Lots of Progress to Show and a Reveal

I may have mentioned that I was working on the Prairie Schooler Kris Kringles.  Maybe not.  I started out with these small linen samples that I just hated to throw away.  Then I realized they were just the perfect size for doing ornaments on.  Kris Kringle ornaments to be exact.

 I started out with these two, holding the small 5 x 3 pieces of linen in my hand.  But, my hand cramps up when I do that.  So, I came up with the bright idea to put four of them together so I could put them on my scroll rods.

Below you can see them sewn together.  Problem with that bright idea was that the edges raveled.  On a 5x3 piece, a little raveling can be a REALLY bad thing.  So, I was very careful and came out the other side all right.  Still needed to tweak the idea a bit.

This time around I treated the edges of the linen pieces with anti-fraying goop.  Let it dry and THEN put them together in a set of four.  Now, no raveling edges and I'm much more confident about tightening the scroll rods.

A few weeks ago I got my first three books in the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart series.  I'll start working on those in a few weeks yet.  But, I've been rolling it around in my head, what was I going to do about fabric for those?  Do them all on individual fabric?  One big piece?  After the frustration of not ending up right when I did the 2008 Mystery Sampler, I was NOT going to do them on different pieces of fabric and then put them all together again with unclear success.  But, I really had liked that look.

THEN IT HIT ME!! Thunderation!!!!  While I was working on Kris (above) I'd thought about all the different odd pieces of linen I have.  You know us stitchers, we end up with a lot of odds and ends!  Why couldn't I put the pieces together, like that, just more permanently.  That way, I'd do each house on its own piece of linen, but the linen would be all together already and I'd avoid the anxiety of having them look higgeldy piggeldy when I put them together.

Here I've selected a field of neutrals that I hope will work with the designs.  If some design colors are too close to fabric colors, I'll just have to rearrange them.

I had to calculate the size of the pieces, plus one quarter inch for the seam allowance.  Then I treated the edges with ani-fray goop.  Let me say, I don't recommend this if you are not a confident sewer.  Also, I recommend machine stitching over hand stitching because the anti-fray goop IS visible when it dries (see closeup of Kris Kringle 3 above - there is a slight shadowing).  You have to carefully apply the anti-fray as close to the edge as possible and then when you're stitching them up, it goes into the seam allowance.

Here is a closeup where you can see I numbered the pieces - after taking so much time to lay out what color went where, I didn't want to mess up the order.  They're marked in pencil, on the back and it doesn't show through.

Then I proceeded with sewing the seams.  One quarter inch, just like in quilting.  In fact, this project is going to be a lot like quilting.

 Because of the width of all five pieces across - and because I don't like having to use my extra big scroll rods - I broke it down into two sections.  The first section has the linen pieces for January, February, May, June, October and November.

The second, larger section, has the pieces for the first Bonus, March, April, July, August, September, December and the Final Bonus.  As you can also see, I've done some double blocks for the First Bonus and March (top row in the above picture).  I also added a double block for May and June (center in the previous picture).  I am really crossing my fingers that this works out.

One big mistake I made was not calculating the extra fabric on the outer edges that I need for framing - you know the six inches each way that you're told to get?  So when all the stitching is done on these two sections, I'll have to put the sections together and THEN I'll have to do some sort of linen border all around the outer edges that will have to be decorative (if not, it would then look stupid) and also practical for framing.

Finally, I was working on my three witches from Brookes Books and I had begun first with "Polly".  We discussed what an awful name that was for a female pirate - Polly definitely IS the PARROT!!!  While Bess and Meg were good suggestions, Siobhan remembered who it was I was thinking about . . . Grace O'Malley - The Irish Pirate Queen.  So, officially, her name is Grace and I think she came out very well - - -

And I got started on her sister from the forest, Fauna - - -

She's very green-grey and mossy looking - probably Moss-Man's sister - although, saying she's related to that dummy isn't very nice.  So, let's say she's related to Legolas from Lord of the Rings; he was Orlando Bloom's character.  Hope you like!  Have a great week.

