*NEW* Nashville Releases are now Live in my Etsy!

Whew! You all knocked my socks off with your warm welcome of my new Nashville designs! It is always SO hard to estimate how many charts to take with me to Market, and I try really hard to keep it as minimal as possible, since I have to ship charts there, then pay again to ship any unsold charts back home. Well, I greatly underestimated your love of a few of my new designs, and therefore spent the entire week upon my return, filling backorders to the shops that attended.

Oh my goodness, was this year's Market ever a busy, happy, full-of-smiles-and-laughter-and-scrambling-to-keep-up weekend! I feel so blessed to get to continue to do this designing gig, which I honestly thought would never amount to more than just-for-fun. But you have turned it into a full-time job for me, and I couldn't be happier with the arrangement. You keep supporting me and I'll keep designing! Deal?

Anyway, I apologize wholeheartedly for the delay, but I finally have my 4 general-release designs now available in my etsy shop.

If you have your eye on my Prairie Life Sampler, please go seek out one of the shops that attended Market to purchase it. This chart will be exclusively available from the 150+ attendees that bought from me until sometime in early April. When I make my two new April designs available for purchase, I'll also add Prairie Life to my Etsy shop. Until then, go support my favorite shops scattered across the country (and around the world!).

Here the new designs are, in no particular order:

Queen Bee Pincushion

Stitch Count: 53 x 53
Model stitched with one thread over two on R&R Reproductions' 40ct. Patriot's Brew

Using threads from:
Classic Colorworks: Blue Corn, Tennessee Red Clay, Honeycomb, Hazelnut
The Gentle Art: Endive, Maple Syrup
Weeks Dye Works: Grasshopper, Cayenne, Molasses, Grits

Conversion to DMC included with the chart.

Pincushion base by Lone Elm Lane:
4” Shaker Round in Timber Brown

Trims by Lady Dot Creates:
Rick Rack in Mother Lode
Mini-Pom in Sandy Gold

Model was stuffed with 2 ounces of pure sheep's wool.

Thou God Seest Me

Stitch Count: 86 x 91
Model stitched with one thread over two on 28 ct. mystery linen that was coffee stained by myself.

With threads from Classic Colorworks: Cinnamon Toast, Hazelnut

The Gentle Art: Brethren Blue, Caramel Corn, Endive, Ruby Slipper

Weeks Dye Works: Palomino
Conversion to DMC included with the chart.


The frame was found at a local thrift store, then refinished by me.

Coffee Bean Sampler; the Magical Elixir Series #4

Stitch Count: 119 x 171
Model stitched with one thread over two on R & R 36ct. Plum Street Blend
Stitches used: Counted Cross Stitch

Weeks Dye Works: Grasshopper
The Gentle Art: Maple Syrup, Dark Chocolate, Apple Cider, Picnic Basket, Caramel Corn, Ruby Slipper
Classic Colorworks: Hazelnut

Conversion to DMC included inside.

The lovely frame is an antique.

Festive Little Fobs #Three, the Stitching Edition

Stitch Count Varies: Approximately 30 x 30 or smaller for each fob

Models stitched with one thread over two
on Weeks Dye Works’ 36ct. Parchment

Using threads from Weeks Dye Works:
Fawn, Mocha, Havana, Red Rocks, Bluecoat Red, Lichen, Blue Jeans, Oscar, Confederate Gray, Mascara

Conversion to DMC included with the chart.

Additional Materials Suggested:
US Silver Dollar
Acid Free Card Stock
Felted Wool
Rick Rack, Mini Pom, Chenille, Braided Floss, Seam Binding, or other ribbon-type finishing notion
Large Lobster Clasp

A Girl to Call His Own

At nearly 16 years, he is much, much older than she. She is aware that his life may not last many more seasons, and therefore takes every opportunity for love and cuddles. He's lived his entire life in the great outdoors, putting on thick coats of fur in Winter and shedding down to a minimum in the Summer. He has hidey holes in so many places, and favorite cat-nap spots that change with the seasons. He regularly munches on wild prey, but always away from the front porch, which suits us all just fine.

He had a brother and a dog to keep him company in his youth, but I think he is happiest now that he has his very own girl that loves him with her whole heart.

Market Day at Acorns and Threads

At Acorns and Threads' Market Day, I met famous people!

If you don't already recognize these two lovely ladies, then you're missing out. They can be found on FlossTube under the names "Pretty Southern" and "Kindred Stitcher".

I spent a few hours in Jeannine's lovely shop, chatting with shoppers and trying to put in a few stitches myself (unsuccessfully). If you want to see what I took with me to the shop, you can watch this video clip on the Pretty Southern FlossTube channel:

Nashville Needlework Market 2018

It hardly seems possible when Market time arrives, that it has been a full year since the last trip. It felt a bit more relaxed, preparing to go this year; I finally got smart and started hiring a friend to help with chart folding. With five new designs again, it was essential to save my fingers from countless paper cuts.

