Samplers for 2006 continued

This is the other sampler I will work on in 2006. It's charted by Permin and I got it from Wyndham which is where I got Zeeland. I really like the Permin samplers, especially the ones from the Celle Museum. This one is a Quaker design and I though it would help to round out my collection. It has the added advantage of traveling well. It only has 2 colors so it fits well in my organizer and I don't have to carry a whole bunch of floss minders with me.

I have a nice little rotation chart with 1 hour segments on it. I plan to work on each sampler for 10 hours and then it is on to the next one. The rotation chart wasn't my original idea, but the chart I made on an excel spreadsheet and I would gladly share it with anyone. Just email me at hawnsmith@comcast.net and I'll send it. It has really made my stitching life easier. I have several projects where I have stalled and using the chart has helped. I really don't like doing Queen's stitch and it helps to know that I only have to do them for 10 hours and then I can get on to something I like better.

Samplers for 2006

I've chosen 2 other samplers to work on this coming year. This one is from Holland and I loved the bright colors. So many of the samplers I have made are in very subtle colors and, while I actually prefer the old muted look, I also felt I needed some variety so I chose this one. I had to really watch myself as I pulled the floss for it though. I was so tempted to tone down the colors which defeats the purpose.

Dutch Sampler Changes

I've been working on my design and right away I made a change. I had some Blue Spruce floss from Weeks Dye Works and I thought it would be great on the border. The color doesn't change very much, but there is more life in it than the regular floss, especially on such a long uncomplicated border. I like the overdyed floss if the colors are very similar, so I cut the floss long and doubled it. I made a new picture of the pattern, but the change is very subtle. I am thinking about another color for the little flowers in the border also, but this will mean an online trip to my LNS.

Elizabeth McCartney Sampler

This will be my Christmas season sampler for this year and maybe many to come. I like to have something in keeping with the season to work on, so I took the Elizabeth McCartney Sampler by McIntosh Samplers and changed the colors, verse and part of the design to fit the season. This is not my original work nor a reproduction. I guess you'd call it a hybrid. Unfortunately this picture makes it look as if the lettering is done in pink, but the color is actually 498, a deep red. This is what the original looks like: