New Patterns are Here!

 

New patterns are ready

and waiting

for your stitching pleasure!

 

 " Cozy in the Pines Sampler"

 Stitch count - 157 wide x 130 high

Size - 8 5/8" x 7 1/8"

Worked on 35 count Old Town Blend linen over two threads

 

 

 

"Jingle Bells"

 Stitch count - 121 wide x 96 high

Size - 6 5/8" x 5 1/4"

Worked on 35 count Straw linen over two threads

 

 

 

"Needleworker's Sampler"

Stitch count - 146 wide x 242 high

Size - 7 1/4" wide X 12" high

Worked on 40 count Doubloon linen over two threads

 

 

 

"Harriette Elizabeth Coe, 1844"



 

 Stitch count - 163 wide x 176 high

Size - 10 3/4" x 11 5/8"

Worked on 30 count linen over 1 and 2 threads.  Specialty stitches - Eyelet

 

 

"Limited Edition Kit - Snowbird Pinkeep"

Snow Bird Pinkeep goes on sale today (Wednesday November 6th) at 10:00 AM, CST.  This item is available for online purchasing only, no phone-in or mail-in orders will be taken on this item.  There is a limit of 1 per customer, no exceptions!  There will be an inventory count on this item.  I will try  my hardest to keep ahead of inventory, however there may be a lag in time of inventory notifications to me, as it makes it's way through cyber space.  If there is no quantity listed as "in stock" below the description, this means the item is gone.  There is a time frame from when the last one sells, to when I get the item pulled, that you can still add the item to your shopping cart.    So just keep this in mind, if there is no quantity listed as "in stock" below the description, the item is gone and waiting for me to put up the sold out notice. 

 

Kit includes - tin base, full color pattern/chart, 40 count linen, 9 skeins of floss, wool batting, chipboard cardboard and vintage silk ribbon.  All you need to supply is some glue, needle and a little stitching time.

 

Have a good day,

Brenda

 

 

 

 



Day 4 of Sneak Peeks!

Lastly, a sneak at a pattern for an antique reproduction sampler!

 

~ Harriette Elizabeth Coe, 1844 ~

Sampler features fun little critter motifs, flowers, urns, trees, birds and an alphabet all worked in eyelet stitches...

love samplers that have alphabets stitched in this manner!

Chart will give detailed instructions (with diagram) for how to stitch the eyelet stitch

for those who may be fearful of this stitch.

 

The sampler isn't overly large

 and is worked on 30 count linen over two threads,

except for one line that gets stitch over 1,

her name and date.

 

This completes the days of sneak peeks,

visit us online tomorrow for the releasing of:
Snow Bird Limited Edition Kit
Harriette Elizabeth Coe, 1844
Cozy in the Pines
Jingle Bells
Needleworker's Sampler
 

Have a good day,

Brenda

 

Day 3 of Sneak Peeks!

Welcome to day 3 of Sneak Peeks!

 

~ NEEDLEWORKER'S SAMPLER ~

 

A sampler filled with lots of tiny motifs and various meandering borders. 

The verse reads,

All my scattering moments are taken up with my needle.

Perfect sampler for the needleworker.

 

Stop by tomorrow for sneak #4.

 

Have a good day,

Brenda

Day 2 ~ Sneak Peek!

Welcome to day 2

of

 Sneak Peek

Pattern Preview days!

 

"JINGLE BELLS"

Doesn't need too much explaining...

we all know who this guy is!

A hint,

he has something in his other hand.

It's a toy and it's old fashioned.

No more hints!

 

Stop by tomorrow for

Sneak Peak #3.

 

Have a good day,

Brenda

4 Days, 4 Sneak Peeks!

Stop by and visit me the next 4 days

 for daily sneak peeks

of new cross stitch designs

 that are coming soon!

 

~ Day 1 Sneak Peek ~

 

"COZY IN THE PINES"

A smaller sampler worked in mostly reds and greens. 

