Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the home of Darlene Andersen, who used to co-own a cross stitch shop called Treasured Stitches. When Breanna was still in her stroller, Mom and I would walk up to the shop and admire all the sampler models on the walls, and then I'd add to my ever-growing collection of Fanci That and Shepherd's Bush patterns.
The shop closed eventually, and Darlene began traveling and lecturing on the history of Adam and Eve samplers (are you hearing this, Siobhan?). She has stitched 55 of them (if I'm not mistaken), and invited me over to take a look. I brought my camera with me, but truly had not realized just how many samplers she had hanging on her walls, or I'd brought a wide-angle lens. Please forgive me for the tight photos – I literally had no more room to back up!
Here are some laying on a bed, waiting for a place to hang…
This one is Darlene's favorite…
And this one was mine…
Hi Darlene! (Darlene was looking upward into her hallway, answering all my questions about her stitching.)
Hey Kim, remember Frances Eden? She's on my list of things I WILL complete for 2011! (Kim let me adopt her half-finished Frances bc she changed her mind on the fabric and fibers. I was more than happy to take it off her hands!)
This is one that Darlene calls her "Bubblegum Adam and Eve" bc of their bright pink complexions! (LOVE this one.)
I was astounded at all the Mary Beale stockings Darlene had stitched! And she did them all in a year!
She also had a gorgeous tree in her sun room, full of all of the ornaments she has stitched over the years. I can't recall how many she said there were, but they are all wonderful…
She had even taken my Eliza Pennance chart and stitched it 4 times, in memory of 4 of her loved ones that had passed. You can see one of them in the bottom left of the photo below…
What a lovely tree!
Darlene, thank you so much for allowing me to take photos of your stunning handwork. Your samplers are beautiful, and I came away feeling completely inspired to stitch and design! Your home truly is filled with treasured stitches.
52 Comments
Siobhan
Zoinks. I think I need to get some breathing apparatus, to help restore my breathing. OH. MY. GOSH. I am in heaven. Darlene sent me some CDs of her incredible stitching last year and they were so amazing and inspiring. Seeing her work in its ‘regular habitat’ is even more inspirational. WOW. I feel like Christmas just came. Thanks for sharing the inspiration through your amazing photography!! And then I see on your Twitter feed that (grabbing the breathing apparatus again…) you finished The Flood. Be still my beating heart.
Connie
Paulette thank-you for sharing pictures of Darlene’s samplers and Christmas ornaments.I loved seeing it..
Margaret
Wow!!! Oh wow!!! Oh lucky you to visit Darlene! Thank you and thank Darlene too for allowing us to sample her wonderful, inspirational collection of stitching. OMG! I need to lie down now.
Catherine
I simply don’t know what to write….that is one amazing lady! How lucky were you to get to visit and see such a collection and spend time talking with Darlene!!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Kim
O*M*GOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHH!!!! Beautimus stitching abounds!!! You would have had to literally drag my body, mouth agape, from one room to the next! Inspiration with a capital I!!! Where’s my needle????? And..oh yeah…I want to restart Frances Eden in 2011! ;o)
Vonna
Oh my goodness….living there must be like a litte slice of heaven! What glorious, wonderful works surround her! Thank you so much for sharing with us 🙂
KarenV
Wow! What fabulous stitching. I love the tree and recognise many of the ornaments. Lucky you to be able to go and visit!
Joy
Gosh, what fabulous work she has completed. I’m so glad you got that special treat and that you shared it with us.
Cathryn
Wow! That is so amazing. It truly takes your breath away. What an amazing needlewoman. Cathryn
Walfrida
This store is like a pradise to me!!! Thank you for share these wonderful pictures … they are more than inspiration to me!!!!
Happy Christmas!!!and New ear full of health, love and joy!!
michele
Wiping the drool from my chin! I will probably return to this post frequently to try and take in all the wonder! That is truly inspiring!
LaDonna
We are all now drooling!!!! Great photos, great stitching and oh my goodness where did she find the time to complete all the Mary Beale Stockings????? I am so envious.
Dawn Moore
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing Darlene’s samplers with us. Can you share the designer and name of Darlene’s favorite sampler that you identified in your post? I love it as well.
Sheryl
that was truely beautiful. So many samplers. I wish we had a cross stitch store close to here and I would do tons of samplers too. I love them. Thanks for sharing.
Pals,
Sheryl
Dovile
fantastic! thank you for showing us:)
Laurie in Iowa
OMG… beautiful, gorgeous, fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing Darlene’s work with us.
Kristen from MA
Wow! I want my walls to look like that some day!
Thanks for the amazing eye candy, Paulette. 🙂
MARGIE
AWESOME!!!!!!!
Such treasured works of art by hand!!
That is like walking into a museum!
AWESOME, AWESOME AND MORE AWESOME!!!!!!
CAY
Oh, these are FANTASTIC!!!!! Thanks for sharing! Darlene is a wonder! The stitching is sublime! I want my walls covered like that, too! If only we had the list of all those A&E samplers… 😀 We’ve got to start somewhere! Hehe. But thanks so much for sharing, Paulette — really made my day.
CarolG
I am absolutely amazed at this body of work! How lucky you were to see all this…it makes me think I need to start keeping some (more) of my work instead of giving it away. Thanks for sharing!
Leslie
Holy Cow! What beautiful pieces. I truly enjoyed looking at the pictures you posted today. How does she keep them all dust free? I put glass on everything.
