• Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    A Sneak Peek…

    It's almost time for market to open! It's open early tonight for the designers who have Early Bird Specials or Limited Editions they're selling. But I generally don't participate because I'd be dying to get out of my room and into their rooms to see what wonderful creations they've come up with! Isn't that just awful? Every year I say, "Okay, Paulette, you're doing a Limited Edition for Friday night, next year." Then along comes Friday-night-next-year, and all is dark in the Plum Street Suite.

    Crickets… crickets…

    I can usually be found bouncing from room to room, trying not to look like a regular Peeping Tom if the doors are shut. I just can't help myself. Market is just so exciting!

    Instead of a preview of my last release, I've decided to do a sneak peek instead. The reason for this is because some shops have told me that they actually do like a surprise sometimes! So I really hope I'm not frustrating those of you who may have stopped back by to see what the last release is, but I'm sure by this photo, you'll be able to figure it out quite easily…

    Hint: It's a companion to a sampler released at last year's St. Charles market.

    IMG_1453

    I will definitely have it posted tomorrow, along with all the information you need if you'd like to stitch it!

    In the mean time, I'm going to look forward to pressing my face up against all the suite windows to try to see what goodies await in exchange for what's in my pocketbook. I'll try to take lots of pictures for you, too, so you can experience a little of what it's like as well!

    It's almost market day!

     

     

     

  • Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    Market Preview #5

    By the time you read this, I'll be way up in the sky, happily awaiting my tiny bag of airplane peanuts while I'm making a bee-line to St. Charles for market.

    (By the way, I read on www.phrases.org.uk that the phrase make a bee line came from the "waggle dance" that forager bees perform for other bees in order to tell them where a good source of nectar can be found. Apparently, the angle and length of the dance denotes how close and in what direction the bees should fly, and as soon as it's communicated, they "make a bee line" straight to the appropriate flowers. Hopefully I won't break out in one of these waggle dances as soon as I de-plane.)

    The next release has nothing to do with bees, believe it or not. But it does have to do with wiener dogs.

    First there was Halloweenies, and then there was its companion Winter Wienerland. The next in the accidental series of Doxie-designs is a Thanksgiving-themed one:

    IMG_1367

    Turkey Sausage

    Stitch Count: 200w x 60h

    Linen used: 36 ct. Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens

    Threads used: The Gentle Art (with their equivalents in DMC):
    Mulberry (300)
    Heirloom Gold (610)
    Toffee (680)
    Endive (830)
    Cinnamon (975)
    Wood Trail (3021)
    Espresso Bean (3371)
    Country Redwood (3777)
    Terra Cotta (3826)
    Old Red Paint (3859)
    Weathered Barn (3858)
    Oatmeal (Ecru)

    Thank you once again to Nicole Neville for stitching the model for me!

    I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you who have received this little series so warmly, whether or not you actually own a Dachshound. I've never owned one, but I find them to be the most hilarious of the little dog sort, and the few that I've met have been the gentlest creatures.

    Stop by tomorrow for a peek at my final market release, and don't forget to let your shop owner know as soon as possible if you see anything anywhere online that you'd like for her/him to bring back to you! I'm very, very excited to see what is being offered this time around from some of my favorite designers and thread and linen dyers!

    I'll see you very soon!

  • Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    Market Preview #4

    One of my very favorite rooms at market to go into is Lone Elm Lane's, because it feels like I'm walking straight into a Country Living magazine; oh, for the love of stitching, how do they take a simple Dixie cup and sweet tea and turn them into a veritable goblet of country goodness?

    Lone elm 1

    Their Shaker boxes are absolutely gorgeous, and if you've ever seen them at your local needlework shop, you know that they're beautiful, high-quality boxes, made in the same traditional way that the Shakers made them.

    Lone elm 2

    Please pass the smelling salts.

    It's so hard for me to choose one favorite, because really, I see the sampler-potential for every single color! But if I had to choose one or three, I'd say my favorites are the Wooly White, the Shepherd's Bush Plum, and the Robin's Egg Blue.

    Which brings me to my next release…

    As I said in my blog post yesterday, I absolutely love love love the traditional colors of autumn – the burnt orange, mahogany, chocolate, gold – they're all so cozy! But I also love the unexpected, cooler colors – which can actually mingle quite well with the deeper shades of this glorious season.

