30 November 2010 Issue No. Thirty-Three

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1 Where Samplers Rule Just 15 minutes from the Airport at the NE CORNER OF CENTER & MCKELLIPS 106 E. McKellips Rd, Suite 111 Mesa, AZ TELEPHONE (480) FACSIMILE (480) THE ATTIC 30 November 2010 Issue No. Thirty-Three Scarlet Letter s Emma Miles 1848 December s Sampler of the Month Sandy s gorgeous model, on Lakeside s 40c with Au Ver A Soie s Soie d Alger Here s what The Scarlet Letter s Marsha Parker says about this sampler: The original sampler, made in England in 1848, was stitched in cross, tent, counted satin and eyelet stitches on an extremely fine glazed linen of approximately 50 threads to the inch, measuring 12-1/4 inches square. It is unusual to find such a meticulously and finely worked sampler with this late a date. Most interesting is the detailed band of holly worked across the center of the sampler. The border flowers are filled in with counted thread satin stitch, and the tiny vignettes of Adam and Eve are done in tent stitch over one thread of linen. As our Sampler of the Month, save 15% during December on your purchase of any two of the following: chart ($16) ~ linen (40c with 2-inch margins $25) ~ AVAS silks ($62.40)

2 THE ATTIC! PAGE 2 If you are a member of our Attic Addicts club, and as a thankyou gift for your support throughout the year, please enjoy a onetime 15%-off Shopping Spree (No-Discount items excepted). December at The Attic Saturday, December 18, 1-4 PM, Our Annual Kris Kringle Party. Special Holiday sweet treats and the Attic s famous fruit punch + ornament exchange for those wishing to participate Saturday, Jannary 8, 10:30-12:30, Beginning Linen with Linda s new Tulip needlebook design as the class project. The $30 fee includes Linda s expert instruction as well as the chart + materials for this very useful learning project. Saturday, February 26, Nashville Market Day Monday, January 17, 10-1 Button/ Crochet Trim with Linda Danielson We are repeating this class on the day following our weekend gathering at the request of several out-of-town attendees. $35 fee includes everything. Bring your completed pincushion to class and the rest will be provided. Above, #61 of Sampler & Antique Needlework $6.99 ND has just arrived, and we are bursting our buttons with pride because Linda Vinson of Needlemade Designs and an integral part of our Attic Staff has her design on the cover! Linda s elegant purse featuring a colorful bird was inspired by Ellen O Brien s lovely sampler, featured in #60 of SANQ and part of the collection of Vickie LoPiccolo Jennett, another integral part of The Attic for two decades, in many different roles. I love hanging with VIP s in our industry ~ they re a constant source of inspiration and pride! March 3-6, 11 AM Thursday - Sunday 11 AM, Our Annual Junipine Retreat in Sedona. We ve been doing this retreat since 1999, at the beautiful Junipine Resort on the shores of Oak Creek, and for the past number of years it is always sold out. Those who come year after year are first on the list. So if you wish, we are happy to put you on the waiting list. Cookbooks are still available... don t miss out on this great compendium of recipes from fellow needleworkers! Copies of the Recipes for a Cure cookbook for a donation of $14.95 (or more) are wonderful for gift-giving with fabulous time-tested recipes as well as complimentary designs from the following giants in our industry: Blackberry Lane Designs, Blackbird Designs, Blue Ribbon Designs, Homespun Elegance, JBW Designs, Little House Needleworks, Lizzie Kate, Mary Garry s Sewing Cabin, Plum Street Samplers, Priscilla s Pocket, and The Sampler House (Eileen Bennett). January 14-16, 2011, (Martin Luther King weekend), A Primitive Gathering with Linda Lautenschlager of Chessie & Me, Stacy Nash of Stacy Nash Primitives, and Vickie Jennett of NeedleWorkPress The site for this weekend event will be the new Hyatt Place in Mesa. You may go here to read about the hotel, located in the Mesa Riverview Shopping Center, just 3 miles from the shop: phoenixmesa.place.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/place/index.jsp We have gotten a room rate for the weekend of $99/night in what is Phoenix s high season. Ask for Attic Needlework s room block when making your reservations. Your $395 fee includes all classes, kits and class materials, Friday night supper, Saturday and Sunday lunches, Saturday night reception at the shop, and a few very special surprises. A nonrefundable deposit of $100 is required at this time, and payment in full is due before prestitching kits for Stacy Nash s classes are issued in December. See the next page for photos and project details.

