Shorttakes

 

The answer: LOTS!  Yards & yards & meters & meters!  And as much thread as we ALL have, did you ever notice that you NEVER have the colors you need to get started on a new project?  It's like the floss gods peer into your stash & think, "hmm, she doesn't have any WDW Sanguine so THAT is the color she'll HAVE to have to start her new project!".  Now fabric is a whole different story ~ no one ever has enough fabric.  This was proven true during Covid lockdown.  And while things have improved (see: our recently received 60 pounds of fabric!!), there are still HUGE gaps in our supply.  The proliferation of overdyed fabric companies (YAY!) has caused even more drain on the base fabrics they use to dye ~ all the whites, antique whites, ivories & a few other neutrals IN ALMOST EVERY COUNT are very hard to get. But we know that our suppliers ~ from our large distributors to the smallest dyers ~ are doing their very best to process their orders for shops as efficiently as possible.  So we are ecstatic to see our orders roll in & we continue to anticipate even more. 

 

There are new fibers coming from Nashville, so let's start off with those.

 

 

These 4 new colors from Classic Colorworks were inspired by 4 of your favorite designers.  We love these colors ~ they're gonna be used quite a bit, I'm sure!  Be sure to order yours so you're ready

Storm Lake Sunrise - inspired by With Thy Needle & Thread

Fields of Green- inspired by Hands on Designs

Cottage Daisies - inspired by Country Cottage

Priscilla's Peppermint - inspired by Stitching with the Housewives.

 

5 New colors from Weeks!  We all love stitching with overdyed fibers, & we have things we love about each brand.  One of the things we TRULY APPRECIATE from Weeks is that, while there will always be slight variations in dyelots, Weeks fibers are by far the most consistent from batch to batch. Having said that, we still strongly recommend that, if you need multiple skeins for a project, get them all at once!

          

Apple Pucker  ~  Chia  ~ Mountain Mist  ~  Sun Dried  ~  Winnie B Blue

 

There are due to be 2 new colors from Sampler Threads as well.

 

 

The new overdyed silks from Dinky Dyes are lovely!  This batch is a bit more subtle than some others & we love that about them.  I personally don't stitch with silk fibers often at all, but that is simply because my hands are always so dry that I pick & fray the silks too easily.  However, I will say that my favorite overdyed silks are definitely Dinky Dyes.  In addition to their gorgeous (& consistent) colors, they are also VERY easy to get ~ and yes that is a DISTINCT difference from all the other overdyed silks. 

 

     

Avocado  ~  Clay  ~  Crimson  ~ Fiji

     

   Hollyhock ~  Pecan  ~  Pine ~  Seafoam

 

 

Now we're gonna jump back to the new designs coming! 

 

  

Lila's Studio has brought us some of our favorite designs & her new ones are awesome! 

 

Summer Quaker - FAVORITE ALERT!!!!  Ohmygoodness, while we love Spring Quaker, this is MY FAVE!!  I wonder why? I love all the Quaker motifs, but I also love all the fun seaside treats featured here.  I can't wait to stitch this one.

 

    

Mary Jane Crofts - A simply gorgeous sampler reproduction.  I truly love that border.

Lord's Prayer - Another of my faves, another awesome border, but what I really like is that center portion ~ all the charming motifs surrounding the oval medallion center.  Love it.

 

   

Sara Ann Garrard - A totally different rendition of The Lord's Prayer, this one is more in the style of a schoolgirl's sampler. 

Sarah Ann Seaton - Another schoolgirl style sampler, I love the border on this one!

 

Samplers Not Forgotten

 

One of the folks we are most sad to miss seeing this year, Kimberly has once again released some beautiful new designs ~ samplers, smalls, charts & kits!

 

   

Garden of Stitches ~ As soon as we saw this release, 4 of us at the shop immediately ordered it, along with the fibers!  Cannot wait to start this one!

One Nation Needlebook, scissor fob & biscornu - This set of stitching smalls will be lovely in your stitching basket.

 

      

Three gorgeous kits, each one includes everything you need to stitch & finish the project.

Key to my Heart - this is a lovely little heart-shaped pillow.  I love the plaid pattern to it ~ it makes it stand out from other "hearts & flowers" designs!