A piece that will look extra lovely for the holiday season,

yet it doesn't "scream Christmas"...

certainly could be left out year round.

  A rather quick-stitch,

 I worked on this piece during my morning coffee

 and a few hours each evening,

 and it was completed in a week. 

 

Stop by tomorrow for sneak peek #2.

 

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

A Country Stitches Christmas Kit!

I'm excited to share with you a fun little holiday stitch...coming soon!

 

"SNOW BIRD PINKEEP"

It's a tin snowflake base with a perfect little spot to insert a cross stitched winter-themed pincushion.

The tin base measures just 2 1/4" tall by 9" across.

The base is that wonderful metallic color...not to silver and not too "gold-ish", sort of reminds me of the old finish on a mercury tree bulb.  The points of the snowflake are gently bent, giving the piece such a lovely time-worn patina.

 

Unfortunately, I was only able to get a limited supply of the snowflake bases.   I purchased what the manufacturer had left, when the bases are gone...that is it!

 

The "Snow Bird" snowflake pinkeep kit is cutely packaged in a box, with all the necessary goodies included (linen, floss, batting, cardboard, vintage ribbon & tin base). 

You will need to supply a needle,

some glue,

 and a little free time for stitching...

 

A limited edition kit sold exclusively through

www.countrystitchesonline.com

No preorders will be taken on this item.

 

Watch for this item to go on sale on the website

sometime during the first week of November...

more news to follow, with exact release date.

 

 

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

If squirrels could talk....

Hey you,

I'm up here, over to the left...

do you see me?

 

You do?

Oh, good good!

 

You see

I'm in sort of a predicament here.

 

If you could by chance make some noise.

Like clap your hands, yell, slam the door real hard,

let the cat out,

or maybe knock on the windows real hard...

You know,

sort of like you do when I'm doing up-side-down acrobats

from your bird feeders?

I would be forever grateful to you,

and maybe the guy over there to your lower right

would take a hike...

 

This squirrel owes me big.

I saved his little furry be-hind,

but,

 not before moving in closer to the hawk

and snapping a few pictures.

 

 

I'm not that familiar with birds of prey...a Coopers Hawk, Sharp-Shinned Hawk?

His coloring is quite handsome against the crisp-clear blue autumn sky.

 

 

You would think that a squirrel and a hawk in the same photo would not be a good thing,

if you were the squirrel.  

  Truthfully,

 it was the photographer here

that was in more of a panic,

 then the squirrel. 

 The said photographer

couldn't bear seeing squirrel smorgasbord

in her back yard.

The squirrel was probably safer in the tree then on the ground. 

No?

Can hawks make a kill in a tree?

I'm guessing no, their wingspan wouldn't allow it.

Any bird of prey experts? 

Please weigh in,

inquiring squirrel minds

 want to know!

 

 

 

Have a good evening,
Brenda

 

 

 

 

 

It's that time of year!

We've enjoyed a beautiful fall thus far.  Our yard has been loaded with migrating robins.

We have never had this many robins, ever.

Not much bird bathing...

they were more interested in quenching their thirst,

and an occasional

cooling off the toes.

Bird migration has always fascinated me.

 

 

 I have come to that time of year where I possibly can't eat another tomato,

 I've had my fill for the summer. 

 I'm ready for comfort food... pot roasts, roasted chicken, potatoes & gravy.

  A time for transition.

 

The days are becoming noticeably shorter. 

 I find that my morning stitching is in more darkness

with each passing day.

The mornings are a bit quieter, less morning song bird chatter.

 

To fill those darker hours of my day and evenings,

I've been working on a new design.   

 

It doesn't have a name yet. 

 My overload of tomato eating must have influenced my floss selection.  Lots of tomato greens & reds...

 

 It isn't an overly large sampler..

 

 

It has a delicate and petite feel to it...

 

 Lots of tiny little motifs, tightly spaced.

Easy to start and finish a motif with a cup of coffee or sip of tea.

Quick gratification.

I've chose to end the sampler with a sweet verse about the needle worker.