3 THE ATTIC! PAGE 3 Friday night, 6-9 PM, Needlebook of Stitches with Chessie & Me s Linda. This is a wool-covered little book of stitches, its pages filled with rows of all of Linda s favorite decorative stitches. In class you will complete the book assembly and then start on stitched sections of the book. When finished, it will provide you with a lovely little reference guide as well as a resting place for needles & threads. Saturday morning, 9-Noon, Unfinished Sampler with Chessie & Me s Linda. This sweet primitive sampler was stitched in 1785 by Nancy Renssela but never completed. Linda says, Upon first seeing it, I was immediately struck by its soft colors and wondered what had prevented Nancy from finishing it. Thus the idea for this project was born. I thought it would be interesting to contemplate how she might have finished it and what motifs she might have added in the lower area. I will provide you with historical motifs and their significance from that time period to guide you in your choices for finishing your sampler. Using 36c or 40c (give us your preference) Lakeside linen and Belle Soie and Gloriana silk thread, matched closely to the colors in the original sampler, you will create your personal version of Nancy s sampler. You will receive stitched pictures of the provided motifs to give you an idea of what they will look like if used in your piece. Make it your own and let your Creativity begin! I can t wait to do this, wanting to create my own sampler for years, and now Nancy has provided a wonderful start. Saturday afternoon, 1-4 PM (with a box lunch in Vickie s beautiful backyard) Visitors to the home of NeedleWorkPress at San Tan Vista Manor will feel like they ve traveled thousands of miles to Williamsburg, Virginia, and awakened in a fabulous museum with dozens and dozens of wonderful samplers and antique needlework treasures. Vickie will also have for you a choice of two projects: A Study in Pomegranates ~ Eliza Tuck's copybook entries feature pomegranate patterns that she borrowed from several antique samplers ~ OR a charming project based on both a late 18th, early 19th century folk song/rhyme and a Rebus Sampler featuring the same verse. Sunday morning, 9-Noon, Peacock Pinkeep Drum with Velvet Berry Emery with Stacy Nash. With your pre-stitching finished, you will spend the morning under Stacy s expert guidance constructing your pinkeep and emery and then aging it to make it look like your grandmother s. Finished size, 6" by 3. Your kit will include 32c cream linen, homespun for top & bottom of pinkeep drum, tan velveteen & silk matka for berry emery, DMC Floss, complete pattern with color photos, supply list and finishing instructions, and sawdust for stuffing! Sunday afternoon, 1-4 PM, Linen Schoolgirl Sewing Book with Stacy Nash. Again, with your pre-stitching completed, Stacy will teach us the finishing and aging of this very charming and primitive sewing book. Finished size 9" by 6 1/2" high when closed. Kit includes: 32c blue-gray linen, hand-dyed wool, homespun and cotton fabric for finishing, brown ribbon, quilt batting, cardboard, Complete pattern with color photos, supply list and finishing instructions.

4 THE ATTIC! PAGE 4 Merry Cox 2010 ~ It s now another wonderful needlework memory. We had the pleasure of welcoming special needleworkers from around the globe for a weekend of incredible needlework projects. How fortunate are we to be able to learn from Merry s unique talent to take an antique needlework accessory and translate it into a beautiful project with easy-to-follow finishing instructions to create our very own antique. May I say French Bonbon Box! Amazing! It is my honor and privilege to announce that Merry will be returning to teach at The Attic in November 2012, and below are pictured some of the choices for projects. Below left, Le Nouveau Palais Royal will be No. 1 on the list. Other choices: below right, Sweet Little Blossoms and, bottom row from the left, Souvenir Book and Ophelia Part 1 and Ophelia Part II. Let me know which are your preferences.

5 THE ATTIC! PAGE 5 Three Books for Your Library Left Handed Embroiderer's Companion Are you frustrated by right-handed embroidery instructions and having to mentally flip them, use a mirror, or substitute right for left and vice versa? Be frustrated no more! Written by a left-hander, this stitch dictionary shows you the LEFT way to do embroidery with over 170 embroidery stitches illustrated. If you are left-handed, you NEED this book! $28 Right Handed Embroiderer's Companion - NEW! Right-hand stitchers no longer need to feel left out. After many requests, the Right-Handed Embroiderer's Companion is now available. A step-by-step stitch dictionary will help you to learn and master over 170 embroidery stitches including their variations. With clear, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by diagrams showing you what to do, it is very hard to go wrong. And one can never have too many needlework books! $28 Sandy s Finishing Touches $25.95 ND, a step-by-step guide to finishing needlework projects (pillows, stockings, hangings, ornaments and more), is spiral bound, and its seventypages are filled with helpful illustrations. This 2010 edition has just been revised and updated with added sections on boxed padded figures, Tallis bags, multicolor cords, seamless insets, and applique pillows. New from Charland Designs, very clever Snapshots of Needlework Necklaces. At $16 each they are wonderful for gift-giving. The needlework has been photographed, framed and, with a jump cable, made into a necklace. The insets show what s on the reverse side. The Stitch A Spell has a vertical montage on its reverse side.