Posey Bouquet - This is my favorite of the kits ~ I love the soft colors & the pretty border.

Regal Bird - How, well, regal is this bird???  So gorgeous!

  

 

   

Double Crown Sampler - Another instant favorite!  The fact that it's a little smaller means I MIGHT finish it!!!

Mary Griffin Sampler - A simply lovely reproduction sampler, I love the verses that are centered around life in the garden.

 

Arlene's designs are amazing & eye-catching!  I love the patterns in them.

 

      

Exquisite Lace - This is a Market exclusive, so it will be available later in the spring.  It is also another of the "Gotta have it NOW" for those of us at the shop!  Exquisite indeed!  And note: as it only uses one color, you can stitch it on your choice of fabric with your choice of floss!

Sevenfold - While several different types of symmetry are often seen in needlework ~ usually fourfold, fivefold or six fold ~ sevenfold is more rare.  This one was inspired by a beautiful door of a mosque in Turkey.  I ADORE this!

Liz always delights us in her designwork ~ whether it is her reproduction work or her somewhat more contemporary original designs.  Which will you do first??

 

    

Forest Sampler - Love this sampler ~ what a stunning border, surrounding a veritable forest of tree motifs! 

Vanity Sampler - This sampler has a cool story.  It's called a vanity samplere because all the details (name, completion date, age) of the stitcher have been cut out or removed so no one could ever tell her age.  The original sampler had a cut and frayed section that was disguised by folding the bottom border over the missing section.  How interesting!!

    

   

Gifts from my Garden - A nostalgic, yet somewhat whimsical, little design.

Basket & Butterflies - Oooohh, I love the blue!! 

 

Eighth Day of Christmas tree & Sampler - I love the little cows in this one!

 

We are always happy to see new designs from Kathy!  She has such a distinctive style & we love love love it!

 

   

Majestic Birds - This is simply gorgeous!  My favorite part of this design is the patterned corners, stitched in several different stitches ~ Rhodes stitches, Rice stitches, Smyrna crosses & Double crosses.  Now, if you're not a fan, don't worry.  Kathy has an alternate chart included for just cross stitch.

I Give You My Hand - Isn't this lovely?  I think I like it begter on the darker fabric (even though I don't LOVE stitching on darker fabric...).

 

  

Francie - Ohmygoodness, isn't she cute??  Kathy has a fondness for bunnies & we are the winners!!

Frankie - This guy is so fun!  And I love the top border too!

 

MA Reeve - Molly loves this one ~ that deer is the star of the show!

Samplers from "Hands to Work" are worming their way into our hearts!  We're loving the "not sampler" ones too!

 

   

Sheltered from the Cold - What a lovely simple sampler.  And what an interesting verse this little girl stitched.  It would be equally appropriate in 2023 as in 1884. 

Warm Thoughts - Another sampler with a meaningful verse and a fabulous border (& house!).  So many of my faves in one sampler.

 

 

Lovely Day - What a fantastic wedding sampler!  I like that it's not such an "in your face" wedding sampler.

 

     

Flowers of Eden - Love the funky flair of this one!

Share Joy - Another Molly fave!  She is really falling for all the crows!

 

Another of our favorite designers that we are bummed to miss, not to menntion, she always brings...KRINGLE!!  We are eager to get hold of her new designs (as always!).

 

   

And They were Not Ashamed - A lovely addition to the Adam & Eve line. 

Priscilla Wallis - I love this primitive sampler.  Just 2 colors & 3 alphabets, but all lovely.

 

   

Scissor Mat - I simply love this. The sampler itself is beautiful, but I also love the hemstitching around the edge.

Needle Book, Needle Book - That's right, there are 2 needle book patterns in this chartpak ~ Autumn Rose & Summer Stitcher!  You know I'm doing SUMMER first!

 

Vickie does wonderful things with reproduction samplers & we also love her original designs too!

 

Be a Friend - This is a companion to "Be Exceedingly Diligent" (one of my favorites!) & "Be Kind", this is a lovely sampler!!  I really love the colors in this as well as that intricate bottom border.

 

    

Sweet Verses - A duo of samplers from Vickie & Megan (from Needlework Press) & Gigi (of Gigi R), linked together by their"sweet verses".