A Little Progress on Tri-Witches

I've been working on Polly, the Pirate Witch.  This is one of three witch designs by Brooke's Books that I got a week or so ago.  I have to say, I don't like the name "Polly" for her.  That should be her sidekick, the parrot.  Wasn't there a book about an Irish Pirate Queen about 20-odd years ago?  And I don't mean Skye O'Malley - that strumpet! 
 
Until I got the Kreinik #8 Braid from Nordic Needle in yesterday's mail, she was looking pretty weird.  But, now that she's got her arms on and her skirt defined, I'm feeling better.

In the background you can see her hat and parrot that are done separately and then tacked on later to give her the 3-D look.   I think she (whatever her name is going to be) is going to look absolutely charming.

The braid I have stitched in there is #326, called "Hibiscus" and is a blend of red and purple.  It is most prominent on her sleeves, but shows up in her skirt, hat and parrot too.  Another note is that if you get these charts to stitch on fabric, the instructions note that you should use #4 braid, not #8.  The 8 is a bit thicker, although I'm going to try using it on 28 count fabric and see what happens.  I wouldn't use a larger count with it though.  Or, maybe on Tula . . . that would make Polly about 8 inches tall - almost big enough to be a doll?  Hmmmmm. . . . .

Winner of the Give Away - and TripWitch

TripWitch

And the Winner is . . . drum roll please . . . Natasha (from California)!!!  YAY!!!  I've already sent her an email congratulating her. 

Also, as previously promised, here's a picture of what I like to call TripWitch.  They are by Brookes Books.  I've been looking at these for ever so long and finally decided to get them.  A bit of advice - I didn't buy the Kreinik braid that was called for when I ordered the charts.  I thought that they were only going to be used for hi-lites at the end.  Well, they're actually used pretty extensively for the cross stitch.  So I'd recommend that if you get these, track down the Kreinik too so you can make progress right away.  I'm in the situation now where I have to stop and wait; consequently, these won't be done for Halloween THIS year. 

Anyway, I wanted to say that I got a pretty good deal on these, ordering them directly from Brooke.  The three of them, WITH THE PERF PAPER, come together for $29.99 and that INCLUDES SHIPPING.  That's a good deal when they sell from shops for $10 and I'm not sure that includes the paper and know it doesn't include the shipping.

And, she's got some new designs coming out soon that are really cute for Christmas. 

Off to meet up with an old friend today and bum around a bit and have lunch.  We're meeting at the Crate & Barrel outlet so who knows what kind of trouble I'll get into while I'm gone!

Thank you all so much for being interested in my giveaway, for reading my blog and complimenting it SO much and for following - I look forward to visiting each and every one of YOUR blogs and getting to know you better.  Talk soon!

Award Day!

On Wednesday, July 7th, 13 of us from Pack Horse Ford Chapter went to Washington, D.C. to attend DAR Congress; an annual event.  We had two reasons for going.  One was for me to receive (and my friends to cheer me on) my first place National award for my Bee Line March Box.  The second reason was that an 1826 sampler, that was done in Harper's Ferry, WV, had been purchased by the West Virginia State Society DAR (my chapter played a roll in that) and it was going to be on display in the West Virginia Room at DAR Continental Hall during the open house on that day. 

We were driven to DC in a commuter van and arrived on time at the JW Marriott Hotel to attend the West Virginia Breakfast.  It was really nice, but we had to rush out of there to get down two levels of the hotel to the ballroom where the awards were being handed out.  We got there and they had already started!  I was sitting next to two ladies who were together.  I asked where we were, they told me literature.  I thought, OK, I think I know where we are in the program.  During a lull in awards I asked where they were from.  They said Oregon.  I asked, Portland?  The lady nearest me seemed a little surprised that I actually had heard of their state let alone, knew the name of a city there.  Smart a** me said "I also know that the capital is Astoria."  She was even more impressed.  The other lady leaned over and said that she wasn't from the Portland area, she came from a little town on the other side of the mountains that she knew I'd never heard of.  I looked at her and said "I bet you're from Bend."  I swear, I thought she was going to fall over dead!  After determining she was going to be OK, I told her I could really surprise her.  She could not imagine how I could do that.  "Well", I said "I haven't only heard of Bend, Oregon; I've actually been there."  At that point the awarding started again and I had to give the lady time to recover from the vapors anyway. 

