When we last visited, I was in Lone Elm's gorgeous suite. And now we'll enter the Needlework Press room, where I was quite charmed by this Adam and Eve sampler:

I love the two little girls under the tree that the stitcher added. She must have had quite the imagination! And as usual, Vicki and Megan had so many lovely things in addition to their reproduction samplers….

My next door neighbor this year was Claudia of Dutch Treat Designs. I had never met her before, and what a lovely, loveley person she is. She invited me in to see her antique Bristol sampler by orphan Emma Sanford, which Claudia has kindly reproduced for those of us who are fascinated with the history of George Müller's orphanages…

I loved reading about George Müller when I was a young teenager, so to be viewing a real sampler from one of his faith-built orphanages was quite surreal for me. Thank you, Claudia, for sharing your time with me, and for all of the lovely designs you have!

Stacy Nash's room was a real pleasure to visit… the spring flowers – as well as her new designs – were gorgeous, and quite the talk of market!

Bonnie Woomer of The Nebby Needle was on the other side of me at market, and she had a room full of fun girls with her! This was Bonnie's first market, and I hope to have her as a neighbor at future markets. I love her things – these two, especially:

Stepping out of the elevator again…

…And now we're at Threadgatherer's room! Cece has the most luscious silks!

And she always brings along her scrumptious lip balms and other natural products…

Pam and Bob of Olde Colonial Designs are some of my favorite people. And their suite was full of all the beautiful wooden treasures they create for our world of needlework…

Look at this tiny antique perfume bottle and stitched topper:

So sweet…

Praiseworthy Stitches' room was fabulous! They have the most spectacular seasonal samplers…

One of the ladies I was most looking forward to meeting was Niky of Nikyscreations. What a talented artist she is (and several of us agreed that we could spend all day listening to her beautiful Italian accent)…

Her tables were scattered with the most delicate little items, crocheted, stitched, and even wooden…

I so wish I had gotten to visit more people! Perhaps next time… but until then, I leave you with some of the sweet, fresh daffodils Sharon of The Purple Thread brought to me. Daffodils are my very favorite flower, so I was very happy to have them brighten up the little table right next to the doorway…

(Behind the daffodils is the Crowned Bird Sampler, which will be coming to a shop owner near you later this spring or early summer.)

Thank you so much for joining me "at market!" I'm already excited for the next one!

Market was so much fun! I'll be back soon with some photos from some of the suites I visited so you can get a peek into what was on display this year at Nashville. But first, in case you haven't seen these last three releases of mine posted anywhere, here is all the information you'll need if you're interested in stitching them. Just contact your online or local shop owner, and they'll get you everything you need!

Welcome All Hearts Home…This design could pass as a Christmas piece, but it was really inspired by my early morning walks in the spring and summer at the lake near my house. I pass a lot of different flowers and deer along the way, and the paths cut into some of the most beautifully-fragrant evergreens. The fresh scent of the trees is breathtaking, and the deer are always just as surprised to see me as I am to see them!

Stitch Count: 225w x 141h
Threads: Gentle Art in Espresso Bean, Old Red Paint,
Lexington Green, Wood Trail, Antique Lace, Old Brick,
Endive (2 skeins needed), Clover, and Mulberry.
Linen Used: 36 ct. Vintage Lt. Examplar by Lakeside Linens.
Suggested Alternative Linens: Olde Town Blend by R&R
Reproductions, Parchment by Weeks Dye Works, or any
other neutral linen would work nicely.
Stitches used: All cross stitch, using one strand over two linen threads.
Framed by: Total Framing in Fairfax, VA
Model Stitcher: Rindy Richards (who stitched the grassy field vertically,
to have the variegation go in the direction that grass grows!)

A Friend Loveth… I originally released this design at the Reflections retreat a few years ago. The lovely ladies at that shop (hello, Mary Ann, Julie, and Connie!) put on the most relaxing retreat in the spring, where attendees can come and stitch to their hearts' content, eat lots of good food, and even get a massage if they'd like. The theme that year was A Recipe for Friendship, and they mounted this piece on the most gorgeous black pedestal. (I wish I had a photo!) Mine was framed by the lovely Sherri Berkman of Total Framing, however, and as usual, she did an outstanding job.

Stitch Count: 88w x 61h
Threads: Gentle Art in Tin Bucket, Faded Rose, Brandy,
Lambswool, Garden Gate, Mountain Mist, Wood Smoke,
Dried Thyme, Antique Rose, Brethren Blue, and Oatmeal.
Linen Used: 36 ct. Vintage Meadow Rue by Lakeside Linens.
Suggested Alternative Linens: Espresso by R&R,
Straw by Weeks Dye Works, or any other neutral linen.
Stitches Used: All cross stitch, using one strand over two threads.
Framed by: Total Framing in Fairfax, VA.
Model Stitcher: Karen Decker (Thank you for coming to my
rescue, Karen!)

