Busy Busy...

I hope you are all enjoying

 the Memorial Day holiday weekend. 

I think all weekends should be 3 days long,

don't you?

 

Will be a working weekend for me

 in preparation

 of upcoming pattern releases.

I worked all day on

pattern things

&

 stuff like this...

 while

he did this

&

this...

 

all day!

{sigh}

The dh treated me to a carry out dinner

 that we enjoyed

 along the lake shore

 this evening.

The mother mallards

 and

 Canada geese

 had their young out on the water...

they were enjoying

 a carry out dinner of water bugs & critters.

I don't think there is anything

 cuter then

baby ducklings.

  One little duckling liked to wander off

 from

mom & siblings,

and then

he'd have to hurry hurry

to catch up

with lots of peep peeps

telling everyone to wait up

as he was running on top of the water...

so stinkin' cute!

Was a very warm & humid day,

summer has arrived!

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

and her name was Mildred...

and

 she has come to grace a nook or cranny of my house

or maybe a wall...

 she's not too big,

no fancy borders,

no frame,

just edges that are simply

 turned under...

See the urn?

I love it's delicate little handles...

The sampler isn't without imperfections.

She has a couple holes 

and

 her dark green threads

have bled overtime...
Fairly common

 with this floss color

in antique samplers.

Simple little motifs worked in rows.

See the little man with the walking stick?

I love him too...

Eyelet stitches worked in magenta silk floss.

See the crown? 

It too,

 seems so delicate to me.

The verse reads,

 in old English alphabet,

This I have done that you might see

what care my parents took of me.

and her name was Mildred...

my mother's name.

That's why I really really love this sampler,

a

must have.

Mildred Brown Fotherb, age 18 

1815

X X X X 

In response to emails

 and 

blog comment questions

 in regards to the photo in the blog banner...

this is a new pattern that will be part of a 3 new pattern release

coming in early June.

  July Word Play,

 Strawberry Hill Sampler

 & 

Thimble Purses, a stitcher's necklace,

charts will release together

 at that time. 

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

Momma's big helper & garbage day!

Grandpa and I had the pleasure to sneak away for a couple of days to babysit the grand darlings and celebrate their Momma's 32nd birthday.  

 I keep asking myself,

 can I really have children in their 30's already?

  Upon arrival,

 we were greeted at the door by Beckham...

it's so fun when they reach the age

 where they remember

 who you are from visit to visit.

Gives Grandma warm fuzzies!

 We hadn't seen Miss Avry

 since her birth. 

I think she looks like her Momma  ;)

 She is busy moving her arms and legs,

 trying to control her little fist

 and on

 occasion will even get her thumb in her mouth.

  With a little coaxing

 there are 

coos and smiles.  

Big brother is such a good helper,

even helps keep her pacifier in place!

Momma can be heard saying, "be gentle, be gentle"...

Here she is in her tutu.  

Precious.

Big brother straightening her tutu so it is just so.

  I overheard him telling his baby sister,

 "Oh Avy you're so cute"!  

Suppose he will think she is cute when she starts crawling

and discovers

 his Thomas the Trains?

Watching over his little sister while she sleeps.  

Big Brother,

Mother's Helper

&

Protector...

 For the most part baby sister approves...

But,

we are still working on the "being gentle" part...

Learning how to hold Avry

 with out squeezing too hard!

He keeps pretty busy

being Momma's helper...

watering Momma's herb garden...

Aren't they cute?

Wine crates re purposed into herb boxes.

Herb markers are wine corks!

Oh, and I forgot...

How could I forget?

We got to witness the excitement of "Garbage Day Friday".

This is a big deal! 

We arise early,

stand by the windows/door in our jammies...

and

what else?

Of course,

 watch garbage truck videos on YouTube 

on Momma's iphone while we wait for the 

garbage truck to arrive...

This garbage day is a big deal..

it's a whole family affair,

even Bella,

 the family fur child,

 comes to see what all the excitement is about.

"the garbage truck is coming!"

