Gotta Love Great Service

I almost waited too long to order my frame for The Yellow Rose Sampler! But thanks to email and the amazing service from Tamara and Bob at The Stitches in Time on-line shop I am ready to wrap this baby and give it to Mom! They went out of their way to get it to me quickly since they are at the Celebration of Needlework show in New Hampshire this weekend, but knew I wanted it for Mother's Day. Big thank you to them.

 

So I'm back to working on the Moroccan sampler. It's been a little slow this week, but I'm still making progress and still loving it. 

I've been busy making laying tools for an order from the on-line needlework show a couple of week ago. Tracey at Threaded Needle Designs distributes my beaded needlework tools and she's kind enough to show them when she does the show. This is just one of the ones I have listed in my Etsy shop. If you love pretty stitching tools, check it out. All my scissor fobs are one of a kind and lots of them have counting pins and/or laying tools to match. And I love to do custom sets too. Just ask!

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Done!

I love it when I get things done ahead of schedule! Mother's Day is still over two weeks away and the traditional miniature sampler is done...well, stitched. And with a minimum of frogging, which is good because ripping out stitches on 40 count silk gauze is not particularly fun. Hopefully, I won't procrastinate for too long getting a frame.

The "Yellow Rose Sampler" by Threads Through Time is stitched on 40 count silk gauze with one strand of cotton floss. The finished size is 1 5/8" x 2 1/8".

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Breaking My Own Rule

I told you it would happen. I'm just surprised I lasted this long. The Moroccan sampler is resting for a little while. I'd love to keep working on it, but it's time to start this year's edition of the Mother's Day miniature.
 
Several years ago I stitched a miniature sampler by Nancy Sturgeon of  Threads Thru Time for my mom. She was so delighted that it's become a tradition. (Some of you may remember the duplication fiasco a couple of years ago.)

This year I chose the Yellow Rose Sampler. Each sampler is approximately 1 1/2" x 2" on 40 silk gauze. The colors are the exact ones called for in the chart, but as you can tell, the cover photo is not a true representation of those colors...thank goodness. I was prepared to change them and was pleasantly surprised when I pulled them out.
If you have never stitched on silk gauze it may sound intimidating, but the holes are actually easier to see than fabric. It's more like canvas than fabric. And you work it in tent stitch, which looks like a half stitch on the front. You can tape the gauze to a piece of mat board with an opening big enough to contain the entire design to work it. Or sew it to a piece of fabric as I did and cut away the fabric over the design area so that it can be put in Q Snaps. Since the gauze tends to loosen up in whatever frame you choose, the Q Snap works a little better for me because it's easier to tighten up as you go along.

 
Hopefully, I'll have this baby whipped out by next weekend! 

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Beehive Sampler Framed

Well, I finally painted the frame for the miniature Beehive sampler that I stitched for mom for Mother's Day. It's a completely handmade frame from poplar. The opening is 1.5"x2". I painted the top with a faux finish. The inner and outer edges are painted black. Of course, Mama loves it. Does she really have a choice? That makes five in her silk gauze miniature sampler collection.

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Beehive Sampler is DONE

I have a new, easier to remember, name for my Facebook fan page. I give updates to my Etsy shop there, as well as specials for my fans. Check it out. Go directly to TJB Designs's page from anywhere using this short, memorable address:http://facebook.dj/tjbdesigns/

I finished the silk gauze Beehive sampler last night! WOOHOO! It measures 1.5" x 2". So this picture is bigger than the actual piece.

Now, I can go back to "Grace Mason". And since I am totally unmotivated to work on the business today, I may stitch all day. So there.

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Still stitching on silk gauze

It is a glorious day in SE North Carolina! If I didn't have to go to the dentist, it would be a PERFECT day. Oh well. When I get back I may sit outside and stitch...unless the sun is shining too brightly. Hard to believe that could be, but sometimes I have a hard time seeing if the light is too bright. Go figure.

However, that was not the case yesterday. My EGA "alumni" group got together to stitch, as we try to do on the third Monday of every month. (Our EGA chapter disbanded due to attrition, so the eight or so left just get together to stitch.) So I got to work on "Grace Mason". You see, I cannot work on silk gauze away from home. I have to have the perfect light and that can only happen under my Dazor. So, I made a little progress on "GM"...in between all the chit chat and laughing that keeps us all close. And of course, we digressed into an old, fuddy-duddy discussion of the sad state of the education system in the US these days. Have you notice that even journalists and people seemingly educated in the English language can't seem to complete a paragraph that is grammatically correct? Oops, I digress...again. I'll get off the soap box now.

So, I work on the Beehive at home, usually at night while I'm watching TV. It's almost done. All that's left is the background, which you can see I have started. I'm anxious to finish, but not looking forward to making the frame. The little 2x2.5 inch ones are a little scary to cut. When I first started making my own frames, just the sound of the power mitre saw made me nervous. I'm okay with it now. I make the frames for almost every piece I stitch. And I stitch about twenty or more pieces a year.

I started making my own frames because it was hard to find mouldings that were simple or plain enough for the type of samplers that I like to stitch. My framing goal is to show off the sampler, not the frame. So all those ornate mouldings were overkill. I learned how to do a faux finish that mimicked a birdsyeye maple and then I started looking for unfinished mouldings. I didn't have a lot of luck in frame shops, so I looked on-line and found what I needed. Now I buy stick moulding and cut and finish it myself. If I want something especially primitive I'll go to the home improvement store and buy a flat stick of poplar or pine, finish it, and distress it by beating it with a chain or pipe or rock. It's been an ongoing experiment. You can see some examples in the slideshow at the bottom of the blog.

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BeeHive Sampler is well on it's way!

I told you I had to temporarily abandon "Grace Mason" for a Mother's Day gift. Well, even though I have to take frequent breaks from staring at 40 count silk gauze, it is coming right along. I started on Tuesday. This how far I've come.
And here is the chart photo.

I should be done by middle of the week, I hope. Of course, filling in the background will take quite a while. I'll have to use the Dazor for that. For some reason, I have no problem stitching the sampler without magnification, but when I get to the background I have trouble telling where the empty spots are. Does that make sense?

I've also been busy adding new items to my Etsy shop. I love this navy scissor fob. You can see it here.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23850466

If you have trouble counting correctly, you might want to invest in some counting/marking pins like these. They are really helpful on those long rows of 200 or 300 stitches on band samplers. Do you know how long it takes to count to 300 four times? And it never comes out the same.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23004871

And, finally, here is the fob I made for my sister to hang on her tennis bag! Her bag is pink and black. Hope she likes it.

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