Hobby House Needleworks is offering a new series based on The Mary Allcorn 1764 Sampler. The Sampler Drum is the first of several smalls that will be released by Hobby House as kits, culminating in the release of the full reproduction sampler later this year!
I decided I wanted to order this one especially since they offered an aida option (16ct Thornfiled from Needle & Flax. Linen is just too difficult for me to see to stitch on. The floss in the kit is Weeks Dye Works and Classic Colorworks. After a wait until the supplies, we received and shipping started, the kit arrived in my mailbox.
It was beautifully packaged, and the fabric and floss are just lovely. And yes, it is still available with a variety of fabric counts and floss.
Started Stitching: July 29, 2023
And here it is the middle of April 2024 and the sides of the drum are finally finished. I really love this fabric.
Now to stitch the top of the drum so I can assemble it.
I thought about changing the initials on the top to my own and the numbers to the current year but decided to just stitch it as charted. Now to assemble the stitched pieces into a drum.
She’s a BIG GIRL, measuring 16 1/2″ around and heavy. I used poly beads on the bottom, then crushed walnut shells and some fiber fill at the top.
Dany Chevallier Forest (Creation Danybrod) is a new designer for me. While I have purchased a number of her charts, I have not stitched any of them yet. Her designs are small, delicate and beautiful. She also has a Facebook page. Her blog is where she sells her charts which are in pdf format.
Hydrangeas or Hortensias
Hydrangeas has a stitch count of 80h x 57w and uses four colors of Hand-dyed by Nina floss (Artichoke, Olive Oil, Hunter, Caribbean). DMC colors are given on her blog but are not included with the chart.
I chose to stitch this one on 16ct white aida using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss:
Dried Hydrangea and Downy Lobelia for the flowers
Flower Basket (darkest green)
Lambs Ear (middle green)
17th Century Sea Mist (lightest green)
I have tried all of my various devices to take a photo of the finished piece and for the life of me, none of them show the true colors so this will have to do until I get it fully finished and hope I can get a better photo.
HERBARIUM – Peonies & Golden Buttons
There are actually two charts included in this project. The first is peonies with a stitch count of 58w x 54h. The colors appear to be a variegated red/pink and medium/light blue.
I am going to stitch this one on 16ct cream aida using Classic Colorworks Belle Soie Sister Scarlet and Au Ver A Soie #108 (sage green).
The second one included is Golden Buttons or Buttercups. The stitch count for this one is 45w x 49h.
On this one, I plan on using 28ct white Monaco and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss (Yellow Marigold and Winter Rose.)
Now all I have to do is figure out how I want to finish them.
A Tribute, designed by Barb Adams is a cross stitch chart included in the quilt book, Women of Grace and Charm: A Quilting Tribute to the Women Who Served in WWII from Blackbird Designs.
They were the unsung heroines of World War II – the women who built the planes, wrapped the bandages, nursed the wounded. Now their inspiring personal stories are combined with beautiful quilt work in “Women of Grace and Charm.”
Each of the 12 quilt blocks, designed by best-selling authors Alma Allen and Barb Adams, feature a center star. The stars represent the service star that families placed in their windows to recognize sons and duaghter in the armed forces.
Allen and Adams demonstrate how one design can have infinite variations in this compelling tribute to the strong “Women of Grace and Charm.”
The book was published by Kansas City Star Books on October 2003 and is now Out of Print. I saw the project stitched in green on Instagram and decided I wanted to stitch it. Luckily, I was able to get the book at a reasonable price.
Tranquility by Jan Hicks Creates is the first in a series and was designed for a SAL with Helen D. of Cobweb Corner. The SAL starts on June 13th. The bird is in deep shades of turquoise and aqua with pale motifs. Stitch Count: 80 x 79.
I chose to use 16ct Mercedes aida by Picture This Plus and a combination of fancy floss and DMC.
The stitching is finished so now I need to decide how to finish it. Perhaps a small pillow or mounted onto a wooden board.
I decided to finish this one as a small pillow. The backing fabric is from my quilting friend and the trim is ruched ribbon following Vonna Pfieffer’s excellent tutorial.
Redbird Samper by Heart in Hand was released back in 2018 and included a small red heart button. . It was one of the first one in this series I stitched back in 2019.
I stitched it on 16ct aida using Olde Cranberry by Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. I sent it off to Vonna Pfeiffer, The Twisted Stitcher for finishing and she did a fabulous job.
Thy Love More Strong by Blackbird Designs was one of the retreat projects at the 2022 Shepherd’s Bush Retreat.
The called for fabric is 36ct Veldt by Picture This Plus. I had some 18ct Veldt but decided to use a piece of 16ct mystery fabric that I had in my stash. I just thought it would be an easier stitch. I am using all of the called for floss.
It’s a finish, Thy Love More Strong stitched in honor of my great-great-grandmother, Melissa Phillips (1841-1924. Added her husband’s initials GBS (Guy Bayington Sherman) and her daughter’s initials AES (Addie Ellen Sherman) who was my great-grandmother. Stitched on 16ct mystery aida with called for floss. Melissa is pictured on the far right. Addie is in the single photo. I will be adding to the back all of the info on the family and the two photos.
Cuckoo Bird Sampler is the latest in this series by Heart in Hand. The model was stitched on 36ct Antique Lace linen using Weeks Dye Works Bark floss.
I had already picked out a piece of backing fabric, so I selected a different color scheme. I chose a piece of 16ct aida from my stash and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss Chestnuts and Bronze Dahlia. The tiny beads used on the branch came with the chart. This will join the other small pillows in one of my dough bowls once I finish it.
On the Alder Bough by Blackbird Designs was one of the projects at the 2022 Shepherd’s Bush Retreat.
The recommended fabric is 36ct Veldt by Picture This Plus. I chose to use 25ct white Lugana. I used the recommended floss 3 over 2. The finished size is a bit under 5″x 5″.
Started Stitching: May 11, 2023 Finished Stitching: May 19, 2023
I added the initials of my maternal grandmother Ruby McLaughlin Tucker who was born May 20, 1895. She lived to be exactly 84 years old and died on May 20, 1979.
Tiny Pumpkin by Blackbird Designs is from the book, When the Leaves Fall.
The project was meant to be stitched on Moda toweling fabric with black banding (19 inches per stitch wide x 21 stitches per inch high). I chose to stitch it on what I had in my stash which was 16ct aida with the called or colors.
I was not really sure how I was going to finish this one but decided on a long, skinny pillow. I did add some rickrack to each end and the back is just the same fabric. I just folded it over and made the seam in the middle of the back. It joins some of the others in the dough bowl.
