Life is...

...a story. Every single one is worth the telling.

 

*NEW* Cross Stitch Nation

During my recent trip to Nashville for the yearly cross-stitch Market, I went to a writer’s round to hear some local songwriters performing their original music. I was able to meet them before the show (it was a very un-crowded venue, and one of the writers was a childhood friend). Apparently, they found the reason I was in town to be intriguing, because there was an impromptu rendition of one of their songs mid-way through the evening, that included a reference to the Cross Stitch Nation. I knew immediately that I needed to use that phrase in a design.

Consider this our very own stitched anthem, to be displayed proudly above your stitching chair or on your sewing room door:  I belong to the Cross Stitch Nation.

I realize that although I created a few different body types and hair colors, I didn’t represent the demographics of our nation very well in that all of the people have pale skin. Please feel free to customize one or all of the skin/hair combinations to reflect you and your local stitching group, or online stitching bffs. I did it that way to keep the color palette simple, but would love to see what variations you bring to your version of this design.


Stitch Count: 200 x 83
Model stitched with one thread over two
on Silkweaver 32ct. Wexford “Midas’ Touch”

Weeks Dye Works:
Charlotte’s Pink, Fathom, Red Rocks

The Gentle Art:
Endive, Lambswool, Mountain Mist, Mustard Seed, Picnic Basket

Classic Colorworks:
Eggshell, Hazelnut, Muddy Puddle

Conversion to DMC included,
as well as an alphabet and number set for customization.

The frame was found at a thrift store.

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

Lately

Grape Hyacinths, Spring Break, Easter celebrations, frost on the Daffodils, brilliant sunshine, blossoming orchards, a new handbag (much deserved, after lugging the last one for nearly six years), antique shopping, stitching, and all the regular things that somehow don't ever get photographed.

Life is good.

Life is...

...waking up an hour early to live an hour more.

In the Middle of March

Everything seems poised on the edge of bursting in the middle of March.

Buds swell on branch and vine.

The color saturation in grass blade and winter leaf
gets a boost each time the sun's rays peek through the almost certain canopy of clouds.

Water droplets cling to every available surface, magnifying the places where they rest.

There are baby chicks and muddy dogs and plenty of wet days for sitting inside and stitching.

But soon the days will warm and the sun will shine more often than not, and this girl will have a lot of yard work to catch up on. I wish the middle March days of promise would linger just a little bit longer.

Feniscowles Hall Update

It was brought to my attention this morning that in all of the rush of details getting ready for Market, I completely forgot to add the skein count for thread colors needed for this design.

I am SO sorry!

All colors, if stitched with one thread over two like the model, will only use one skein with the exception of the two greens used in the lawn.

You will need 3 skeins of Oscar and 2 skeins of Grasshopper.

I have updated my files, and any charts printed from this time forward will have the correct quantities on the materials list.

DMC Conversions and Tutorials

I have added some new tabs to my blog. Both can be found just above the most current post, right under the blog header image.

The DMC Conversions tab contains a list of conversions for designs that don't include the conversion on their chart cover. If you don't see one that you need listed, please contact me, and I will get it added. A few of you have asked for a conversion for my recent release, Feniscowles Hall. That conversion is included on the new page now.

The Tutorials tab contains a list of links to all of the pdf tutorials that I have ever made available with purchase of pattern. They are almost all design- specific, but feel free to apply the techniques I use to any design that you are so inclined.

Spring Song

Every Spring, as the birds start to return, I hear a certain song that I hadn't been able to identify until this year. The singer has been rather elusive and hard to spot, but recently, I heard it singing so enthusiastically from the side of the yard, that I grabbed my camera and snuck around the corner to try to capture a picture. It was so focused on its song that it didn't seem to be bothered at all as I got closer and closer.

Still, this is all that I was able to capture:

You can just barely see it there, just to the right of center. But if you zoom in on the picture as close as it will allow:

At last! With a body shape, markings, and song, I can go to the internet and figure it out. I now know that this particular favorite is a Song Sparrow.

