• Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks

    It’s Almost Market Time!

    Happy Monday!

    I suppose with the spring needlework market fast approaching, I should begin showing you what Room #613 will have to offer!

    First I'd like to preview my newest little dachshund design. This one has a summertime theme, and I got my inspiration from one of my favorite things on a summer barbeque menu: beans and weenies. I hope you enjoy my take on it!

    Shop 1

    Jean Hohulin stitched the model for me, and she had the really fun finishing idea of using denim for the backing fabric of the cushion, and sewing a little pocket on it as well. So I rummaged through some old jeans I had intended to take to the Good Will, and cut out the tiny inside pocket on the front, just inside the main pocket on the right or left. Instead of sewing it, I used fabric glue all around where I would normally stitch it, and it worked beautifully! (I didn't have any denim-heavy needles for my machine, so glue was my choice.) Then I slid a pair of little scissors inside, and it was finished! Thank you, Jean!

    Shop 2

    If you're interested in ordering this chart (Note: this is a chart only; not a kit), please let your shop owner know. She/he can pick it up from me at market for you, and if they aren't attending market, I'll be shipping out orders after I return. I will be back tomorrow (hopefully) with another preview!

  • Autumn,  Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    The Online Market!

    Good Sunday morning to you!

    I thought I'd let those of you who haven't heard know about the Harvest Market Hop, which will begin on September 10! This "market" was the idea of the girls at Shepherd's Bush, in an effort to fill a void in the industry when no physical trade show for autumn was available to shop owners.

    Unnamed-1

    Keep in mind that this is not like the Online Needlework Show, in that it is only visible to shops who register. This gives shop owners the opportunity to bring the market to you, just as they would if they were able to physically attend!

    I'll have four new releases for this market, and I'm very excited to show them to you. Here is one of the sneak peeks I showed on Facebook..

    Fb

    I hope if your shop hasn't heard about the show, you'll let them know!

    The day is very drizzly and cool outside, so I've got a couple of candles burning, and I'm going to contemplate what I'll be baking today. It's Sunday Morning Baking time, and the weather is perfect for it.

    I'll see you soon!

  • Market,  New Designs,  Serial Bowl Collection,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    B.Y.O.F.

    Oh my, the countdown to the Nashville market is on, and I barely feel ready!

    This market is a special one to me because I'll be releasing my very first Bring-Your-Own-Fabric kit. I've always loved kits because they take the challenge out of pulling everything together, and they're easy to grab-and-start when I need something new to work on. And while I've always toyed with the idea of releasing a kit myself, I've held back because of the simple fact that not everyone may like the same linen color or count I choose to work on.

    So I lamented a bit about it to my good friend Pat, and she suggested this: "Why don't you just do the chart and threads?" And I thought, "Of course! The chart, the threads, and the finishing trim!" And that's how my very first B.Y.O.F. kit came into my imagination.

    Tp 2

    As a stitcher, one of the things that I find so appealing is a bowl full of pin cushions or other "smalls" that I stumble across online (or better yet, in person!). I suddenly get this extreme urge to hunt down every design I see represented in that bowl so that I can have one of my own collections – Patriotic cushions, Christmas cushions, Halloween cushions – I want them all! (Isn't that one of the best parts of this wonderful hobby of ours – to find something that makes our hearts sing? Or all-out bellow, like mine does?)

    With that in mind, I've decided to release a series of small designs, in various themes, to satisfy that part of me that needs to just put stuff in bowls. Which brings me back to my first-ever chart-and-threads-and-trim kit, which will release at market.

    I'm calling this endeavor the Serial Bowl Collection. There will be different themes in this collection in the coming months, but the first theme is going to be titled Sampler Lessons, which are designs bearing some of the honest and valuable teachings that young girls stitched onto their samplers long ago.

    The photo above shows the luscious threads from Classic Colorworks that will be carded up and included in the chart pack, and below you'll see a peek at the finished design.

    Tp

    Also included in this pack will be the chenille trim from R&R Reproductions for the finished cushion. As for fabric, I've got listed on the chart what the model uses, but of course you can go smaller, bigger, brighter, or more neutral, if you'd like. There are so many beautiful fabrics that your shop owner can get for you, so pull out the thread card and do a few floss-tosses onto different colors of fabric to see what suits your eye the best.

    Remember, our stitching is for our fancy, so whatever you find beautiful will go beautifully in your home. Don't worry about  "what looks right."  If it is lovely to you, it will make you happy to stitch it!

    I hope you like my first go at this… I will be bringing a limited number of these packs to market, but I haven't decided yet if, after market, I'll continue them in their packaged form or if I'll go forward with just the chart. Since I've never done this before, I have no idea what to expect, so I really don't know what my plan is after this first run.

    Please let your shop owner know if you are interested in one of these packs, and hopefully she or he will find me at market! It's going to be an exciting one!

  • Market,  New Designs,  Sneak Peeks,  Stitching

    At Last!

    Welcome to the opening day of market! I can hardly stand the excitement!

    As promised, for those of you who are still with me, here is my final fall market release:

    IMG_1448

    A Ghoultide Welcome

    Stitch Count: 332w x 176h

    Linen used: 36 ct. Vintage Sand Dune by Lakeside Linens. A great substitute
    would be 36 ct. Lingonier Latte by R&R Reproductions.

    Threads used: Needlepoint Inc. silk (with their DMC equivalents in parentheses):

    903 (435)
    964 (645)
    962 (648)
    692 (677)
    245 (730) (2 skeins suggested)
    241 (733)
    981 (822) (2 skeins suggested)
    954 (611)
    694 (833)
    767 (975)
    316 (830)
    976 (3021)
    588 (3371) (3-4 skeins suggested)
    721 (3830)
    124 (3772)

    Please note: while each stitcher's floss usage is different, I've included what I think would be best for you to have on hand, in case you run just a little short. If you choose to use a lower-count linen, please know that you may need more floss, just as you may need less if you use a higher count. However, since these are not overdyed threads, you will most likely be safe if you don't have all the skeins you need on hand right away, as dye lots for these silks don't vary as much as an overdyed silk or cotton would. It's possible that you've had a different experience, but mine has been one of color consistency among these particular threads.

    The frame for A Ghoultide Welcome is extremely complimentary to the piece, and was chosen by Sherri Berkman of Total Framing in Virginia. I never see my pieces before she sends them to me, as I like to be surprised. I trust Sherri implicitly, and she never disappoints! If you'd like more information on this frame or any others used on my designs, please give her a call at 703-426-0660.

    There is a small area of personalization on this chart that will require either a tent stitch (basically a half stitch, or a stitch that hasn't been crossed) or a full over-one-thread stitch, whichever you choose to do. An alphabet chart has been provided for you to graph out your own name, or you can certainly fill the area instead with a motif from elsewhere in the chart.

    IMG_1451

    I hope you've had fun looking at the previews this week! I'm very excited to get back to the drawing board and see what comes out of the mouse. It almost never matches what is in my mind, but that's okay. I'm always up for surprises!

    Happy Market to You!

    P.S. A patriotic-themed "Welcome" is brewing…

     

  • 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!