THE ATTIC. The Scarlet Letter s Dorothy Walpole Sampler May s Sampler of the Month

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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 THE ATTIC 2011 May 27 Issue No TELEPHONE (480) FACSIMILE (480) The Scarlet Letter s Dorothy Walpole Sampler May s Sampler of the Month

2 THE ATTIC! PAGE 2 My goal, not achieved, was to finish the bottom half of this glorious sampler, the lovely floral section. I ve stitched and stitched and am not nearly there yet. I was hoping to get to the satin-stitched flowers at least. The knolls at the bottom are charted for the eyelet stitch, but stitching the two verses on Grace Catlin s sampler nearly two decades ago in tiny eyelet stitches left an indelible impression on me: It was a chore, and I simply don t wish to spend time with my needle that in any way is a chore; I feel that it should always be pleasurable (that explains my preferred choice always: silk on linen). So I chose the smyrna stitch instead (thus far I have evaded the sampler police), and I love the textural effect that this stitch provides, especially in glorious silks. If you need a stitch diagram for the smyrna, I ll impose on Linda/Needlemade Designs for her help. As our May Sampler of the Month, you may save 15% on your purchase of 2 of the following until June s SOM:: chart $26.50 your choice of linen, either Colorscapes or Lakeside; the 40c cut is $29 ~ for 36c, because of the long, narrow strips left after a custom cut, we must necessarily sell the Lakeside as a Stitcher s Half for $50, and the Colorscapes cut, $38. You may, of course, cancel your order for the 36c if you wish, based on these adjusted prices, my unfortunate error. AVAS silk $97.50, NPI silk $100, Overdyed Silk Combo using Belle Soie, Dinky Dyes, Gloriana s Florimell, and Gumnuts $ (w/corrected quantities)

3 THE ATTIC! PAGE 3 As a member of our Attic Addicts Club, during May you may save 15% on your purchase of the following in-stock items: All Scarlet Letter charts Weeks Hand-Dyed linens May All Silk Threads June S a t u r d a y, M a y 2 8, 1 : : 3 0 Needlefelting Sheep Debra will teach this fun method for creating these adorable sheep. $10 (Registration closed until the next class offering ~ we re out of kits!) Saturday, June 4, 10:30-12:30, Beginning Linen with Linda s 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, June 4, 2-4 PM Meet the Designer Reception. Karin Kersten of Beardie Designs from The Netherlands will be in The Attic on this first Saturday in June and we d love for you to meet her. Please call to register, for our planning purposes. And go to beardiedesigns.com/id7.html to see Karin s wonderful Dutch sampler designs. After successfully battling breast cancer last year and the resulting hiatus in her designing, she says she is now completely cured and has restored energy. She will have 2 new designs available when she visits. This is a no-fee event. Please register. Saturday, June 11, 1-4 Join the multi-talented Alice Hall for a very fun afternoon of beading to create these sweet peyote beaded panels that will make charming tree ornaments, fan pulls, or??? Your $35 fee includes kit + Alice s expertise. Coming in July 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. November Prices and photos for our Jackie du Plessis November workshops will be published next week. Saturday, June 19, Meet the Designer, 1:30-4. We know not all of you are able to attend a Sunday afternoon gathering, but we don t want you to miss the opportunity to meet Barbara Hutson of Queenstown Sampler Designs and see her incredible samplers. She is bringing models and original samplers with her! Please register to help us plan. This is a no-fee reception. Sampler Sunday, June 20. Although this is Father s Day, you will want to carve out a 3-hour time in the afternoon to join us for a very special Sampler Sunday with Barbara Hutson/Queenstown Sampler Designs with a very interesting presentation for all of us sampler lovers. Barbara is a renowned sampler expert, and we are honored to have her at The Attic. Fee $10; Registration is closed. Waiting list only. Or join us on Saturday afternoon. November 19, 6-8 PM, Our 14th Annual BCRF Benefit, with all proceeds benefitting breast cancer research.

