October’s Coming!

Oh my, has my work been cut out for me! Packaging, shipping, designing, every single day since market, and all I can do is thank the Lord that I'm so blessed to be working at something I love with all my heart.

Thank you again, so kindly, to those who emailed to ask if everything is okay, and how Mike's leg is faring. He still hasn't been cleared to go back to work, and his leg is quite painful and swollen most days, but he hardly complains. Mostly he just busies himself however he can – going to physical therapy, playing bored games with buddies, and offering to help bag Plum Street charts. (I timed him once, and I got 9 charts bagged to his 1. He kept asking me what I was snickering at.)

Other than that, Sophie has started high school, Sabrina is in her senior year in college (and is planning a trip to Botswana to study abroad next year, if all goes well), and Bre just moved to her beloved mountains this past weekend to start her new life in Colorado.

In the mean time, here I am packaging, shipping, designing, and finally sitting down here to show you what's out (if you haven't seen it) and what's up next.

If you got the Just Cross Stitch Halloween Issue last year, you may have seen Ghoul Tidings. But if you missed it, and you'd like the chart, your shop owner should be able to get it very soon, as they'll be off to the distributors tomorrow!

Ghoul Tidings

Stitch Count: 133w x 89h

Stitched on: 28 ct. Foglifter by R&R Reproductions.

Threads used:
The Gentle Art in Carriage Black (DMC 310), Gingersnap (920), Baked Clay (422),Pumpkin Patch (402), Wood Smoke (3787), Chamomile (3011), and Oatmeal (Ecru).

All cross stitch, except for the long-stitching on the reins.

The frame is, of course, by Sherri Berkman at Total Framing. (I told her I thought the texture in the moulding looked like an old broom handle, so it was quite fitting!)

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And at last, at last, Jack's Bash will be released! This was a class piece for the Dyeing to Stitch retreat last year, and I am thrilled to death that so many people have emailed me over the past year to ask when it will be releasing. Thank you so much! The big mail-out day is October 1, and the shops on my auto will be getting it in their shops first. Shortly thereafter, I'll send it to the distributors.

Jack's Bash

Stitch Count: 168w x 185h

Linen used: 35 ct. Abecedarian by R&R Reproductions.

Threads used:
The Gentle Art in Raven (DMC 310), Aged Pewter (647), Piney Woods (730),
Pumpkin Pie (781), Apple Cider (829), Endive (3012), Brandy (834),
Sarsaparilla (975), Walnut (646), Parchment (3023), Old Hickory (640),
Mustard Seed (832), and Oatmeal (Ecru).

Cross stitch over two, some over one thread.

Verse reads:

Here in the rust and autumn bower,
The knobby gourd and bitter flower;
We merry-make and sing Hooray!
To our friend Jack on his birthday.

(When I use poems written by others, I always credit them; when no credit is given, it is my own. This is one I wrote myself, and you'll notice that the "s" in "rust" actually looks like the letter "f." Sometimes you'll find this in old samplers, and I've always loved it, so I went with it!)

The absolutely gorgeous frame was done by Sherri Berkman of Total Framing in Fairfax, Va. If you ever see a frame you have to have, give her a call at 703-426-0660, and she'll help you out!

For those of you asking for Jack's Birthday Tart  (the class piece that went with this sampler), that will be hopefully releasing later this fall. I'm working as quickly as I can to get a few more pieces released as well, but there are only so many hours in the day! And it looks like it's almost the dinner hour around here, so I'd better scoot and go figure something out before Big Papa and Sophie start acting like one of those people in the Snickers bar commercials.

Have a fantastic week! And is it too late to post market pictures? I know they're all around here somewhere, gathering dust… I'm so sorry I never got around to doing that!