Samplers Remembered

Ta DAH! I finished the Red and Green Carnation Sampler…quite pleased with how it turned out.

I made the little fill-ins in the border suit me. Some I modified from the chart, others I added. The initials down the left side are my children’s and since this is our 25th anniversary, I put our wedding year and this year to mark both the occasion and its being finished this year in places where numbers fit. I added more birds and hearts by our initials. I got rid of the weird dog and bird and put in a rabbit by the N for my youngest daughter Natalie…I have been using a rabbit needle minder on this so that is appropriate.

I’m kind of glad to be done with this. It seems small for how long it took. I did enjoy the eyelet alphabet a lot. I really think it should have been charted that way.

What do you do with a bunch of medium-small size samplers? I have so many in my collection…stitched and that I want to stitch. I saw someone show a fabric book of samplers. That might be the thing eventually. I don’t have a lot of wall space. I am imagining the downsides to a fabric book…will the finished stitches stay crisp? Will the silks gets fuzzy by rubbing on the page above? Will dye transfer and bleed through? How will I decide on a uniform size to mount them? I know the minute that’s decided, the next sampler will be a hair too large for it. Are there are display/storage options I should consider? What about an album done with mat board frames? That would be heavy and cumbersome maybe. Maybe I need a house with more walls.

I decided I would try to finish my other “almost done” Samplers Remembered WIP, the Checkerboard Stag Sampler. I have almost completed the right size satin stitch element. That leaves only the left side satin stitch element. And I tiny little border bit above it…no big deal. I plan to hem stitch this like the model.

I had mentioned wanting to finish the Fox and Rabbit bird pinwheel this month as well so I guess we’ll see how quickly I can do the satin stitching. That one may become my travel stitch next month for spring break.

It is Lent, and that means my main stitch will be Teresa Kogut’s Sacred. I got it out to get reacquainted with it yesterday and couldn’t put my needle down until I finished the heart outline. I think I will aim to finish this in March!

The big work will be filling in the heart itself. There is a floral element in the center which I will do first, and then filling in will be time consuming but not challenging.

Mostly monogamous stitching seems to be a good way to get things done. It helps when the project is halfway complete when you start.

I am not going to Market this year with the Attic…in fact I am done working for the Attic for the time being. Life with 3 teens and 2 elementary kids is too busy. I am happy to be getting my house in order, special projects, gardening, cooking, relieving stress of too much going on….but that hasn’t stopped me from making a Market wish list. Happily I have a March birthday so I will probably indulge that a little. Do you have any “must haves” from Market this year? I’m trying to keep my list short but there are so many inspiring things!