April 12-14, 2013
A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif and two more projects to be decided
Sampler Guild of the Rockies; Denver, Colorado

Call of the Sea

Project Description:  Your heart will long to be near the sea as you stitch this nautical-themed sewing case. Some of the design motifs found on the outside are a lighthouse, a house with a widow's walk, a young lady tending chicken, a wonderful ship, sealife such as fish, seahorses, starfish, and octopuses hidden among the seaweed, and even a mermaid. Also on the outside of the case is a wonderful verse from an old sampler--Go take the wings of morn and fly beyond the utmost sea.

The inside of this case includes a stitched lining with more sealife. Also on the inside are a needlepage, an attached stitched scissors sheath, and a place to hang silver fish bodkins.   Options for a pocket will be included for those stitchers not wanting to use the bodkins.

Stitches Used: Algerian eye, backstitch, brick, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, encroaching slanted gobelin, leaf, mosaic, Parisian, satin, shell, slanted gobelin, smyrna cross, straight, tent, and vertical closed herringbone.

This project is stitched on two colors of 32-count linen.

A mermaid scrimshaw ruler and threadwinder (not shown in the photo) are accessories that can be added to your class kit. 

Also available is a set of silver fish-shaped bodkins.

Project Description: This sewing case celebrates the bonds created among stitching friends. The front of the case features two girls holding a piece of embroidery representing the bond between them. Also on the front of the case are cardinals and violets. You can personalize the case front with your own initials.

On the back of the sewing case is a small sampler with the lovely old verse, My needle does my heart engage. There are also dividing bands with various sampler stitches and more cardinals and violets. There is room to further personalize your case. The inside of the case has an embroidered pinkeep on one side and a pocket for storing your needlework treasures on the other side.

In addition to the sewing case, there is a needlebook resembling a sampler with dividing bands worked in different sampler stitches.

Stitches Used: alternating double backstitch, backstitch, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, four sided, mosaic, nun's stitch, Rhodes heart, rice stitch variation, satin, smyrna cross, tent, vertical closed herringbone, and zigzag.

This project is stitched on 32-count  linen.

A scrimshaw ruler and threadwinder are accessories that can be added to your class kit.  These pieces were designed specifically for this project  and are not available otherwise.

Also available is a silver cardinal charm (not shown in the photo) which looks wonderful as an added decoration.  (I attached mine to my scissors and then slipped my scissors under the pinkeep on the left side of the case interior.)

Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif

Project Description:  This project can be made as a sampler and framed, or it can be made into a huswif. On the inside of the huswif is a mattress-style pincushion and pockets for storing your needlework tools. An embellished dupioni silk band wraps around the folded huswif to keep it closed. The embroidery is the same for both the sampler and the huswif. The project also includes a coordinating needleroll and scissors weight.

The verse is from the Song of Soloman:
Arise, and come away, for behold, the winter is past;
The flowers appear on earth, the time of singing has come;
The vines in bloom give forth their fragrance;
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

A Lady's Worke Box

Project Description: Needlework, both plain and fancy, at one time played a very important role in the daily life of many girls and women. Therefore, a sewing or worke box was a cherished possession because it was a place to safely store needlework items.

In this class, you will make two embroidered panels and a silk lining for a wooden worke box. You will also make a needlebook with a Jacob’s Ladder binding, a pincushion, a three-sided scissors weight, and an embroidered panel for a wooden hornbook threadholder.

Stitches Used: alternating double backstitch, backstitch, closed herringbone, cross, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion (traditional and reverse slant), diamond eyelet, double-sided Italian, four-sided, herringbone, mosaic, plaited cross, Rhodes, Rhodes heart, rice stitch variation, smyrna cross, tent, tied half Rhodes, and zigzag stitch.

This project is stitched on 36-count linen.

Long May She Wave

Project Description:  The cover of this diminutive needlecase features the American flag.  You will be able to choose between stitching a flag with 13 stars in a circle like the Betsy Ross flag or the modern flag with 50 stars.

The needlecase opens to reveal a small flag pinkeep and linen needlepage on one side and an embroidered pocket for "treasures" on the other side.  The pocket design features a young lady proudly holding the American flag and with her faithful dog by her side.  The back cover has a label with a patriotic flag and a place for your initials.  Beautiful silk satin ribbons embellish the case which is lined in a luscious red silk dupioni fabric.

Stitches Used:   backstitch, Belgian cross, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion, double-sided Italian, encroaching slanted gobelin, horizontal elongated tied cross, long-armed cross, Montenegrin, mosaic, nun's stitch, rice, satin, small plait, smyrna cross, smyrna cross variation, tent, and tied half Rhodes.

This project is stitched on 32-count  linen.

