*NEW* Narrow Escape

You almost can’t see him there, bounding off into the forest, freshly escaped from the arrows of the hunters. But in my mind, that is exactly what is happening. I’m married to a hunter, and don’t mind that he goes off each Autumn in search of some wild venison for our freezer, but there’s always that part of me that is glad when he is unsuccessful, and I can know that somewhere out there is one majestic antlered animal that escaped for another year.

The image that inspired this design was found on Gutenberg.org in a publication called, “Children’s Books and their Illustrators” by Gleeson White. The woodcutting itself dates back to an 18th century English chap-book and bore the title, “The True Tale of Robin Hood”.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours I spent charting, revising, stitching, frogging, and re-stitching this design. I almost completely abandoned it at one point along the way, but was encouraged by Kathy Barrick to finish it, and since I completely trust her opinion on things cross-stitchy, I kept plugging along. The idea was born in 2009, and it just now is finally ready for you, in the Fall of 2015. It is very different from my usual designs, but I have a love for old woodcuttings and am always fascinated by the solidly-stitched pictorial needlework masterpieces of the earliest days of this art form. This is my attempt to pay homage to those needleworkers of long ago. I hope it strikes the fancy of a few of you out there, so that all those hours I invested won’t be in vain!

A special thank you to Jane Lemm, who put in some of the stitching on this dense piece. She wasn’t able to do much, but every stitch she put in for me meant time that my hands were free to work on another design.


The model was entirely cross-stitched with one thread over two.

Stitch Count: 295 x 221
Linen used: Picture This Plus’ 36ct. Spice

Threads from Weeks Dye Works: Linen, Skinny Dip, Guacamole, Havana, Mocha, Molasses, Tarragon (2), Curry, Sanguine

And from The Gentle Art: Mulberry, Grecian Gold, Country Redwood, Brethren Blue, Cidermill Brown, Sarsparilla, Tin Bucket, Apple Cider (2), Pumpkin Pie, Caramel Corn, Cucumber, Endive (4), Piney Woods (2), Espresso Bean

Conversion to DMC included with the chart.

The frame is an antique.

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

Last of the Warm Days

These photos were all taken during the first half of October, when the days were still more pleasant than stormy, when there were more flowers than colorful leaves, when I could get away with sitting barefoot along the driveway stitching while the kids rode their bikes.

Those days are over now, it would seem. It has been nothing but rain and wind and damp for the past ten days with nothing but the same in the forecasted future. Now we turn our pursuits toward the cozy indoor activities and try to not long for the out of doors too much.

The lovely decorated porch that you'll see further down in this post was a surprise gift from the Farmboy and kids. I spent a few Saturday hours running errands and came home to find this festive display. That guy can still surprise me 15 years later; I count myself very blessed.

Homegrown Salsa, Before and After :: Geranium :: Honeysuckle :: Hydrangea :: Dahlia :: George and the Chicken :: Hello, Son :: First of the Changing Leaves :: Autumn Yardwork :: Sunflower :: the Neighbors :: My Monkeys :: Holding Hands :: Racing the Neighbor :: Black Kitty and Pumpkins :: They Love Each Other :: Asparagus Berries :: They Love Each Other Too :: Sun on My Toes :: Training Wheels :: All Boy

Lately

Japanese Iris, Crabapples, and Warm Afternoon Sun... Full Moon, Brilliant Colors, and Mushrooms the Size of Dessert Plates... Hydrangeas, Bananagrams, and the Frilly Underside of Fungii... Blazing Red, Autumn Barn, and Threads Pulled for a New Sampler... Playing Kids, Pearly Everlasting, and Black Kitty Fur Soaking in Final Rays of Sun.