A Place to Share a Craft I Love
This beautiful design by Barb Adams of Blackbird Designs is copyright 2003 and is now Out of Print.
I selected a piece of pale pink 16ct aida and Victorian Motto Sampler floss to stitch this one. Colors used:
Finished Stitching: April 10, 2022
I chose a narrow cherry wood frame to finish this one off.
A Heart Remembers is one of the newest releases by Blackbird Designs. The 52-page book contains some of the older OOP charts and some new ones. And some of the last designs by Barb Adams.
One of the older series of OOP charts included is the Loose Feathers Mystery Sampler, a collection of 5 charts. I stitched it back in 2014.
The first one I am stitching is A Heart Remembers. I chose a piece of 16ct Wren aida by Picture This Plus with the called for colors.
I decided to stitch the entire border first to make sure I had enough of the floss – Classic Colorworks Stormy Nights and Carolina Cecil.
And the border meets, and I did not run out of floss. Used DMC for the house since I was not sure I had enough of the Uniform Blue. And I added my parent’s initials and the year they were married. Now to order a frame for it.
I decided to use a simple black frame I ordered from Amazon. This one has a deeper rabbet than the ones I usually get from them. I wish it had come in other colors but am happy with how it looks. Now where to hang it.
Christmas Rose by Blackbird Designs is #4 in the Christmas Sampler series.
I selected a piece of 28ct antique ivory Cashel linen as my fabric and am using the called for colors of floss with the exception of Weeks Dye Works Parchment which does not show up against the fabric. I plan on using a pale gold color instead.
I am using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Toffee floss instead of the Weeks Parchment.
April 10, 2022 – And that’s a finish! I am glad I at least tried stitching a larger sampler on linen but it is NOT my favorite fabric to use. I added my Daddy’s initials and the year of his birth to this one. He loved Christmas and it brings back memories of him calling me to come over and wrap his presents for my Mom.
This one joins the growing pile of stitched pieces that need to be framed.
This was my first time framing a piece stitched on linen. I decided to add a piece of thin batting to the foam core before I added the stitched piece. Linen was nowhere as easy to work with as aida is when trying to pin the fabric to the foam core. I did get it framed and am happy with how it turned out.
And it has been added to the “Christmas Wall” in my craft/sewing room.
I first saw the finished piece called Quaker Diamond in one of my Facebook groups for cross stitch. I went in search of the chart but could not locate it anywhere so assumed it is/was Out of Print. I posted in another group that I was In Search Of this chart and another stitcher was able to locate it for me. Once the chart arrived, I realized the alphabet was stitched over 1 thread which is hard on my eyes to see.
I selected a piece of 28ct cream Monaco that I had in my stash as the fabric and a hank of Mo’s Coral silk floss that I had just purchased. I started stitching the first part of February (not sure of exact date) and love it so far. May be another story when I get to the over one part.
I finished the easy part – stitching over two. All that is left if the over one for the alphabet, date, and my initials.
March 9, 2022 – Finished the over one stitching on this one. Messed up the spacing in the center but decided I was not going to frog over one stitches with one strand of silk floss. I can live with it.
I used a simple frame I got off Amazon. Not quite as elegant as mu usual custom frames but much less expensive.
I recently joined a Facebook group, Cross Stitch Camp and am participating in a SAL Winter Cross Stitch Camp 2022. It’s virtual, and it’s free. You will start your Camp project on February 1 and finish by February 28. The challenge: Stitch a one color piece. It can be any color. It can be any size.
I have been wanting to stitch Simple Harvest by Blackbird Designs from the book With Needle and Thread for some time and this was small enough that I figured I could finish it in the allotted time. I chose a piece of 16ct aida I had in my stash and purchased some silk thread (Orchard) from Mo Bittner (Mo’s Sales) to stitch it with.
Started Stitching: February 1, 2022
Finished Stitching: February 3, 2022
I saw another framed finish of this one with two buttons placed on each side of the bottom which I am going to use. Now to find the right size and color buttons.
And here it is the first day of February 2023 and this one is fully finished. Added a couple of buttons and a bow and button at the top.
