Two New Designs

Oh my...it's been a very long time since I posted on my blog! I am still here though and am happy to show you my two newest designs. The first is called Flowers For Sale and the second is called Fourth Of July Sampler. Both are available as PDF downloads in my Etsy shop just in case you'd like to stitch one (or both!) for yourself.

I hope you have all been staying well during this really stressful time. My stitching has helped me more than I can ever say and I am thankful every day for my needle and thread plus eyes that can still see to stitch.

Happy Stitching!
Sandy

Molly Bean Christmas Sampler

I love the simplicity of old marking samplers. Something about them just speaks to my heart so I decided to design a simple little one for Christmas. It is called "Molly Bean Christmas Sampler" and is available as a pattern in my Etsy shop. I hope you like it!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that Christmas will be following close behind.  I'm not sure where this year has gone but here we are almost at the end of it! Wishing you all a peaceful season as we head into what can sometimes be an overwhelming time of year.

Happy stitching!
Sandy

Autumn Stitching

Happy Sunday to you all! I have been absent from my blog for far too long and do want to apologize. I somehow find myself on Facebook more and more these days and less and less on Blogger. Has anyone else noticed themselves doing the same thing?

I'm having a great stitching summer so far and am currently working on some new projects for fall. Many of you have asked if the autumn pillow tucks I designed last year would ever be available as patterns so I am happy to announce that these are all now ready in my Etsy shop. It's never too early to start stitching pumpkins so here are "Harvest Home", "Pumpkin Patch", and "Halloween Sampler":

I also recently designed a little sampler called "Elizabeth Adams Marking Sampler" that would look perfect mixed in with a bowl of autumn pillow tucks. The pattern for this one is also available in my Etsy shop.

Our weather here in California is sunny and WARM today but I am going to do my best to think about cool autumn days just around the corner...I can't wait!

Happy stitching!

Sandy

Welcome July

Happy July! I just updated my Early Work Mercantile page with two new pillow tucks. The first one is a sweet new design by Country Rustic Primitives called "Toy Soldier Pillow Tuck". This one was SO much fun to stitch and I am really pleased with how it turned out.

The second piece is a little marking sampler pillow I created myself using 19th century alphabet motifs. It is called "Abigail Pryor Marking Sampler".  I don't really consider myself too much of a cross stitch designer but I love putting these little pillows together using old alphabet charts. I hope you like it!

Happy stitching!
Sandy

Frances Emilene McNeely Marking Sampler

I never met my Great Grandma but think I would have been fascinated to hear her talk about her life's story and the times in which she lived. Frances Emilene McNeely was born in 1862 in a little rural community of southwest Missouri. She grew up during our country's Civil War and the Reconstruction years that followed...how exciting and sometimes terrifying those times must have been for a little child to experience.

I created my marking sampler in her memory using antique alphabet charts from the 19th century. She was an expert needlewoman so I like to imagine that she began her sewing skills working on a sampler something like this one.

I unfortunately don't have a photo of my Great Grandma but am lucky to own an old salt cellar that belonged to her. I keep it filled with cinnamon sticks instead of salt but I don't think she'd mind! I also have her English ironstone pitcher which is a real beauty. These are treasured items in my home and are of course very special to me.

I hope you are lucky enough to be stitching on something that makes you smile and is close to your heart!!!

Happy stitching!
Sandy

A Log Cabin Christmas

We are having "A Log Cabin Christmas" over at Early Work Mercantile this month so I wanted to tell you all about it here.  There are some wonderful offerings this time around made by some very talented artists...Hope you can stop by if you get the chance!

I stitched a couple of pinkeeps for the celebration and decided to turn them into Christmas ornaments. One is a design by Country Rustic Primitives called "Primitive Night Before Christmas Pinkeep" and the other is a simple marking sampler designed by With My Needle called "Quaker Pinkeep". These were fun to stitch (love that Santa!) but I still can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner!

On another note, I recently opened up a shop on Etsy which is something I have thought about doing for quite a while.  I have a few items listed but hope to have lots more in the weeks to come. There is a link to my shop on my right sidebar if you'd like to take a peek.

Happy November!
Sandy

Early Work Mercantile Update

Happy August! I just updated my Early Work Mercantile page with a cupboard hanger I stitched and wanted to share it with you here.  I adapted my little cupboard hanger from a pattern by Homespun Samplar called "The Marking Sampler" and am really pleased how it came out. I even managed to stitch one over one on half of this piece which is something I usually don't like to do but, this time, I actually had fun!