Hannah Elliott Sampler - What a fantastic sampler!!  I love that top vignette & the colors are wonderful!

   

Jean Morgan Sampler - What a gorgeous original sampler.  You know when the original sampler looks this nice, it will be even more lovely when you stitch yours.

Jane Bowen Sampler - More Adam & Eve, but how about those ladies (& bunny!) at the bottom!!! 

 

Linda's samplers have such an elegant feel to them.  Molly always seems to find several of hers to add to her stash.

 

   

Margaret Campbell Wilton Cottage School Sampler - This is a delightful Scottish reproduction, featuring an arcaded pansy band & Fergus trees (had never heard of them before!).  Molly loves this one because it reminds her of an earlier one from Needlemade that she has already stitched.

 

   

Keep Kind Thoughts - A small sampler that coordinates nicely with "Speak Kind Words", but is equally wonderful on its own.

Speak Kind Words - Love the house on this one.  I think I have to stitch them both....

 

Arcaded Pansy Mattress - Another name for a pin pillow, I love how she's finished it in an old cigar box complete with vintage accents!

 

   

For the Love of the Needle Etui - I love these constructed finishes & this is a beauty. 

   

 

This newer sampler company is bringing us some beautiful new reproductions.  We can't decide which ones we like best.

 

    

Art is Long & Time is Fleeting, Elizabeth Cole - This sampler is absolutely beautiful.  I love the border & the flower basket in the center.  But the border....

Prudence, Love and Toil, Sarah Allden - This stunner was stitched by 10 year old Sarah in 1796!  Again, check out that border!

 

   

Love One Another, Lizzie Janes - A sweet little schoolgirl sampler.

In Friendship's Name, Granny's Garden -  This original design is a charming little sampler. 

 

   

Idle Hands, Catharine Fowler - Another sweet schoolgirl sampler ~ I love that she put "ALPHABET" at the end of her first alphabet.

Art of Living, Ann Bancks - A pretty little motif sampler with a lovely verse.  I actually stitched a wedding sampler with this verse on it ~ a wonderfully appropriate wish for a new pair.

 

Let Not Love Ensnare Me - This beauty is a Market exclusive & will be available later in the spring, but we had to present it here because it is just so gorgeous!  What a border! 

 

 

It is Saturday evening as I finish this newsletter up.  I have been following lots of posts from my friends at Market all day & yes I certainly wish we were there.  However, while we always second-guess our decision to go or not to go, we've had several little "confirmations" that we made the right call.  Last week Molly's mom ended up in the hospital ~ they all thought just overnight.  She ended up being there for almost a week.  Molly left on Thursday to go to Vermont to help her settle back in to home.  So while we are bummed that we're not with our friends, we know in our hearts that we made the right decision (even if we didn't know it at the time!).

The SMALL silver lining in our decision: I've gotten to watch Phillies baseball this week while working on newsletters & the website ~ including a fabulous win over the Pirates today.  And tonight I'm watching the Carolina/Duke game.  And while I am a "baseball above all" gal, I am here to tell you that the best game in all of sports is Carolina/Duke!  Doesn't matter if both teams are having a great season or a terrible one, these 2 games every season are absolutely amazing! 

Enough of my sportstalk! This newsletter evolved into fibers & samplers, didn't it??  So many fantastic samplers headed our way.  And so many other great things too!  Please keep in mind that I STILL haven't yipyapped about everything ~ be sure to stroll thru all the goodies we've already posted on the Nashville 2023 page.  And if you see something we haven't posted, shoot us an email.  If we can get it for you, we will & we'll let you know.  Another note: we've tried our best to post "ingredients" for the designs we've posted.  If the supplies are problematic (fabric or fibers which will not be available for a long time mostly) we've given our very best substitute.  For the most part, we are keeping the count & type of fabric the same as the original.  HOWEVER!  If you prefer linen (instead of aida) or vice versa, or maybe you like a solid fabric instead of overdyed, let us know!!  We'll be happy to get you what you're most comfortable working with.

 

I'll be working on another newsletter tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

 

Hugs & stitches ~

Beth & all the sample-ers at TSS