PLUM STREET SAMPLERS

A Fresh Look

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I was tired of the green walls in my bedroom. So after trying out several swatches of different colors (everything from mustard to colonial blue), I decided to visit the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer, and finally found a color that I couldn't live without: Crystal Clear. Also known as NPI 511.

Here's a picture of Tilly, perched on a favorite spot in front of my window, with one of the old green walls behind her:

And here's a picture of the new paint over my headboard, silently waiting for Dutch Beauty to return home from the framer:

Btw, I purchased a new bedspread as well.. it's called the Martha Washington's Choice, and I absolutely love it! It looks like it has sampler motifs on it...

I didn't want any shams or throw pillows or neck rolls this time. I'm converting to utter simplicity, so I wanted just a bedspread, and nothing else. So far, I'm very happy with it, although I've threatened Mike with complete despair for the rest of his days if he dares to lay his sweaty, fresh-from-the-gym self on top of it for an afternoon snooze.

Before I painted, I was planning on having Adam & Eve samplers hung over the bed. But I've since changed my mind, and have moved the A&E's to the bathroom. It's not like I have many; I only have Frances Eden and Paradise Lost there so far, but since my mother would need smelling salts if she saw that I wasn't working in odd numbers, I decided to add a third A&E to the mix...

This is A&E by The Primitive Needle. I kept most of the primitive color palette, but did change out a few of the colors to keep it as bright as Frances and Paradise. Of course, one of the colors added was NPI 511. ;)

I also changed the color NPI 775 to NPI 223, and stitched the deer and squirrel in colors from the chart's original NPI list, but not in dark brown, as the chart symbol indicated.

It's stitched on 35-ct. Weeks Dye Works Parchment, and I left off the straight-edge border, as I'd like to have the mats or frame come right up on the edge, where the border would have been.

That's about all I've been up to this past week! I suppose I've had enough fun lollygagging, so it's time to get back to model stitching. Although, the living room could sure use a fresh coat of paint...

Dutch Kitty

Every year since time began, I've been telling myself that I would have Dutch Beauty finished before I reached the age of 38. Then I switched it to 39, and then 40, and so on. My new goal is to have it finished before I'm 99.

The only way to make that happen is to work on it when Tilly is being her wide-awake, ornery self. Because for some reason, that feline has taken to using my sampler as a cozy spot to take her 4-hour-long siestas, which she does twice per day. (This must be quite amusing to her, considering my mother has always referred to my Dutch Beauty as "your Dutch Blanket.")

I've found that cats don't exactly move when you tell them to. As a matter of fact, every time I tell her to move off of my stuff, I get this feeling that she's mocking me, and looking at me like I'm Rodney Dangerfield or something.

"Tilly! You're on my stuff! Move!"

"Tilly!"

"Tilly, dag-nammut!"

"Tills, honey. You're on my stuff. If you move, I'll distract the Yorkie while you sneak up and go all screech-owl on her like you enjoy doing."

"TILLY, DOUBLE DAG-NAMMUT!!!!!"

And so her name is stricken, and she shall forever be referred to as "the Cat."

Brother's Keeper

This one has already made its rounds on the internet, but I'll go ahead and post it anyway. :)

Stitch Count: 378 x 150

The model was stitched on 36 ct. Vintage Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens, and the threads used are by The Gentle Art and Crescent Colours:

Gentle Art:
Sarsaparilla
Nutmeg
Raven
Soot
Old Hickory
Wood Smoke
Wood Trail
Piney Woods (2 or 3 skeins)
Heirloom Gold
Grecian Gold
Brandy
Bluebell
Lambswool
Forest Glade
Endive
Espresso Bean (2 or 3 skeins)
Mulberry
Walnut
Cherry Bark
Oatmeal

Crescent Colours:
Bing Cherry
Zach Black
Wild Berries
Root Beer Float

All of the wording, with the exception of "Cain and Abel" on the first block, is done over 1 thread of linen.

I so enjoyed the designing of this particular piece, as it's been one I've wanted to do for a long time. It's nothing like I had planned, but I don't mind. Maybe one of these days I'll have a design turn out as I pictured it in my head!

