Saturday Stitches

Never Let You Go

Lately

Early sunsets far to the Southern horizon, those two sweetest faces, the return of Winter's birds and frost, a Thankfulness Tree, piano ivories waiting to be tickled, artwork and chores, the Farmboy's abandoned coffee mug, frozen birdbath, steaming pasta pot, fifteen years' wear on the handrail, a warm fire, my instrument of choice, and a little something wintery for your desktop background.

What is Love?

Passion?

Emotion?

Commitment?

Sacrifice?

Intention?

Joy?

Beauty?

“There is no greater love than this: 

that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.”

John 15:13 

Speaking of Coffee... and Mugs...

I added another design to my listing for mug graphics... the much-loved Never Let You Go.

As before, with the Baby, Its Cold Outside mugs, you can either purchase the graphic through my etsy shop for $5 and take it to your own place to have made into mugs, or you can order completed mugs by contacting me via email (beth@heartstringsamplery.com).

If you choose to order a finished mug directly through me, I will work up an invoice for you based on where you live, for accurate sales tax and shipping charges. Cost per mug will be $14 plus state tax, and shipping (within the US) is $4.95 for the first mug, $1.50 for each additional mug... don't worry, I'll do all the calculations for you and send an invoice to reflect the total... just wanted to give you the ability to guess a ballpark figure.

These would be perfect for Valentine gifts, or "just-because" gifts, or for YOURSELF, to enjoy while you stitch.

Ready... Set... Shop!

Resonating

Good morning Chiclets! Your pattern orders kept me hopping like a bunny all weekend... a huge, resounding THANK YOU! I never know when a particular design is going to strike a chord with the stitching world, and Never Let You Go certainly has. I am honored that you like it as much as you do.

I hope you had a truly lovely Easter Sunday with whomever and wherever you were. After a not-so-great start... literally... our car wouldn't start... we piled up, in our Resurrection Day finery, like a bunch of hill-billies in the cab of our pickup truck, and rumbled off to church.

I love celebrating with my church family on Easter Sunday. It just feels right in my bones, to be together, singing and celebrating on such a meaningful day.

Back we went, stacked like cord-wood into the pickup, for a bouncy and cuddly drive to spend the afternoon with family.

There was BLUE SKY AND SUNSHINE, lots of yummy food, kiddos scampering about searching for Daddy-hid eggs... did I mention that they were scampering about in the sunshine?

Other than a bunch of Oregonians being suddenly inundated with an exuberant bursting-forth of pollen particles, it was a perfectly perfect day.

Family... celebrating... LIFE ETERNAL... sunshine... laughter... talk of tilling and planting and baby chicks... did I mention laughter?  Behold, it was good.

It was like the global and Heavenly celebration of our Redemption was resonating in the very air, wrapping our souls in a warm, boisterous hug.

The absence of our dearly loved one was bittersweet, knowing that he would have enjoyed the day so very much, but also knowing that his celebration was joined with ours, but from a much better Place.

*NEW* Never Let You Go

This sampler spent a very long time in the designing phase. It is a combination of several different motifs charted, then saved for later. Arranged together first one way, then another, until… there! I deemed it ‘just right’.

The verse that hovers in between the angels is from I John 4:18 in the King James Version of the Bible, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

The phrase in the next section reads:
“I wish I was a little seed I’d grow & grow & grow
I’d twine myself around your heart and never let you go.”

With the exception of the antennae on the butterfly, the entire sampler is worked with cross stitches, using one thread. The Scripture verse (0410 Tarnished Gold), quote, name and date (7092 Otter Creek) are worked over-one, while the rest of the sampler is worked over-two.

Stitch Count: 201 x 228
Model stitched on Northern Cross 35ct. Cream linen which was coffee stained prior to stitching.

Using flosses from The Gentle Art: 0130 Avocado, 0410 Tarnished Gold, 0460 Grecian Gold, 7018 Woodrose, 7019 Pomegranate, 7060 Picnic Basket, 7061 Caramel Corn, 7080 Endive, 7092 Otter Creek

And flosses from Weeks Dye Works: 1108 Honeysuckle, 1127 Skinny Dip, 2199 Tarragon

The frame was thrifted then sized to fit.

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

Seven Glimpses

Waiting for fabric, needing to be stitched, framed, or finished.

My workbasket is full.

Two antique reproductions, and five born of my imagination.

Seven new designs being prepared for you for the first half of 2012.

Just when I think I may run out of ideas, a perfect storm arrives and I have enough to last another year.

Please don't get tired of stitching my dears, because I doubt I will ever get tired of designing.

On My Counter

Alternate title: Still Life with Coffee, Sampler, and Hot Wheels.

We were having a meaningful conversation this morning, my Boy and I, in which he revealed that every afternoon he stands up with his class and they "say some words". Words that turned out to be the entire Pledge of Allegiance, which I had no idea he had memorized, but which he then recited to me, in entirety. A conversation in which he also revealed that two of his friends, amazingly, also like the Cars movies, but that one of them hasn't seen Cars 2 yet. And that he had a dream that I was rocking our Girl when she was a baby, and then I disappeared, and he had to take care of her after that.

Then abruptly, he ran off, abandoning his Hot Wheels and sippy cup. And a weekly bring-home envelope from school, with a newsletter from his Teacher, and a multi-colored bear.

And me. Still reeling from the information bombardment. Loving the reeling, loving the bombardment.

So this is what it is like, being separated for hours at a time, gaining independent experiences.

Now it is me and that teacup.
All sunny, and a good yellow, I found it perched under glass at my Goodwill.
When it was still there a week later, I knew it was meant to be.

Coffee tastes really good sipped from English china.

Then there is that in-the-works sampler.
With yet another house.
I really do love samplers with houses... I hope you do too.

This one needs some color tweaking, so the piles of floss will join it on the counter soon.

Right after the bedding goes out on the line, and the beans get picked.

Its going to be a good day.