It's almost time for The Needlework Show to open, and I almost didn't have my release ready in time, with how busy it's been around here. I have no idea what was going on in my mind when I decided to do a Sea Halloween theme, but here goes…

These are a collection of Halloween ornaments, finished onto little black miniature hornbooks, available from Kelmscott Designs:

And here they are, hanging on my wire tree (along with some of my favorite ornaments from Blackbird Designs, as well as the one I submitted to Just Cross Stitch this year)…

If you decide you'd like to purchase the pattern, have your shop owner log into the Needlework Show and click on the Kelmscott Designs booth. I hope you have fun stitching them!

Happy Halloween!

ETA: The pattern is charted so that they can also be stitched in a single row, rather than as individual ornaments.

Here is my other new release for September… Karen Decker did a gorgeous job on the model!

The design calls for 36 ct. Vintage Buttercream by Lakeside Linens, and Needlepoint Inc. silks in 993, 694, 334, 181, and 713 are used. (You may need 2 skeins of 993, depending on your usage.) The stitch count is 318w x 198h.

Again, if you'll be at the Celebrations of Needlework exhibit in St. Charles this week, you'll find the model – and the charts – to this and Salem Sisters III there. Otherwise, check with your local or online needlework shop!

First there was Salem Sisters…

Sisters of mine,
We've done no crime,
yet here we go to hangin'.
These foul townsfolk –
They thought us cursed,
And now we're up here swangin'.

Then there was Salem Sisters II…

Sisters of mine,
'Yon rope shall they twine
'round our necks, 'til be
gnarled and a-squeezin'.
Yet we have no fear,
for our Justice draws near;
Where they're going
it won't be a-freezin'.

While the first two designs were a more lighthearted approach to what is commonly associated with Halloween, this last installment depicts more soberly the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials…

Here is Salem Sisters III:

Sisters of mine,
A tree be our shrine,
Tho' these treach'ries
we've not committed.
Our brethren have
judged us, Their
mercies begrudged us;
But God holds our
souls as Acquitted.

The model was stitched on 36 ct. Vintage Woodsmoke from Lakeside Linens with Gentle Art Sampler Threads in Tradewind, Pebble, Piney Woods, Espresso Bean, Wood Trail, Nutmeg, and Cherry Bark. The stitch count is 161w x 282h, and the model was stitched by Rindy Richards (who did a gorgeous job on it… and I learned a new technique from her regarding using variagated threads: if you stitch your rows vertically – one x at a time – instead of horizontally, your result will be a very cool weathered-stone look, as you can see on the top and bottom of the headstone on the model, where it says "Gallows Hill." I love it! Thank you, Rindy!) 

For those of you heading to Celebrations of Needlework in St. Charles, Missouri, September 19-21, you can find the model there. I hope you like the newest pattern in the Salem Sisters series!

Considering I'm barely tolerant of the ankle-biting barker that I own, my mother asked me what would possess me to design a chart that had two ankle-biting barkers on it. I plead insanity. Which means that those of you out there who are completely, hopelessly in love with their little doxies will forgive me for calling the little darlings such rude names. 😉 (I actually think they're rather cute little things.)

If you haven't seen it yet, here is my newest release:

This design was charted for both Gentle Art Sampler Threads and Crescent Colours in the following:

GAST Raven
GAST Piney Woods (one of my favorite GAST colors!)
GAST Nutmeg
GAST Pumpkin Patch
GAST Grecian Gold
CC German Chocolate (one of my favorite CC colors!)
CC Used Brick
CC Antique Lace

The fabric is Lakeside's 36 ct. Vintage Sand Dune, and the stitch count is 157 x 65.

My lovely friend Connie Adrian did a gorgeous job on the model (hi, Connie-girl!), and I shall be stalking her soon when I finish another design. 🙂

Meanwhile, I've been feverishly working on my presentation piece for Shepherd's Bush in September, as well as trying to keep things organized in my mind for other upcoming releases. I've also chosen my mom's Christmas piece, and I've got  to get that kitted up and going or I won't finish it nearly in time for our Holiday Sampler Exchange!

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer! And give your doxies a little treat for me. 😉

I love George and Martha Washington. 

My love for them started last year when I was searching the internet for a new pattern to stitch for my mom for Christmas. I stumbled across Threads of Gold's MA Dutch Sampler (which I ended up stitching for her), and was immediately drawn to the tiny horse-and-rider motif. Suddenly, I found myself on a mad search for samplers with horses and riders, and discovered that most of these samplers were of a Colonial theme. 

That's when I realized that I adore little stitched men in blue or red coats. (Especially ones that look like Jason Isaacs in The Patriot.) And so my love for George – and eventually Martha – came to be. The quintessential Colonial couple – and the love they had for each other – are the themes for my newest releases coming out at the online Needlework Show on April 19th.

The year 1759 was when George and Martha married…

Their marriage took place at Martha's estate, The White House in Virginia, and George wore a blue coat and blue buckles on his shoes; Martha wore a yellow dress trimmed with white lace, and purple shoes, which she ordered from London. Here is a picture of the shoes she wore:

I designed her shoes in these samplers as pink, but that's bc I didn't want to add an entire skein of purple to the palette when only 2 stitches would be used. Feel free to use whatever purple you have on hand to stitch her shoes!

The verses on each of these samplers are portions of two different love poems. One of them you may have heard before…

Come live with me and be my love
And we will all the pleasures prove.

The poem, called The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, was written by Christopher Marlowe in the 1590's, and although it has nothing to do with the Washingtons, I thought it was a charming fit for their fondness of each other.

The companion sampler features part of a poem written by Sir Walter Raleigh around 1600, called The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd…

These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be they love.

I hope you enjoy my new spring releases. I'd like to thank Nicole Neville for helping me with the model stitching. Without you, I'd still be sitting on my couch trying to get them finished.

 Here is Be My Love…

It was stitched on Lakeside's 40 ct. Vintage Pearled Barley using Gentle Art Sampler Threads (in Cherry Bark, Old Brick, Chamomile, Tradewind, Piney Woods, Lambswool, Brethren Blue, Wood Trail, and Oatmeal). The frame is by The Family Tree Frame Company ("The Mae" style). Stitch count: 118w x 115h.

And this is Pretty Pleasures…

This model was also stitched on Lakeside's 40 ct. Vintage Pearled Barley using Gentle Art Sampler Threads (in Wood Trail, Shaker White, Buttermilk, Old Brick, Lambswool, Endive, Cornhusk, Cameo Pink, Mountain Mist, and Oatmeal). The frame is again by The Family Tree Frame Company ("The Michelle" style). Stitch count: 126w x 115h.

If you'd like to purchase either of these during the online Needlework Show, look for them on the Kelmscott Designs page and ask your shopowner to order them for you. And if you do decide to order them, I hope you enjoy stitching them!

In the spirit of decorating with Colonial Couples, I designed A Colonial Garden, which was stitched by the fabulous Nicole Neville…

It's stitched on Lakeside's Black Forest, but I've included a color key for a lighter version of fabric, if you're not too keen on stitching with black.

And finally, Olga and Boris have a new friend, although Olga may find him a bit more appealing than Boris…

His name is Sergei. 🙂