True Friendship (Pat's Sampler)… I first met Pat Ryan at the Shepherd's Bush retreat in 2012, where I was rooming with her, as well as the darling Ann Robbins and Jeanette Douglas. Pat and I would sit in the early mornings with our coffee and stitching and just chat away until the other girls joined us for their morning coffee as well. I'd sit there with my mother's Christmas exchange piece in my lap and pretend to stitch, but mostly I'd just drink my coffee and marvel at the speed of Pat's work. When all of us visited Mount Vernon the following year, Pat was our tour guide, as she can put the History Channel to shame with her vast knowledge on literally any subject – including my beloved George Washington. 🙂 When I spotted this quote by George in a gift shop, I knew I had to put it on a sampler for Pat!

Stitch Count: 91w x 95h
Threads: Gentle Art in Raven, Brandy, Piney Woods,
Endive, Sable, Wood Smoke, Pomegranate, Sea Spray,
Terra Cotta, and Oatmeal.
Linen Used: 40 ct. Olde Town Blend by R&R Reproductions.
Suggested Alternative Linens: Lentil by Lakeside Linens,
Parchment by Weeks Dye Works, or any other neutral linen.
With a few adjustments to the threads, I think this would also
look lovely on black!
Framed by: Total Framing in Fairfax, VA
Stitches Used: All cross stitch, using one strand over two linen threads.
Model Stitcher: Kathy Krause (Thank you so much for re-stitching
this for me in record time, when I wasn't happy with how my particular
variegation was turning out!)

I also want to show you all the depth of this fabulous moulding that Sherri chose… I'm in love with it! My partner at market, Katrina Devine, also suggested it would be great with glass and used as a little tray.

It was so lovely seeing all of the shop owners at market! They are just the sweetest bunch of ladies who work very, very hard to support we designers and to encourage us with their warm reception of what we place on our room tables. I'm so sorry that there were many who were kept away because of the weather extremes plagueing the roads and airports. I hope you all will be able to make it to the St. Charles market in August! I'm already excited for it!

Again, if there is anything you've seen from Nashville's market that you're interested in, contact your shop owner! I'm thrilled to say that the Norden exclusive The Beekeeper has sold out, but upon Norden's request, there are some shop owners who have posted in the comments that they may have extras, so please let your shop owner know to head over to Norden's Facebook page if they didn't get the opportunity to purchase any kits. Thank you to all of you who had so many lovely things to say about it.. I really enjoyed working with Norden on it, and Katy did such a beautiful job on the kits!

Until next time!

A couple of years ago my lovely local needlework shop, Reflections, asked me to design something for their annual retreat. When Mary Ann and Julie told me the retreat's theme was Fear the Frog, I was a bit muddled over what to design for it – but I knew there had to be an amphibian in the piece somewhere. Rip-it.

A stitcher's least favorite task is to remove work that has taken precious hours to do, and every stitcher knows that regardless of how many times one actually counts threads, one or two will miraculously move when one least expects it, causing a motif to be misplaced or the border to be mismatched. So this is where the frog comes in, as well as the little sampler lady who would do her best to catch it before it strikes again. (I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that, however.)

Count Twice
Stitch count: 145(w) x 49(h)

Linen used: 36 ct. Vintage Meadow Rue by Lakeside Linens (some other
suggestions would be R&R Espresso, Weeks Dye Works Parchment, or
any neutral-colored fabric.)

Threads used: Classic Colorworks cotton (with a conversion to DMC in parentheses) in:
Avocado (580)
Ye Olde Gold (832)
Barn Door (918)
Perfect Piecrust (950)
Cocoa Bean (3021)
River Rocks (3768)
Camouflage (935)

All stitches are cross stitches over two linen threads, except for the frog's tongue,
which is long-stitched, and the cage bars, which are also long-stitched (or
back-stitched, if you prefer).

The framing was done by the talented Sherri Berkman of Total Framing. Thank you, Sherri!

This pattern will be released at market in Nashville this weekend, if you'd like your shop to pick it up for you! I've got a total of 5 new designs this time, in addition to The Beekeeper (sold exclusively through Norden). I've shown you Elizabeth Sarah Oliver 1842 and Count Twice, but the last three I'll show after market, unless shop owners get them up first. 🙂 I'm so very excited to be there!