 

 

And if you look hard, you'll see tiny little robins tucked here & there.  

 I was often times distracted

by my birdbath of robins

while working this piece

 and had to include robins in this sampler.

  The sampler will always be a reminder of autumn 2013,

 the year I filled my bird bath 3 times a day!

 

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

Apples & Pumpkins!

This week I had the enjoyment of visiting the grandkids! Daddy was gone overseas on business and I went to keep momma company and help with the two little ones.

 

We visited the local pumpkin patch! 

So many pumpkins, and nice ones too...how can you pick a favorite?

 

Orange pumpkins and orange tractors...

just the kind Beckham's great grandpa farmed with! 

 

 

After the pumpkin patch, we headed to the apple orchard.  The apple trees were loaded with apples, a bumper harvest for the growers for sure.  There are all sorts of fun things to do for the kids at the Cambridge Orchard...

 

 

The barn with the corn was a hit with Beckham...running on the bales of hay that surround the corn and then catching some "air time", jumping into the cold-on-the-toes corn.  We of course couldn't leave without visiting the goats that reside at the orchard.

 

After playing, we visited the apple store, bought some honey-crisp apples (mmm), and of course no one can leave there without buying freshly made apple/cinnamon cake donuts...a treat for the ride home.

Avry had her first taste of  "orchard donuts"...

she approved.

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Brenda

 

 

More on Phebe Sampler!

I have some exciting news in regards to my September 19th posting about my Quaker sampler stitched by a girl named Phebe, and I wanted to share it with you all this morning.

Later in the afternoon on the 19th I received an email that said, please contact me about your Phebe Coffin/Griffin 1806 sampler.  I have information that might be helpful, too much to write...

 

OMG, too much to write!

Excited doesn't even begin to describe how I felt!

 

I immediately responded via return email to arrange a phone conversation, and minutes later I was chatting with the person on the other end of the email, who had a wealth of information,

Kathy Moyer of Dutchess County, NY.

Such a fun conversation, to converse with someone who shares the same passion about school girl samplers!

A big "THANK YOU" to
Barbara Hutson of
Queenstown Sampler Designs

 for directing Kathy to that day's blog posting!
 

 

I learned a little bit more about the Phebe Sampler from Kathy (all photos are snippits of the sampler, which resides in my personal collection)...

 

Kathy is writing a book, Nine Partners Boarding School and Its Samplers. Located in Dutchess County, NY, the school was opened in 1796 by New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) for both boys and girls who were from member families. Education for both genders, while practiced by Quakers, was novel in society at that time. In its day, the school was well known and widely acclaimed throughout the country. It influenced social and economic issues as well as sampler making.

 

 

According to Kathy, my sampler is the same format as one made at the school in 1803. The two share around 20 common elements. It is possible that Phebe learned sampler making from someone who attended or taught at the school. Kathy has been making presentations locally on “Dutchess County Samplers of the 19th Century” in which she discusses some samplers from Nine Partners school and many samplers with a Quaker influence, including some which are of the same format as those from Nine Partners. Her next lecture is in November.

 

 

She also mentioned that unfortunately, since there are no extant school rosters from decades of the school, including 1806, there is no way to know if Phebe attended.  Both Coffins and Griffins attended from various locations.

 

 

In 1806, sisters Lucretia & Eliza Coffin made the long journey from Nantucket, MA, to Nine Partners. Lucretia married a young man she met at the school, James Mott, and went on to become the most well known scholar of the school as a result of her activism with abolition and women’s rights. Upon her death, she was widely acknowledged by her contemporaries as the greatest American woman of the 19th century.

 

 

If anyone knows of any samplers from Nine Partners Boarding School or has information pertaining to the school, she would appreciate it if you contact me  and I will forward it to her. She has previously placed ads in SANQ and antiques publications and has been in touch with the Sampler Consortium all of which yielded a few samplers.

 

(I love Phebe's interpretation of this fat little squirrel...looks like a couple that I know, that can be seen hanging from my bird feeders!)

