Jenny Bean's Christmas -- Framed!

It'll just take me a few days now to get Jenny's Christmas sampler printed and bagged. The frame came in yesterday -- earlier than expected (hooray!) I think it turned out really cute. Here's a list of supplies you will need to complete the sampler:

• 40 count Navy Bean Vintage Linen (Lakeside Linens) 1/8
• Sampler Threads: Raspberry Frost, Chives, Cucumber, Grape Leaf, Aged Pewter, Weathered Barn, Portabella, Grecian Gold, Apple Cider, Currant, Rose Garden, Oatmeal, Walnut, Garden Gate, Raven, Wood Trail, Pebble
• Eastside Mouldings frame PRL BK 6 3/8 by 7 7/8 (this is to frame it really tight like I did)
• Stitch count is 116 by 149

I finished stitching Jenny's Christmas ornament last night -- haven't decided what to name it. I have to do the finishing yet. It turned out very sweet and kind of Colonial-looking, which I like. I'll post a picture of that as soon as I can. You can pre-order the Christmas Sampler now, along with linen (in whatever count -- 28, 32, 36, 40). I can also send threads (some of these are lesser-used Sampler Threads, but they're all lovely!) By the way, I took the photo just outside my shop. I have some really pokey bushes out there (not sure what they are, but they look like holly, sort of.) So, even though it'll be 80 here today, it looks a little like Christmas.

Here it is -- Jenny Bean's Christmas sampler. I am waiting for the frame to come in from Eastside Mouldings (a black beaded frame). As always, this is much more wonderful in person, but at least you get the gist of it. I am taking pre-orders. As soon as the frame comes in, it'll just be another two days for me to get the graphs printed. I designed and almost finished stitching a Jenny Bean Christmas ornament yesterday; this one I'm doing in the Belle Soie silks by Crescent Colours, and it's so pretty and fun to stitch.

Also am including a picture of some flowers I sent my mom. You never know how those florists are going to do when you give them some sort of carte blanche to put something together. I told the gal "bright and cheery" and boy, she did well. Hope y'all are having a groovy week.

Christmas sampler finished...

No picture yet -- I need to take it to the shop Tuesday and stretch it. Then I can at least take a picture for those of you following my blog. But...Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler is done. I finished it at a stitching/scrapbooking day yesterday with my friends here in H'burg. One of them said she likes it even better than the Halloween sampler, but everyone really loved the colors. Just as an FYI: it's stitched in the regular line of Sampler Threads (including some of their new colors) on Navy Bean 40 count Vintage linen by Lakeside Linens, but you can stitch it on whatever count you like. I used a few specialty stitches (a few eyelets for one of the letters, for example), but it can all be stitched in cross stitch. No backstitching, of course.

Just kicking around today and loving the fall temperatures here in Mississippi. I'm thinking I might pull out an ornament pattern and just stitch the rest of the day away on someone else's design.

Also, I am in the market for model stitchers for my reproductions...if you have experience and time, you can contact me through my e-mail: xspeddler@yahoo.com. You're going to need to be able to work on fine linen (40 count.) Have a great evening -- will post a pic soon...

As promised, here's Sarah Philpott...

This is the other in the pair of samplers I've got made by two sisters in the same year (1837). Both are lovely. The central motif at the bottom of this sampler is repeated twice at the top of Jane's sampler. Even though Jane was 10, she was a neater stitcher, where Sarah was more of a free spirit. Sarah tended to let her strings dangle on the back (a kindred spirit to me!) And she substituted bright pinks in a few areas (notice the basket on the right is outlined in bright pink -- the one on the left is in tan.) She also used four-sided stitches for her capital letters, which is fun. You can click on the pictures in my blog to make them bigger, if you want to really take a good gander.

I am making good progress on the Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler. I should be finished stitching it in the next couple of days, but still need to design and stitch an accompanying ornament for it.

Jenny Bean's Christmas and Adam & Eve

I'm making good progress on Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler. I'm offering you a sneak peek. This one is laid out rather unusually. You can't see it yet, but there is a main section of the sampler that is square, but the overall sampler is rectangular. Lots of pretty shades of pinky red and soft/antique green. It's fun to stitch. I hope to have it finished in the next few days.

Also, I'm doing a little show-and-tell of a sampler I own to see what people think. Next reproduction? It's a great old Adam & Eve sampler, one of a pair I own by two sisters (the Philpott's) from Ramsgate done in the 1830's. They are similar in size and colors, but all of the motifs and what-not are different. Should this be my next one? I bet it's a ton of fun to stitch. And she did a fabulous job. Hope y'all had a great weekend. Steve was excited about the Vikings' win last night over the Packers (Brett Favre lives just up the road from us.) I sat and stitched. After all, it's just a game!

No picture, but good news...

I finished designing Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler this morning, and am going to start stitching here in a few minutes. It is SOOOOO CUTE! The verse on it is from Love's Labours Lost, and the colors are "antique Christmas." Not a Christian theme, per se, and you could definitely hang it all year. I can't wait to start stitching. There will be a matching ornament to go with it, and a custom button by JABCo, I think. I will also start reproducing another antique soon. Decisions, decisions...which one?

Anyway, I will post a sneak peek here next week, depending on how far I get. Yes, you can pre-order sight-unseen. I am using all Sampler Threads for mine, but it's just their regular line (no special pack for this one.) Wish me luck!

Happy October!

Where on earth did September go? I am going to spend the next few weeks packing, and packing, and packing (and packing) orders. I'll have to get some good tunes on -- I'm thinking some John Mayer, some Eric Hutchinson, a little Sting (he's always good in the fall.) I included a picture of my cat -- she's so cute. Lately she's taken to sleeping on top of our stereo components...nice and toasty. Does she have a cat bed? Yes. Does she prefer expensive stereo equipment. Yes.