• Retreats,  Stitching,  Travel

    Dyeing to Stitch Retreat, Part 1

    What a fantastic weekend the retreat was! If you've never been to a Dyeing to Stitch retreat, you've got to plan to attend the next one! It was so much fun, and the time spent with friends will always be a cherished memory for me.

    I took lots of pictures to share, so if you can play a soundtrack in your mind of lots of oohing and aahing and clapping and laughing, you'll get an idea of how it all went. What fun we all had!

    Here's how it started out, at least for me:

    Photo 4

    The retreat was held at the Cavelier Hotel on Virginia Beach, which was lovely! Here are some pictures of the boutique that was set up for the attendees to shop:

    Stacy Nash Primitives…(what a sweetheart Stacy is!)

    IMG_8401

    (I have to include a photo of her Halloween at Hollyberry Farm to show you what the linen really looks like. For those of you who ordered it kitted, it isn't as gray as the photo appears, but that's the curse that designers deal with – the digital print! The model was fabulous to see in person, though, and I can't wait to get started on mine.)

    IMG_8405

    Here's a photo of the gorgeous designs of Bonnie Woomer/The Nebby Needle:

    IMG_8403

    (I actually just discovered Bonnie's blog, which will give you a far better idea of how the retreat went than mine will!)

    The Purple Thread… (Sharon is an excellent teacher, by the way)(and her boutique table had so much to look at, you saw something different every time you blinked!)

    IMG_8413

    IMG_8415

    IMG_8416

    Olde Colonial Designs… (this was my first time meeting Pam and her sweet husband Bob, and I loved every minute spent with them)

    IMG_8418

    IMG_8417

    IMG_8419

    IMG_8427

    Jeanette Douglas Designs…(my way-too-much-fun Canadian sister, who was also my roomie; I'm still recovering from our 2 am designing-brainstorming session!)…

    IMG_8411

    I love Jeanette's imagination, and her new A Most Suitable Name series is so sweet! Alphabet Annie is my favorite, I think…

    IMG_8410

    IMG_8406

    IMG_8408

    And of course, Shepherd's Bush has always been a super favorite of mine…(Teri and Tina are a hilarious duo when they get in front of a group, and they're so much fun to spend time with!)

    IMG_8404

    IMG_8424

    There was so much to look at, all around the room…

    IMG_8423

    (Love, love, love Pat and Ann's hand-dyed trims; the mini rickrack in Cinnamon is my favorite!)

    IMG_8421

    IMG_8412

    IMG_8420

     The first night of the retreat was spent learning how to finish a beautiful stitched booklet in our Evening with Friends, taught by Sharon of The Purple Thread. I don't have a photo of the book, but it was absolutely stunning! Each page featured a different design from each designer, and the theme of the book was a celebration of life – from friends to marriage, and everything in between. I'm hoping Pat and Ann will show a photo of it on their blog soon!

    I'm not sure which night our Evening with Stacy Nash was, but I believe it was the second night we were there. The weekend went by so fast, it's a blur! Stacy had the sweetest project for us to work on (is there anything of Stacy's that isn't sweet?)…

    IMG_8436

    IMG_8430

    IMG_8432

    I think this is a good stopping point! I'll get the rest uploaded soon, so if you'd like to check back, I'll be here! 🙂

    I do want to end today's post with saying how much I enjoyed meeting each one of you. I loved spending time at the tables chatting, looking at your photos and your beautiful stitching, and swapping pet stories. It's so much fun to get together with those who are so sweet to sign up for my classes, and I can't thank you enough for your always-warm welcome and kindhearted support. I hope you were all pleased (even if the fabric for Jack's Bash ran out before some of you even knew it was there!), and I especially hope I see you again at a future retreat.

    And of course, a huge thank-you to Ann and Pat for the many months they spent putting together such an amazing retreat. It was one of the best weekends ever!

  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Mary’s Sampler, Part 3

    Here we go, on with the third installment! Those of you stitching Mary's Sampler II will find that you finally have more to stitch than what's on the original version. And so it begins!

    Remember to download the PDF links at the bottom of the post to print your pages – do not click on the images themselves! I know this is the third week in a row you've had to hear that, but I just don't want anyone to forget and then be really, really frustrated. Frustration and stitching are not good companions. 🙂

    Week 3 Scripture

    SMS Week 3 PRINTOUT

    SMS II Wk 3 PRINTOUT

    Mary II stitchers: Please notice that the sheep closest to Mary on the bottom is smaller than the rest of the sheep. Count carefully!