ETA: Miss Margaret is my hero for stitching almost the entire model in about 10 days. Margaret, you astound me! If you want lots of inspiration for stitching samplers, head over to her blog (and see her precious kitty, Mia). :)

Also be sure to visit Nicole's blog too! Her stitching photos leave me drooling.. she helped me out with the model as well!

Muse

I designed Olga a while ago. She was just a spur-of-the-moment design, and I left it at that. Then one day, a dear friend sent me an email that simply said, "You need a Boris." So Boris came to be.

Then one day I designed Sergei. Sergei was intended to be a companion to Olga and Boris, and I left it at that. Then one day, that same dear friend said to me, "You need a Zoya. And Zoya needs to be a peacock."

So Maxim & Zoya came to be.

This will be released at the upcoming market in Nashville, and here is the supplies list for those who are interested:

Stitch count: 98 x 106

The model was stitched on Lakeside's 36 ct. Vintage Light Examplar (I love this color, bc it handles warm and cool colors within the same design effortlessly).

The threads used were Needlepoint Inc. silks in 933, 225, 993, 964, 344, 241, 222, 694, 692, 325, 244, 603, 565, 525, and 991.

Note: There are only 15 stitches that use the color 225, so you may want to use DMC 221 to save some change. In addition, the color 222 only uses 21 stitches, so an option is DMC 760.

Here is the DMC equivalent for the whole color palette: 3740, 221, 310, 646, 580, 472, 760, 832, 834, 924, 936, 3042, 3808, 3849, and Ecru.

Thanks for keeping Olga's social life active, Katrina. ;)

P.S. Those incredible scissors in the model photo are the newest ones by Kelmscott Designs, called The Devon Scissors.

Please Bring Christmas Back

We have finally gotten our winter weather! I love the snow, and I've missed it terribly, so when I woke up to the beautiful snowfall last weekend, I decided to make the most of it and bake my way to a holiday-smelling morning.

These are gingerbread muffins, and they are the most melt-in-your-mouth muffins I've ever baked. And guess what. They're gluten-free, and if I you ate one and I didn't tell you that, you'd never know it. :)

Here's what it looked like outside my kitchen window...

And here are the trees that line the street behind our house...

I went into the living room and pulled the curtains back for sweet Tilly...

She loves to sit on the back of my couch and look outside. I took this photo right after I took the one above, since I was standing directly over her...

And to make it even more of a holiday, Miss Jill Rensel sent back my framed Bringing Home the Tree by Pineberry Lane!

I love that etched moulding!

I can't get Ella Fitzgerald's White Christmas out of my head.

I love this weather!

Extras

I thought I'd show whoever may read this some of the little things I didn't include in my first two Attic posts. :)

Here are a couple of "smalls" I made from the upcoming Brother's Keeper chart (to be released at Nashville)...

I won't be putting instructions in the chart for these, as they're really very simple. The top small is simply a stitched portion of the chart, cut in a circle and stretched over the top of a pimento jar lid (with a small piece of thin batting underneath the stitched piece). Then I added some trim I found in a scrapbook store and put some of Kelmscott's mother-of-pearl hex buttons inside.

This is another small I brought to The Attic. It's called A Symposium Keepsake, and I've got a packet of needles in the pocket...

Here are some of my purchases from the shop...

I figured this would go in Bre's bedroom; it's the Token of Love kit by The Essamplaire, and I fell in love with the Colonial-looking couple on it.

I had to have these two charts: Elizabeth Savilles and Hannah Tingey...

And the odd birds on this sampler by Scarlet Letter charmed me into buying it... (Tanya Brockmeyer convinced me to give 45 ct. a try, so I chose Lakeside's Vintage Pearled Barley, which is some of the most beautiful fabric I've ever seen. The mottling is so beautiful, I could just swim in it! I'd tried 45 ct. one other time - on Jane Rees - but I wasn't using the correct needle, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Jean told me that although I was using a beading needle, which is recommended, I needed a tapestry-point beading needle, which I didn't even know existed until I visited her shop. It truly has made all the difference!)

Each letter so far has been stitched by a different dear friend of mine. Jen came up with the idea, and I loved it. It makes the sampler so much more meaningful to me!

(Btw, I'm using my own conversion of Dinky Dyes, Belle Soie, and Gloriana silks.)

