Red

Everywhere I turn lately, it seems like red is the prominent color (besides the ubiquitous green, I suppose).

Red flowers, red shirts, red berries.

And yes, red Solo cups.

Kids Were Here

Progress Report

In the midst of all of the busy-ness lately, I've still managed to put in time most days on that big ol' sampler I'm working up. I'm going to have to really buckle down if I'm going to finish in time though. I really only have one more month to go, because I just realized that the needlework show in St. Charles coincides with my self-imposed release date. How cool would that be? To be able to send it to Norden Crafts to display in their booth for everyone to see would be the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae.

Send me all the anti-frog, greased-lightning-fingers stitcher vibes you can spare!

Lately

There hasn't been much time lately for anything other than just getting by with what task was screaming loudest at me to be taken care of. My goodness, you all totally caught me off guard with your overwhelming support of my Sweet Land of Liberty pincushion pattern. I have never had a response even *close*. To say I've been up to my neck in orders this past week is an understatement! Thank you! I guess it would be safe to say that you like patriotic smalls, eh?

I have managed to take some pictures in between tasks. Taking pictures has always soothed me and helped me take deep breaths. Whenever I'm overwhelmed in any way, all I have to do is grab my camera and wander around outside for a few minutes and when I come back to the house I feel like I've had a mini vacation.

As I type this, it is raining buckets outside and the kids of Summer (day two!) are playing My Sims on the wii and giggling together. The laundry is in process with a huge pile already waiting to be folded. My coffee is cold and lunch is late, but I'm getting caught up, and that feels good.

Poppies :: Daylilies :: Sugared Rhubarb :: Tiny :: Brave :: Relax :: Japanese Iris :: Sunflower Seeds :: AAAAH Don't Eat Me! :: Band Tail Pigeons :: Thyme :: Rhubarb Freezer Jam :: The Kids of Summer

*NEW* Sweet Land of Liberty Pincushion

***UPDATE (6/13): Now that I've finished filling all of the original orders, I can safely say that I now have some alternate kits left. I just finished listing them in my etsy shop. Once they are gone, there will be no more, so if you were hoping for one, hurry on over! 

***UPDATE (6/7): You all have knocked my socks off with your orders for this pattern! I'm going to be printing up invoices and packing orders for days! I am currently sold out of kits, but have found some alternate fabric choices that I'll make available to those of you that have asked. I'll be working my way down through the waiting list over the next few days, so be sure to contact me if you want a kit. I'm pretty sure that once this weekend is over there will no longer be any options left that closely resemble the original.***

“My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, also known as “America”, is a patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831, while he was a student at the Andover Theological Seminary. His friend Lowell Mason had asked him to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks or to write new lyrics. The melody caught his attention, and he penned the words in thirty minutes.

My country, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!

A quick and easy little project to add to your seasonal displays, this pin cushion will stir your patriotic heart each time you look at it.

Stitch Count: 105 x 54
Model stitched on Picture this Plus 32ct. Mello
Using floss from The Gentle Art: 0511 Country Redwood, 7025 Shaker White, 7048 Old Hickory, 7055 Uniform Blue, 7080 Endive

Recommended Additional Materials:
*1 small piece of cotton quilting fabric for backing
*2 small squares of cotton quilting fabric for patches
*28 inches chenille trim for outer edge
Pincushion filling of your choice

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will be going out to my distributors and the shops on my automatic shipments list soon. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com


I have a limited number of kits available in my shop as well. The kits will include the three cotton pieces needed to back the pincushion and the chenille trim for the outer edge.