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Blackbird Design Reprints

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EXCITING NEWS From Alma and Barb of Blackbird Designs: First Winds of Autumn and Merry Christmas Drum being released later this year! Loose Feathers Summer, Autumn and Winter from 2011 just reprinted and should be at distributors by Monday, April 20, 2020. And you can add the book In Friendship’s Way to the list. If you missed any of these, you can place an order with your favorite needlework shop.

Summer, Autumn, and Winter
First Winds of Autumn
In Friendship's Way Book Cover.
In Friendship’s Way
Merry Christmas Drum

So if you are patient, you will be able to stitch these beauties and NOT have to pay an arm and a leg for them.

Home from the Sea

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Home from the Sea by Blackbird Designs was first released at a Dyeing to Stitch Retreat held in April 2019. It was one of two designs released. The other one was We Live in Hope.

Home for the Sea kit

Both charts were released as a leaflet at the Nashville 2020 Needlework Market.

We Live in Hope Booklet

The kit itself came with both the fabric and floss to stitch the project, I chose to change out the 36ct Vintage Honey linen by R & R Reproductions to 28ct cream Monaco but used the recommended floss.

Home from the Sea supplies

Recommended floss colors Weeks Dye Works:

  • Beige
  • Blue Jeans
  • Caper
  • Cocoa
  • Deep Sea
  • Dove
  • Flatfish
  • Palomino
  • Schneckley
  • Williamsburg

Started: March 21, 2020
Finished: April 6, 2020

I added the year I stitched it and my initials as well as my husband’s initials to commemorate his time in the Navy.

Home from the Sea by Blackbird Designs
Home from the Sea by Blackbird Designs
Home from the Sea framed

Cardinal by Rovaris

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This is the first design I have stitched from Rovaris. I love cardinals and thought it might make a nice Christmas decoration. I chose to stitch it on 16ct aida from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe and used VMSS threads. The chart comes with the tassel included. You can order it in the red or blue version.

Cardinal by Rovaris
  • Primitive White
  • Burgundy Ribbons
  • Claret
  • Plantation Brown

The size of the stitched piece is 4 1/4 x 4 7/8 inches.

I may decide at a later date to add some trim to this one as well as the tassel but we shall see.

GRAND Giveaway

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Nancy Turner of Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe has the most beautiful floss for stitching and regularly shares with the stitching community. This time she is having a GRAND give-away to cheer everyone up a bit.

Head on over to her blog to become a follower and enter for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

  • One winner will win a free month in the floss club of their choice, 12 skeins, primitives or limited editions.
  • One winner will win a free month in the linen or aida club.
  • One of her Harmony charts complete with floss.
  • One winner will receive her America the Beautiful Collection of 12 skeins
  • One winner will receive 12 skeins of Spring Colors….Nancy will choose those from previous floss club shipments.
  • One winner will receive one of her sampler charts.
  • One winner will receive her Purple Passion 12 skein collection
  • And last of all lets give away one of the 30 Skein, 20 yards each, of the Primitive Collection. She will be adding new colors this year.
Harmony Chart with floss
America the Beautiful Floss Collection
Purple Passion Floss Collection.

To enter the giveaway, go to GRAND give-away

Sewing Club by Blackbird Designs

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One of the new releases by Blackbird Designs at the Nashville Market 2020 is Sewing Club. While I have not seen the book itself (only pictures of it) it reminds me of an earlier one by Barb and Alma, A Stitcher’s Journey. That book contained a collection of charts that had been taught in some of their classes.

Sewing Club Book Cover.
Sewing Club Book Cover

Sewing Club contains charts for 16 projects including:

  1. Willing Hands A Retreat Project at The Attic Nov 2019 (bottom right on front cover)
  2. Tiny Tree tops, Rose or Thyme from Shepherds Bush retreat 2016 (top middle on front cover
  3. Garden Friends Sewing Bag from Spring 2019 Retreat at Stitchville USA (bottom left on front cover)
  4. Hollyhocks Were Always There huswife from Spring 2019 Retreat at Stitchville USA
  5. Rose Hips & Ivy which was a Ladies Prim Society release in 2017
  6. In My Garden which was a Silver Needle A Little Help From My Friends pattern
  7. My Home Scissor Box (top left on cover)
  8. Summer Basket Button Bag
  9. Ripe Pear Scissor Box from Spring 2019 Retreat at Stitchville USA
  10. Summer Flocks from Spring 2019 Retreat at Stitchville USA
  11. The Air of Other Summers from 2019 Quilter’s Station Retreat (top middle on the front cover)
  12. A Bit of Summer De Handwerk Boetiek: Pindrum club 2018-2019
  13. Songbird Whistles Primitives of the Midwest Class Project 2017
  14. Gathering Swallows Primitives of the Midwest Class Project 2017
  15. Garden Morning

I’ve ordered my copy of this book and cannot wait for it to arrive. Thanks Barb and Alma for this wonderful new release.

Petites Lettres Rouges SAL

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Petites Lettres Rouges is a free chart offered by Blackbird Designs in 2009. The Fans of Blackbird Designs Facebook group decided to stitch this one as a SAL (Stitch-a-Long) in 2020. Since the chart was free anyone in the group was free to join us. We each picked our favorite fabric and floss colors to use. I decided to use 28ct rose Monaco that I had in my stash and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss (Claret, February Flowers, and Forever in My Heart.)

We started stitching on February 15th, but you are free to start at any time. This one I am going to stitch in memory of my paternal grandmother Sammie Lipscomb Bayless who was born in 1890.

Petites Lettres Rouges by Blackbird Designs.
Petites Lettres Rouges by Blackbird Designs

Finished stitching: February 19, 2020

Petites Lettres Rouges by Blackbird Designs.
Petites Lettres Rouges by Blackbird Designs

Now to decide how to finish it.

