2014 ornament strawberry

Here is the detail chart for the mini queen stitch strawberry.

Bags for the April meeting

On April 7th, Loree will help us with either of these darling bags from Shepherd's Bush Designs. Each of the bags are $24.00 and you will need to get the bag that you want to stitch from your local needlework store or you can order them directly from the "Bush" at shepherdsbush.net

The first one is called My Stitching Bag.

This sweet bag come to you already sewn together.  All you need to do is stitch the design on the linen portion of the bag. The kit includes a pattern, threads and button as well as the darling bag with its matching stripe and floral fabric border.  It is so darling.  The perfect place to store your favorite stitching supplies--scissors, threads and needles.



The second bag that is available is  Forget me Not Bag.

This adorable bag comes pre-made, all you get to do is the cross stitching--a sweet, old-fashioned sentiment in a meadow of sheep.  All the supplies are included to complete this wonderful bag.

Come and join us if you can, if not them get one of these special bags for your very own and stitch along with us.

2015 Ornament

Here is the picture of the ornament that Jackie designed for us. 

 

 

 

Jackie Said that when her son was toddler that they always had to feed Santa's Reindeer too.  So for our ornament she created a pouch to hold greens and a bottle of oats mixed with glitter.  The pouch is all hand finished and has a self lining and backing finishing technique.  It is worked with cross and tent stitches over one fabric thread.


The cost of the kit is $25.00 and shipping will be $7.00.

Swan Stitching Goals 2014 addition!

Here is another great post for 2014

 

It is Santa's Magic  stitched by Sandra Ball

 

Let us know if you finished some on your list.

 

Here is one of Carolyn's finishes. It was not sent in on a list but we thought that you would enjoy the story behind it. When she picked it back up this year to stitch on it, she found a paper in the bag with 1999 on it. So it was started about then or before. So take heart and know that it is never too late to work on and finish those "Works in progress".

 

Santa of the Forest - stitched by Carolyn Standing Webb

Swan Stitching Goals 2014

This is the time of year that tradition dictates that we make New Years Resolutions. Most of us keep those goals for about a day or perhaps a couple of months. We have received some ambitious lists for 2015 and it will be so much fun to see just how far they can go. So whether or not you sent us your list or even wrote one down for yourself, here's to lots of stitching and perhaps even some finished projects in the next year.

 

Several of our members were able to make stitching goals for 2014 and finished several of their pieces.

 

Barbara Martin finished 3 projects.

 

They are: a Christmas Sampler Stocking by Mary Beale

Boxed Blue Iris Sampler by Barbara Rakosnik

and a Biscornu that was not on the list but is a great design.

JoAnn Jackson finished two.

Stitcherie Challenge Heart

Ice Queen's Dilemma

I am sure that there are plenty of other finished projects out there. We would love to have you share then with us.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

2014 Swan Stitch-A-Long

Swan Stitch-A-Long for 2014

 

Fall is here, and it is time to announce our next Swan Stitch-A-Long.  We want to thank Linda Schmunk for leading our SAL for 2013.  It was “Past and Present” by Rosewood Manor.  She did a fabulous job encouraging us along, and it is such a gorgeous piece.

 

For 2014 our SAL piece will be “Emma Rose Friendship” by Tree Of Life Samplings.  The stitch count is 230 x 130 and the pattern calls for NP Silks (there is a DMC conversion), and 40 ct Lakeside Vintage Buttercream Linen.  The NP Silks called for are:  202, 206, 207, 208, 222, 225, 226, 301, 303, 325, 332, 473, 663, 664, 692, 766, 767, 851, 957, and 993.  I am thinking about using a comparable overdyed silk for the solid yellow house and the solid brownish/red house next to it.

 

If you know me, you know that I really love patterns with houses, and I also love the “friendship” theme in this beautiful piece.  I will probably add some initials to my piece, of friends that have made a difference in my life.

 

We encourage you to buy your pattern and supplies at your local brick and mortar Needlework Shop when possible,  to support our local small stores.  If you have any questions please email me at brendastitch@mileshouse.org

 

Brenda Miles

Your Sampler Story!

Hey everyone!  It's time to get our charting going for the "My Sampler Story" Challenge.  There is now a link on the left navigation of our website for "My Sampler Story Challenge" and a corresponding web page.  I've posted a file with sampler resources and the slide show that framed our discussion at our May meeting on this page.  These are for all of you "Away Swans" and those locals that couldn't attend!  The slide show provides the guidelines for the challenge, and the very basics of creating a sampler of your own.

At our May meeting, we were able to look at Brenda Miles' sampler of homes that have meaning in her life.  I'm not sure she's officially named it, but it was beautiful!  We also talked about what we might include in our own samplers, and discussed several examples of samplers (found in the slide show).

If you're having trouble coming up with a theme, here are some questions that you can answer that might get you thinking!

1. Where did you grow up?

2. What was your first childhood memory?

3. What did your house look like?

4. Where did you attend school?

5. Where have you lived?

6. Does your nation’s history have special meaning to you? What events?

7. Did you have a pet as a child?

8. What is your favorite color?

9. What is your favorite flower?

10. Did/Do you have a favorite holiday?

11. Did/Do you have a favorite family tradition?

12. What things do you and your family enjoy doing together?

13. Do you have hobbies or creative pursuits in addition to needlework?

14. Did you play a sport in school?

15. What is your favorite song?

16. Do you have a favorite quote, poem, or verse?

17. What is your favorite season?

Please post your ideas on the comments section of this blog post, or on the Yahoo group discussion board!  

2nd Quarter Newsletter is on the Website!

Hello everyone!  I hope that you are getting plenty of stitching time in and enjoying the change of seasons, wherever you are.  I have posted the latest newsletter up on the website, so take a look!

You'll find it at http://www.swansamplerguild.org/pdf/2ndQtr2013newsletter.pdf .

If you have trouble downloading it, just let me know at stitchinmaniac at msn dot com .

January's Stitch-In

Several local Swans met at Sandra's home on the 5th of January to stitch and enjoy each other's company.  There were several who brought items that were completed in 2012.  Some were part of their UFO challenge, but some were not!  Here are the photos... part 1!

The two Cathy's!

Brenda's ornament - a beautiful ornament stitched over one.  This is "The Three Wisemen" from Blackberry Lane Designs, one design in a series of 6. 

I didn't write down whose wonderful work this was... ladies, let me and I'll edit this post!

Linda's Liberty Hill box and needlecase, and two additional pieces she brought.  One is our biscornu project!

The rest of the pictures for today are close-ups of the beautiful piece by Diane Clements stitched by Carolyn...

I'll say it yet again, the photographer just couldn't capture the beauty of all of these pieces. Stay tuned for more!

Past and Present Update & Assignment

Linda sent out the assignment for January on the 5th, and I'm a bit slow getting it on the blog.  But, here are some pics of Linda's progress!

I think I need to get a mini tri-pod!  I'm sorry for the bit of blur, but we thought you really needed to see some close-ups of this beautiful sampler.  Linda's assignment for us this month is as follows:

"For the month of January we want to get the broken line directly below the darning patterns in as well as the medallion on the left hand side. Also get the flowers and vine that are directly above the hardanger stitched. I did not run into any problems with the charts except that the medallion is on several different pages. To make it easier, I made copies of all the pages and then taped them together.   This month should not be hard to get the assignment finished."

Watch for pictures from our Jan 5th Stitch-in and Show and Tell!  I'll be posting them in a day or so.

Stitching Adventures - 1st Quarter Newsletter Bonus Pictures

The first quarter newsletter is hot off of the press... well, my little editing, cutting, pasting, and inserting fingers.  Not really the "press".  Our new feature "Stitching Adventures" was submitted by Lynn Jones.    You really need to read Lynn's story.  Okay, you need to read the entire newsletter, but for now, here is some eye candy:

We thought you may want to see some detail of Lynn's "DH's Sampler" and look at this wonderful work in higher quality images than we can post in the newsletter.  You can read all about it in our 1st Quarter Newsletter, found at www.swansamplerguild.org/pdf/1stQtr2013newsletter.pdf .

Sandra Ball told us about her stolen Toy Chest Etui and happy endings last newsletter, when the feature began.  It's been fun! Please share your story with us!  If you have one you'd like to submit, send it to the editor at stitchinmaniac @ msn . com (no spaces).

4th Quarter Newsletter Now Available

Hello everyone!  I thought I'd make a quick post here to mention that a new edition of the Swan Sampler Guild Gazette is hot off the press and available on our website at http://www.swansamplerguild.org/pdf/4thQtr2012newsletter.pdf.

I'm a newbie at preparing this, so of course I had to make one really big mistake.  And, I'm here to confess. I neglected to thank a very important person, so I'll do it here. Brenda Miles has prepared and edited our newsletter for many quarters now, and we are so grateful for her service.  She spent many hours with the board, keeping everyone on their toes as to when their articles were due, and fighting the formatting.  She will be missed in this role, and we really appreciate her!

Now, here's the back story on our new format.  Brenda sent me the files for the newsletter, and when I started to use them, I found that I couldn't open them.  I don't know the reason, but I didn't want to ask her to send them again, because I was pretty sure I'd have the same trouble...I assumed it was something on my end.  Because I'm a different person with different computer programs.  Sometimes the transfer of these things doesn't go as smoothly as we'd like.  So, I found a template, tweaked it a bit, and now we have a new format.  I hope you like it.

Now, go read the newsletter.  Then stitch!

Happy thoughts to you all!

Catherine Theron

The guild is pleased to announce that Catherine Theron will be teaching three of her pieces in September 2013. For pictures, please see http://swansampler.blogspot.com . For more information on the class, please see the third quarter 2012 newsletter on the Swan Sampler Guild website.