting that one of Jane's children, Dennis Wood, emigrated to the United States around 1890, settling in Delaware, where he married and raised his family.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Jane's sampler has two of the temple motifs--one at each of the bottom corners. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As you can see, these Solomon's Temples aren't the elaborate temple buildings seen on many samplers, but the smaller motifs which are sometimes called Solomon's Porch or Solomon's Gate.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I matched the colors to the antique sampler which was amazingly unfaded for being over 180 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose to stitch the reproduction on natural linen in order to replicate the aged look of the linen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second market release<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is an original design Tree of Life Birth Sampler which was published in the Winter 2009 issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That issue is out of print, and I received several requests to release it as a chart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is stitched on Meadow Rue linen by Lakeside Linens. I chose traditional sampler motifs for their special meanings:</span> </span>the tree of life signifies all living things on earth, the storks denote parental love, the crown stands for eternity or eternal life, the eight-pointed stars symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the pierced hearts signify divine love. And I added the bluebirds for happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Last but definitely not least, is the Anna Brambles Sampler, a reproduction of an 1864 English sampler from my collection. I have always been partial to simple marking samplers, but I must admit the first thing that drew me to the sampler was the name Anna Brambles. Doesn't it sound like it should belong to a little animal character from a children's book?</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I generally stitch my own models, but Linda Rinkel, owner of House of Stitches in La Porte, graciously volunteered to stitch Anna so that the model would be completed in time for Market. (Her stitching is impeccable, by the way!)</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Anna is stitched on Lakeside Linen's luscious Pecan Butter linen, which closely matches the aged linen on the antique sampler. </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I was fortunate enough to locate Anna in English records, and the chart contains brief notes on her family.</span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Now that Market is over, it's back to the drawing board--or rather the computer and the embroidery hoop. I'm charting several "new" antique samplers, one of which will be the third in the Solomon's Temple series. And I'm currently stitching the model for my reproduction of an English sampler that was stitched in 1827 by 13-year-old Ann Leech, probably in the town of St. Bees, Cumbria.</span></o:p></span></div>
C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9005343594992308594.post-47648466396926886602012-09-17T12:29:00.000-05:002012-09-17T12:29:25.874-05:00Welcome to the New C Street Samplerworks' Blog!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It's time to join the blogging world so there will be a place to see all the current designs, as well as news of future designs. </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">First, perhaps I should tell you how I became a designer. I have been doing needlework in one form or another since my childhood. I embroidered my first sampler when I was 8 or 9 years old after seeing an antique sampler at a museum. I was intrigued to see that it had been stitched by a girl about my age, so I went to Woolworth's and bought a little stamped "God Bless Our Home" sampler and stitched it in bright primary colors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Not knowing any better, I used all six strands of floss! I never finished the sampler, but a few years ago I framed it and it is now hanging on a wall in my stash room as a reminder that I have learned a few things over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In the 1960's I joined in the crewelwork craze. I was especially drawn to the old Jacobean designs, because in addition to my passion for stitching, I have always been a history junkie. Then I discovered evenweave fabric, and I knew I had found my true calling! There were few, if any, counted thread patterns in the early 1970's, so I began designing my own samplers as gifts for family and friends, as well as for myself. </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In 1995, friends at my local needlework shop House of Stitches badgered me into designing a sampler for the “Lifetime of Memories” contest sponsored by DMC Corporation, Just CrossStitch, McCall’s Needlework, and Crafts Magazine in honor of the DMC Corporation’s 250th Anniversary. I was dumfounded when I received a call in 1996 saying my design, “My Grandmother’s Flower Garden” had won first prize! There were lots of fun prizes, the best of which was a trip to the Spirit of Cross Stitch show in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>. And my sampler got to travel to <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country>, where it was exhibited at the DMC International Embroidery Exhibition, as well as being pictured in the catalogue for the exhibition. It was then I began considering the possibility of designing professionally, and C Street Samplerworks was born.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It took a few years before I got up the courage to submit designs to Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly, where a number of my designs have been published over the years. And in 2010, Norden Crafts began distributing my designs, and now here we are!</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">All currently available designs are listed on the left side of this page. If you click on a sampler, you will be taken to another page with a photo and information on stitch count, design size, and linen used. If you want to know anything else about the designs, I’ll be happy to answer your questions.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">And please let me know if you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see in future designs. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span>C Street Samplerworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15719058148666299368noreply@blogger.com5