I hope you are all having a good summer. I have to confess that I am ready for autumn and have several Halloween samplers in the works. There's something about stitching pumpkins and witches that helps me keep cool :)

Happy stitching!
Sandy

1841 Marking Sampler

I recently finished this reproduction marking sampler and am really pleased how it came out! I decided to frame this one myself...it wasn't as hard to do as I thought it would be so guess I won't be messing with the framers much any more!

I found the pattern in the 1988 book Traditional American Crafts published by Better Homes and Gardens and couldn't resist stitching it. The original piece was created by Nancy Agness McGlaughlin back in 1841 when she was just ten years old. Don't you just love those letter Ns all stitched backwards???

Happy stitching!

Sandy

Early Work Mercantile Time

Here we are at the beginning of another new month which means it is time to show you my latest Early Work Mercantile offerings. For the month of May, I decided to stitch a wonderful design by Stacy Nash called "Fancy Brown Sewing Pouch". I've had this pattern for a while but am so glad I finally got around to making it. Stacy's designs are just amazing and always fun to work on :)

My second offering is for a pinkeep designed by Country Rustic Primitives. It is called "Primitive Sampler Style Pinkeep". I always love Jenny's designs and also school girl samplers so this was a really fun piece to stitch. Both the pouch and the pinkeep are stitched on linen and then antiqued for a warm primitive finish.

These will be posted later this evening if you happen to be in the Early Work neighborhood and care to take a peek! There are some amazing artists on the Early Work site and the list just keeps growing and growing. I am pleased and honored to be a part of such a talented group of artisans.

 Thanks so much and...Happy May!
 Sandy

Rachael Hawkes Sampler

I finally finished stitching this wonderful sampler designed by Linda Gillon of Primitive Things and wanted to share it with you. The pattern is called "Rachael Hawkes" and is only one of many amazingly primitive samplers that Linda has to offer. I stitched mine on linen using cotton floss and really love how it turned out. This was my first of Linda's designs to try but it definitely won't be my last. After all, one can never have too many samplers in the house!!!


I hope everyone is keeping cool during all the heat that seems to be everywhere. Aren't these hot days of summer just perfect for staying inside and stitching???

Sandy

Marking Sampler Pinkeep

I had a lot of fun designing this simple little pinkeep using letters I found on an old 1830s alphabet chart. I stitched it on linen and then stuffed it with wool for more of an authentic finish.

The backing fabric is a reproduction calico with teeny tiny blue flowers and is a fabric that I really love. I decided to antique the piece just a little for a nice vintage feel and am happy to say that I got the look that I was going for.....always a nice way to end up a project :)

Here's wishing everyone a happy weekend!!!
Sandy

Martha Mortenson Sampler

I bought this Scarlet Letter sampler kit many years ago and am happy to say that I finally got around to completing it :) The description of the piece as written by the Scarlet Letter reads:

The Martha Mortenson Sampler is a simple, early 19th century New England marking sampler, whereby the young girl practiced her lettering and stitches in preparation for marking actual household linens in her career as a maid or housewife. It is worked on 25 count, unbleached, natural linen, in faded hues...

My favorite samplers of all to stitch are those based on antiques. I guess that's mainly because I love to imagine what that first little girl was thinking about when she made the same stitches as me all those years ago. Was she at home or at school? Was she alone or surrounded by her family? Did she enjoy the work or was it more of a chore? I find imagining the answers fascinating.

Here's an illustration from The Workwoman's Guide, first published in 1838 England, of a classroom full of little girls learning to make the stitches they will use for the rest of their lives. Is it just me, or do you wonder too if Martha was in a classroom just like this one...

Happy stitching, everyone!!!
Sandy

1872 Sampler

I found the pattern for this reproduction 1872 sampler in the September 2006 issue of "Cross-Stitch & Needlework" and just had to stitch it. I know that 1872 is well past the heyday of sampler making in America so found this piece a little intriguing. Interestingly, even as early as 1834, Mrs. L. Maria Child wrote in The Girl's Own Book that:

Indelible ink is now so much in use, that the general habit of marking samplers is almost done away: but like many other old-fashioned things, it is a very good thing. There are times in everybody's life when it is convenient to know how to mark the letters of the alphabet; good taste may be shown in it, as well as in other branches of needle-work; and, at all events, it is a safe and pretty employment for idle little fingers.

I love stitching these old samplers and this one was especially fun to work on. I initially thought I might get bored using just a single color of floss throughout but that didn't happen at all. The frame is actually one I already had but I think it looks like it was made to go with this piece. I love it when that happens!

Happy stitching!
Sandy