Summer House Stitche Workes: 2014 Nashville Releases

Hi Stitching Friends!

The Nashville Market was completely awesome this year! We ended up leaving from home a day early and driving a different route to avoid the "Pax" storm, but were so glad that we didn't miss the show. It is always so inspiring to see everything new that is happening in our industry and to talk and visit with old friends and make new friends. So, without further ado, here are my new releases!

Sakura

Sakura is a continuation of my Baltimore Bride series. And like her sisters, Sylvania and Corona, she is a fun whimsical design. Sakura, as her name implies, features a nosegay of cheery, cherry blossoms bursting from the center of the design. This series takes inspiration from Baltimore Quilt structure. I mixed things up a bit in Sakura by taking the circle and breaking it into quadrants and turning them outward. She was stitched on 28 count Doubloon Cashel linen from Picture This Plus using DMC floss and framed in an East Side Mouldings frame. Here is a close up look!

Love Is...

I tried something a little different this year and offered a limited edition kit to the shops that attended Market. I hope you are one of the lucky ones whose shop picked up a few kits, as they completely sold out! The sweet little pin cushion kit comes with everything you need for completion, except the stuffing. It includes 30 count Straw linen from Weeks, a full skein of Currant floss from The Gentle Art, backing fabric, chart and instructions for completion and the best part, a skeleton key, which you attach to the braided floss fob. It is a great little piece to remind us that Love Is... the key, the answer, all we need!

A Bee in Your Bonnet

Sometimes when I am designing something, I just can't wait to start stitching it and that was the case with A Bee in Your Bonnet. I, like so many other stitchers, just have this thing about bees, maybe it is because they represent the good things in life. Their hives are found out of doors, flowers are their haunts and they are always just so industrious. And we can not talk about bees without mentioning the fruit of their labor, honey, a wonderful ingredient in so many delectable recipes. So we stitch our odes to bees. The main chart in the leaflet is stitched on 32 count Beige linen from Weeks Dye Works with floss from The Gentle Art. No, I did not make a typo, 32 count from Weeks is correct. Weeks has introduced some new thread counts to their linen line-up. Very exciting and the fabric was wonderful to stitch on. Frame is also new offering from East Side Mouldings, their Crazy Daisy moulding. The hive is stitched in Algerian Eye stitch and it gives just a bit of texture to the piece. Here is a close up.

The Land of Milk and Honey is the second project in the leaflet. I finished it into a sweet cross body purse. Finishing instructions are included, so you can do the same. I stitched it on 40 count Strawflower linen from Lakeside Linens with floss from The Gentle Art. I donated my purse model to The Great Model Giveaway at Market. Dianna & Liz from Fancy Works in Bloomington, IN was the lucky shop to go home with the model. So, if you are anywhere near their shop, go check it out!

The Ties That Bind

In October of 2013, while relaxing at the PALS stitching retreat in Myrtle Beach, SC, Cathy Habermann of Hands On Design and I decided to create a collaborative design. We sat and discussed different thoughts and went home with a (very) rough sketch of the piece and the idea that we wanted to use the favorite hymn, Blest Be the Ties That Bind, in a needlework verse. Cathy was struck with the verse variation that we used in the final piece during her plane ride home. But, that original sketch was changed so often, that really there isn't any left of it. We had a great time working on this piece over the course of several months. Since Cathy is in IA and I am in PA, we used the miracles of technology to help us with our meetings, we FaceTimed! This piece has truly become a celebration of friendship in needlework. The main chart is offered in two parts, the first is available through Hands On Design and the second part from me. Both charts are available now, so you don't have to wait for the second part to be released. The main chart is stitched on 36 count Cocoa linen from Weeks Dye Works (again, the 36 is correct) with floss from The Gentle Art. The piece does contain snippets of specialty stitches and makes a great learning piece if you are unfamiliar with the stitches. As always, you have the option of just stitching them using a cross stitch. Stitch diagrams and instructions are included.

Also included are charts and finishing instructions for accessory pieces. My little projects are this sweet scissor pocket and scissor fob. I have a little story to share about the red winged blackbirds. This little design is dedicated to my sister, who is also an avid stitcher. Years ago, when we would be riding in the car together, she would always be pointing out red-winged blackbirds. I would look, but never see them. One day, it dawned on me that I was looking for the wrong kind of bird, thus we always have a chuckle over red-winged blackbirds.