4 THE ATTIC! PAGE 4 An Attic Exclusive, Ann Wheatley s 1829 Sampler from the Private Collection of NeedleWorkPress! Coming Next Week! Above, the silks called out in the chart, either NPI ($40) or Belle Soie ($75), shown on Lakeside s Vintage Pearled Barley. On 40c (12.75w x 22h), the linen will be a Stitcher s Quarter ($31), which provides 2.5 margins; on 36c with 2 margins, $35, and with 3 margins, $40; on 32c it requires a Stitcher s Half ($50). The chart will come to you in 4 parts ($22 or 4 x $6); Part 1 will include the border and motif section, the approximate top fourth of the sampler. For those of you joining us on this reproduction stitch-along, with your purchase of the chart, fabric, and silks, you may choose one of the notebooks pictured at the right and created exclusively for you by NeedleWorkPress as our gift ~ and purchase others if you wish at $5 each. I love the modesty provided Eve by her long hair. We have a number of you on our reservations list, but many of you have not indicated your linen count + silk choices yet. We also need your preferred notebook cover. Please order #1, #2, or #3 from left to right as a gift; order more at $5 each if you wish. Our Stitch-Along leader will provide regular photographs of her progress, and we re planning to start a password-protected blog for information and articles regarding Ann and her sampler. Special bonuses for our Stitch-Along Participants with each part: 1 - Commemorative photo 2 - Ann s needlecase project 3 - Drawing for all who send in a picture of their progress 4 - Reward of Merit

5 THE ATTIC! PAGE 5 Country Stitches/With Thy Needle & Thread Birds of a Feather Part 1 (the border) is here and it s beautiful! We ve completed the silk conversion, selected a Lakeside linen, and have been shipping as supplies arrive. The silk conversion uses Belle Soie, Dinky Dyes, Florimell, Gloriana, Gumnuts & Luminescence and I only wish that you could see the richness of the silks in person. We ve had the silk bundles of the 5 used in the border out on the cutting table this week, and a number of shoppers were drawn to the colors and wanted to pet them and learn what they were for. The border silks ($37) are shipping with Part 1 and the linen; the remaining silks ($70.25) will ship with Part 2. If you waited to order this lovely design until now, we would be pleased to add you to our reservations list. Each part is $7; the linen varies depending on count. We are waiting for our Lakeside Linen choice to arrive to complete the initial shipments for many of you ~ and more charts! We know many of you are anxious to get started, but I hope that you have another project or two to keep your needles busy for a bit longer. Remember that we couldn t even place our linen order until mid-may. Our first charts arrived on Friday, the 13th, late afternoon, and we immediately started on the silk conversion, finished that on Saturday, and then were able to order the linen the next week. But, of course, our order needed to fit within the dyeing schedule, and it s less than 2 weeks since then, a very short time in the world of linen dyeing. So we appreciate your understanding and patience. And believe me when I tell you it will be worth the wait. It is a stunning palette! Breaking News: ed invoice just received shows a linen shipment on its way, due to arrive on Saturday!

6 THE ATTIC! PAGE 6 New Treasures in our Attic New from Stacy Nash From New Designer, The Scarlett House, left, The Coverlet Birds $8, shown framed in a lovely hand-painted frame $63 from Priscilla s Pocket and in a small cushion as well ~ and Death by Candy Corn $6 with the candy stitched over 1. And very soon we ll have handdyed ric-rac and chenille for your finishing pleasure! Stacy Nash Primitives new sampler, dedicated to both her Grandma and Great Grandma, with motifs selected to honor them: the letters reminiscent of when words would be spelled so she and her sister didn t know what was being discussed ~ and the scissors reminding Stacy of the hours and hours spent sitting at her Great Grandma s feet watching her stitch ~ and the strawberries representing her Grandma s beautiful garden ~ the chair a reminder of hot summer afternoons spent in the backyard shelling peas ~ the hen and chicks reminders of playtimes in the chicken house ~ the house similar to the old white farmhouse ~ the acorns a reminder of gathering acorns on long walks. I love the border and all of the design elements and motifs. Stitched on 30c Weeks Cocoa with Gentle Arts threads, we will show you another choice next week (sorry, ran out of time today): overdyed silks on Lakeside linens.