Finally, we got to fiber arts.  They started with the overall winner who received a special award sort of like "Grand Champion".  Then it was my turn!

The lady in the middle is Marianne who was the Fiber Arts chairman.  Billie Brock in the really pretty blue suit was the American Heritage chairman.  They said a lot of really nice things about my box - which I thought was kind of odd because they hadn't said anything about the quilt that the grand champion award had gone to.  And, here's my award:

After the awards we went back up to street level, caught three different cabs and headed over to DAR Constitution Hall.  The DAR complex actually takes up a whole city block in Washington and is Constitution Hall, Continental Hall, the Library and Administration Building.  Pretty neat.  Below is a photo of the DAR Library.  It is magnificent!  The ceiling is glass skylights.  And just look at that clock!  Rooms like this do something visceral to me.

First thing we did was head downstairs to the lunchroom and get sandwiches for lunch.  We actually had to wait until 12:30 for the display room to open.  We were the first ones in when it did open though.  And there was a surprise.  Front and center, right inside the room in a very prominent place, was my box!  I couldn't believe it!  And, so, here I am with my box.  The only thing that we thought was a downer - and lots of other people going through the room said the same thing - was that there was nothing to tell the story behind the pieces.  We had to submit an essay with our piece explaining how we got the idea and how it fit with the theme "America's Heritage Remembered".  If these essays (or paragraphs) had been displayed with the pieces, I think their stories would have been better understood.

Here are a couple of other pieces that I thought were outstanding in the competition:  The caligraphy you have to look at - and read - enlarged.  I thought that this was a VERY clever idea.  Seems to me the lady was from Texas.

This quilt is from the northwest - the color shows as pink, but it was really red on black with white shell buttons.  I just love the color combination red, black and white.

We then wandered about for the rest of the day in small groups.  I spent the afternoon with Darla Ambrose who is a fellow chapter member and very dear.  She is just one of the nicest women I know - and very classy!  Believe me, I can use lessons in classy.  Anyhow, we went shopping in the DAR store and the vendor mall in the hallway outside Constitution Hall (got lots of nice patriotic jewelry) and the DAR Museum store.  We went through the Museum and saw their quilt show and the displays set up celebrating French General Lafayette.  They also had displays on table wares.  Again, no explaination of the tablewares, just that they were displayed.  Finally Darla and I went into Constitution Hall and sat in a couple of the seats there, listening to the choir practice for the Congressional Opening Ceremony to be held later that night.  Here's a picture of the stage.

In the DAR buildings, there are rooms called "Period Rooms".  Each state society has their own period room which is decorated in Colonial/Federal style (thus the "period").  I had forgotten not only to charge my camera battery, but to put the memory card in, so was operating on low, low, low power when I took the following picture of the West Virginia Period Room -

My chapter regent had been asked by the State Regent to prepare something about the sampler that was purchased last year and is now on display in the room.  She and another chapter member got together with another chapter member who conveniently owns a printing company and came up with the most amazing brochure about the woman and the sampler.  Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of it yet.  But, here's the sampler:

As you can see, it was stitched by Mary Louisa Broadus.  When I get my copy of the brochure, later this summer, I'll write more about the sampler.


It was an awesome day!  Because of a series of unfortunate events I was unable to pick up my  box when my husband took me back down to D.C. on Saturday the 10th.  The woman was nowhere to be found!?  Fortunately, I will be seeing the state chair this coming weekend and she was able to find the woman and the box.  So it will soon be happily home.  The executive director of another local historical society has asked me to bring the box down for her to see when I can.  They are currently putting on an antique needlework show through October.  More on that in another post. 

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Progress on July, etc.

I took a little time off from stitching my Bee Line March Sampler to do the Prairie Schooler July sampler.  I had been oogling this sampler since it came out.  Then, over the winter, probably while we were snowed in by the blizzard, I saw Glenna do a post on hers.  She said that she'd decided to use Kreinik threads on the fireworks.  I really liked the look.  When I finally got my copy of the chart, I knew for sure I wanted to do the same with the Kreinik blending filaments and braids that I had.  But I wanted to tart mine up even more.  You can almost hear the 'bombs bursting in air' now.  And of course, I wanted to change a few things about the design.  Be sure to also check out the Kreinik Blog and Tweets by KreinikGirl! 

