BYOF – Plum Street Samplers

July 13, 2016

Summertime

The loveliest rain just fell after a very hot morning, and now the sun is back out again from its siesta. I can't remember the last time our day had a sudden break in it like this, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! (My family and I still talk about how interesting the weather pattern was in Florida, when we were visiting Disney World in 2001. Every single day, at 4:00 pm, it would suddenly pour for about 1o or 15 minutes, and everyone would scramble out of the open and inside the nearest souvenir shops. After the third day, we stopped being worried about our vacation being hampered and just enjoyed it! We would always laugh at the people who wore the plastic yellow ponchos to keep the rain off, thinking that they looked like a bunch of rubber ducks walking the park. But on the last day, the deluge was so great, guess what we ended up buying? I should post a picture here some time.. we still have those plastic yellow ponchos, and still laugh at the "karma" of it all.)

It's been a very busy and enjoyable summer here at Plum Street, and if you haven't seen them by now, I'll show you my three releases from earlier in the month.

As you may know, last year I released the very first "BYOF" (Bring Your Own Fabric) kit, also known as the Serial Bowl Collection, called Sampler Lesson One. I've decided to release it as a chart only, for those who missed out on the kit!

Sampler Lesson One
Stitch count: 144w x 69h
Classic Colorworks floss in Barn Door, Cherry Cobbler, Cinnamon Toast (one of my favorite CC colors!), Pea Pod, Sunkissed, and Timber.
Linen used: 36 ct. Olde Towne Blend by R&R Reproductions
Trim used is cream chenille that has been coffee-dyed.

The threads that went into the kits were so beautiful, I just had to post their photo again!

My second July release introduces Miss Babushka, tending to her pumpkin blossoms. I originally had a Mr. Babushka designed in the piece, but as I stated on Facebook earlier, he was a doppelganger for Willie Nelson, so I removed him and gave him his own blank canvas, possibly to be revisited some day.

Babushka's Blossoms
Stitch count: 139w x 130h
Classic Colorworks floss in Rose Petal (very few stitches in this color), Brown Sugar, Ye Olde Gold, Bean Sprout, Just Rust, Hickory Sticks, and Colonial Copper.
Gentle Art in Gold Leaf, Oatmeal, Heirloom Gold, Lambswool (very few stitches), Espresso Bean, and Wood Trail.
Linen used: 36 ct. Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens.
Framed by Sherri Berkman of Total Framing in Fairfax, Virginia.
Thank you, Jean Hohulin, for stitching the model, and restitching my error!

Lastly, I have a brand new Serial Bowl Collection to introduce! It's an autumn-and-Halloween-themed one, and I hope you like the first design in the series!

Scary One
Stitch count: 124w x 71h
The kit contains threads and chenille to complete the project once on 28, 32, 36, or 40 ct. linen or Aida.
Threads included in the kit are by Weeks Dye Works, and the chenille is by Lady Dot Creates, in the color Vintage.
The model was stitched in Pat Ryan's usual light-speed style. Thank you, Pat!

These kits are only shipped to shops that request them, so if you're interested in purchasing one, let your local or online shop know!

Thank you so much for stopping by my oft-neglected blog. Every time I vow to do better, my time gets absorbed by other things, and I really miss blogging! Here is a picture of Sophie and I from the Fourth of July.. I miss her so much! She's in Texas right now, visiting her sister Sabrina, and she comes home tomorrow. I can't wait!

Enjoy your day, and I'll see you soon!

May 4, 2016

Sampler Lesson Five

We made it! We are at the final release in the Sampler Lessons series of the Serial Bowl Collection. I've really enjoyed this series, and have had fun looking for interesting admonitions from old samplers to use; there were an awful lot of words of wisdom among those young stitchers!

As with the other kits, this will come with plenty of floss for you to stitch your project once, using one strand of floss over two linen threads, as the model is stitched. Have fun with your fabric – choose whatever you'd like to use!

Thank you so much to Pat Ryan for stitching this model for me! She used 36 ct. Winter Brew by R&R Reproductions.

Thank you once again for stopping by my blog.. it's been very busy around here (as I'm sure it is at your house too!), and I've got a few different models in the works right now. I've got fall fever! What on earth is wrong with me? I just can't help myself. 🙂

October 23, 2015

New Releases for Fall!

I'll be shipping the following three releases to all shops on my automatic very soon.. hopefully next week!

AUTUMN GIFTS:

This was originally released at the Shepherd's Bush retreat in 2014, and the model was stitched and framed by the wonderful, lovely, darling Sherri-Berkman-of-Total-Framing-in-Virginia!

The stitch count is 182w x 164h, and it is stitched using all cross stitch over two linen threads.

The model was stitched on 36 ct. Vintage Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens, and the threads used were by Classic Colorworks in Milady's Teal (DMC 169), Cayenne (300), Copper Penny (402), Fool's Gold (435), Deep Fennel (598), Stepping Stones (611), Pebble Beach (642), Ye Olde Gold (833), Weeping Willow (3011), Hickory Sticks (3021), Timber (3781), River Rocks (3787), and Tennessee Red Clay (3859).

