Where Samplers Rule Just 15 minutes from the Airport at the NE CORNER OF CENTER & MCKELLIPS 106 E. McKellips Rd, Suite 111 Mesa, AZ 85201 TELEPHONE (480)898-1838 THE ATTIC 2011 July 1 Issue No. 11-22 www.atticneedlework.com The Scarlet Letter s DOÑA DOROTHEA GAZANO y GARCIA July s Sampler of the Month When I saw this in person this past week at The Scarlet Letter, I fell in love! And, at the last minute, changed what was to be our July SOM. This gorgeous sampler has just been released and I can t WAIT to start it. There are two Lakeside linen options, if you look closely at the photo below, with the top linen closely matching the cover photo on the chart, but the linen below the silks is a warmer color and more like what I remember in my mind s eye. Both look beautiful with the luscious silks ~ it s just a matter of personal choice: a cooler or a warmer color. Let us know your preference. As our Sampler of the Month, you may save 15% by purchasing 2 of the following during July: chart $26.50 Lakeside Linen, the 40c cut w/2-inch margins is $20 AVAS silk $94.60 or incorporating a bit of Overdyed Silk using Gumnuts and Gloriana s Florimell with some of the AVAS called for, $121.50
THE ATTIC! PAGE 2 More About Our Sampler of the Month Here s what Marsha of The Scarlet Letter says about this sampler: Whether this is a Spanish, Mexican or Guatemalan sampler is uncertain but it exhibits design characteristics of all these cultures including the oblong shape as well as the pattern bands worked in a variety of stitches. The attribution "De Mano De Doña Dorothea Gazano y Garcia" is suggestive of a Spanish origin since she provides the surnames of both her father (Gazano) and her mother (Garcia). This line translates as "from the hand of (i.e. made by)". T h e t i t l e DOÑA is an honorific that is used with a first name to indicate a woman of aristocratic birth or who is deserving of respect for age and/or wisdom. The checkerboard stag in the upper right appears on several Mexican samplers in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The naturalistic Berlin style floral bands in the third register date this piece to post 1830. The alphabets on the sampler vary and have some tales to tell. The first alphabet begins with the letter A and runs through J, L, M, N, Ñ...U, V, X, Y, Z. This is a Spanish alphabet: there is no letter K nor letter W, and the Ñ is also included. The second alphabet includes the letter K, but omits the letter W. Words with the letters K or W in Spanish are not unknown, but are all loan words from other languages. Traditional symbolic motifs include the stags, cockerels, ewers, and the crowned lion. The crowned lion is a symbol that appears frequently not just on Spanish samplers but also on the Spanish flag, coat of arms, coins, etc. It makes its appearance beginning with Isabel I who, when she married Ferdinand of Aragon in the 15th century, united the historic kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Isabel was from Castilla-Léon: the crowned lion symbolizes the kingdom of Léon (meaning "lion"). Not surprisingly a castle (castilla) is also depicted on the flag. The structure in the upper left of this sampler appears to be a church. The Greek key motif in the lower right of the sampler appears on many other Spanish samplers. As you can see, the bands across the bottom are simply stunning! Stitches used are cross, back, and counted satin. On 30 count linen the reproduction will most closely approximate the size of the original- 19-1/2" x 14". The original sampler is in a private collection.