I made a bunch of changes including the phrase.  The moment I saw this chart I was taken back to 1993 when my family spent the 4th of July weekend on Solomon's Island in southern Maryland.  We watched the fireworks over the mouth of the Patuxent River.  It was the most amazing fireworks I've ever seen in my life and it was because they were not only going off in the sky, but being reflected in the water.  That's got to be the BEST way to see fireworks!  When I wasn't using Kreinik threads, I used Gentle Art (and one Weeks) overdyed floss. 

I think the fabric adds quite a bit to the fireworks scene as well.  The rosy hues on the blue do look a lot like the floating smoke that you see after the fireworks go off in the dusk.  This linen is a handpainted 28 count Crossed Wing Collection called Galaxy.  I might decide here real soon to trade away some pieces of it.  The original hunk was a "fat half" and I just don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of it.  So, if you think you might be interested, drop me a comment.

I'm about two thirds of the way through with this and expect I shall be done by end of the holiday weekend.  I am really enjoying it.  We had a weather front come through and it has just been delightful!  We were in the upper 90's to 100 the last week and more, but this morning when I got up it was 54!  These kind of mornings always remind me of when I visited with a friend in Oswego, N.Y.  We had to have blankets on the bed in July!  Great sleeping weather.

On 4th of July we sit on the front porch and watch the fireworks the neighbors shoot off.  We can see quite a few from here on the ridge top.  I don't know where they get them from, but they're as good as the ones we'd see if we drove and got caught up in crowds and the whole bit.  Sometimes (like this year) my son gets someone paying him back in fireworks instead of cash.  So, the two knuckleheads will be setting those off in the driveway while I watch - fearful that they're going to blow something off - from a distance.  I always remind my son that I still want grandchildren out of him.  A few years ago, my husband blew out an eardrum with firecrackers.  It was one of those  times that he was really glad he couldn't hear what I was saying!  It did heal, but his hearing has been damaged and really loud noises now give him terrific headaches.

Here's something neat I've been using. . .  I stitch in areas because it helps me make fewer mistakes.  So, I keep needles threaded in the different colors on my pincushion and then like to have my threads at hand to pick up quick too.  So working on this project I had them all in a pile on my cabinet and thought, I'm going to have a terrible coffee accident or something; what can I do to get the pile off the cabinet but still be quickly accessible?  Here's my solution:

It's a glass candy dish in the shape of a chicken sitting on a nest.  I'm sure you've all seen them in the antique and thrift shops.  Some have red painted combs, but mine is just plain white.  Anyway, it's working out well and far better for me to have thread, rather than candy, in that chicken!

Hope you have a terrific 4th of July!

I WON I WON I WON - BIG!!!

I opened my Inbox this morning and had received an email from the National Vice Chairman for Fiber Arts in the NSDAR American Heritage Committee competition. She began . . . "First off, congratulations on winning first place in American Heritage Fiber Arts - Cross Stitch".

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!   I can't believe it! I am so proud of myself it's not even funny! My husband says that it'll take days for me to come back down to earth. But, I'm sitting here with a smile on my face and I don't even care. Can't wait to post pictures of the TO DO in Washington this July!

I have redesigned the piece to make it into a sampler. The same elements - plus a few more are being used. I've added a map that depicts the approximate path of the Bee Line March as well as a Grand Union Flag and an inner leaf border that shows the leaves of the forest the men went through. This one I will stitch with Gentle Art overdyed cotton floss. Guess I have my work cut out for the summer!

The Essay That Accompanied My Entry - Bee Line March Box

This is the exact wording of the "paragraph" that was typed on the back of my entry form.  Much of this was already stated in different language in a previous post.  However, this is what the judges saw, along with my pictures that got me through State and East Central Division.

