THE ATTIC. January s Sampler of the Month from The Scarlett Letter Tablet Sampler circa 1755

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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 2012 January 26 Issue No January s Sampler of the Month from The Scarlett Letter Tablet Sampler circa 1755 As our SOM, save 15% by purchasing 2 of the 3 parts during January (prices below are before the discount): chart $22 Lakeside Linen (SH is needed ~ 40c $56; 36c $52) Silk ~ 3 options this time: AVAS (beautiful 7-ply French silk, Au Ver A Soie) $ AVAS + 13 Florimell (Gloriana s overdyed silk using AVAS as its base) $ our Silk Combo using Belle Soie, Dinky Dyes, Florimell, Gloriana Silk Floss, Gumnuts, and Thread Gatherer $ I ve always been intrigued by tablet samplers but never inspired to stitch one before ~ until I saw the model of this one in person on my visit to The Scarlet Letter last June. And ever since then, this one has been haunting me, the stunningly beautiful floral border that I simply couldn t get out of my mind, and so I had to stitch it. I only wish photographs could somehow capture the intense glory of the silken flowers. Here s what Marsha Parker of The Scarlet Letter says about this reproduction: The earliest tablet format samplers were created in England during the first quarter of the eighteenth century. The inspiration for the design was derived from the painted signboards often posted in English churches at that period, displaying religious slogans and Biblical excerpts for the edification of the literate members of the congregation. Many of these eighteenth century painted boards still survive and are displayed in English parish churches. The form was ultimately derived, of course, from Moses' Tablets, and on samplers the Ten Commandments were often stitched within that surround, along with Biblical verses. The exuberant, naturalistic, balanced border is reflective of canvaswork, very popular at this time, and was possibly a pattern exercise to prepare the unnamed sampler maker for the next logical step up in embroidery. On the original sampler cross stitch is the primary mode of execution, with some embellishments of stem, satin, double running, and petit point stitches. The emphasis on the printed message, and the use of mainly cross stitch, indicate the sampler's gradual evolution from the elaborate pattern and stitch records of the seventeenth century, to the more literary and pictorial image that became increasingly popular later in the eighteenth century. No longer was the purpose and emphasis of the sampler an exercise in technique and patternmaking: it was becoming an educational tool for budding housewives and artists. On 40c linen the finished reproduction sampler measures approximately 19 x 24. The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

2 THE ATTIC! PAGE 2 The Scarlet Letter s Tablet Sampler Clockwise from above: 3 photographs I took of Marsha s model on our June visit to The Scarlet Letter ~ and a photograph of my progress thus far with the overdyed silks I m using. The huge flower is in actuality a little less red and a bit pinker than it shows below. Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

3 THE ATTIC! PAGE 3 January As a member of our Attic Addicts Club, during January you can save 15% on the following items: Scarlet Letter charts ~ All Silk Threads ~ Valentine s/heart designs Sunday, February 5, Super Bowl Sale, February 11-3 PM Now that I don t care who wins this game... we ll have a bargain day like none other here in our Attic to help us make room for the new Nashville Market merchandise. Details in a subsequent newsletter. You won t want to miss this one! Merry Cox November 2012 Merry Cox Workshop weekend, Thursday-Sunday, November We look forward to welcoming you to a special 4-day weekend of workshops with Merry Cox, when she will teach Le Nouveau Palais Royal twice, Sweet Little Blossoms, Souvenir Book, and So Dear to Thy Heart (the 2011 Williamsburg piece). Following Merry s current teaching at another venue, workshop prices & schedule will be announced, registration will open and deposits taken, and kit preparations for pre-stitching will begin! I appreciate your patience; please, no deposits taken until prices are announced. Saturday, February 11, 10:30-12:30, Beginning Linen This class is appropriate for both beginning stitchers and those who would like to refine their skills. This informative class features Linda s Tulip needlebook design as the class project. The $30 fee includes expert instruction + all project materials. Le Nouveau Palais Royal Saturday, February 18 - Semi-annual Framing Frenzy This is your opportunity to save 20% on your custom framing order, including frame, mat, and fillets, when you let Sandy use her expertise in selecting the perfect frame to enhance your needlework. Give her your budget and your likes and dislikes ( I don t like gilded, but I love primitive ) and she will do the rest. This discount does not apply to the framing labor charge nor to readymade frames. All orders will be processed in the order received, and orders with deadlines are ineligible for the FF discount. Sweet Little Blossoms Sunday, February 12 or 19, 1-4 PM, Sampler Sunday. My beloved brother and wife Nancy are coming in February, but part of the time they ll be away and part of the time I ll be in Nashville, so I m waiting to get their schedule before selecting the date. March Nashville Market, February 25-26, shopping, shopping, shopping, for the latest and greatest in needlework just for you! Saturday, March 3, Nashville Market Day This is our biggest event of the year, and some of you travel from neighboring states to be with us as we take off the wraps on all of the best that s new in our needlework world. Doors open at 9 AM for our Attic Addict members and 10 AM for the general Thursday, March 8 - Sunday, March 11, Junipine Retreat This annual Attic event is always sold out, with previous year s attendees given priority, limited by the size of the facilities. Waiting list available. $300 fee includes 2-bedroom creekhouse (shared with 3 others) for 3 nights + opening reception + door prizes. Souvenir Book So Dear to Thy Heart We still have some BCRF cookbooks left. Support a great cause (all net proceeds go to breast cancer research) by buying a copy(s) of the Recipes for a Cure cookbook for a donation of $14.95 (or more) with fabulous time-tested recipes as well as complimentary designs from 11 designers. The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