    IMG_1312

    This is Autumn Posy, and I've chosen the 6" Robin's Egg Blue box to mount it onto.

    IMG_1329

    Autumn Posy

    Stitch Count: 97w x 95h

    Linen used: 36 ct. Vintage Pecan Butter by Lakeside Linens

    Threads used: Weeks Dye Works (with their DMC equivalents in parentheses):
    Mulberry (154)
    Kohl (310)
    Sea Foam (504)
    Whiskey (729)
    Sanguine (754)
    Havana (830)
    Hazelnut (975)
    Kudzu (3011)
    Bark (3021)
    Putty (3046)
    Icicle (3756)
    Schneckley (3829)
    Terra Cotta (3830)

    Trim used: Cinnamon Rick-Rack by R&R Reproductions

    Thank you so very much to Nicole Neville for her stitching talent! I'm so appreciative of her taking time to stitch this for me, considering she's got a full-time job and a housefull of very active (and handsome) boys!

     By the way, I just have to share with you one of my favorite Bible verses that seems as if it was made specifically for autumn:

    Psalm 65:11a – "Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness." (KJV)

    How perfectly poetic and true!

    (Two more days!)

  • New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    Market Preview #3

    I'm back!

    I thought that before I continued with my laundry and housework and cleaning and organizing-before-leaving tasks, I would sit down here and say hello and show you my next release! I had a lot of fun designing this one.. my favorite thing to do is to mix traditional fall colors with surprise ones, and I hope you like how it turned out as much as I did! Thank you, Miss Rindy Richards, for your beautiful stitching. 🙂

    IMG_1265

    Harvest Keeper

    Stitch Count: 197w x 150h

    Fabric used: 35 ct. Confederate Gray by Weeks Dye Works

    Threads used: The Gentle Art (with their DMC equivalents in parentheses):
    Sarsaparilla (300)
    Raven (310)
    Woodrose (434)
    Brandy (676)
    Oatmeal (822)
    Piney Woods (730)
    Fudge Ripple (3032)
    Old Hickory (3045)
    Pecan Pie (3781)
    Wood Trail (3787)
    Grecian Gold (3829)
    Pomegranate (356)
    Lambswool (3864)

    The lovely, swirly-textured frame was done by Sherri Berkman at Total Framing in Virginia (703-426-0660).

    By the way, Harvest Keeper can be stitched as a sister to The Beekeeper, if you were inclined to pick this one up earlier this year. But she would also be just fine all on her own!

    Don't forget to let your shop owner know if you see anything online you'd like brought back to you… only 3 more days to go!

  • New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    Market Preview #2

    Hi again!

    This morning I've got a little needle packet pouch to show you! I stitched this up very quickly, and if you've never used The Gentle Art's Burnt Orange floss before, it's such a treat to work with. The variation is so beautiful, and each flower turns out a little differently. (By the way, I like to cut a few different lengths from one skein of overdyed/variegated floss and alternate pulling strands out from each of them so that I can have less of a repeat in variation. Maybe you all do that too, but just in case you don't, I thought I'd share that with you – it's a fun little thing to be surprised with, as the new hues take turns showing up in your stitches.)

    Here is My Pinzzz…. the second of my three bee designs for market:

    IMG_1415

    Stitch Count: 76w x 77h

    Fabric used: 40 ct. Ale by Picture This Plus (using 36 ct. or lower
    would be perfectly fine.. it would still turn out to be miniature, although
    you may want to bring in the margin seams around your stitching when
    finishing it into a pocket in order to keep it small).

    The Gentle Art threads used (with their DMC equivalents in parentheses):
    Dark Chocolate (3021)
    Wood Smoke (3790)
    Caramel Corn (DMC 739)
    Endive (DMC 3011)
    Burnt Orange (DMC 376)
    Chamomile (DMC 371)
    Wood Trail (DMC 3031)

    I used a simple silk ribbon and an eyelet for the hanger, but you could easily attach a button and cording or trim, or not have a hanger at all. I usually have packets of needles here and there, and this keeps them all in a tidy little place. 🙂 It's a quick little project for a fall weekend, along with a cup of coffee or tea. (And the tea really should have honey in it, if you want to keep the theme of the pocket!)