Living as I do in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, colonial history is all around me.  Historic sites and tales of the past abound.  One such story is of the Virginia Riflemen, men who left their homes on the eve of the American Revolution to aid their country in a time of crisis.  On the recommendation by none other than George Washington, Congress selected Hugh Stephenson, a farmer of middle years with some previous military experience, to lead a company of 100 men in June 1775.  Captain Stephenson was ordered to assemble his men and set off to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the Continental Army and local militia needed their reinforcement during the siege of Boston.  John Adams wrote in a letter to James Warren that the Virginia Riflemen, who were “men who can kill with great exactness,” were on their way.  These men of the rough, wild lands assembled at Morgan’s Spring near Shepherdstown and crossed the Pack Horse Ford of the Potomac River.  Incredibly, they covered 600 miles of woodland, field and swamp in only 24 days and reported to General Washington on August 11, 1775.  Their hard life in the backwoods had prepared them for this.  Their feat, which became known as the Bee Line March, was accomplished at a time when most horses traveled only 15 to 20 miles on a good day.  Upon arrival in Cambridge and even before, crowds could not quite take in the appearance of the Virginians in their animal skin and roughly woven clothing.  It is said that General Washington wept at the sight of their arrival.  Unfortunately, many of the men from the company did not return home.  Cambridge was just a staging ground.  They were sent where they were most needed throughout the Northeast; many were captured by the British and died in captivity or of wounds.

The cross stitch I have designed is intended to give the feelings of haste, swiftness and urgency, descriptions of the feelings I am sure the Virginia Riflemen had in the days leading up to and during the Bee Line March.  The front panel on the box depicts Captain Stephenson leading his men out of Shepherdstown to cross the Potomac River where a scout (right side panel) has already been sent ahead.  Their clothing is comprised of “hunting shirts and pantaloons, fringed on every edge” and animal skin hats.  They carry their knapsacks, powder horns, shot pouches and tomahawks as well as their rifles.  The closure button I made from a piece of deer antler; the riflemen would have had something similar on their clothing.  The back panel shows the long rifle that many, if not most, of the men would have carried.  It was the quintessential hunting rifle of the Alleghenies.  My research did not indicate that the men carried a banner of any sort.  I feel, if they had, it would have been a variation of the Culpeper flag (left side panel), because of Stephenson’s association with Dunmore’s War.  The inside of the box, which is lined with silk, contains a list of the men’s names, according to Dandridge in Historic Shepherdstown.  The stitching is done on 32 count linen using sumptuous silk floss manufactured by Kreinik – a West Virginia company.  

We remember Captain Stephenson’s company of Virginia Riflemen here in the Panhandle with a marker in downtown Martinsburg, a monument near Shepherdstown, historic trails throughout Jefferson County, several NSDAR chapters – most notably Pack Horse Ford and Bee Line – and now in my Bee Line March box.  West Virginians can proudly say that the Virginia Riflemen answered the call to duty and are our American Heritage Remembered.

Sources: Historic Shepherdstown, Danske Dandridge, 1910; A History of Jefferson County, West Virginia, Millard Bushong, 1941; The Warren-Adams Letters, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1917; Google, Flags of the Revolution; Rootsweb, Lasfargues and Diffendorfer Family History, Hugh Stephenson, ID I8572.

I WON, I WON, I WON!!!!

Bee Line March Box

Kreinik Silk Mori on 32 Count Wichelt, Waterlily, linen 

You'll remember, I entered my Bee Line March Box in the DAR American Heritage Contest.  Well, yesterday I received a letter from the East Centra Division Chairman.  She congratulated me on winning East Central Division in the Cross Stitch category.  So, I called my chapter regent, Dorrene, because I was just WAY too excited.  Dorrene told me that the fact that I won Division also means that I've won State.  The State Conference begins this month at the Oglebay Resort near Morgantown and they give out state certificates at that conference.

Now I have to send my box away - insured to the hilt!  It has to go to the National Chairman, because it will be judged for National in Washington, D.C.  The gals were talking to me yesterday about going to Congress.  Congress is held in July at DAR Constitution Hall.  They're talking about arranging a limo to take us down.  If we go on the Wednesday, we can attend the West Virginia Breakfast and then they'll have the awards for American Heritage later in the day.  Dorrene says it's very special to receive an award in person.