4 THE ATTIC! PAGE 4 Ink Circles Models The best laid plans... were severely altered by Mother Nature s snowstorm, and Tracy of Ink Circles was stuck in Seattle, but thanks to Jeannine, who brought models from her trunk show at her Portland shop, Acorns & Threads, and customers, we had a Meet n Greet with several of Tracy s designs! Clockwise from above: 99 (Bottles of Beer) $16 ~ Here Comes Treble $4 ~ Alto Gether Now $4 ~ 2 from Four Seasonal Mandalas $15 ~ Jean D s Turkish Delight $14 ~ and the other 2 from Four Seasonal Mandalas The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

5 THE ATTIC! PAGE 5 More from Ink Circles From the left above: Susan s Hanky Pysanky $16 in lovely Belle Soie silks ~ First Bass $4 ~ and Sandy s Mother Maya $14 New Accessories for your Sewing Basket These items were Symposium favors from John s workshop and now are available for purchase, $40 each: a personalized needlecase made from cocobolo wood with 10k gold-plated brass fittings ($45 if fitted w/ 25 Bohin Sized 28 Tapestry needles) and an ebony wood tape measure with John s first sampler engraved in its top. Unfortunately, my photography skills don t match his woodworking skills and I ve had difficulty clearly showing his sampler verse: Remember me as you pass by As you now are, so once was I... The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

6 THE ATTIC! PAGE 6 Sampler & Antique Needlework #66 is here with a vast array of sampler projects (because we all need more), including, clockwise, Isabella Donald a reproduction by Isabella Abbiati inspired by two antique samplers, 1828 Priscilla Griffiths reproduced by sampler historian Eileen Bennett (also included, Eileen s article, The History and Family of Priscilla Griffiths ) and a sampler from the collection of Vickie LoPiccolo Jennett, a favorite of mine ever since Vickie first showed it to me. I particularly love the verse ( This work in hands my friends may view when to this world I bid adieu ) as well as the many motifs that fill the bottom of the sampler, especially the queen-stitched flower/strawberry plant. A materials kit is available: 40c or 36c w/silks = $72.85 Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

7 THE ATTIC! PAGE 7 New from Little House Needleworks and Country Cottage Needleworks Clockwise from left: 3 from Diane/Little House: My Lady $8, with an opportunity to personalize yours with a treasure of your own tied onto the ribbons ~ Jessie Bell - Arizona Territory $8 (chart provides alternate wording, Old West ) commemorates a very real girl, as Diane states on the chart, who was the daughter of a railroad engineer when her sampler is dated ~ Blessed $6, Ornament #1 in the 2012 Series ~ and 2 from her daughter, Nikki/Country Cottage: Our Love Nest $8 and third in her Cottage of the Month Series, March $6 ~ for which we ve made kits with 36c Lakeside linen + Belle Soie for $18 Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