"the garbage truck is coming!"

and in a matter of seconds

the garbage is picked up

and

 the truck disappears

off in the distance...

and

 then we spend the rest of our day 

doing this...

and this...

What a fun Friday!

Have a good day everyone,

Brenda

Looking towards July...

Charting, check.

 Color planning, check.

So let the stitching begin

 on July's Word Play!

 It takes about a weeks

 worth of

 morning coffee stitching 

to complete

 a Word Play.

I love the quick stitch

 of this series...

quick gratification!

It's hard to believe

 that I am down the home stretch

 on this 12 chart series...

just two more months left!

 I've enjoyed designing this series

 and found that finding

 the little monthly props

 for the photo shoots

 to be even more enjoying!

 Shoot,

 last month

 I got to buy 3 quarts of fresh strawberries

 for the photo shoot...

which meant

 sugared strawberries & ice cream

when pictures were done!

 I'm now gathering

 antique nautical goodies

 for photo props...

just a little hint

for what's to come

 in

 July's Word Play! 

Watch for July's Word Play release on June 1st!

With thy Needle & Thread,
Brenda

New Patterns Coming Soon!

"THIMBLE PURSES"...
- a stitcher's necklace -

As you may remember from previous posts,

I've been working on a new series for your stitching pleasure...

The tiny little purse frames are on their way from China

 and should be here soon!

 They are tiny

 and

 they are sweet!

  As I early indicated, 

this series will be offered in

 cross stitch,

 wool applique

and 

punch needle....
The cross stitch series
will be the first to release,
sometime in early June...
something to please everyone!

 The Strawberry Hill chart will be releasing in June,
 also...

get you needles threaded,

lots of fun stitching goodies coming your way!

Have a good weekend,

Brenda

No play until your work is done...

I'd rather be digging in the dirt right now.

 I'd rather be planting geraniums right now.

 BUT

 like mother always said,

"No play until your work is done"...

Somewhere on that sheet of paper 

and

 in that pile of floss 

 is

 July's Word Play,

really.

I just haven't found it yet...

June 1st is quickly approaching isn't it?

The release date of July's Word Play...

YIKES,

I best get the needle a flyin',

huh???

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

 

.

 

It's Friday...

and that means it's garbage day! 

The highlight of this little ones day

as you may remember from

a previous posting...

Momma asked him

 if he would like to go outside

 and sit on the steps 

to watch the garbage truck...

his response,

"no, I'd be scared."

You got to love the honesty here...

Grandma B wonders

 if the driver of the truck

 ever notices

 the little blonde haired boy

 peering out the window

 at him.  

She's also thinking

 a simple wave

 to this little one

 would really

 make his

 Friday morning...

Have a good weekend everyone,

Brenda

When it rains it pours...

If you've been trying to ring me,

I am having phone issues at the shop.

 

When it rains, my phone gets cranky.

 I'm here...

 if you need to get in contact with me,

 you can email me at

 order@countrystitchesonline.com 

 Have a good weekend, Brenda

P.S.

Many thanks to those who commented with eyelet-making tips.

  I'm still trying...

I know the basics,

but have come to the acceptance

that I'm just not a good eyelet stitcher ;-)

 

Trying to master...

the eyelet stitch.

I love the eyelet stitch.

I love old samplers

 with eyelet stitches.

I just don't

 love

 stitching them...

I'm trying to master this stitch.

Trying to per-fect it,

and

 I still struggle...

A future pattern,

Strawberry Hill will have a few

eyelet stitches in it.

Nothing too showy,

not a lot of contrast between linen and floss...

 just for a few eyelet stitches
here and there
for texture, 

really.

Here's a peak...

 

I see a couple of eyelets that need frogging.

It's my tension,

I'm not pulling the floss tight enough

and

 having problems with the tension of the 

first stitch.

I am currently just holding my loose end
on the backside.
 My next attempt will be using a waste knot,
sort of method...
I'm thinking this may allow me to pull the threads tension
on that first stitch as it gets
woven through some stitches to secure.

Do we have any master eyelet stitchers out there?
What is your method?

Inquiring minds want to know... 

So as I sit and stitch,

 and frog,

my eyelet stitches,

I look around

the house

at 

these.

Old samplers...

my eyes fixating

 on the eyelets stitches,

 looking at the uniformity of the center holes,

the floss tension...

and 

I find myself 

in total amazement,

 that a 10 year old

 could

make such beautiful

 eyelet stitches...

(sigh)

I tell myself,

if a 10 year old

 can stitch

 a perfect

 eyelet stitch,

so can I...

Practice.

Practice.

Practice.

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

It's a worm Grandma!

I received an email

 from our

little grandson,

 Beckham

 yesterday.

 Subject line read... 

It's a worm Grandma!

No words necessary,

the picture says it all...

I just know he's thinking,

where are it's eyes??!!!!

 I love getting emails

 from Beckam.

 Have a good week everyone,

 Brenda

Have you...

bought your 

12 oz sampler box

 of 

Whitmans Chocolates yet?? 

If not, it's time to!

STRAWBERRY HILL SAMPLER sewing box

is coming soon! 

The theme

 for the re purposed 

Whitman's chocolate sampler box

 will be...

 strawberries,

you guessed it!

Here is a peek at the floss colors and linen...

a nice warm buttery yellow 35 count linen.

The plans are...

the box will be re purposed into a little sewing box.

A box that has a cross stitched pincushion top.

You'll open the lid of the box

to find a sweet little sampler needle roll,

strawberry emery

and 

more!

Stay tuned...

Have a good evening,
Brenda

Becoming a big brother...

I was looking through some photos 

that I snapped at the hospital

 after the birth of Avry. 

 I came upon this one...

I love the photo.

That first glimpse

 of his new baby sister.

  So focused

 on her tiny little mouth,

 tiny little nose 

and

 tiny little hat...

Big brother

 decided

 she's a keeper,

  lets take her home!

Have a good Tuesday everyone,
Brenda

Mmmmmmmm.....

It was another one of those weekends 

where I rather spend my time stitching

then in the kitchen.

 Anyone else have this disorder?

Thanks to daughter Erin 

for her recipe share

 I was able to whip up a delicious light lunch

 and the darling husband 

couldn't seem to get enough mmmm's

 in while eating his lunch.

 I just won't tell him how easy it was.

 I think I'll just let him believe

 that I labored hours in the kitchen

preparing this delightful meal.

Mozzarella Tomato & Avocado  Brueschetta

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I prefer the oval or grape tomatoes)

1 carton fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained

2 avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cut fresh basil, julienned

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup extra light olive oil

freshly ground salt and pepper

french baguette bread

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and parsley.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper.  Pour over tomato mixture.  Toss to coat.  Let set for 30 minutes so flavors can mix.  Just before serving, stir in the chopped avocados.  Slice french baguette bread and apply light olive oil onto both sides with a pastry brush.  Place under broiler to toast, toasting both sides.  Place tomato mixture onto toasted bread.

X  X  X  X  X  X

And I leave you this Monday morning with a little peak 

at the

Francis Pool sampler.

I'm about half way done!

Have a good week,

Brenda

She is here!

Meet Miss Avry Brooklyn 

 7 1/2 pounds 

19 1/2" long

 born April 12, 2012 

at 3:55 AM

Mother and baby are both doing wonderful! 

Big brother is getting to know his new little sister

 and 

Daddy's pretty proud!

Thanks for your thoughts and well wishes for a safe delivery,

Brenda

NOTICE

I got the phone call from daughter Erin, contractions are about 9 minutes apart!  I am out of the office until further notice and unable to fill orders.   I ask that you refrain from placing orders during this time when I'm gone...they are just going to sit in my inbox and grow old, thank you for understanding!  I will keep you all updated in regards to my return date.

Gotta run,
Brenda

SPAM keys & Pincushions...

I collect antique & vintage pincushions.

 This one sits in a little vignette,

 along with other pincushions,

 on a little side table

next to my stitching settee.

I bought it as is...

loaded 

with

 pins

 and 

threaded needles.

 It is this little rocker

 that catches my eye

 and

 makes me laugh

from

time

to 

time...

For some crazy reason

 it reminds me of SPAM.

Yea, that's right...

the meat in the can!

Any SPAM lovers out there?

Any SPAM key lovers out there?

 You know,

 the little key that you used

 to take the top off

 of the

 SPAM can?

Loved that key...

 It formed such a cute little curl of steel...

 much like the little curls

 on my little rocking chair pincushion.  

A pincushion made from a pop can.

 I always wonder,

 did they use the SPAM key to create these little chairs?

 Inquiring minds want to know...

 And by the way,

 I don't like SPAM.

 Mom would try sneaking it past us

 when we were kids...

 fry it up nice and brown

 and put it on bread,

drown it with mustard

 and

they'll never know it came from a can...

right?

WRONG.

 I didn't like this so-called mystery meat,

 but

 I WAS

 captivated by it's little key

 and

 the cute little spiral of steel...

Have a good day,

Brenda

Friday is garbage day...

and

 you know what that means?

 Someone gets to
wait
 and
 watch for

 

 one of these ...

Ah yes, the garbage truck!

That is the highlight of this little darlings Friday.

Fridays are busy days for this 3 year old.
  Momma has her ob doc appointments also.

That's a lot to have to squeeze into a Friday morning
 for a
3 year old...

Waiting and listening for the garbage truck
to arrive,
 and
 then having to go to the doctors
office and wait some more...
and
then getting to hear a heart beat
of this little person,
that everyone calls,
 little baby sister...

  The doctors say things are starting to progress
 and the baby
 could arrive
 any day now!
Yayyyyyyyy!!

And now here's the cute part,
 the part that made my day...
(momma called me and told me the cute little story,
I love these cute little Beckham stories - cause you just never know what he is going to say)
 

Upon leaving the doctor's office,
 this past Friday,
 Beckham told the doctor
 that he was going to go home
 and
 watch garbage trucks (of course)
 and
 then go pick up his baby sister!!
First things first, though...

  So,
 I'm thinking these weekly
 Friday doctor appointments
 are starting to conflict
with someones garbage-truck-watching days.
Someone has decided
 it's just time to go
 and
 pick this little sister up,
 and
 get over this weekly
nonsense of doctor visits...
it's really starting to cut into his
garbage truck watching days...

I still can't stop laughing!   

Have a blessed Easter everyone,

Brenda

P.S.

New punch needle patterns should be posted on the website on Monday...unless the baby arrives!  Also, the 35 count Abecedarian linen has arrived and the 30 count Parchment will be here this coming week.

New Patterns!

It's getting close now!

 Flosses are being kitted,

 linen is being cut

 and

you might say,

I'm just getting

 all my little

 ducks in a row,

before the release

of the following new patterns. 

So here is what is coming!

You can expect these to be added to our 

website just as soon
 as that last
 little straying duck

gets in line!!

SIT & STITCH

Is a cross stitch chart

 for a fun little sewing box chair

 that you construct from 

linen-covered cardboard. 

  The seat cushion lifts up,

 revealing a little box

 to keep all your

 sewing needfuls in!

This 9" chair

 has a crisply box pleated ruffle 

and her

 little wooden legs 

are old wooden thread spools...

how cute is that?

  All letters of the alphabet

 are included

 so you may personalize your chair!

   Also included in this pattern

 is a sweet coordinating pincushion, 

complete with cross stitched motifs,

 old mother of pearl buttons

 and 

antique ticking. 

MAY WORD PLAY

The 8th of the 12 monthly series

 is now ready

 for your stitching pleasure!

  Full and partial floss packs 

will be available

 as always.

SAMPLER OF THE SEASON - SPRING

After a little delay,

 the Spring sampler

 in this 4 sampler series

 is now ready! 

 It's an earth-warming spring day

 on the homestead,

gentle breezes are blowing,

it's time to get the quilts out

 for their annual airing.

  Design is worked on

 30 count Parchment linen 

over 2 strands,

 using GAST flosses throughout.

A big "THANK YOU" to Valley House Primitives
for supplying us with another one
of their beautifully hand-grained frames.