And of course, after seeing Darlene's finished sampler in person, I had to have Scarlet Letter's Vierlande Sampler. The only parts of this gorgeous Adam & Eve sampler that aren't stitched in red are their hair-do's and the serpent...

I chose 40 ct. Fern Gully by Stitches & Spice for the linen, and Gloriana's Schoolhouse Red...

Lastly, I want to show you the gorgeous party-favors that Jean's husband, John, made for each of the attendees at the Symposium.

Here is the coolest tape-measure I've ever seen! It's made of ebony wood, and John joked that it was his very first sampler, stitched over one on zero count. ;)

Each of the attendees also received one of these personalized wooden needlecases - filled with Bohin needles - that John made as well!

(If you like either or both of these, they can be ordered directly from The Attic for $40 each.)

I suppose I should get off of here and go wallow in my new stash. I intend to set aside time for stitching as well, but for now I'm content to wallow. :) See you soon!

The Attic, Part II

Yesterday I shared with you some shop photos of The Attic, and I have just a few left.. I also took some pictures during the actual Symposium, which was held at Hyatt Place (a fabulous hotel, with the nicest staff!)...

I loved this collection of beaded scissors fobs...

My mother's two loves: red and chocolate...

I'm sad I couldn't get a better angle of this red ornament; the reindeer at the bottom were so sweet!

Friday evening the Symposium began, with Vickie from Needlework Press presenting a history of Arizona samplers...

Then Darlene Andersen showed us some of her gorgeous Christmas ornaments...

And she even handed out 10 prizes to 10 lucky ladies. All 10 prizes were Adam & Eve smalls that Darlene had stitched!

After Darlene had spoken about her ornament collection, I presented my Lady's Trimkeep workshop. Earlier that day I had spent a couple of hours in my room kitting everything up and listening to Justin Bieber on my iPad (which made me work faster)...

The next day Darlene presented a powerpoint presentation on her Adam & Eve sampler collection...

And my dear friend Tracy Riffle brought the most beautiful Amish boxes to be painted, along with a tutorial on how to make a darling little teacup from cardboard and strips of paper, and a Symposium Snowdrop chart with the supplies for stitching...

Finally, Catherine Theron presented her stitcher's envelope project, which was accompanied by a stunning collection of other workshops...

Back at the shop that night, Jean had lots of delicious desserts for us...

And this is the room where we gathered after our shopping to pull our purchases out and start stitching (and eating). The sweet man in the foreground is Jean's husband, John, who made us the most amazing party favors (which I'll share soon, along with my stash acquisition)... I've met John before at a past needlework market, and he is a soft-spoken, charming man with a clever wit. When he first entered the Gathering Room, all of us looked up at him at the same time. He answered our stares with a calm, "If you look very very closely at the pattern on my shirt, you'll find an American flag."

And I wasn't going to post these next photos, but since Katrina did, then I will too. Each morning we made a Starbucks run (I believe I've met my caffeine soul sister in Miss Katrina, btw) and brought our goods back with us.

I found myself being spellbound by that iconic green mermaid being flashed at me on the paper cups, and could barely focus on the samplers in the room (think Death Star Tractor Beam, pulling me in)...

And here's Natalia (who made me wish I was a hot Spanish stitcher)...

Some of my favorite memories from the weekend will always be the time I spent with some very dear friends of mine. Each of them is like a sister to me, and I truly hope that I'm able to spend time with them again some day very soon. As I was telling sweet Jen and Tanya, needlework is a joy on its own, but so much more pleasurable when one is able to find a friend who enjoys it also.

Thank you again to Jean for inviting me to the Symposium, and also for her warm hospitality and desire to make sure everyone - designers and attendees alike - is more than satisfied and happy with their experience in the desert. ;)

The Attic, Part I

What a wonderfully perfect time I had at The Attic's 2012 Sampler Symposium! It has always been a dream of mine to visit this sampler oasis in the desert, so when Jean invited me to present a workshop there, I couldn't email my RSPV fast enough.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of being there in person, here is a glimpse of what the shop looks like...

Tracy Riffle  of Hands to Work fell in love with this one, by Midsummer Night's Designs...

