Happy Independence Day!!

I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating our nation's birth and what makes it great! This is a little snippet of the Mr. President chart, that I have been planning on finishing off into a needlecase since I stitched in a couple of years ago, but the needlecase is still not together... I guess we all have WIPs. I hope you find time to stitch during your festivities.

All my Best,
Beth

p.s. Just a side note to my previous posting on the Gettysburg Sesquicentennial... my great-great grandfather was injured at the Wheatfield. My cousin Duane, who is a Civil War reenactor for the PA 148th, will be playing Zachariah at Gettysburg on July 5th, as the three days of the Battle are reenacted.  Happy Fourth!!

Happy Spring and Nashville Postlude

Hi Stitching Friends!

Spring has finally arrived, even though we had snow swirling through the air again this morning. Ugh! I know I have been remiss in blogging about my Nashville releases, so I apologize for that. Nashville this year was bittersweet for me. It was wonderful in that my daughter Laura accompanied me and we had a great time together. We antiqued, indulged our love of old houses and stitched together, not to mention all of the chat time we enjoyed. The sad part of Nashville was that my father passed away while I was there. It was difficult knowing that I couldn't be there for his last hours and knowing what awaited us at the end of our journey home. So needless to say, life has been a bit hectic for me the last few weeks. But I have also taken some quiet time to work on new designs. I have two new samplers that were bursting to come out of my head and onto paper. I even have a companion piece for the one all stitched. They have sort of taken priority in my release schedule, so you will be seeing them most likely in May or June.



Now onto those new releases. First up, because I really want to feel "springy" is Mistress Mary. She is more on the lines of a traditional sampler, but with a little twist. Fabric yo-yos embellish the garden as the prize flowers. In case you are unsure about making yo-yos, instructions are included in the chart. Don't worry if your first one isn't perfect, but once you get the hang of it, yo-yo making can be quite a stitching addiction. I think I have enough to make at least a dresser scarf. One other point of note about yo-yos, I was recently reading about early Pennsylvania German samplers and one of their usual features is corners decorated with "silk rosettes." Well, these rosettes looked like yo-yos to me, so I guess it is fitting that this PA German descendant is still using them in her needlework.

Mistress Mary is stitched on 35 ct. Weeks Dye Works Cornsilk linen. This is a new linen color for Weeks and I love it!! Mistress Mary was etched into the fibers of the piece that was sent to me. She wasn't even in my Nashville line up until I gazed into that fabric. I used floss from The Gentle Art and Weeks. Stitches include cross stitch, Algerian Eye and Herringbone stitch. The main part of the sampler is stitched over two linen threads and the verse is stitched over one.



The verse is the nursery rhyme that we all know and love, Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary. The date of 1744 is the year the nursery rhyme was first published in England, so it has been entertaining children for quite some time.



Next up is Corona. I introduced you to her back in February. She was my contribution to The Great Model Giveaway that was held at Market this year.



Corona was won by Bobbie of Stitching Bits and Bobs in Plainwell, Michigan. Bobbie was thrilled to win her and I was thrilled that she went to such a loving home! So, if you are in the Plainwell, MI area, go check out Corona.



Symphonic Romance is such a special design. I created it for my oldest son, Shane and his bride, Mackenzie, as their wedding sampler. I cut the center of out of theirs and added their wedding photo, of course, I stitched it in their wedding colors. This version showcases a lovely monogram, each letter of the alphabet is included and charted for your personalization. It is stitched on 36 count Edinburgh Light Sand linen from Zweigart using Gloriana's Topiary silk floss and Fried Pickles from Hand Dyed Fibers. The gorgeous frame is from Priscilla's Pocket

And lastly, the much anticipated addition to the Founders of Freedom series, Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator.



I have had so many emails as to when Lincoln would be designed, that I really couldn't wait any longer. It is also very timely, as we are currently commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Great Emancipator features a snippet from The Gettysburg Address and is stitched on 28 count Sandstone/Tea-dyed linen from Wichelt with DMC floss. And another great frame from Priscilla's Pocket. I just sat and stared at this frame when I took it out of the box!!