    SMS wk 3 tp

    HERE ARE THE LINKS IF YOU ARE STITCHING MARY'S SAMPLER I:

    Download Week 3 Scripture

    Download SMS Week 3 PRINTOUT

    THESE ARE THE LINKS FOR MARY'S SAMPLER II:

    Download Week 3 Scripture

    Download SMS II Wk 3 PRINTOUT

    I'll see you all next week! I hope you're doing well with keeping up! 🙂

     

  • New Designs,  Stitching

    Release #2: Halloween Delivery

    Yesterday I showed you Harvest Delivery, so today it's a new one! This one also debuted at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat this past week, and it's stitched on another lovely, brand new color from Ann and Pat at R&R: Chamomile Tea. As soon as the charts are back from the printer, I'll send it off to my autos and the distributors; I'm heading out of town again tomorrow, so if they're not back today, then they'll go out early next week. I hope you like it!

    P.S. There's a ghost somewhere in the piece. 😉

    Halloween Delivery tp

    Halloween Delivery
    Stitch count: 155 x 77

    Fabric used: 35 ct. Chamomile Tea by R&R

    Threads used: Gentle Art (Apple Cider) and Weeks Dye Works (Kohl,
    Terra Cotta, Pamlico, Whiskey, Stepping Stone, Kudzu, Taupe, Pelican
    Gray, Pecan, and Kris' Bon Bon)

    Stitches used: Full cross stitch throughout, over two linen threads.

    Framed by: Sherri Berkman and Total Framing

    I've got a few more new ones, but I think I'll space them out a bit and push them closer to November. I hope you're all enjoying this lovely Thursday, and I hope your day includes a bit of stitching time! See you soon, hopefully with pictures from the retreat. It was such a great time!

  • New Designs,  Stitching

    Harvest Delivery

    What a spectacular time we all had at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat in Virginia Beach last week! I took lots and lots of pictures, and will share them very soon, but first I wanted to get these releases shown to you!

    First up is Harvest Delivery, which I debuted at the retreat. The girls at R&R Reproductions were gracious enough to name a fabric for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I absolutely love horses, so the name they gave it was Plum Street Paddock – and it's what Harvest Delivery is stitched on!

    Harvest delivery tp

    Harvest Delivery
    Stitch count: 157 x 70

    Fabric used: 32 ct. Plum Street Paddock by R&R Reproductions

    Threads used: Gentle Art (Oatmeal, Apple Cider, and Nutmeg) and
    Weeks Dye Works (Kohl, Terra Cotta, Pamlico, Whiskey, Stepping Stone,
    Kudzu, Taupe, Pelican Gray, Pecan, and Kris' Bon Bon)

    Stitches used: full cross stitch throughout, over 2 linen threads.

    Framed by: Sherri Berkman at Total Framing
    Model stitched by: Nicole Neville

    I will be back tomorrow with the next release for October. These will be off to the distributors soon, and your shop owners should have them right after that.

    I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday! (That is what day it is, right? I'm still trying to unpack from the retreat, as well as the trip into DC… back to work!)

  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Mary’s Sampler, Part 2

    How did it go this week? Did everyone get part 1 finished up? I hope you all had an enjoyable time with it, and that you're looking forward to this week's installment! (Thank goodness, I've stitched ahead, because this Sunday I'm in Virginia Beach, teaching at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat!)

    Today (or whenever you find the time) you'll stitch the manger and star next to Mary. Remember that although the motifs are the same again this week on both Mary's Sampler I and II, their placement is different, so follow the correct chart!

    And another reminder: if you click on the actual image of the page you see, your printer won't like you very well. Be sure and opt for the PDF links that I'll list at the very bottom of the post to print out this week's pages. Have a lovely Sunday!


    Week 2 Scripture

    SMS Week 2 PRINTOUT

    SMS II Wk 2 PRINTOUT

    SMS wk 2 tp

    ETA: The DMC number 3773 is outdated; What used to be 3773 is now 407. The colors are the same, however, if you happen to have 3773 on hand.

    HERE ARE THE LINKS IF YOU ARE STITCHING MARY'S SAMPLER I:

    Download Week 2 Scripture

    Download SMS Week 2 PRINTOUT

    THESE ARE THE LINKS FOR STITCHING MARY'S SAMPLER II:

    Download Week 2 Scripture

    Download SMS II Wk 2 PRINTOUT

     

     

  • Travel

    See You Soon!

    Tomorrow I'll be headed to Virginia Beach for the retreat at Dyeing to Stitch this weekend. I'm so excited to be one of the teachers there this year, and I look forward to meeting lots of new stitching friends! For those of you attending, I hope you all like what I've put together for you. 🙂

    Thank you to my oldest daughter, Bre, for coming up with the little extra that's in the kit, and to Sophie for lots of bagging and clipping and sticking and stacking.  And thank you to Sabrina for her visits from school to keep me company as I kitted, and thank you to Mike for putting up with the neverending boxes sitting around, either waiting to be unpacked or waiting to be broken down and taken to the trash. 🙂

    I leave you with a picture of little Effy Thimbles, who used to claim my dough bowl for her napping spot when she would visit. She's almost too big for the bowl now!

    Effy tp