THE ATTIC! PAGE 3 As a member of our Attic Addicts Club, during July you may save 15% on your purchase of the following in-stock items: All Scarlet Letter charts All Au Ver A Soie & Florimell silks All Patriotic Charts July Coming in July Saturday, July 9, 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. Stitch-Along Saturday, July 9, 10-12 Noon. If you re stitching any of our SAL s (Spanish Mystery Sampler, Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler, or Ann Wheatley Sampler) please join us for this SAL time together. Please call to register. UFO Exchange + Stitch-In, Saturday, July 16, 10:30-??? Here s your chance to rid your stash of one of your UFO s that you know you will never finish/start! Wrap it up, bring it with you, and it will find a needleworker who will finish it! Your UFO must be fully kitted and may or may not be started. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please call/e-mail to register. Fee $10. Sampler Sunday, July 17, 1-4 PM. Join us for an afternoon of sampler stitching and sharing under the fan in our cool classroom. It will be hot outside, but quietly sitting and stitching is a great way to beat the heat. Please call to register. Refreshments served. $10 Saturday, July 30, 1-4 pm Peyote beading is just one of the many mediums that Alice s needles are comfortable with. Plan to join her for a very fun afternoon of beading to create these sweet panels that will make charming tree ornaments, fan pulls, or??? The $35 fee includes all supplies along with Alice s expertise. We re taking pre-orders now for this month s release of this highly anticipated publication featuring the Feller collection. Carol, visiting in the shop last week, has seen the collection in person and says it is remarkable. Anticipated price: ~$85. Chart for sampler shown above is included within the book. November November 4-6 Three exciting workshops with Jackie du Plessis Details and photos on pages 2 & 3. 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 19, 6-8 PM, Our 14th Annual BCRF Benefit, with all proceeds benefitting breast cancer research.
THE ATTIC! PAGE 4 An Attic Exclusive, Ann Wheatley s 1829 Sampler from the Private Collection of NeedleWorkPress! Above, Part 2 of the Ann Wheatley 1829 Sampler, being stitched by Margaret, our Stitch-Along leader for this summer project. Here s what she writes about this installment as her stitching notes to all of you: Part 2 of Ann Wheatley is quite straightforward. Be forewarned: It does involve a whole lot of words. As far as those words go, just remember that the s is taller than the other letters, so work them accordingly. Don't do what I did and make the top of the p be at the same height as the s and thus make the rest of your row be one stitch higher than it should be! Otherwise, the words are pretty straightforward. The bottom acorn border is the same as the top one, except for how it ends on the right. So just watch out for that and you'll be good to go. Enjoy! So that's it for July. Margaret P.S. Just wanted to provide an advance heads up that if using NPI, completing Ann s entire sampler requires a complete skein each of greens 156 and 664. So, if you aren t a thrifty thread user, you may want to have two skeins on hand. Remember, if you are participating at the top level, that is, with the purchase of chart, linen, and silk, you will receive the little notebook of your choice as a gift. Please make sure you ve given us your preference. Additionally, you may purchase more notebooks at $5 each. The notebooks will be included with a later installment as we are still gathering your preferences. Choose, from left to right, #1, #2, or #3.
THE ATTIC! PAGE 5 Part 2 of Country Stitches/With Thy Needle & Thread s Mystery Sampler, Birds of a Feather, features an alphabet and wonderfully colorful birds. I so wanted to get to them but didn t do much stitching while on vacation. I did, however, work on the alphabet a bit and found that the color called out in our silk legend was more tone-on-tone than I liked, so I tried the Lily Pad and liked it much better. Here s what that looks like, with the first few letters I stitched there as well: A visit to The Scarlet Letter was one of the highlights of our trip. The property itself, situated in the gently rolling hills of southeastern Wisconsin, is worth a visit, but once inside the guest house, where the samplers are displayed, it simply takes a sampler lover s breath away. One wants time to stand still to allow time to absorb it all. So inspiring!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 6 Above, samplers on display! Yes, I know, I should have turned my flash on sooner. Overs! I wish I d thought of it then. Below left, 2 of the miniatures Marsha has reproduced and, below right, And All Was for an Appil. This just might be the needlework that has inspired the Adam & Eve phenomenon in our sampler world. It is a commitment, for sure, to stitch but so worth it!