A Token of Love was offered as a retreat project in 2021. It will hopefully be available to all at the Nashville 2022 Market. It was created by Alma Adams to celebrate the birth of her grand-daughter. It was a gift to me complete with fabric and floss. I did change the fabric to 16ct aida since it was easier on my eyes. I am going to stitch it in honor of my great-grandson, Killian.
I started stitching it on January 26, 2022.
Finished Stitching: February 21, 2022
I added the initials of my great-grandson and the year he was born. Now to get it framed. Since I already stitched a birth sampler for his parents, this one is for me.
And here it is framed. I decided on the Rustic Wood Sandstone picture frame from Graphic Dimensions.
My Heart Can Rest by Blackbird Designs was released in 2020. It was influenced by an original antique French sampler that is pictured in the leaflet.
Every house where love abides,
Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home, sweet home.
For there the heart can rest.
The chart calls for 36ct Heartland by Picture This Plus but I chose to use 16ct Fog also by Picture This Plus. I used all the called for colors:
The stitch count is 170w by 157h which makes the finished size 10 5/8 by 9 7/8.
Started Stitching: September 15, 2021
Finished Stitching: October 2, 2021
As charted, the bottom of the design contains a name and date. A number of us are changing and adding a verse. I graphed the words “Where Love Abides My Heart Can Rest.”
I decided to add my initials and Jims.
Now to decide on a frame for this one.
July 2022 Framed and ready to hang.
When I first saw this chart in one of my cross stitch groups I KNEW I had to stitch it for a dear friend who had recently lost her husband of seventy years. Two Hearts One Love is by Victoria House Designs, a new designer to me.
I chose a piece of 16ct Ivory by Zweigert from my stash and the called for DMC colors (152, 407, 950, 3012, 3046, 3722, 3781, 3782, 3790, and 3858). The stitch count is 125w by 150h which made the finished piece approximately 7 7/8 by 13 1/2.
I finished stitching this last night (9/15/2021) but forgot to not when I started, sometime the end of August. Now to decide on a frame.
I decided to try a new place to order frames from, The Rusty Roof on Etsy. The rabbet depth on their frames is not as deep as I like but since I was not going to use glass and most of them were for smaller pieces, I figured it would work. I ordered one of the distressed wood frames in the color Espresso.
I pinned the stitched piece to a piece of foam core covered with a light weight cotton batting. It just fits into the frame with just enough room to use the point driver to hold everything together. I will then cover the back with brown kraft paper than when spritzed with water, dries taut. Rather than adding hanging hardware, I am using a black wrought iron easle.
When I first saw this small sampler displayed in one of the many cross stitching Facebook groups, I knew I wanted to stitch it. Only problem was I did not own the chart and it was OOP. Luckily, for me, a stitching friend offered to loan me her copy.
What exactly is a “marking sampler?”
A marking sampler is a small piece of cloth with the alphabet, numbers (up to ten) and possibly the name of the girl who made the sampler. … In Northwestern Europe, in the mid- to late nineteenth century, marking samplers were usually worked in cross stitch in a red silk, and later in a cotton thread.
From the Textile Research Centre
I selected a piece of 16ct Parchment aida I had in my stash along with the called for DMC floss. The finished piece would not be really large and framed could go on my sampler wall.
Floss colors used are DMC 610, 612, 645, 3011, 3021, and 3768.
Started Stitching: August 22, 2021
Finished Stitching: August 29, 2021
And it is now the stitching is finished. Now to decide on how to finish it – framed or pin pillow or something else.
When I first saw Smallest Things Sampler by Heart in Hand Needleart, I knew I HAD to stitch it for two of my step-daughters who were first time gradmas.
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” The model stitched two over two on 32 Ct. legacy linen using Classic Colorworks and Weeks Dye Works. The stitch count is 80W x 84H so the finished size was only 5″ x 5.25″ which made for a quick stitch. The embellishments of a heart, flower and house buttons were included with the chart but I order two extra sets.
I selected 16ct French Country Mocha that I had in my stash to stitch it on and the recommended floss of which I had all but one of the colors.
Floss colors:
I decided to use my new favorite frame to finish these: Textured Gray Wood Frame that has a slightly greenish tint to it.