Everywhere you look, you can find samplers with their Attic silk conversions next to them...

I love the details around the shop...

This is My Handworke, stitched by Jean on 45 count!

Half of The Scarlett House's Hannah Tingey, up close (one of my favorites)...

More samplers...

This one is by Threads of Gold...

This was the shop's gorgeous collection of sampler books, right behind a rack of Scarlet Letter charts...

And there was the most beautiful collection of fibers, everywhere one looked! To the east...

To the west...

The the south...

And to the north...

Another sweet design by The Scarlett House (this is Maddie Button)...

Here's another look at Sarah Munday, pictured above...

And still more samplers...

Here's a very small fraction of The Attic's gorgeous moulding selection...

I'll close with a photo of a sweet little bird, but I'll be back tomorrow with more photos from the shop and the Symposium. I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour so far!

I'm off to stitch my guts out now. ;)

Start Line

I'm so excited for 2012 and all of the stitching projects I have planned! I've been going over my mental list of all of my 2011 starts and finishes, and with the help of Miss Katrina, I've got a guide to get me through a more productive year of finishes. (Upon my begging her, she set up a "Paulette's 2012 Stitching List" for me to follow, and it's been really fun seeing how someone else would structure my stitching plans.)

Here's what I was able to finish this past year:

Frances Eden (half-stitched by the ever-knitting, ever-quilting, ever-creative Kim)...

A Dainty Housewren (started in 2010)...

I stitched the 4 Christmas ornaments I showed you back in November:

(For Breanna)

(For Sabrina)

(For Sophie)

(For Mom)

I also stitched 3 ornaments for Just Cross Stitch magazine, but I can only find 2 of the photos. I have no idea if I even photographed the 3rd one, but it's the "First Day" ornament, featuring a pear tree (and I can't remember if I put the partridge in it or not!)...

Here's the M.A. Dutch Sampler I stitched for Mom for Christmas...

And I also stitched a bit on a new design I've got coming out this next year...and for those of you who have seen this screenshot before, I am well aware of how very behind I am with this release! :(

Speaking of designs, these are the models I stitched this year (with the rest being hired out to the most wonderful model-stitchers in the world: Chris Laurion, Margaret Chess, and Nicole Neville!):

1. Beans, Beans
2. Buttons Black
3. Christmas Is Coming
4. Favorite Font Sampler
5. Favorite Spot Sampler
6. Hares' Autumn
7. Poor Maidens
8. Sergei
9. The Flood (started in 2010)
10. Turkey Love

On Christmas Eve I decided that before the holiday season was over, I wanted to spend some quiet time enjoying the lights on the tree and some Bing Crosby on the cd player, so I took out a new pattern I had just purchased from Pineberry Lane and got to work. A couple of days later, I had my last finish for 2011, and I couldn't be happier with it. What a darling design!

I loved this little tree:

The original model called for DMC floss, but I converted mine to some overdyed threads. I do love DMC, and use it for many of my personal projects, but since I didn't have all of the ones on hand for this pattern, I just pulled what I thought would look okay from what I had in the overdyeds.

Here is my conversion, in case anyone is interested:

(Fabric - I can't recall the name, but I know it was by R&R and I know it was 40 ct... I'm absolutely terrible with fabric and sampler names.)

DMC 355 - WDW Brick
DMC 612 - GAST Roasted Marshmallow
DMC 822 - GAST Oatmeal
DMC 830 - GAST Forest Glade
DMC 3021 - WDW Charcoal
DMC 3781 - GAST Wood Trail
DMC 3787 - GAST Wood Smoke

I should also include here that the name of the pattern is Bringing Home the Tree! ;) It was a sweet way to end a fun stitching year. Next year, however, I hope to get much more accomplished. I'll be referring to my list that Katrina made for me, but I would like to at least get finished 3 of the samplers I started in 2011:

Elizabeth Sheffield
James Wilson
Lucretia Maus

And it goes without saying that Dutch Beauty truly needs to be finished before I'm too old to see it any more. :(

Okay, I've yakked long enough! I'm off to get some housework done and get back to work on the kits I'm assembling for The Attic's 2012 Sampler Symposium in Mesa, AZ later this week. I'm very excited to be going and presenting a mini workshop for A Lady's Trimkeep...