    Some of you may have already seen this preview on Instagram, when I posted it a few days ago. If you're new to Instagram, there's a lot of fun stitching pictures to look at that will give you great motivation to pick up your own projects, or my favorite: order new ones! Instagram is available for both Android and Apple, so download the app and join the fun! (My user name is plumstreetsamplers, if you want to find me.)

    I'll see you soon with another preview! Only 4 more days to market!

  • Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks

    Coming Soon to Market…

    Well goodness, I can't believe I'm leaving in just a few days for the St. Charles market, and I haven't even gotten a blog preview posted! As some of you know, I've been madly in love with bees lately… so much so that three of my six new market releases will be honeybee-themed!

    I just can't help myself!

    So to start out the preview-parade (ahem), the first sampler I'll show here is one that features a verse by Isaac Watts… and who hasn't wanted a pet rooster?

    Anyone?

    Gather Honey tp

    Gathering Honey

    Stitch Count: 222(w) x 161(h)

    Fabric used: 40 ct. Espresso by R&R Reproductions

    The Gentle Art threads used (with DMC equivalents in parentheses):
    Mountain Mist (523)
    Tarnished Gold (610)
    Old Hickory (642)
    Endive (730) (2 skeins suggested)
    Grecian Gold (832)
    Lambswool (950)
    Wheat Fields (3045)
    Brandy (3046)
    Roasted Marshmallow (3047)
    Wood Trail (3781) (2 skeins suggested)
    Old Red Paint (3830)
    Oatmeal (Ecru)

    The absolutely gorgeous frame was done by none other than Sherri Berkman at Total Framing in Virginia!

    I'll be back soon with another market preview. In the meantime, I hope you're finding lots of other previews and sneak peeks online that you're calling your shop owner about… I tend to show a few things and hold a few things back, just because I never know if people like the pre-order with their shop, or if they simply love to be surprised! I may end up just showing them all on Friday night though, just before the early-bird portion of the market opens. 🙂

    I can't wait!

  • New Designs,  Stitching

    New Releases!

    What? Two posts in one day?

    I apologize for not being able to update my blog more often; things around here have been non-stop go go go go go, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down one bit! For starters, Big Papa fell down outside and broke his leg in two places, requiring twelve screws and a metal plate in his driving leg, no less.

    Guess what that means. Just guess. Yep, I'm now his chauffer! For three whole months! He's to put no weight on his foot for the entire summer, which is pretty hard for a very active fellow like him. (As I type this, he's playing a new video game to keep himself busy, so I'm typing to the sounds of dragons bellowing and swords clanging and his fingers deftly pressing controller buttons as quickly as he can. I never could understand that sort of hand-eye coordination, but he's definitely got it… until it comes to his crutches. Oh my, is that a sad, hobbly sight!)

    I'm headed to Chicago tomorrow to Inspired Needle's workshop, the Inspired Summer Seminar, and I'm very excited! But it's a quick trip, and Mike will be in good hands with sweet Sophie. (Of course, he may want to get used to being served macaroni and cheese for three meals per day…)

    My goodness, I'm quite chatty this evening! Okay, here's the real reason I'm posting again: I've got two releases headed out to my autos next week, and to the distributors the following week. Here's all the info you need for them, and if you'd like one or both, just contact your local or online shop owner!

    Since my last release set was a pink theme, this one is red. 🙂 No, I don't usually have themes, but it's fun when I do!

    First up is an antique reproduction/adaptation. I don't actually have a full photograph of the original antique, because I completely forgot to take one, but you can see part of it behind the model. The antique was stitched in 1837 by Ann Barson Loughbro, and it's done in spruce green and ivory and tan. However, I really wanted to change the color palette to something much different, and I truly hope Ann would have approved! Her verse is an outstanding one, and one that should be remembered:

    Hark from the tomb a doleful sound,
    my hear attend the cry.
    Ye living men come view the ground
    where you must shortly lie.
    Princes, this clay must be your bed,
    in spite of all your tow[e]rs:
    The tall, the wise, the reverend head
    must lie as low as ours.

    Isn't that fabulous? And I love the ivory border all around the sampler itself.

    Ann Barson Loughbro preview

    Ann Barson Loughbro 1837

    Stitch count: 203w x 236h

    The model was stitched on: 40 ct. Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens

    All cross stitch, except for a few backstitches in the lettering.