A scrimshaw ruler and threadwinder are accessories that can be added to your class kit. Each piece has the girl proudly holding the flag and accompanied by her faithful dog.  The ruler  fits perfect on the left side of the case interior under the pinkeep and needlepage.  These pieces were designed specifically for this project  and are not available otherwise.

Project Description:  This lovely project can be finished as a framed sampler or as a huswif with a matching needlebook. A "huswif" or "hussif" is the name for a case which stores needlework supplies. Before the days of pockets on clothing, women often carried a huswif in one of the large tie-on pockets worn under their skirts. The use of a huswif was certainly not exclusive to women. Sailors, soldiers, and other men who needed sewing items sometimes carried huswifs.

The verse, My needlework wrought with so much care, adorned with colours so rich and fair, came from an old sampler.

Stitches Used: algerian eye, alternating double backstitch, backstitch, barrier, Belgian cross, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion (traditional and reverse slant), double running, double-sided Italian cross, four-sided, gobelin, horizontal elongated tied cross, long-armed cross, Montenegrin, nun's stitch, queen, diagonal queen, rice, satin, smyrna cross, straight, tent, three-sided, upright cross, and zigzag.

This project is stitched on 36-count hand-dyed linen.

A scrimshaw ruler and threadwinder are accessories that can be added to your class kit.  These pieces were designed specifically for this project  and are not available otherwise.

Project Description:  A huswif, which is a roll-type sewing case, and the needlework tools it contained were essential. This project is a modern adaptation of an antique huswif (ca. 1780) with a complementary trinket case.

Both the outside and the inside of the antique are made of silk edged with a gold metallic trim. On the inside are five small pockets and a pincushion; all are made from different colors of silk fabric. The inside is also embellished with beads and mirrors.

For the adaptation that you will stitch, I chose silk dupioni for the outside. Opening the case will reveal four embroidered linen pockets on a linen background, all in different colors, and a silk pincushion. Pockets one and three have a lovely verse written by Robert Burns from his poem, Farewell to Eliza, (1786): Boundless oceans, roaring wide, / Between my love and me, / They never, never can divide / My heart and soul from thee. Pocket two celebrates the life of whalers and features a bark (a sailing vessel often used for whaling) and other motifs relating to the whaling life. Pocket four shows the Admiralty Head Lighthouse (formerly known as the Red Bluff Lighthouse) on Whidbey Island in Washington. Mirrors and beads  are included for further embellishment.

The front of the accompanying trinket case once again features a whaling bark. On the back are whales and a verse from Psalm 104: Yonder is the great and wide sea. Inside the case is a whale-shaped needlepage, a unique pocket for holding special treasures, and a seahorse charm.

Stitches Used: algerian eye, backstitch, broad diagonal cross, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion, double-sided Italian, framed double cross, long-armed cross,  Montenegrin, mosaic, plaited cross, ray, Rhodes heart, rice stitch variation, satin, smyrna cross, star, tent, tied half Rhodes, vertical closed herringbone, and vertical elongated cross stitch.

This project is stitched on 32-count  linen.

A scrimshaw ruler, threadwinder, and bodkin are accessories that can be added to your class kit.  These pieces were designed specifically for this project  (and the companion project, Tokens from the Sea) and are not available otherwise. 

Fish-shaped scissors and silver fish bodkins can also be ordered.

This project is a companion piece to Tokens from the Sea.

Project Description:  This nautical project includes a beautiful reproduction sailor's ditty box with an embroidered linen band on the inside, a compass pincushion, and a fish-shaped case for storing scissors and needles.

The ditty box used in this project is a reproduction. The lid and bottom are cherry wood. The sides are made of a synthetic material that simulates panbone. The box measures 8 inches by 6 inches and is 3-1/2 inches high.

The embroidered linen band on the box interior has a vine border at the top and bottom that resembles the carved borders on the outside of many antique ditty boxes. In addition, the band includes a verse from Psalm 104: Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living creatures too many to number, creatures both small and great. There is a small embroidered pocket on the band.

The outside of the fish-shaped case is designed like a small band sampler and has a verse from Psalm 107: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; / These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. Store your scissors inside the case. The fish tail opens to reveal a pair of needlepages.

Stitches Used:  alternating double backstitch, backstitch, barrier, closed herringbone, cross stitch, cross stitch over one linen thread, cushion, fishbone, four-sided, mosaic, nun's stitch, plaited cross, Rhodes, rice stitch variation, smyrna cross, tent, tied half Rhodes, and zigzag.

This project is stitched on 32-count  linen.

A scrimshaw ruler, threadwinder, and bodkin are accessories that can be added to your class kit. In addition, you can order a personalized scrimshaw label for your ditty box.  These pieces were designed specifically for this project (and the companion project, A Sailor's Remembrance) and are not available otherwise. 

Fish-shaped scissors and silver fish bodkins can also be ordered.

This project is a companion piece to A Sailor's Remembrance.