And a close up look at the silhouette.

That about wraps things up. I know one little posting has turned into an entire epistle. I will leave you with an image of my Dad that I took last March when I was caring for him for a few weeks. My Dad suffered from Alzheimer's for at least the last 10 years. As I am sure many of you know, it is a horrible disease and takes a little more of you each day, until nothing is left. I can't imagine how horrible it is to not remember events in your life, but most of all the people that make up your life. I am so thankful that my father is now at peace. He was 77 years old.



Enjoy the Spring!
Beth

Baltimore Market Recap

I had an absolutely fantastic time at the Baltimore Fall Market! My mind is still reeling with all of the new ideas I have for Summer House. I learned so much and meet so many great people. The needlework industry is full of the nicest people you would ever want to encounter. Since it was my first time to exhibit on the national level, I was a little apprehensive about how long it would take to set up, etc. Brenda Kocher and I shared a suite, which worked out great. She is such a fun person and we were laughing all weekend long. We were not laughing when we initially looked at our room though. It was so much smaller than we imagined and the hotel stipulated that none of the furniture was to be moved. So, after an ice cream treat from Megan at Needlework Retailer, we decided on a plan and had our booth set up in about an hour's time. Here are some photos of our booth and the Hotel.

The "Summer House" side of the booth.

We shared space on our make shift table display across the couch.

Brenda's side of the booth.

The atrium of the Embassy Suites.

I released three new designs at Market and I can tell you that Autumn Garden was very well received. It is stitched on R & R Reproduction linen in Ligonier Latte with Sampler Threads from The Gentle Art. I had a chance to meet Kristi and Nancy from The Gentle Art and you will be seeing more of my future designs featuring their thread. I was also able to see their wool floss line and I loved the feel and stitched look of it.

As a promotion, I did a drawing for the Autumn Garden model. Cathy Habermann from Cherry Wood Design Studios drew Cathy Roginela from Inspired Needle in Lemont, IL as the winner. We laughed, because when Cathy R. filled out her ticket for the drawing, she wrote down her room number, as she was positive the model was going home with her! Congratulations Cathy!!

I also released the second design in the Fathers of Freedom series, American Ambassador, featuring Benjamin Franklin. It is stitched on Sandstone/Tea-dyed linen by Wichelt with DMC floss. The beautiful frame is from Valley House Primitives.

Detail of the frame graining pattern. MCD moulding in Lamplight with Hairpin graining.

Last, but not least is Svetlana's Biscornu. This piece was inspired by a display of Ukrainian cross stitch at Hand Dyed Fibers Needlework Exhibition in June. I love the contrast of the vibrant colors with black. This was my first attempt at creating a biscornu and it was not a difficult process at all. Finishing instructions are included in the chart.

I hope you enjoy my newest designs and I am already making plans for Nashville's Market in February.

All my Best,

Beth

Mr. President is Released Today!

Hi Friends!

Introducing my first new chart for 2011, Mr. President, the initial pattern in my new series entitled Fathers of Freedom. This series will feature quotes from our founding fathers along with their silhouettes. Of course George Washington is the logical first founding father to feature, as "Lighthorse" Henry Lee stated, "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." George Washington played many roles in the development of our new nation, from Commander in Chief of the struggling patriot army to our first president. As president, he had the task of developing the executive and judicial branches of our Federal government. Many of the precedents that he established are still followed today. The quote that is featured in Mr. President was in a letter to James Madison a year before General Washington became our first president.

Now for the specifics of the worke. The model was stitched on 28 count Golden Tan Cashel linen from Zweigart using DMC floss. The incredibly gorgeous frame is hand-grained from Valley House Primitives. (http://www.valleyhouseprimitives.com ) Their MCQ moulding in Lancaster Red with Yorktown graining. I can't say enough of how great Janet and Joy are to work with! The stitch count is 189 x 68.

I hope you enjoy stitching this series, look for the next installment in May.

All my Best,

Beth