    Threads used for the MODEL VERSION:

    Classic Colorworks in Manor Red, Barn Door, Zach Black, Ye Olde Gold, 12 Grain (2 skeins suggested), Old Oak Tree, Hickory Sticks, and Stepping Stones.

    The Gentle Art in Piney Woods.

    Threads used for the ANTIQUE VERSION:

    Classic Colorworks in Brandied Pears, Old Blue Jeans, Onion Skin, 12 Grain (2 skeins suggested), Whatley Woodlands, Hickory Sticks, and River Rocks.

    The Gentle Art in Blue Spruce (this color is used for 2 different symbols in the chart.)

    The model was stitched by Rindy Richards, and the frame was done by Sherri Berkman of Total Framing, in Fairfax, Virginia!

    Next up: A class piece for the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild in Dallas, Texas. This was originally released in the spring of 2013. What a fun time that was with all the Tudor Rose ladies (and gentleman!) ..

    Crowned Bird preview

    Crowned Bird Sampler

    Stitch count: 273w x 270h

    The model was stitched on: 36 ct. Vintage Meadow Rue by Lakeside Linens

    All cross stitch throughout.

    Threads used:

    Classic Colorworks Silk in Angel Blush, Icing, Tumbleweed, Scarecrow, Sister Scarlet, and Weathered Vine.

    Needlepoint Inc. silk in 967, 124, 588, 928, and 256.

    The model stitcher for this sampler was Sharon Schutjer.

    And that's it! I hope you like the new/newish patterns, and that your summer is going beautifully! When I'm not driving Mike to doctor appointments and board game tournaments, I've been out in my yard trying to get back in touch with the gardening I used to love. It's been a long time since I've planted flowers, and I'm thoroughly enjoying their return to my porch.

    I'll talk to you soon!

     

     

     

  • A Colonial Gathering Club,  New Designs,  Stitching

    Final Call!

    If you haven't already signed up for A Colonial Gathering through Dyeing to Stitch, we'd love to have you join! Tanya Brockmeyer from The Scarlett House and I are taking turns presenting an exclusive project for those who are in the club, and the shipments go out every other month. This month's kit will be mailing out next week, so if you'd like to go to the Dyeing to Stitch website and register, you've got only until midnight of May 31st (that's tomorrow night!).

    This time the project is one that I thought has a fun, summer palette. When I showed it to Sophie, she said, "Those look like cotton blooms!"

    CB tp-2
    I hope you've enjoyed the projects so far, and I hope you'll have fun with Cotton Bird as a relaxing summer stitch…

    Cotton Bird email

    Have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back soon!

  • New Designs,  Stitching

    Pink House Sampler

    Hello again!

    We celebrated my Sophie-Joon's fourteenth birthday yesterday! I can't believe my little baby is fourteen! Do those of you who have been reading my blog a while remember when she was just a little thing, constantly annoying Bre and Cody? Or when she got dressed up to play her guitar and sing a Taylor Swift song? Or when she tied up her Barbie doll and pretended "the others" from the Lost tv series had done it?

    She's not as bouncy and giggly as she used to be.. she's very much grown-up and much quieter these days.

    Sniff.

    Anyway, more on Sophie's birthday in another post. I haven't looked through the pictures yet, but once I do, hopefully you'll stop back and take a look! 🙂

    Next week I've got two releases coming out, and I hope you like them! You've seen Esther Syer's reproduction sampler, but this next one is an original, and since its main color is pink also, I thought it would make a good release companion for Esther.

    Ph tp 2

    If any of you are like me, you like to read the back of a chart before you start to work on it. If you're familiar with the backs of my charts, you'll know I have a Bible verse on each one. I always try to choose one that reflects either the content of the sampler, or perhaps one that I simply like. In this case, I chose Psalm 42:1, which reads, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God." You may know that a hart is a deer, and since this sampler has a deer on it (and I love that verse!), it's the one I chose.

    Ph tp 1

    Mary Jane Carver was my great-grandmother, and her birth year is under her name. I've included a personalization chart for you to stitch either your own name, or the name of a loved one in place of my great-grandmother's name.

    The verse on the top left of the sampler is one that you can find on many old samplers. It's always been a favorite of mine.