8 THE ATTIC! PAGE 8 New from The Victoria Sampler Clockwise from the left: 2 from Thea, Winter Holiday Sampler $61 w/accessory package; $16 chart only ~ Valentine Pincushion $52 w/accessory package; $20 chart only (chart includes wonderful color photographs of step-by-step finishing instructions) ~ from Linda Rosser Birth Pillow $12, a sampler for a boy or girl ~ and from Cathy Jean, first in this series, Boo Buttons #1 ($38 w/accessory pack; $12 chart only) The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

9 THE ATTIC! PAGE 9 Also New in Our Attic Clockwise from above: From Falling Star Primitives, Robin R. Baily Sampler $10 ~ from Heartstring Samplery, My Shadow $10 (I love what it says: With only a silver Needle and a string From the depths of my heart I will stitch Love and beauty into the warp and weft of the World ) ~ 2 from Tempting Tangles, Coffee Compendium $16 and Classic Coffee Break $12 Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

10 THE ATTIC! PAGE 10 Miscellaneous New Designs Clockwise from the left: Silver Creek Samplers Promise of Spring $10 ~ Widgets & Wool Primitives Spring Robin $8 ~ Harriet Hazlin 1869, A Rare Miniature $10 (4.02w x 3.22h on 35c over 1; may also be stitched over 2) from Eileen Bennett/The Sampler House ~ and 2 from Cross-Point Designs, Sticking It Out $4.50 and Home Sweet Home Sampler $7 Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

11 THE ATTIC! PAGE 11 Designs with a Love Touch Clockwise from upper left: New York Dreamer s Love $6, so lovely with just 3 threads ~ 2 from Heart in Hand, Poesy Collection $14.50 w/embellishments and 2012 Collector s Heart $18 w/linen+embellishments ~ Lizzie Kate s A Little Love $12 w/32c linen ~ Cross-Point Designs Summer Splendor Wreath $4.50 Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

12 THE ATTIC! PAGE 12 Sampler Sunday Show & Share Clockwise from the left: 3 from Cindy, Rejoice Sampler from Words of Praise, and I m not sure that I can still get their designs ~ I m trying, because they re classics and I love them; 2 Little House Needleworks ornaments; and a Homespun Elegance design, Rejoice ~ June s 13 Colonies by Little House ~ Loretta s Winter by Passion de Croix and a Blackbird Designs favorite Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

13 THE ATTIC! PAGE 13 More from Sampler Sunday Clockwise from above: Angelica s Shores of Hawk Run Hollow from Carriage House Samplings ~ 2 from Deb, Poinsettias and Pines from Blue Ribbon Designs and Lizzie Kate s A Good Marriage ~ Cheryl s Sweet Bird from Midsummer Night Designs ~ Helen s October Word Play + a Mexican sampler, and I can t remember the title :-( The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

14 THE ATTIC! PAGE 14 Sampler Sunday (continued) Clockwise from above: Sheri s progress on Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings ~ Molly s Sarah Woodham ~ Tamami s Margaret Cottam + her Christmas Garden from Blackbird + her JBW Designs reindeer Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

15 THE ATTIC! PAGE 15 And More from the Sampler Sunday Stitchers Clockwise from upper left: 2 from Harriet s needle, one by The Sampler Girl and?? ~ Barb s Christmas Quaker ~ Deb s by Country Cottage Needleworks ~ Pat s Anatolia by Ink Circles ~ and 2 from Brenda s needle, a Little House Needleworks ornament + The Lord s Prayer from My Big Toe The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

16 THE ATTIC! PAGE 16 Shop News Left, a new shop model, not yet framed, Paulette/Plum Street Samplers From His Hand $10 has been a favorite of mine since its publication ~ I love the verse! We are so very proud of Maegan of our staff. She won a scholarship as a new exhibitor to the TNNA Tradeshow last weekend in Phoenix, exhibiting her new reproductions that we will be showing you soon, probably next week. Below, photographed in her booth at the tradeshow with her new Adam & Eve reproduction AND the small ones that you can t see very well yet, Roses in July, will be front and center in our next edition! Maegan and Patrick Jennett The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )