Modern Folk Embroidery

Speaking of Red and White Samplers!!!  I found a great source for beautiful charts.  This is Through the Bitter Frost and Snow by Modern Folk Embroidery.  Jacob DeGraaf is the designer and heart behind Modern Folk.  Here is a link to his website where there are so many beautiful charts!!!  He also hand dyes his own wool.

MODERN FOLK EMBROIDERY


I ordered the above chart with the plan in mind to stitch some of the individual motifs and make Christmas ornaments!!!  Won't that be so much fun!!!???



 

 I had been staring at this lovely chart for some time before I ordered it.  This is Autumn Leaves and I think it is beyond gorgeous!!!!!

Here is The Rooster Alphabet Sampler.....I have not ordered it....YET!



This is the third chart I ordered...Folk Flowers.  Love!!
 

 Here is Home Sweet Home...another on my wish list...



 Please head on over to Jacob's site.  It is really inspiring and will make you really really really want to stitch a red/white sampler!!!!

My 6th WIP and an Update on one of the Original 5

Okay, here is my cheat project.  My friend Julianne so kindly gifted me with a birthday present to 123 Stitch....and as I was dreaming over all of the charts, I ran across this reproduction sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler.  I had seen this chart in the past and always liked it, so armed with the freedom of a gift certificate, I purchased it and I am so excited!!!!  I also got the CHS chart The Birds and the Bees that is one of Linda's WIPS!!!!  So, as Elenor Ferrow 1842 is my current obsession, I had to start it right this instant!!!!  Here is my small start.  And of course, I have to have one of my Kelmscott Needle Minders to coordinate with the project.  I love this acorn needle minder.  I think it might be the first one I ever purchased. 

Here is an update on the progress of Sweet Adeline.  I am loving this project so much!!!!  I am going to gather all the charts I have lined up for red/white samplers for a future blog post.  I am also going to make a list of my favorite red threads so that I can refer to it in the future.  Schoolhouse Red will definitely be on the list.  That is what I am using on this project.  I also have to say that the fabric that I am using for this project is not one that I would have known to pick out on my own.  When I kitted this up I was with my friend Karin.  She told me about her love of the fabric called Linen by Weeks Dye Works.  I usually find that Weeks fabric is not stiff enough for my liking; but this Linen by Weeks is perfect in tensile strength and also the color is just perfect for this kind of project.  Highly recommended!!!

 Again, I say unto you, half the fun of stitching is kitting up the project and assigning it to a stitching project bag.  I have my Sweet Adeline in this completely fabulous Vera Bradley pouch.  The pouch is actually a small laptop computer bag.  If you are near a VB outlet store they are mostly affordable as project bags.  They really lend themselves perfectly to this function.  So fun!!!!!

 My project bag for Eleanor Ferrow is a total one of kind that you cannot get anywhere.  Sorry!  I picked out the fabrics myself and then had Natalia of Stitching 4 Joy create one of her utterly fabulous, work of art, stitching wallets.  Natalia is not currently making stitching wallets, but if she ever starts up again I will let you know.  Truly, these are works of art!!!!!

My Five WIPS

 Ta Da!  Here are the five picks from my generous stash!  It was so much fun to go through everything and pick five.  However, it was also rather daunting.  Why do I buy so many charts?  Why do I have so much fabric and fibers....why do I kit so much up.  I know I have more than I can possibly stitch.  It is just that so many things call to me and make me happy and dream of all of the possibilities of finished projects.  Then there are my friends and things they have stitched...and then those charts call to me.  Then there are things I see on blogs, Facebook and Instagram......it is never ending.  Then there is market coming up.  Help me! 

With that being said, here are the five that made the first round.  First up is this fabulous sampler that Patti is also working on.  This is Mary Edmondson 1812 by Pineberry Lane.  I love love love every chart there is by Pineberry Lane.  She is a "desert island" designer...meaning if I had to be stuck on a desert island I would be perfectly happy to be stuck there with just her charts.

When we were at The Attic last summer we saw this chart all stitched up.  Patti and I hyperventilated over it quite a bit.  This is The Kinsford Sampler by Carriage House Samplings.  I am deeply in love with this.

 I have been in love with this sampler for years!  It was printed in an Antique and Sampler Needlework magazine.  This is the Isabella Johnstone Sampler.  I love the red cow!!!!!  Why I have not finished this is beyond me. 

 My friend Pat started focusing on stitching samplers with red thread only last year.  It is really fun to look for samplers that lends themselves to this style.  I was infatuated with her idea and am following in her footsteps.  First up is this lovely reproduction sampler by Brenda Keyes......Hannah Wells. 

Here is Sweet Adeline 1873 reproduced by Gigi R.  My friends Pat and Brenda both stitched this recently and when I saw this chart I was obsessed with it.  I have since made quite a bit of progress on this one.  

One thing that is really fun about these red and white samplers is picking out the reds to be used.  There are so many variations.  As you can see for the Hannah Wells sampler I picked Ribbon Red.  For this sampler I am using Schoolhouse Red. 

And the accessories!  Above you see a mother of pearl heart thread holder that was a gift from my friend Brenda several years ago.  It is perfect to hold the red threads for this sampler!

Below you see one of my Kelmscott needle minders.  I love them so much!  It is great to have a ton of them to match up with each project. 

Coming Soon:  Kellie's 5 WIPs!  I need to take pictures of them at our next get together.

Also coming soon:  A post entitled I already added a 6th WIP!!!!!!  Yes, last night I broke down and kitted up and started a new project.  But that is it!  No more until I finished one of these.  I will blog about my new start soon.

Patti's Five WIPS

Here are Patti's five WIPS!  Patti and I first met through our blogs!  We were lucky enough to discover that we lived nearby to each other, grew up in neighboring towns, were close in age, and loved to read, cross-stitch and make cards with rubber stamps and paper.  Needless to say, our friendship has flourished over the years!

First up is the very dear OOP chart, Phebe's Forest.  Patti is doing the bottom chart.  I love this!  Patti is partial to deers as I think you will see throughout this post. 

 Here is a very dear chart (get it?? Hah!) from Notforgotten Farm.  Love!  That joke is in tribute to Patti because she is queen of the puns!

 Here is a really great project...this is an OOP Birds of a Feather chart and I forgot the name of it.  But it is so fabulous!  Love the graphic look of it.

 This is the fabulous Mary Edmonton sampler by Pineberry Lane.  Patti is very close to a finish!  She can then rotate in a new project.  Wonder what it will be???

 Here is Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs.  Another OOP chart.  Sometimes Patti coffee dyes her own fabric as she did here.  It is so cool!!!!! 

 As mentioned previously, part of the fun of stitching is the accessories.  Here are some special pieces that go along perfectly with this project!

Can't wait for all of these finishes!!!!! 

Teresa's Five WIPS

Today is the day to show you Teresa's WIPS.  The first thing you need to know about my buddy T is that she loves to organize her stash.  She has a great Excel spreadsheet listing everything she has.  She is also getting ready for a move, so at first she did not have the energy to go through all of her stash to pick out some WIPs, but then I guess we inspired her because she showed up at the WIP reveal day with a list.  You have got to have lists and rules people!  First of all, and not pictured here, is her WIP, which is also known as a BAP (big ass project), Red Deer Sampler.  As you have seen, this is a group SAL and she is working on it with Karin, Brenda, Pat and Linda. 

So, as you can see, T broke her stitching down into categories.  First up is the BAP to work on all year long.  Then she has an over 1 project, a monthly project, a medium sized project and a small project.  She is playing by her own rules!  Love it!  And she will stick to it and get some stuff done!

 In the medium sized category is this lovely piece by BBD, A Merry Heart.  I am sure this is OOP so don't get too excited about it people.  It is completely lovely and cool though isn't it???

One of our rules for WIPs was that you could have it kitted up and not started....Here are the fibers and fabrics Teresa will use.  Gorgeous!!!

 Here is Teresa's current monthly project...it is the new series by Hands on Design, the chalk series. 

 This is such an innovative and timely design!  Love it!

In the small category is this USA Crock design.  I know Teresa is already working on this one!  She started it the day of our WIP reveal.

And in the stitching over one category is this future masterpiece......the Serenity Harbor Sampler by By The Bay Needleart.  I almost caved in and joined this SAL, but then I looked through my stash and I have so many projects that I love that I have not touched.....but this is very tempting!!!!!  When I see it done I know I will faint!

As we go along throughout the year I intend to show progress pics on everyone's work.  This is so exciting!!!!!!!!  Also, today is Friday and I am so excited to have some extended stitching time this weekend......let's all stitch our guts out!!!!

Karin's Five WIPS

Here are Karin's five WIPS.  Before I get started with the rundown.........Karin recently moved to New York because her husband had a job transfer.  Our group was devastated.....but the good news is that we stay in very, very close touch through texting, emails, and Karin is able to come back now and then to stitch with us.  We already have our 2015 get togethers all planned out.  So, while we miss her terribly, with a capital T!, we still feel very close!!!!!!

First up, is Karin's progress thus far on the Red Deer Sampler.  As I mentioned previously, several of my pals are stitching this in a SAL.  It is going to be such a treasure when it is done.  I keep thinking I should have joined in. 

Next up is the gorgeous Autumn Posy by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers.  Stunning!!!! Paulette's designs are just amazingly great.  Every, single, one of them!!!

 I like how Karin started the outline of the piece and then is doing the fill-in.

 Here is a beautiful antique reproduction sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread.  Frances Pool.  I love the colors of this sampler and the design is just totally fab.  This one is in my on-deck bag!

 Part of the fun of getting a project together to stitch is getting your threads organized.  Karin took it up a notch by putting her threads on a ring and adding this fob that she ordered directly from WTNT.  They are very limited when they are available so I know that this one is long gone.  Karin was very lucky that she got one!  Isn't it just so lovely???

Next up is the current mystery sampler by Lizzie Kate......Things Unseen.  The big reveal of all three parts was just shown on the LK site. 

 Karin has Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow in her WIPs selection.  If I remember correctly she is doing hers on a 36 count with NPI silks.

I feel faint just thinking about it being all done and framed!!!  Masterpiece!!!!!

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments on these entries.  What a treat to hear from all of you stitchers!!!!