GOODNESS & PLENTY

These three little cushions are fast little stitches, and if you have an autumn tree (like my sister, who decorates a small tree for any and every holiday!), you could easily attach hangers for them to be hung there, or on the handle of a cabinet, or even a door knob. Or maybe in your car's rear-view mirror. Or maybe not.

Here are the stitch counts for all three cushions:

Goodness & Plenty: 113w x 38h
Alphabet Sampler: 59w x 50h
Harvest Bird: 74w x 57h

The models were stitched on 36 ct. Stars Hollow Blend from R&R Reproductions, and the finishing was done by my Pike's-Place-Partner, Donna Otlowski. She did such a beautiful job!

The threads used were by Classic Colorworks in Roasted Chestnut (DMC 400), Hazelnut (420), Brandied Pears (434), Wilderness (830), Manor Red (902), Caterpillar (3371), Cinnamon Toast (3772), and Antique Lace (Ecru).

The stitches used in these cushions are cross stitch and back stitch, all over two.

SERIAL BOWL COLLECTION: SAMPLER LESSON FOUR

This is the fourth of five Sampler Lessons that will be released. (The other Collection in progress is A Bowl Full of Merries, but Merry Two is still being worked on; there will, however, be brand new Collections coming to the Serial Bowl family next year!)

The kit is a BYOF (Bring Your Own Fabric) kit, which means it includes the threads and trim to complete the project, but you will need to supply the fabric you want to use. The model was stitched on 36 ct. American Chestnut linen, by an extremely kind stitcher with the most perfect x's: Jean Hohulin.

The stitch count for Sampler Lesson Four is 83w x 81h. All stitches are cross stitch over two threads, but the chart says "except where noted." This was an oversight on my part, and should not have been there. I apologize for that!

Please remember that all of the Serial Bowl Collection kits are limited in number; all prior kits have sold out, and for that, I thank you tremendously. (You all have no idea how sweet and encouraging it is to get such lovely feedback from you. Stitchers are truly the best kind of people!)

As soon as these ship out, it's back to the drawing board for me… Enjoy the weekend!

July 28, 2015

BYOF – Sampler Lesson Three

Here we go! It's the third little design to add to your bowlful of stitched goodies! This is the third Sampler Lesson, with a verse borrowed from one sometimes found on old samplers:

The daily labors of the bee awake my soul to industry.

There are countless wonderful verses on samplers stitched by young girls from so long ago, and I truly enjoy using them in my own designs. (I'm not so sure those young girls always stitched their verses for pleasure, however!)

As with the other Bring Your Own Fabric kits, this pack will include the threads and trim to complete the piece; you will need to supply your own fabric. All stitches used are full crosses over 2 threads, so those of you who prefer Aida will have no problems!

Many of you have asked how many kits will be in the series. To clarify, there is the Serial Bowl Collection, which includes the Sampler Lessons Series, as well as several other series that are on the drawing board (one of them being Christmas-themed kits). In the Sampler Lessons Series, there will be a total of 5 designs; I'm unsure if all 5 will be released this year, but if not, then they will certainly be completed in 2016. I'm hoping that each of the other series will also have around 5 designs, so that you'll at least have some seasonal collections, if you choose.

Have I completely confused you? I blame it on Martha's energy levels.

Even though she's sleeping at my feet right now.

This third installment of the Sampler Lessons will be shipping to shops on my auto on August 7th, as well as two new releases, which I will show you in the next couple of days!

Thank you for stopping by, and as always, I thank you tremendously for your lovely comments and emails. I'll be back soon!

July 27, 2015

It’s Almost Time!

April 7, 2015

BYOF – Sampler Lesson Two

I might actually be recovered from the kitting whirlwind that was Sampler Lesson One.. then again, it may just be the caffeine I've had today that's giving me a false sense of invincibility.

Either way, at least for now I'm ready to begin kitting again! Sampler Lesson One was a quick, few-day project for me, and the second one was too. As with the first project, this one will feature a prudent verse that can be found on some old samplers. I've given the sampler a slight patriotic theme, and thought it was fitting for the verse. But for those of you who are out of the country that ordered the first Sampler Lesson, I've included some miniature flags for you as well.. please know that I did my best to chart your country's flags accurately, but because of the diminutive size of the motif, some details could not be incorporated.

Here are the flags included.. if you don't see your country here, please let your shop owner know. I don't take direct orders, as I'm a wholesaler, but your shop owner can place the order for you and request your flag. I'll do my best!

Something I did make note of in the chart is that there are a few colors for flags that are not included in the kit. Please be aware of this, as you'll need to use either the DMC listed or find your own conversion. To maintain the "faded" look of the overall design, I've also used faded colors for flags (as you can see in Germany's case… the black has been changed to a dark gray, and the gold has been toned down to a faded cream; in Ireland's flag, the bright orange has also been muted somewhat). But as with all of my samplers, the color key is only a suggestion; always use what you love the most!

And now, here is a peek of the upcoming Sampler Lesson Two, to be mailed out on April 30 to shops who pre-order. Shop owners, if you are not on my mailing list, please feel free to contact me for the details.

I hope you all have a lovely day! If you'd like to be on the list for this next Serial Bowl kit, please let your shop owner know!