Tedra Raden
Wow, what a beautiful collection of samplers and ornaments – what a treat that must have been to see those up close and personal!
Tedra – Phoenix, AZ
Natasha
WOW!! Absolutly STUNNING works of art. How long did you spend looking at all those WONDERFUL samplers? I probably would have wanted to stay all day, and then the tree. STUNNING! That is what I long for in a few years a tree stuffed fulled of XS’s ornaments.
Thank you for sharing such awesome photos
Jan
Oh my GOODNESSSSSS!!!!!!!
Inspiration is right, what an adventure!! Love you for sharing it with us!!
Valerie
Wow! Amazing…thanks to you and of course Darlene for sharing her home and samplers. I absolutely love the stockings hung on the mantle and all those wonderful ornaments too.
Beth
Holy cow! That’s a lot of beautiful stitchery!
Linda Klinedinst
Oh my word…she is so talented and I love all of her Samplers that she stitched. You are so lucky Paulette to go and see her beautiful stitched Samplers.
I love her stockings too. They are really cute.
Take care & Happy Stitching
Hugs 🙂 from Cold Snowy Northern Indiana
Linda K, Railorad
Diana
Thanks for sharing all your pictures of the beautiful samplers and ornaments!
Wendy
Absolutely amazing!!! Thanks for sharing Darlene’s amazing work with us!
connie
That is just an amazing collection of samplers. What a lucky lady you are to have a visit. The stockings are just wonderful. I think someone would have had to pick me up off the floor. I would have fainted. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
I just received my issue of Just Cross Stich Magazine. And who was the featured designer? The wonderful Paulette. What a nice surprise.
Sandra
Thank you for posting such an amazing collecion of samplers. I am enjoying trying to work out the names of some of these beautiful things.
Darlene’s collection is just awe inspiring
Melody Bryan
Simply amazing array of stitched beauties and not just samplers but stockings, ornaments and on and on – OH – I SWOON !!!!!!!!! Thanks Darlene for sharing and Paulette for posting – Hope you are your family are having a beautiful holiday season – Melody
karen t
OMG….those are stunning! I can’t imagine having that many already framed much less stitched.
Thanks so much for sharing….
Linen Stitcher
Amazing. Astounding. Inspiring. Incredible. I’m afraid that were I the lucky one to get to visit Darlene, I would not have left. [sigh] Thanks to Darlene for sharing her talent and to you for sharing your visit with her and her talent through your lovely photography.
LiBBiE in Oz
What a lovely lady and just gorgeous and prolific stitcher, they are all stunning! Are my eyes deceiving me, but are none of the samplers framed under glass?
Michelle
Darlene came to speak at my guild a while back and her lecture was really wonderful. Of course we were all amazed with the photos of her stitched A&Es and even her ornaments. WOW!!!
Carol S. Mocarski
Thank you for sharing…Greedy me , now I want the names if all the samplers and the publisher, especially the one with the grapes being carried. Would love to see more of Darlenes Samplers. Sincerely Carolm
Peggy Lee
Absolutely breathtaking! Such an inspiration.
Paulette would you please forgive me for not commenting in SO VERY LONG?!?!?
It seems that one reader I use to browse blogs picks your lovely blog up but the other doesn’t…and guess which one I’ve been using for the past few months? Oh gosh…I’m so sorry…I was just about to email you and ask if there was something terrible going on that you weren’t blogging anymore.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful samplers with us. Her home is a masterpiece in itself.
~~Peggy Lee
Lynn
All that stitching is absolutely incredible!!
Really beautiful work! I never knew that so many Adam and Eve samplers existed.
Thanks so much for sharing your pics.
Zlata
Thank you so much for these amazing photos and storie! It’s incredibly beautiful! So much work, so many beautiful embroidery! I’m in awe!
nicole
Oh wow Paulette!! Lucky you for seeing them all in person. I bet you didn’t want to leave! What inspiration!
Pilar
Awesome! Many wonderful works. Thank you for showing us Paulette.
Happy weekend!
Charlene ♥ SC
Thank you so much for taking us along on your field trip. What a wonderful and warm collection of heirlooms. And by the way, your spotlight in Just Cross Stitch was great! It’s always nice to learn more about the artist, you! Merry Days!
Betty
Wow! Darlene, you sure know how to stitch!!! It’s all so beautiful…
Judy
Thank you for sharing the pictures of Paulette’s stitching. She game to our sampler guild this year and gave a talk and slideshow on her Adam and Eve samplers and her Christmas ornaments. Truly a delightful and inspiring lady.
rachel s
What a lovely house! I am in awe of her stitching.
www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawnKA8McQWJ_upK4JzeA0PbPpRuqa7aV8zw
What an incredible body of work! I can only aspire to such achievements!! Thanks for sharing.
Teri
What beautiful and inspiring work! Thank you to both of you for sharing. I’d love to see pictures of each single piece and read all about each one of them!
Елена
Какая красота!!!!
Супер!!!!
Paula
I love it! I’m astonished with all Darlene’s work and I’ve some stitched Paterns/samplers …are really Treasured Stitches!!!! It was a pleasure!
Kevin Tober
Breathtakingly GORGEOUS! Wow, I’d love to have my walls adorned with so many beautiful things I’ve stitched!! Someday, maybe….
Denise
Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to see these amazing samplers. I am in awe and very inspired! Thank you so much for sharing!