6 THE ATTIC! PAGE 6 Clockwise from upper left: two from Lauren Sauer/Forget Me Not In Stitches, Phebe Edwards 1818 $12 ~ Susan King $12 ~ and two from Legacy Designs: L.J. Pengelly $14.50 and Sarah s Christmas Sampler $17. Left, from CW Designs, four exquisite Expressions of Christmas samplers, with several wonderful options for you: stitch the series in its entirety or select your favorite and/or stitch the charming center motifs ~ they would be so sweet over one on 28c or, for Rhonda, 40c. The Little Expressions are each 47 x 57. The four designs are each only $8 and are titled Deck the Halls Sampler ~ Merry Christmas Sampler ~ Joy Sampler ~ and Silent Night Sampler.

7 THE ATTIC! PAGE 7 Clockwise from left above: Diane/Little House Needleworks last design for this year (can it really be December 1 already?), The North Wind $8, stitched on Lakeside s V. Tundra. I LOVE this one and I think it would be fabulous over one on 28c. Its sweet size would be 6.6 x 3. Snowflake Serenade $8 from Nikki/Country Cottage Needleworks is also talking to me (Stitch me now!) As is Christmas Peacock Pinkeep $9 from Beehive Needleworks ~ I want to do them all! Joy Sampler $9 from Turquoise Graphics & Designs. And two from With Thy Needle & Thread, each $9: Give Thanks and Partridge in a Pear Tree

8 THE ATTIC! PAGE 8 From The Victoria Sampler Clockwise from upper left: Learn expert finishing instructions to create this gorgeous Winter Sewing Box, the first of four seasonal needlework boxes. With the step-by-step photographed finishing steps in Beautiful Finishing 6 ($20), the Accessories package ($36), perle cotton or silk for cording and tassels, basic finishing materials you can create this heirloom piece ~ Bargello Biscornu ($14) + Accessory Pack ($26), another elegant biscornu with 15 sides and its coordinating scissors fob ~ Button Up Birdies I ($11) designed by Cathy Jean feature an adorable November Chickadee and December Cardinal, sweet, sweet ornaments.

9 THE ATTIC! PAGE 9 From Sandra/Homespun Elegance Halloween Year each $7 with embellishments extra ~ Stitching Witch ~ Brooms for Sale ~ H is for Halloween ~ Owls Night Out Above, Santas A Plenty II $7 ~ Delivering a Few of My Favorite Things $8 + embellishments. Left, Be Joyous $9 + embellishments (I think I already showed you this one, but I love it so, with its red birds and joyous message) Below left, A Hospitable Ewe $8.50, with room to personalize on the back of the blanket if giving as a gift. This ewe begins a new series with a ewe for each season.

10 THE ATTIC! PAGE 10 From The Heart s Content Splendor XX Romance $48 kit with so many motifs reminiscent of my Wisconsin childhood home, i.e., the barn, the gazebo, the piano, the deer, etc. (we will be happy to substitute a silk of your choice or fabric, with price adjustment) ~ Apple Scissors Fob $50 kit ~ And God Created Stella $29 chart for both a boy or a girl. New From Lizzie Kate Winter Fab Fob Limited Edition Kit with scissors, fabric, button, and beads $20 ~ Where s the Party? Quick-It $4.50 ~ Snowman Snippet 10 with Embellishment Pack $6.50

11 THE ATTIC! PAGE 11 Needleworkers Share Clockwise from upper left: Linda s beautiful A Baby A Manger $8 from Cherrywood Designs ~ Pat s stunning Quaker Christmas $12 from Bygone Stitches ~ and several photos of With My Needle s adaptation of an antique, A Work d Pocketbook $16, an absolutely amazing design and work, lovingly stitched by Pat for a friend. Imagine being the recipient of this remarkable piece of needlework? There are no words.

12 THE ATTIC! PAGE 12 Needleworkers Share Even More Clockwise from below: Two of Cathe s latest silk-gauze pieces from Erica Michaels, Christmas published in a Just CrossStitch issue and Tis A Small Gift $15 with the gauze, stitched in wool ~ Jeannine s amazing Paradise Lost $22 from Plum Street Samplers on 40c Lakeside V. Pear, finished and ready for its companion piece ~ Jeannine s Roses in May $16 from Reflets de Soie (oh, this one is calling to me!) ~ and, lastly, Jeannine s Spanish Mystery Sampler $20 from Shakespeare s Peddler ~ watch for a Stitch-Along starting in January with this wonderful sampler!

13 THE ATTIC! PAGE 13 Blackberry Lane Designs Left, The Three Wise Men framed ~ Below, the over one on 40c ornament ~ Right, new in this series, Journey to Bethlehem. We were privileged to host Marie Driskill s Trunk Show during our Merry Cox weekend, and these designs are even more stunning in person! Marie is a true needle artist, with the remarkable detail she captures by the shading in using dozens of thread colors. Unfortunately, the framed photo on the left has some reflection in the glass. The ornament on the right, Journey to Bethlehem $16, is the second in her series of six ornaments called The First Noel. Hannah is now 11! And I ve been fretting about where 2010 went and that it is now December, but really, where have the past 11 years gone? She wants to wear make-up! Yikes!