Back to work again!

Bill and I are back from our long weekend in Spain much refreshed and ready to go! Bill starts a precautionary course of radiotherapy on Monday for 6 weeks or so and therefore we will be at home resting, stitching and designing and having early nights.

We will be posting Issue 81 of Stitch That, our Members magazine very soon  (not a Member? – go to Join us) and I have almost finished designing Issue 82 including the Christmas element! It is odd drawing Christmas presents and holly leaves in June but it has to be done. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, we always feature the Christmas projects in September so that you have time to stitch them all if you want to! This year, I am doing a set of Christmas Initials as well as the usual motifs and gift card ideas.

The Flower Sampler Book

Issue 81 of Stitch That features the first part of our new Part Work The Flower Sampler Book which will be completed in your January mailing. As Members, you will be able to send for a Materials Pack which includes all the fabric pieces, charms, pre-sorted threads and the hand painted silk needed to complete the book.  If you do not know what I mean by a Sampler Book, please have a look at our original Sampler Book designed for us by Sue Hawkins which is still available as a complete kit in our on- line shop.

In addition to the Flower Sampler Book, this issue of Stitch That is packed full of stitching and I have featured my antique sampler book I aquired some years ago – you will be able to see where we get some of our ideas!

Alice Flower’s Sampler Book 1890

Alice’s Marking Sampler

Almost every week, I am asked when and where I get my ideas and I have explained in some detail how the Merry Sparrow design came to pass. It started with a dog walk and ended up as you see below

Merry Sparrow by William Blake

That is all for today folks. I am off  to visit Pots of Pithoi and try to keep my credit card in my wallet. I expect there will be photographs for you later this week

Happy stitching