I was nearly in tears when I got that letter yesterday.  It's been almost two years to the day since I started working on this project and it has been very near and dear to my heart.  I said to my friends that I thought that it was worthy of being state champion.  Sorry if that sounds conceited, but I firmly believe that we women need to give ourselves more credit where credit is deserved.  There are a lot of really talented designers and needleworkers out there in this country so I never hoped for anything further than state.  I am thrilled to my tippy toes to have won Division.  I will probably faint if I win National!

I had to write a paragraph about my design and how it fit into the theme "America's Heritage Remembered".  The state chairman told me last fall that I should write as much as I possibly could.  My chapter regent - elect, Cheryl - helped me polish what became my essay.  I will publish that as another post, hopefully this weekend, so ya'll can understand what this is all about.

The Bee Line March Box

I've entered the NSDAR competition called "America's Heritage Remembered". I started this process last spring. I've entered in the category Needle Art, subcategory Cross Stitch. Using Kreinik Silk Mori, stitching over two on 32 count Water Lily by Wichelt, I've created a box

memorializing the men of the Bee Line March.   Over the course of four months, I designed the panels based on my research into the march.  Then, I took three months to stitch them.  Another two months went into constructing the box - the first one I've ever done.

Not remembered by many individually, these men are famous for what they did as a group; rushing to the relief of Continental troops during the seige of Boston in August of 1775.  You may have seen my previous "sneek peek" which showed the "Culpeper Flag" reading - Don't Tread on Me - Liberty or Death. 

I knew immediately when I heard of the competition, what I wanted to do - a box, that would contain a list of the names of the men in the company that marched in 24 days from near Shepherdstown, West Virginia (then Virginia) to Cambridge, Massachusetts.






John Adams, writing to James Warren, in Boston, said that the Riflemen could "kill with great exactness".  They were led by Captain Hugh Stephenson who General Washington had personally recommended to congress.  Research showed that they wore rough, fringed garments with "Liberty or Death" Patches on their shirts.  They were to carry their knapsacks, powder horns, shot bags, rifles and food.  These men came from an area that was then the frontier of our country and they looked it.  It is actually described that they wore deer tails in the brims of their hats.  I wanted this piece to look rough, like the frontiersmen, so finished the box edges more obviously than many would have.  I also added a home made (by me!) deer antler button as part of the closure.  The men probably would have had wooden, shell or antler buttons on their shirts and jackets.  The box is lined with silk - just the way a colonial woman would have lined her sewing box.




And inside is the list of names.

I know that submissions were to be made by March 1 and that mine was received in good order.  I sent my package by express mail and even insured it!


 


There are three levels for judging - State, Regional and National.  I assume I should hear by the end of March whether or not I made State.  Congress (for the DAR) is held in July which is where National winners will be announced.  Don't know if I'll know anything else before then or not.  Wish me luck!

A Little More About the Bee Line March Box

I have completed all the stitching (with Kreinik Silk Mori) on the box I intend to submit in the American Heritage (Needlework Division) NSDAR contest. I have also made the special button. What I have left to do are attach the button and make the tie. Then I have to fill out all the forms and write my accompanying essay and submit. I took the box to my chapter Christmas Tea and was delighted to hear this morning that it was mentioned in an article in our local paper. Here's the Newspaper link and another sneak peek at the box.  Want to keep up on the news of the box?  Just click on the label below "DAR".  All the entries that I make about the box will then pop up for you to see.  Wish me luck!

Christmas Eve Finished

It's done! Yippie! Kreinik silver braid very fine saved the words. Everything needs a little tinsel, right? I also did the decoration on the sleigh in beads instead of stitches. Then, because I couldn't leave it alone, I beaded jingle bells (just amber beads) along the harness. And, while I was doing all this, I thought, wow, I really don't need to frame this, I can make it into a table decoration with a quilted border. So, we'll see what I can come up with by Christmas Eve.

Sneak Peek of Bee Line March Box

This is a sneak peek at my design that I am submitting to a competition. The design is mine and is copyrighted. Please do not copy it. I am grateful to Kreinik Manufacturing for their Silk Mori that I used for the entire project. Sometime later this year I hope to show you a picture of the completed project. Depends on contest rules. I also hope to make the chart available in 2010.