 

 As a result of her research, she has discovered around fifty samplers attributable to the school (but lacks photos of some of them). For years she has been tracking over one hundred Quaker families and thus will be able to include in the book genealogical and familial information on many sampler makers.

 

I am hoping this posting will put some feelers out there.   I know a lot of sampler lovers come here to visit :) and you just never know when someone may know something, or has seen something that could be helpful.    Kathy mentioned that many of the samplers that came out of the Nine Partners School had Nine Partners stitched on the sampler....something to keep an eye out for!  While the Phebe sampler doesn't have the words, Nine Partners stitched on it, Kathy mentioned perhaps Phebe was taught by her mother or aunt, whom may have attended the school themselves.

 

If only these samplers could speak...

 

 

 

With thy Needle & Thread,
Brenda

Autumn

The morns are meeker than they were,

 the nuts are getting brown,

 

The berry's cheeks is plumper,





the rose is out of town.

 

The maple wears a grayer scarf,

 

the field a scarlet gown.

 

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

 

 

I'll put a trinket on.

                                                                             poem by Emily Dickinson 

 

Such a beautiful autumn-like day it was here in NW Iowa.

No wind and not a cloud in the sky.

The lake looked like a piece of glass.

 

A perfect day to

do a little baking...

 

&

 a little grilling...

 



 

&

putting some X's into linen...

 

 

Dear Weatherman,

I'll take a season of these sort of days!

 

Until next time,

Brenda

Her name was Phebe

I've had numerous emails

inquiring about the sampler shown

 in my blog banner.

 

 

  So since it has been awhile,

 I thought it was time to check in with you all

 and tell you a little bit about the sampler!

  (Please pardon my early morning photos, they are a bit dark)

 

 

 For those hunting our website for this chart, there isn't one.

  I have not reproduced this sampler.

 I may someday,

 but for now it sits on top of my piano,

across from where I stitch...

I enjoy the beauty of this Quaker sampler every day.

 

 

 

 The sampler was located in New York State, in the lower Hudson Valley region. 

An area of early Quaker settlement.

 

The sampler was completed in 1806

 by a young schoolgirl named Phebe. 

The sampler features traditional Quaker motifs

surrounded by a four-sided border of Quaker half medallions. 

 The flosses are a deep midnight blue, grey blue and peachy salmons.

The only stitch loss on this piece

is where Phebe stitched her last name. 

 I can make out that the name ends in double f - en,

or double f-in. 

 The first letter is circular in shape, possibly a G or C...

 

Possibly Griffen or Coffin?  

 A little genealogy search may also turn up using those names. 

 If I decide to reproduce this sampler,

I probably will pop it out of its frame

and take a closer look at it's backside.

 

Often times you will find stitch loss easier to make-out on the backside.   

With the purchase of this piece, my curiosity has been piqued...

I want to educate myself about the Quakers. 

I've done a little bit of reading.

  History wasn't my most favorite subject in high school

 and

 wish I would have taken more of a liking to it then..

 

 I know we studied the Quakers and their role against slavery,

 but didn't retain much

other then that,

and that

 George Washington was a Quaker

 and

 so was Captain Crunch!!! 

 

I leave you today with a picture of my three girls...

Sarah Taylor (some of you may recognize her, she is available in a floss keep)

Allice Cooper

&

Phebe...the little girl whose last name is a mystery.

The three girls look so pretty together...

their threads coordinate so nicely!

 

X X X X X X X

Bringing you up to date on new items in the shop...

Lots of new patterns have arrived over the past couple of weeks

Stacy Nash

Blackbird Designs

Needlework Presses new book

Plumstreet Samplers

and more.

A shipment of floss keeps arrived, so that page on the website has been updated.

And lastly, we have more sewing bird clamp kits in as well.

 

The rush from market has settled down, things are back to normal in regards to shipping time.

Thanks for your patience.

 

Until next time...take care,

Brenda