Someone else posted this clip on youtube. I'm sharing it so you can see just how they put their heart and soul into their music. Someone ought to cut a record deal for this fella:

*Now Available* Feniscowles Hall 1824

I struggled a bit with what to title this sampler, knowing that the name of the Hall would be a challenge to many. But the location is real, and the lovestory it commemorates is dear to my heart, so I opted to leave it as is.

Although this sampler is an original design and (sadly) not a reproduction of a family heirloom, the names, location, date, and quote are real. In 1824, an unlikely engagement took place between the eldest daughter of wealthy mill owners and the local vicar. Not only was he considered to be of a lower class, he had an additional shadow over his name, being the son of a bankrupt father (who fled to America to avoid prison).

It is a story well-documented and preserved in letters and journals, a story of two young people who married for love, and against all social protocol of their time. It is a story that has fascinated my imagination for nearly a decade now, and knowing that it happened in my own family tree makes me happy and proud.

My Great –Great (add a few more greats) Grandparents, John William Whittaker and Mary Haughton Feilden overcame all odds and went on to bring 9 children into the world. His career as a vicar of Blackburn Parish in Lancashire, England was by all accounts noteworthy, and although I have only had the privilege to read journals leading up to her marriage, Mary’s personality comes across clearly in her early writing. I wish I had known them both.

The house depicted in the sampler is my best effort of reproducing an old photograph of Mary’s childhood home, Feniscowles Hall. It was surrounded by trees and a deer park, with the river running nearby.

At the end of her life, after her beloved husband had passed away, she wrote in a letter to her children: “Oh what his love was to me from the first! … How my life became happy and complete … No one but himself will ever know how dearly I loved your Father. We were more precious each to each than any thing on Earth...”



Although you are more than welcome to stitch this sampler as charted, complete with my ancestor’s names and date, I included a full alphabet and number set so that you can customize it for yourself or to commemorate a marriage in your own family. I’m pretty sure John and Mary wouldn’t mind.



Stitch Count: 253 x 183

Model stitched on R&R Reproductions’ 32 count Heartstring Blend with one thread over two strands of linen.

Using flosses from Weeks Dye Works: Havana, Flatfish, Grape Vine, Oscar
And from Classic Colorworks: Straw Hat
And from The Gentle Art: Grasshopper, Mountain Mist, Old Hickory, Piney Woods, Ruby Slipper

Conversion to DMC available upon request.

The lovely frame is by Valley House Primitives: Profile: MCN, Color: Coffee Bean, Design: Small Swirl with Corner Fans


This design is now available in my etsy shop, and is already in the hands of my distributors and the shops that attended Nashville Market last weekend. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com

*Now Available* The Bird Collection, Part I

This booklet is the first in a collection which will highlight my favorite Pacific Northwest birds. I will release them in groups of three, and will total at least twelve birds by the time I finish, but I might just keep the collection open and expand beyond my own territory to include yours. Perhaps some of these birds are new to you, or perhaps they also live in your area. Either way, I hope you enjoy taking off on this feathered journey along with me.


All models stitched on Picture This Plus 32ct. Wren with one thread over two.

American Goldfinch: Stitch Count: 59 x 93
Threads: The Gentle Art: Old Red Paint, *Pecan Pie, Brandy, *Ohio Lemon Pie, Grecian Gold, *Shaker White, *Raven, *Piney Woods

Blackheaded Grosbeak: Stitch Count: 69 x 57
Threads: The Gentle Art: Cornhusk, *Barn Grey, *Pecan Pie, *Ohio Lemon Pie, *Endive, Pumpkin Pie, *Shaker White, *Raven, Toffee, *Piney Woods

Mourning Dove: Stitch Count: 97 x 62
Threads: The Gentle Art: Cornhusk, *Barn Grey, *Endive, Weathered Barn, Harvest Basket, Brethren Blue, Woodrose, Parchment, *Pecan Pie, *Piney Woods


*Flosses with an asterisk are used in more than one of the designs, but you will only need one skein total for entire booklet.

DMC conversion provided inside chart cover.

The frames were thrifted and then refinished by me. Tutorial available on request.

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and is already in the hands of my distributors and the shops that attended Nashville Market last weekend. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com