February 27, 2011

Locked In

Happy Sunday morning, all! This will be a very photo-heavy post, since I went to In Stitches' Lock-In event last night. We stitched and shopped and ate and talked from 6 p.m. to past 10:00. I took my camera along to document the fun for Ellen Meyer, the owner of In Stitches. She is working on a shop blog--we'll let you know the address as soon as it's ready to go--lots of eye candy to come, including lots of charts, kits and gadgets I haven't run into in any other place on the web! And during the month of March when the shop is open every Sunday from 12:30-4:30 during the Woodlawn Plantation needlework show, I'll be helping out on Sunday afternoons. Come in and say hello! [Edited to add: the In Stitches Blog is up and running. Take a look at the goodies! It's institchesshopblog.blogspot.com]

I shopped the market finds, of course. You know I'm usually a stitcher of antique repro samplers, but I couldn't resist the cuteness here. This is a monthly from Amy Bruecken Designs for April called Lilybell April Sampler. You can't tell probably from my photo, but Lilybell is standing in the rain wearing rubber boots, accompanied by the most hilarious little duck. I bought the sampler for the duck!


This is one of Blackbird Designs' Reward of Merit little pincushion designs. I had to have it because of the rabbits, although it's small enough to stitch a handful of these designs and maybe even finish quickly. This particular RoM, called "Breath of Spring" is stitched on 30 ct. Flax Fields (R&R Reproductions) using Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts threads.


Sarah Elliot's Home Port by Primitive Traditions, along with a floss toss of the Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts threads called for. There are also 7 DMC colors not shown here. The recommended fabric is Morning Dove by Lakeside. Stitch count is 160x95 on this not-huge sampler, which reminds me of home, since I grew up just a seagull's flight from Nantucket.


"May I" from All Through the Night, a new-to-me designer. There's a rabbit here in the garden, and lots of blossoms, and it's done on black fabric (WDW Onyx 30 ct) using Gentle Art flosses. You don't have to do it on black, of course, but I think I will because it's such a striking design. It's not huge either, at 110x143 stitches.


While I strolled among the stitchers last night, I took some photos of beautiful samplers stitched by other customers. This is "Anniversaries of the Heart" by Blackbird designs, stitched by Erin. Seeing it so beautifully stitched, all in one piece, in person, made me think that I have to stitch it too. So pretty, Erin!


And this is Lela's fabulous sampler, "Jane Baxter" by Primitive Traditions (yes, the same designer who did Sarah Elliot's Home Port). Mouth-watering, and of course, I purchased the chart right away so that I can stitch Jane also.


This week I worked away on Ann Rayner. I've tweaked the colors, not really sticking with the suggested palette, because I have a wall in my home that needs brightening up. Note to Barbara at Mainely Stitching: something about this pea-green peacock reminds me of your menagerie. I wonder why?


I mentioned last week that Susan Rambo had a little color problem. I felt that the NPI purple in the outside portion of the flower was too bright, especially since it was the same color in the squirrel, but I didn't have the DMC color that the conversion was based on, so I wasn't sure. At the shop I pulled the DMC color (451) and sure enough, it was a subtle, grayish dusky mauve. So I am substituting this NPI color, 987 (Taupe Range). I'm not frogging the flower--nothing wrong with a purple flower.


Pink and Elvis approve of samplers with rabbits in them and have offered to eat the offending purple silk.


Happy week ahead!

23 comments:

Margaret said...

Nice stash! Sounds like the evening was lots of fun. Nice to see those projects from others. Love your Ann. And thanks again on the tip about Susan. Looking forward to seeing the In Stitches blog.

Cari said...

Great stash enhancements Glenna. I love them all. And you get to help out in a stitch shop on Sundays.....I would think I had died and gone to heaven. How much fun is that? Love that Pink and Elvis will eat the purple floss...what good bunnies they are!! Hugs and happy stitching.

Mouse said...

OOO nice stash haul :) and what good little bunnies helping mum by eating naughty thread ..lol love mouse xxx

Daffycat said...

Oooo, beautiful samplers. I really like May I! Black fabric samplers are just lovely, a pain to stitch on but lovely.

Unknown said...

May I is really cute, but I have to go investigate the Lilybell design. My DGD's name is Lily, and her mom calls her Lilybell every once in a while. Thanks for the enabling!!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I also approve of samplers with bunnies in them. Yay to Pink and Elvis for there generous offer to help with the purple silk!

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Pretty, pretty things.

Littlebit said...

I love that flower! I wouldn't frog it.
Oooo, wonderful stash. Sounds like you had a great time.

barbara said...

I really am LOLing here (not just writing it) because I saw the green peacock before I read the text and immediately thought, "Oh I like that peacock! What a great color and what a cool way to design the bird!" and then I read your text and just had to laugh.

I want someone to lock me in with other stitchers for four hours! Where do I sign up? :)

Wonderful projects there. Every time I see AotH stitched, I think, "Oh, I must do that series." And then I look at the library, which is overflowing with other fabulous designs I have to do, and I sigh. If only I could keep up with it all!

valerie said...

Nice stash haul! Love seeing the others' projects. Erin's AotH is great and inspires me to keep stitching on mine. May I keeps catching my eye too! Love the bunnies!

RG said...

I'm with Pink and Elvis - "whatever" !!!

Reading that post made me feel like I am in the dream where I've gone to class, there is going to be a test, and I have no idea what the whole thing is about. Reading the comments, I see I am in the extreme minority!

Sylvia said...

Sounds like it was great fun, and I do like your new stash.

Siobhán said...

Nice new stash! I love the pics you shared and that you took for Ellen's blog! Nice tweaked up colors on Ann--it reminds me of Spring!

Karen M said...

There are always so many beautiful things to see here. And I don't just mean Pink and Elvis (although they are the frosting on the cake).

Giovanna said...

Great new stash - and thanks for sharing the other stitchers' projects, wonderful stuff!

Alice said...

Great stash!

Katrina said...

Nice stash and sounds like a fun evening to me :-). Love all the pictures. The new thread is much better too.

Deb said...

I don't know how I missed this post. But I have to say that I always hide my eyes when your post comes up and this time is no exception!! All your stash looks great and thanks for the heads up on the thread for Susanna! My fabric just came for her and Ann may have to hit the high road for a while.

And be still my heart - an In Stitches blog. Okay, now I'm in trouble. I don't know how many times I've called them because of something on your blog. You even caught me one time! LOL

Laurie in Iowa said...

Nice stash haul Glenna. Thanks for sharing all the snaps of other's projects.

Melissa said...

Fun evening, great stash! OK I love your Ann Rayner conversion. Those colors are fantastic! So bright and wonderful.

Sharon said...

Your Ann Rayner is absolutely fabulous! Would you consider sharing your conversion?

Ranae said...

Fabulous new stash!
All the stitchers WIP's are looking great.
Love the BBD one for sure
Cute bunnies!!

Brigitte said...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Wonderful new stash and stitching. On the one hand I regret not having such a wonderful shop like In Stitches nearby, on the other hand I should be glad about it because I'd be a very regualr client there, lol. Seriously, I'd love to have such a real shop within reach, just for the chance to see all those great threads and to make my own conversions to silk threads and so on. And to see all the new charts, I mean really see them and not only look at a miniature sample on my monitor. Enjoy this wonderful LNS.