7 THE ATTIC! PAGE 7 More from Stacy Nash Above, Sweetheart Tree Sewing Roll $10, a perfect piece to personalize with family initials ~ the photographs show the roll open, closed, and what s on the inside. Below, Spotted Hare Pinkeep Drum & Velveteen Carrots $10, with instructions to stitch and finish the pinkeep drum and how to make and finish these sweet little carrots. Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

8 THE ATTIC! PAGE 8 New from Pineberry Lane Clockwise from above, Treasured Blossoms Pinkeeps $10 with space available at each blossom for letters to spell the treasured person being commemorated with this piece, and the tuckable pocket on the backside is shown in the next photograph ~ Key to My Heart Sampler $10 ~ Quaker Egg Pinkeeps $10, each embellished with a Quaker-style letter (S for Spring; E for Easter; R for rabbit) ~ sorry not to have had these in stock a few weeks earlier, but now there is plenty of time to finish these by next Spring Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

9 THE ATTIC! PAGE 9 Also New This Week Clockwise from above: Heart in Hand s latest in the Pocket Sampler Series, this one for Daughter $21 w/sterling silver Daughter charm ~ SamSarah s Fresh Pear $10 w/beads in the Farmer s Market Series, with charts for both the flat design and the 3-dimensional pear ~ Country Garden Stitchery s Blue Lilacs $6.50 (I love lilacs, in any color!) ~ and Historic Stitches 12th in an annual Christmas ornament series, Christmas Songbirds $6 (and I love red birds!)

10 THE ATTIC! PAGE 10 Andrea s Elizabeth Sheffield I was simply thrilled when Andrea brought in her completed sampler, finished in a month s time! There are no words. It is simply stunning! And I wish all of you could see it in person. Andrea has allowed us to display it for several months, and it will be hanging in the shop just as soon as it is framed. Mine is stalled for the moment while I work on Dorothy, but now I can t wait to get back to this. The over-one parts, and there are a number of them, add so much to the impact of this historic piece of needlework. Andrea said she enjoyed every minute stitching this sampler, and the only change she made was in the birth year ~ she lightened the last part of 177? ~ if you love samplers, you will want to seriously consider adding this one to your collection.

11 THE ATTIC! PAGE 11 Suggestions for our Patriotic Season I love red-white-&-blue any time of the year, but I really enjoy stitching it from about mid to late May through September 11th, what I consider our Patriotic Season. And so on this Memorial Day I will spend some time with needle and silks in red, white & blue. No need to choose a project (although there are several new ones that I d love to stitch) as I already have several that I long to finish. Clockwise from above: 272 Words $24 from Primrose Needleworks is at the top of my list to finish (stitched over one on 40c V. Sand Dune) ~ One Nation $14 from Bygone Stitches (I have a long way to go; I m stitching it over one on 40c?V. Sand Dune) ~ Battle Hymn of the Republic $8 from Little House Needleworks (not very far on this one either, but I LOVE it and must finish soon) and Sweet Land of Liberty $14 from Cherished Stitches (over one on 30c Desert Dunes, an Attic-exclusive hand-dyed fabric) Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: ATTIC ( )

12 THE ATTIC! PAGE 12 More Suggestions for Your Red-White-&-Blue Stitching Clockwise from above: Blackbird s Home of the Brave that we modified a bit, replacing the alphabet with familiar words to all of us and including a tribute to 9/11. A few kits remain, $23 with 34c hand-dyed linen + NPI silk. Hands to Work s One Flag $9, also limited in availability; we stitched our model in beautiful Belle Soie ~ Blackbird s Grand Old Flag $8 (very limited stock, and I think out of print because it is no longer listed with our distributors) in a patriotic frame from Priscilla s Pocket ~ Liberty is a complimentary design from Priscilla s Pocket with the frame purchase $63.

13 THE ATTIC! PAGE 13 From last week: I showed you Brenda s Jane Rees from The Scarlet Letter but omitted the identity, and this is a favorite sampler, for those of us who love red and also love Bristol samplers, so I needed to correct my omission. On the right is the entire sampler. It s a large sampler replete with beautiful alphabets, borders, and motifs with little white space on what was very valuable at that time (and still is), the gorgeous linen. Images from Tyler s 8th Grade Promotion/Graduation He made us burst our buttons with pride: 1 of 4 students in his class to receive the Eagle award, nominated by faculty and staff based on his Christian leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, and community service. We knew he was giving a speech but his parents kept the reason for the speech a surprise. His texting partner Megan was on stage as part of a singing group to get an upclose view ~ she s the one with the flower in her hair (above right) ~ she is adorable or a hottie, as the younger generation says. And as nice as she is beautiful. Today Tyler is 14!!!!