November 2020: And here it is finished as a drum by Vonna Pfeiffer. I love it.

Linen And Threads – Mystery Sampler SAL

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Another Stitch-A-Long I discovered posted on Facebook, was the Linens and Threads Mystery Sampler SAL that is offered by Linens and Threads in Australia. This is at least the 4th year they have offered this and all of the projects are stunning.

The one for 2020 is called Friends and Family and is inspired by antique Quaker and Vierlande samplers.  It includes both traditional and new motifs, and allows you to personalize your sampler to celebrate your Friends and Family.

Each month on the first, Linens and Threads will release a new piece of the Mystery Sampler as a free downloadable chart. And along with this years charts, each month will feature a bonus chart of an ornament.

Linens and Threads 2020 Mystery Sampler – Family and Friends

The sampler itself has a stitch count of 244 wide x 244 high so not small. You can read all about this years Mystery Sampler as well as the ones offered for previous years from the links below. And the charts are FREE.

If you decide to stitch one of these beauties, join the Facebook group created for stitchers Linen And Threads – Mystery Sampler SAL, There you can post your progress and see photos of all the beautiful creations and color choices.

The 2019 A Peacock’s Garden is pictured below.

A Peacock's Garden by Linens and Threads
A Peacock’s Garden by Linens and Threads
2020 January Ornament
2020 January Ornament
February Ornament by Linen and Threads.
February Ornament
March Ornament by Linen and Threads.
March Ornament

Vintage Vase by Verbena

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As if I really needed to join another Stitch A Long (SAL)!! Someone had posted on Facebook about one being offered by Irina Veber of Verbena Cross Stich, a Russian Designer. After looking at her charts, I decided I needed to join.

You need to be a member of the Verbena group.

You need to show your progress and the final result in the group.

Registration for the project and distribution of patterns is from January 27 to February 14, 2020. The term of the SAL is from January 27 to may 31, 2020. To get the pattern, let me know what pattern you’d like to stitch.

You can choose a pattern in my store by following the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/VerbenaCS

Please share information about this group and SAL and invite fellow stitchers to join us in this adventure.

So I visited her shop and made my choice of Vintage Vase pictured above. The other one I really like was Quaker Flower.

I decided to use a piece of 16ct aida from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe along with some of Nancy Turner’s beautiful floss to stitch this project.

Vintage Vase supplies

Floss Colors I am using are:

  • Weathered Tan
  • Primitive Purple
  • Jacob’s Ladder
  • Pale Lavender Grey
  • Verbena
  • Soft Mauve
  • Best Friends

Think about joining us. You can find her the Verbena Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/VerbenaCS/

Progress picture stitching Vintage Vase.
Vintage Vase progress
Vintage Vase completed.
Vintage Vase completed

And here it is June 2022 and this one has finally made its way out of the “finished stitching drawer” into a frame. Just an inexpensive frame from Hobby Lobby that was on sale for half price. Not as elegant as my custom ordered frames but no longer hidden in the drawer.

Vintage Vase framed.

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Valentine’s Day Giveaway

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Many of you already know I am a big fan of Nancy Turner and her Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss, fabric and charts. Nancy so generously shares her floss, fabric, and charts with the stitching community on a regular basis.

For Valentine’s Day, she is giving away:

  • Be True in Heart chart
  • Love one Another chart
  • A new set of Red floss that she is carding now
  • Love and you shall be Loved Quaker chart
  • Friendship’s Love mini sampler chart…..and include all the floss you need to complete it! Design size is 179×127, on 16 or 32ct it will fit a standard 11×14 frame. I try to do all my designs to fit standard frames.

That’s five chances you have to win one of these great gifts. So head on over to her blog to enter for a chance to win one of her Valentine’s Giveaway prizes. Two of the charts are shown below.

Love and You Shall Be Loved Quaker Sampler
Friendship’s Love Sampler

Thank you Nancy for being so generous with us.

All Joys for Thine by Blackbird Designs

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The newest release from Barb and Alma of Blackbird Designs is All Joys for Thine.

All Joys for Thine chart cover.
Chart Cover All Joys for Thine

This one is stitched on 36ct Heartland linen from Picture This Plus using Weeks Dye Works and Classic Colorworks floss  (Barn Door, Cinnamon Toast, Fool’s Gold, Hazelnut, Pine Needles, Polliwog, Stormy Night) and Weeks Dye Works (Dirt Road, Sage, Sandcastle). The stitch count is 165w x 135h which makes the stitched size on 36 or 18ct 9 1/8 x 7 1/2. If there is no over 1 stitches, I will use 16ct aida which will make the stitched size 10 3/8 x 8 1/2. Another beautiful chart from my favorite designers.

Started Stitching: October 13, 2020
Completed Stitching: December 19, 2020

Color Changes:

  • DMC 610 or WDW Dirt Road
  • DMC 831 or WDW Sage/VMSS Sage Powder
  • DMC 422 or WDW Sandcastle
  • DMC 3858 or CC Barn Door
  • DMC 3859 or CC Cinnamon Toast
  • DMC 3828 or CC Hazelnut
  • DMC 3011 or CC Pine Needles
  • DMC 830 or CC Polliwog/VMSS Moss & Ivy
  • DMC 3768 or CC Stormy Nights
  • CC Fool’s Gold/VMSS Antique Gold
All Joys for Thine Progress.
All Joys for Thine Progress
All Joys for Thine progress 12/4
All Joys for Thine

I decided to stitch this one in honor of my sister, Nan, and her husband, Jim and the year they were married.

And framed ready for spacers and glass.

All Joys for Thine