In addition to the new designs, I always like to take along some of my previous year's releases plus old-but-still-good designs that might be new to some. This equals LOTS of trips to the copy shop, LOTS of visits to my cover printer, and LOTS of folding, stuffing, packing.

I happened to schedule travel very close to the same time as my local needlework shop owner, Jeannine of Acorns and Threads. We arranged to meet for coffee post-security; it was nice to sit bleary-eyed together, in the wee hours of the morning, catching up and chatting about life and industry happenings. I truly treasure the friendships that I have the privilege to build because of being part of the Cross Stitch Nation.

My bare-bones hotel suite is always a bit of a challenge to whip into shape, but with an entire day, and the help of my loyal companion Donna, it becomes a fun-filled day. We have such a great system now, having done this together for a few years, that we felt we had it completely under control, and took a few hours to go antique shopping in the middle of the day. Over-confidence is not always my best friend. It was a mad scramble to get finished that afternoon, and we mistakenly decided that it would be a good idea to save the pre-order packing for the next morning.

Friday night Early Bird shopping seemed rather quiet this year; a conversation that came up repeatedly; I was a bit worried about the entire weekend being a bust. But I found out later that the shop owners were certainly out in force, but they were all grabbing up fabrics as fast as they could, saving the pattern shopping for later. The tale has been told that anyone that had linen there was pretty much wiped out of inventory by the end of the evening on Friday. Shopping frenzy, anyone?

I had my camera in hand, as I made my rounds on Friday evening. Only about half of the rooms are open for early shopping, so I missed many opportunities to do more than gaze longingly through windows. But I did get out a bit on Sunday afternoon to visit those that I missed. I was woefully neglectful of that camera though, and as I went back through my pictures this morning, kept saying to myself, "where are the pictures of Paulette's room?" I have no clue. I think I might have been too busy chatting with my friend to lift my camera to my face.

But I did get pictures of quite a few other lovelies...

Blackbird Designs

With Thy Needle and Thread

Erica Michaels Designs

Kathy Barrick

La-D-Da

The Nebby Needle

Primitive Hare

Rovaris

Sampling of Memories

Scarlett House

Stacy Nash

Saturday morning dawned clear and warm, and the enormity of the pre-order list caught up to me rather quickly. Donna and I started hurriedly packing bags, but it was becoming clear that we would not be finished on time for the doors to open. Thankfully, my Sunday helper Anne, popped in to say hello and jumped into action, helping us get ready.

And it's a good thing. I don't think I have ever experienced a day as full and busy as that first day of Market this year. Maybe back when I worked retail on Black Friday. Maybe. I was so very thankful for my two helpers sticking it out with me. I could not have managed without them!

Which will hopefully serve as an explanation (not an excuse) for my woeful lack of further photos of the rest of the weekend. Other than a couple of blurry pictures of meals that I didn't want to forget, there are no group photos, no selfies with friends, not even pocket photos taken accidentally during the rush.

It was an amazing weekend, full of laughter and genuine connections with fellow stitchers. I truly treasure my time in Nashville each year. I love the ability to network and sit face to face with shop owners and designers and fabric dyers. I love the atmosphere of creativity. I love the inspiration that I always bring home with me. It is a not-to-be-missed experience for sure.

Thank you to everyone that stopped in for a visit. Thank you to all of the shop owners and helpers that spent countless hours on your feet. You all fuel my tanks each year and keep my creative juices flowing. I hope this industry continues to grow and provide me with a place to call home for another twenty years or more. I think I could easily keep doing this for a good long while.

A special something to show you... I was contacted shortly after the last Market, by Shannon White, a lovely stitcher who wondered if it would be possible to stitch my entire flock of birds (The Bird Collection, Parts I-IV) on one piece of linen. Knowing that their sizes were not uniform, I played around in my software program for awhile, rearranging them like a jigsaw puzzle until I arrived at a large circular arrangement that balanced very nicely.

Fast forward a few months and a couple thousand miles, she met up with me at the hotel and allowed me to display her work of art all weekend.

I know, right?

Don't you just love it!? She plans to find a large round frame to display it in.

And now for the very good news... If you have purchased all 4 booklets in the Bird Collection series, and can send me a photo of you holding them, I will send you a PDF chart of this special large arrangement, so you can stitch them up all together in one flock. Shannon is proof that it can be done in less than a year. Who's in?

Now, in an effort to make up for the fact that my pictures are a bit lacking... I've started contributing to the FlossTube world over on YouTube. If you haven't discovered this rabbit hole of cross stitch wonderful-ness yet, prepare yourself. And then, after you've prepared yourself, go watch this video, in which I talk about Market and show you what I brought home with me:


And then, after you've watched this, go watch everyone else out there in FlossTube land.

You're welcome.

Two Februarys

Way-too-early buds and blossoms (the daffodil was purchased, but the other blooms came of their own accord), growing grass that had to be mowed, sunshine as well as rain.

Then... suddenly, Winter came. After a season bereft of snow, it came and came and came. And we were glad.