Peace and Plenty is a Christmas Sampler included in the book Sisters by Blackbird Designs. It was published in 2013 and is now Out of Print. It could easily be added as the 5th sampler in the Christmas Sampler series.

I chose a piece of 16ct antique white aida I had in my stash and used some of the called for floss and subs for the ones I did not have.

• Gentle Arts Antique Rose – I used DMC 223
• Gentle Arts Brandy
• Gentle Arts Endive – I used DMC 3011
• Gentle Arts Heirloom Gold
• Gentle Arts Linen – I used DMC 950
• Gentle Arts Old Hickory – I used DMC 611
• Gentle Arts Old Red Pain I used au a Ver Soie 109
• Gentle Arts Piney Woods
• Gentle Arts Tarnished Gold
• Gentle Arts Toffee – I used DMC 167
• Gentle Arts Woodrose – DMC 407

I made a mistake on the bottom border but decided to leave it. Now to decide on a frame and add it to my Christmas wall.

November 2024 – I decided to order a frame through Craig Frames. I had used their frames in the past by ordering custom frames through Amazon. This time I ordered directly through their website which seemed to offer a wider selection. They do not offer fractional sizes but that was OK for what I needed. The shipping was free and the frame came just as well packaged as those from pictureframes.com which has been my go to store for years.

And a closeup of the frame.

A Little Bit of Spring is the newest release from Blackbird Designs. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to stitch it.

The design is based on an antique sampler purchased from the UK. The called for fabric is 36ct Iced Cappuccino from R & R Reproductions. I chose to stitch mine on 16ct Dusty Road by Seraphim. The wording on the design is meant to be stitched over one so I will need to make an adjustment for that.

I used the called for floss but ran out of two colors but was able to match those with rom my collection of Victorian Motto floss. For Old Red Paint, I used Southern Red Trillium and for Confederate Gary, I used Twitterpated (love the name).

The border flowers were supposed to alternate Old Red Paint and Mocha but I had a hard time distinguishing between the sold heart and solid circle so mine are all stitched with Old Red Paint.

I love how it turned out and decided rather than try and figure out some wording that would fit, I added another motif. I thought I had a frame that would work but it is a slight bit too small (11″x11″) so will need to order something.

I found a 12×12 frame for half price that I liked so here is the framed piece ready to hang.

Bringing Good Cheer by Blackbird Designs is #3 in the Christmas Sampler series. This is the 2nd one of this series that I have stitched. The first one was Christmas Rose.

I chose a piece of 18ct antique white aida with the called for Weeks Dye Works floss. I did not have Cayenne so chose to use DMC 3777. I love the rich red of the flowers.

Alma writes of this design” Bringing Good Cheer was inspired by the antique sampler stitched by M. Bowker in 1842, when she was only 9 years old. The wild floral border captured my attention right away. I love it when the border is bold and almost grabs the attention away from the central design.

Since I stitched this one on aida, I decided to change the satin stitches for the basket to plain crosses using Chestnut and Dirt Road. I’m happy with how this turned out.

I used a simple black frame I purchased from Amazon.

Several years ago, someone in one of my cross-stitch groups was selling her kitted-up Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers charts. I bought several of them.

Fast forward to now and a stitching friend posted her finished Bluebird’s Message. I decided to pull mine out and stitch it. Since the original kit had included linen fabric, and I don’t stitch on linen, I pulled out a piece of 16ct Colonial Parchment from Fabrics by Stephanie to stitch mine on. I used all the called for colors since they were included in the kit.

I LOVE the bright colors. Now to find a suitable frame.

The very first time I saw A Sweet Memory by Silver Creek Samplers, I knew I had to stitch this for my two sons. Even though the youngest is 59 and my oldest would be 62 this year, it brought back memories of drawings on the ceilings using the top bunk of their bed.

I chose a piece of 28ct mushroom lugana to stitch it on and used the called for colors except for the handprint and bear. For those two I used Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe, Havana Brown. This one ended up being my last finish for 2023. I need to measure it and figure out a frame.

I stitched their initials over one. I wanted to add the year they were each born but there was just not enough room. I love how it turned out. Now to find the perfect frame for it.

I ordered the frame from Amazon and it included glass and backing board. I’ll add spacers between the glass and stitched piece.

Sailing Home is one of two birth samplers by Blackbird Designs. It is copyright 2003 and long out of print. With another great-grandchild on the way, I decided to stitch it.

I selected a piece of 16ct Olympia aida by Mystic Fabrics and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss Periwinkle for the blue. Also used the called for Gentle Arts Brandy and Cidermill Brown and DMC 822.

Now I need to order the perfect frame for it.

Looking through my stash, I had two 8×10 frames that might work. Both had deep enough rabbets so that the glass, spacers, stitched piece and backing would fit nicely. I decided to add the baby’s weight and length at birth to make the sampler better fit in the standard size frame. One frame was an ornate black frame and one a simple white one.

While I like the look of both of them, I thought I could improve on the final piece. So, I got out my bottles of acrylic paint. I chose Deep Midnight Blue and Silver Marlin. I painted the white frame with the Deep Midnight Blue first, and then a watered-down version of Silver Marlin. I am much happier with this sampler now.

Now to package it up and get it in the mail to the proud parents.

A couple of months ago I was roaming around Michaels, and they had some pads of paper on sale cheap, so I bought one. Who knows what I would do with it. Well today I found a use for it as I framed the baby sampler. I normally cover the back with brown kraft paper and spritz it with water but the pad I bought had a couple of sheets of the perfect blue. So, I added double-sided tape to the edges of the frame, placed it on the sheet of paper and trimmed it to fit. I added the hardware and a label for the back. The color of the paper perfectly matches the frame.

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.

I went in search of fabric and floss and ordered two pieces for Fabrics by Stephanie – Simply Sage and Friendship Greene.

And my start on this lovely project.

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.