Moving onto NEW punchneedle patterns...

DAYS GONE BY

A sweet little huswife pocket 

with antique crock and rabbit pull toy. 

 Wool penny tabs 

and 

antique mother of pearl buttons

 adds extra detail

 and

 texture to this piece.

   A perfect little piece

 to hang from the corner 

of a ladder back chair

 or

 cupboard knob.

PARSNIP PIE

"My garden is beauty full"...

Here we have chambray skirt & straw bonnet clad gardener,

 admiring her bumper crop 

of

  carrots and parsnips. 

Oh there are rows and rows of other 

produce and sunflowers too,

 but is is the parsnips that she

has her eyes on...

 She is thinking Parsnip Pie,

 just like the ones

 her granny used to make.  

   Design is mounted on a linen weave fabric 

with

 wool flower accents

 at it's corners.

That's all for now folks!

Have a good week,

Brenda

P.S. no baby yet!

Awaiting her arrival...

Every time the phone rings,

 at work or at home,

 I am now thinking... is this the call? 

The call saying momma's in labor. 

 We are all excited to meet the little one. 

 Her due date is April 15th.

Her big brother came 10 days early...

So that phone call

 could really

 happen any day now!

Grandma has been busy working long days

 and

 weekends to get caught up

 so I can take a few days off

 to go and meet our new grand daughter

and

 just help out.

Please know that there will be slight shipping delays of orders 

whenever the little one decides

 to make her entrance into the world. 

 I'm working very hard to keep up,

 so I can sneak away for a few days.

Thanks for understanding, 

this is an exciting

time for us all

 and I wouldn't 

miss it for the world. 

I'll keep you all informed when the big event happens,

that way you will have a little heads up 

about shipping delays

 before you place an order.

Have a good day,

Brenda

Now I feel an urgency...

Several weeks ago I received an email from a gentleman...

He had stumbled upon my blog posting, 

the day that I shared photos

 of my Mary Wrigley sampler.  

You may recall,

 this is the first antique American sampler

 that I purchased.  

 I fell in love with her colors

 and 

the farm girl in me,

fell in love

with the

rooster motifs.  

 The email went on to read

 that this gentleman 

was a direct descendant of Robert and Mary Kay Wrigley,

 from Clearfield, PA.  

 They would be the parents

 to the Mary

that stitched the below sampler. 

 You can only imagine my total excitement

 in regards to this email.

  I had a person to connect 

this sampler to

 and that is pretty cool.

He went onto to say 

that they own a sampler made by Mary's mother,

 Mary Kay. 

 The sampler is dated 1806. 

 This gentleman's great great grandfather

 was a brother to the Mary

 that stitched my Mary. 

  Are you confused yet? 

 Yes, 

mother and daughter

 share the same name.

  The mother's sampler, 

was unfortunately damaged by water

 from a house fire 

many years ago,

 but is still quite readable. 

   He was curious

 how the daughter's sampler

 made it's way from Clearfield, PA

 into my hands,

 here in Iowa. 

  I purchased the sampler

 from a antique dealer

 out of Wisconsin,

 at a Minnesota antique fair....

If only we knew

 how she got from there to here...

what were her stops along the way? 

 Did she spend many years

 just hanging in an antique shop? 

 Maybe so. 

  It is really sad 

that something such

 as this 

gets out of the hands of family. 

 These are family heirlooms.  

  A part of me now feels guilty

 owning this...

She should be with family. 

  I feel the urgency

 to reproduce this into a chart,

 so a reproduced Mary Wrigley 1834 

can go home,

 to hang upon the same wall,

as her mother's sampler.

The sampler hangs on the wall next to my stitching settee. 

 This is where I spend a great share of my time,

 when at home.  

 This is where 

I

 sit & stitch.  

 In between stitches,

 when my eyes need a break,

 I look at Mary for inspiration.

Only now,

 it is

 with wonderment

 of what her mother's sampler

 looks like...

  Are they similar?

  Are the colors similar? 

 And of course,

I must wonder,

 does it have 

roosters

 on it?

Have a good day,
Brenda