    Pink House Sampler Preview email

    Pink House Sampler

    Stitch count: 247w x 215h

    Fabric used: 40 ct. Olde Towne Blend by R&R Reproductions
    (Some suggested alternatives: Weeks Dye Works' Parchment or Lakeside Linens' Lentil)

    Threads used:
    Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art, and Classic Colorworks…

    Weeks' colors are: Brick and Cranberry Ice.
    Gentle Art's colors are: Faded Rose (2 skeins suggested), Cameo Pink, Old Hickory, Piney Woods (3 skeins suggested), Roasted Marshmallow, and Garden Gate (2 skeins suggested).
    Classic Colorworks' colors are: Cinnamon Toast, Old Money, Blue Beadboard, Jakey Brown, and Toasted Marshmallow.

    All stitches in this sampler are cross stitch over 2 threads.

    Can you just stand how gorgeous that moulding is? I love love love what Sherri has done with the model! If you'd like more information on it, give her a call at Total Framing! The number is 703-426-0660, or you can find them on Facebook.

    The model was stitched by Kathy Krause… Kathy! Are you recovering from my demands on your stitching time? You are positively wonderful, and I can't thank you enough for stitching this model for me!

    These charts will be heading out the door tomorrow to the shops on my automatic, and then a week or so after that, they'll make their way to the distributors.

    Thank you so much for stopping by to see my new "pink house," and I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

    Ph tp 3

  • Crazy Kids,  New Designs,  Plum Street Antiques,  Stitching

    A Completely False Life Lesson

    A few posts ago, I showed you a sneak peek of an antique I purchased last year after I fell in love with the soft pinks and tawny browns that were used to stitch it. Recently I did a little research on the internet to look for information about Esther Syer, and was only able to come up with a few family tree names and dates. Nevertheless, it was nice to learn these small things about the young stitcher's story, and I've included what I found on the back of the chart.

    As I was thinking about Miss Syer, I imagined her to be a carefree sort of young lady, and decided to have a little fun with presenting her to you. So I wrote a little story and asked Sophie to do an interpretation of it with facial expressions. She obliged, and here is what we came up with…

    *****************************************************************************************
     
    Once upon a time, little Esther Syer was born.
     
    Esther 1 tp
     
    Esther was a very happy child, whose favorite color was pink.
     
    Esther 2 tp
     
    She loved to play and frolick, and always neglected her mending and sewing chores.
     
    Esther 3 tp
     
    This made her mother (whose favorite color was black) very fretful, because she knew that Esther would never gain a suitor if she couldn't mend or sew or be serious. "To catch a man, keep a needle in hand!" she would always say to Esther.
     
    Esther 4 tp
     
    So one day Esther set out to catch a man by stitching a lovely sampler in both her and her mother's favorite colors.
     
    Esther 5 tp
     
    When Esther was eighteen, a man came along, admired her work, and asked to become her suitor. She agreed, and soon afterward, they were married.
     
    Esther 6 tp
     
    And Esther and her man lived happily ever after.
     
    Esther 7 tp

    ****************************************************************************************

     
      Esther Syer 1796 sp tp
     
    No model was stitched for this antique, as I felt the motifs and colors have survived beautifully, despite the sampler being 218 years old. If you choose to stitch it, then a soft, neutral linen will work well for the background. I've listed a few suggestions on the chart, but please use what you like best. The linens I suggested are these:
     
    Lakeside Linens' Vintage Pecan Butter
    R&R Reproductions' Olde Towne Blend
    Weeks Dye Works' Parchment
     
    Esther's antique was stitched on a 32/34 ct. ground with silks. The silks I've chosen are by Needlepoint Inc., and are as follows (with the DMC equivalent in parentheses):
     
    754 (152)
    912 (167)
    998 (310)
    761 (422)
    882 (746)
    692 (3047)
    602 (3727)
     
    The stitch count is 172(w) x 197(h)
     
    The gorgeous frame was done by Sherri Berkman at Total Framing in Fairfax, VA. As always, Sherri is very happy to take any phone orders for any stitching you may have, and trust me when I say she is the most friendly person to work with! (Believe it or not, I never choose my moulding.. I just mail the models to her and ask her to surprise me, and she never disappoints!)
    The number for Total Framing is 703-426-0660, or you can find them on Facebook.
     
    I hope you enjoyed our little story, and that if you do choose to stitch Esther, you would consider sending me your progress photos so I can see what her recreation would look like! I would so love that!