Sunday, August 3, 2014

Mistress L

Lynn Jones and I have been steadily working on Mistress L by Lauren Sauer. We decided to work ours in silk - just 'cause we could and silk is so much easier to stitch with. It has been an adventure to find colors that match as much as possible. We did change a few colors because we wanted a bit more pink in the flowers.
Lynn has stitched a bit more than I have but here is part of my sampler.

 
 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Specialty Stitches - Queen Stitch Scissors Sheath

In March the guild is going to have a workshop about a couple of stitches that are often used on sampler to add a little something extra.
One is Montenegrin. This stitch us used to create stems and scrolls in bands. It is a reversible stitch and one that can be difficult to do.
The other is queen stitch. Queen stitch can be used as a single stitch or as a filling stitch. It can be worked straight and diagonally.
There are some tricks  and techniques that can help us improve both of these stitches.
As part of this class, Swans will hand out in class and later post the directions for  a scissors sheath that features queen stitches. Here is a photo of the finished sheath.



We will  suggest some thread colors but you will be free to choose your ground fabric and colors. You will need 3 flower colors, green, yellow and tan for the flower pot.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Ornament 2014

Ornament

One of the fundraisers that Swans have used every year has been the yearly Ornament. Sometimes these have had a Christmas theme but not always. The one for 2014 is a delightful, tiny sampler that should appeal to all of us who love samplers. It  has a number of fun and different stitches along with lots of over one stitching featuring some cute and unique animals and fruit.  A swan charm in either gold or silver is included with the pattern. It could hang on a tree but would be a charming addition to your sampler collection and enjoyed all year long. It can be a pin keep but could be a tiny pillow, cover for a book or even framed.
It is designed by Carolyn Standing Webb, one of our founding members who fondly remembers our goal of wanting to share samplers with all of those who share our passion. She hid her initials in the alphabet by stitching them in another color.