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 7 On this page, more of Marsha s stunning reproduction tent-stitch needlework pictures. Clockwise from the upper left: Spot Motif Embroidered Picture ~ The Morris Dancer ~ The Huntsman ~ and 2 views of A Parrot, A Leopard, A Lion. Each one of these is stunning in person, solidly stitched in beautifully brilliant colors. I know I have overused the word stunning in describing these samplers, but it is what they are, S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G! Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com
THE ATTIC! PAGE 8 Clockwise from above: Freelove Hazard, a favorite of mine for years, because of the beautiful meandering border with the bird, the rose verse AND her name! ~ Mary Keeling, another lovely A & E sampler ~ Mercy Field, with its Quaker Extract and glorious border and great tree shadowing the idyllic scene on the grassy mounds ~ Abigail Gould. Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com
THE ATTIC! PAGE 9 Two Samplers That We Featured as Samplers of the Month Clockwise from the upper left: Betsy Manchester, now at the Wisconsin Historical Society, incorporating Schoolmistress Polly Balch s recognizable design elements in the border and in the scenes ~ I ve shown you two closeups to try to capture the beauty of this needlework! Left, Elizabeth Hudson exhibits the style of another famous needlework instructress, Elizabeth Marsh, with its four-sided stylized carnation border and numerous horizontal bands interspersed with pious verses. I MUST finish mine! All I need is more time! Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com
THE ATTIC! PAGE 10 Above, Ann Hair, another sampler that I ve longed to stitch. I love the pair of stags especially, but ALL of it is beautiful! I love its fulness! Below, Rebecca Cullin and its close-up. Another one that I ve longed to stitch. Isn t the bird stunning?! Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com
THE ATTIC! PAGE 11 Upper left and surrounding close-ups are of an unsigned and undated American sampler titled Heaven is My Hope, the title taken from the last line of the verse ~ I love everything about this sampler, with the possible exception of the Greek key outer border, which could easily be eliminated ~ love the birds on the branches in each of the corners! Right, a sampler my sister-in-law Nancy noticed, because her name is Nancy and she s a nurse: the Nancy Nurse sampler!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 12 Above, Sarah Siddall, a charming sampler with great Quaker motifs. Right, Ann Wimp, another A & E sampler, stitched entirely over one except the capital letters in the first verse. There s an acrostic verse (where the first letters of each line spell out Ann s last name) in the lower right corner: With this needle I record my name My canvas is my Proof to fame Don t you just love it?~ This is another fabulous sampler!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 13 Clockwise from above left: Sarah Willson and two close-ups of Sarah s sampler (I wish I d had my flash on, but I think you can see the magnificence of this sampler) ~ and L. Whitear
THE ATTIC! PAGE 14 Clockwise from above: Sarah Brown ~ of course, the beautiful DorothyWalpole, absolutely stunning in person ~ Susan Singleton ~ and something to watch for in the near future from The Scarlet Letter, Marsha s in-progress Ruthy Rogers (see the pen on the side for perspective) I can t wait for this one!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 15 Wonderful Memories of a Week That Was Clockwise from above: Visit to Stitchville USA and beautiful Deb ~ sister-in-law Nancy next to an amazing piece of woodwork that we saw at the American Woodturners Association symposium with John and Jer ~ view of Wisconsin across the river at Stillwater ~ my siblings ~ and the beautiful outdoor weather we enjoyed on my brother s patio with Nancy s touches of red!
THE ATTIC! PAGE 16 We saw some incredible woodturnings at the St. Paul symposium; above left, a SAMPLER of segmented turnings and, above, wood STITCHES that repair a wood crack in a turning. Our needlework world is present in many settings, isn t it? Below left, Chessie & Me s Linda s gorgeous Mary Wigham that many of you saw her working on when she was with us in January for our Primitive Gathering? Was that really six months ago? Yikes! And, below right, Ann of Wyoming sent me this photo this week of her FINISHED 272 Words by Primrose Needleworks ~ so appropriate to have finished Abraham Lincoln s Gettysburg Address just in time for our Independence Day celebration this weekend!