For those of you who are attending, I'm excited to see you there!

The laundry calls. Back to work!

Secret Samplers

Each year, Mom and I exchange stitched samplers during the Christmas season, and it's one of our most favorite times of the year. Last year was the one exception bc we were both very, very busy and never got around to getting samplers picked out for each other. It was disappointing, to say the least, but it really couldn't be helped.

The samplers we exchange are always a secret, but keeping it a secret from each other is often the year's biggest challenge. We love to laugh at the ways we've goofed in the past, accidentally letting too much information slip so that the recipient correctly guesses what she's getting. It's still really fun and exciting though, and the laughter over the indiscretions is what makes the exchange even more memorable!

We decided to get a little dangerous this year, and we allowed each other one hint: the answer to Where will it be hung? My mother told me I'd hang mine in my hallway, and I told her she'd hang hers in her office. If I'm not mistaken, my telling her that she'd hang hers up in her office strongly suggested that the sampler was red. ;)  In contrast, her answer ("the hallway") to my question was a vague answer indeed, considering I have samplers of every sort in my hallway. (Don't think I didn't catch that, Mom.)

Anyway, we had our Holiday Sampler Exchange yesterday, and what a wonderful time it was, as usual! I went over to Mom's house and we had brunch before unwrapping our packages at the same time.  (We both try to look at our new samplers and the other's reaction at the same time, which is quite comical.)

I have to say, I think I got the better end of the deal (Mom does too, no doubt).. here's what I stitched for Mom:

It's a reproduction sampler by Threads of Gold, and it's called "M.A. Dutch Sampler." These aren't the original colors though; I decided to switch out all of the called-for threads to some red AVAS, with exception to the horse and rider. (It was this sampler that led me to start searching for horse-and-rider samplers, which then led me to hunting down Colonial Couples samplers.)

And here's the absolutely stunning, jaw-dropping sampler Mom stitched for me!

It's Dames Boarding School by Examplar Dames! She couldn't remember the silks she used on it, but trust me when I tell you they are so delicate and lovely and perfect for this piece. I just can't get over how beautiful it is!

Jill Rensel framed both of our pieces to perfection. Here's a close-up of the moulding on Dames Boarding School...

I also stitched these for Mom, and put them in this bowl that I found at my favorite country store, Weathered and Worn...

It's one of my favorite Christmas carols, and I love how Bing Crosby sings it. :)

One of my very favorite things about visiting my parents' home is the way my mom decorates for the seasons. She has such a way with the little touches here and there, and my girls love visiting just as much, for this very reason. I decided to take a few photos while I was there yesterday...

I love how she took some greenery from her back yard and put it in a jar...

You may have seen this on her blog recently.. it's a tiny little stocking by Hands to Work...

Btw, this absolutely cracks me up, every time I see it. My parents have a cozy fireplace in their basement, but since my mom isn't down there very often, she decided to download a "live" fireplace app on her iPad...

I think I caught her trying to warm her hands in front of it yesterday, when she thought I wasn't looking.

One of Sophie's favorite things at my parents' house is the Department 56 Dickens Village, set on top of a very high china cabinet. (Actually, there are many more pieces to her collection but these particular ones are the ones on the main level of the house.) My dad has them arranged in the most charming way, and at night all of the tiny windows light up...

Please excuse the blurriness in the photos. I actually was not looking through the camera to take these bc they were so far above my head. Instead, I was standing on a chair and holding the camera way above me and snapping away at who-knows-what! (Btw, notice the samplers behind the village...)

One day, I'd love to get up on a ladder and get some decent photos of all the village pieces together.

At about the time I was finished taking pictures, the man of the house came home for lunch...

I adore you, Dad. Even though you don't like the way I park my car in your driveway so that you can't pull into the garage. I can't help it if you don't have the skills to drive around me.

And Mom, I love you. Yesterday was so much fun, and I can't wait to do it again in 2012! Merry Christmas, and go pick out my next sampler. :)

P.S. It may look like she stitched a bigger sampler than I did, but that's bc she stitched hers on 11 count, and mine is on 50 count.

P.P.S. For those of you who may not know how I love to tease my mother, please know I'm only kidding.