Gathering of the Guilds, Harrisburg, PA

9th Annual Gathering of Central PA Fiber & Needlework Guilds

The place to be this Saturday, February 26, 2011, is the Swatara Church of God Gym at 4860 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111, from 9am - 4pm. The church is easily accessible from I-283, exit 2. Eighteen Central Pennsylvania guilds will be participating with displays of members' work, demonstrations and make-it/take-it projects available. The guilds include a vast array of handcrafts such as lacemaking, quilting, basket making, polymer clay, sewing, wheat weaving and embroidery. (I am sure I missed something in there!) Admission is a canned good donation for the Central PA Food Bank. Parking is available at the church and also in the WITF parking lot across the street. A shuttle will be running between that parking lot and the church. Soup, sandwiches and baked goods will be offered by the ladies of the Church of God.

I will be displaying my stitched models along with two other area designers, Brenda Kocher (Brenda Kocher Designs) and Mary Fox (A. Fox Originals.) Half Moon Handwerks will also be on hand with supplies for a large array of needlework, including gorgeous Chameleon Threads from South Africa. It should be quite a day!!! I hope if you live within driving distance of Harrisburg, PA you make the trip!!

All my Best,

Beth

Great Stitching News!

I am so excited, I just learned the ornament I submitted to Just Cross Stitch will be included in their 2011 Ornament issue. As a stitcher this has always been one of my favorite publications. If you have never picked up an Ornament issue, it is filled with wonderful ornaments designed by all of the industry favorites along with personal Holiday stories and recipes submitted by those same designers. I have always been able to find a chart for the perfect ornament that I need for a special gift. It will be such an honor to be included in this publication. I will definitely keep you up to date and let you know the publication date and a little preview of my ornament.

Keep Stitching!!

Beth

Nashville Release

Introducing Midnight Frost

I love snowflakes! My favorite are the kind that you can really "see." I think I have been fascinated by these frosty fractals my entire life. Their endless array of pattern is soul food. As a child, I used to decorate our livingroom walls, my bedroom walls and pretty much any other wall I could cover, with cutout snowflakes. With as much paper cutting as I did, I should be a scherenschnitte designer instead of cross-stitch. Okay, I admit, I don't like the grueling act of shoveling mountains of snow, but there is excitement in their downy freshness when they are newly fallen. Now onto the elements of creation. The gorgeous, gorgeous fabric is 28 count Cashel Linen in Mercedes from Picture This Plus. I really recommend a hand-dyed for this project, as it adds dimension to the overall look. The floss is DMC and the frame is Old Cupboard in Blue from East Side Mouldings. A hand-dyed floss would also be lovely for this. I will not be attending Nashville (hopefully next year!), but Hoffman will have Midnight Frost at their booth.

Frost Necklace

I love to show that these charts can be used in a myriad of ways, here is another idea for Midnight Frost. I created this necklace for a friend of mine for Christmas. Using a small portion of the Midnight Frost chart, I stitched it over one on the same Mercedes fabric from Picture This Plus. I then inserted it into a silver Patera from Nunn Designs, covered it with DG3 gel to protect it and added various beads and charms. (See my previous blog posting on the Patera's.) She absolutely loved it. I think I need to create another for me...

Thank You!!

A big thank you to all of the wonderful viewers and followers that have welcomed me into the "cyberside of stitching." Your response has completely overwhelmed me. I wasn't able to think straight the entire weekend!! I loved your comments, please keep them coming, as your responses help me get to know you and so, in turn help me to create designs that you will love.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Beth

My Stitching Heritage

If someone was to ask me about my most prized possessions, I would have to include this little piece of linen that my great-grandmother, Calisca Diana Hoy Corman cross-stitched on her 17th birthday. As a child, my Grandfather was sharing our family history with me, including some old family Bibles. As we were leafing through the pages, I discovered this little piece of linen. It is about 3.5 inches in length and 2 inches in width. We were both confused with the "f" in her name, which I later learned in German class was properly used for a double "s." The Hoy family by this time spoke and wrote in English, so the "s" must have just been a little leftover from their German ancestors. My Grandfather also thought the "7" was a "9," since she was married in 1875, it makes sense that she stitched this on her 17th birthday.

As a stitcher, I have become fascinated with how small the stitches really are. They are absolutely miniscule. I can't imagine stitching them, especially without very strong magnification!! I have no idea why she decided to stitch her name and date on this piece of linen, other than it was her birthday, but I am glad she did. I don't know much about her besides her basic statistics, but I know that she could stitch. I hope that someday my great-granddaughter can look at one of my workes and feel connected to me through the stitches as I do with Calisca.

All my Best,

Beth

25 Years ~ In Memory of the Space Shuttle Challenger

Certain images burn into your memory and capture a generation. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was one of those. The astronauts of today are our pioneers, daring to cross into the unknown to discover what lies ahead of for all of us. The seven crew members of the Challenger were such intrepid travelers. Today we remember the ultimate price they paid to extend our knowledge of the unknown. I wanted to share a photographic triptych I created in February of 2003 after the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon entrance into Earth's atmosphere. It speaks of the wonder of space, the infantile knowledge we hold of the vast universe and our continuing quest for the future. I used images of the disasters and my children, along with those from the Pearl, located in Reykjavik, Iceland, training site of the first American astronauts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the brave crew and also to our current astronauts who daily face the challenges of space.

image © 2003 Beth A. Seal

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

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

I can't believe it has been a month since I last did a posting. My apologies, I really don't know where the time goes. Well, part of that time went to a vacation in the lovely Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My hubby and I were there at the perfect time of year to enjoy the spectacular colors of Autumn. We went hiking, driving and antiquing. What could be better. We explored Skyline Drive and Monticello along with several other historical spots. I can't say enough about the garden at Monticello, it was gorgeous. The sampler in the photo was from the Michie Tavern, an early American tavern located down the road from Monticello. The food was exceptional. I ate southern dishes that I never experienced before and they were great, like black-eyed peas. No vacation would be complete without searching out a new cross stitch shop. I found Cross Stitch Station in Waynesboro, VA. Waynesboro is the southern access point to Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park, so very conveniently located. Terry, the owner is a wonderful woman. Her enthusiasm about needlework is enough to get anyone stitching. Her shop is "an oasis" for the stitcher, with charts, threads, fabric, you name it, she has it. I hope if you are ever travelling near Waynesboro, you look up Terry.

Happy Monday!

Beth