Crewelwork Sampler

My favorite-est birthday gift, presented by Patrick, was this unfinished sampler of different crewelwork stitches. Does he know me well or what?! Eventually we'll have it framed up, needle and all--the growing pile of "art to be framed one day" is another story. For now, I've rearranged the inspiration boards in my studio and have hung it front and center. It's a mesmerizing muse and color palette of stitchery for the new year.

Crazy Quilt Pillow

Yesterday I mentioned I had one more treasure to share with you from my weekend antiquing jaunt and here 'tis! This little (10" x 15") crazy quilt pillow with the most delicate embroidery sampler is mine for keeps. I could not bear to part with it and for $3.50 it was a lucky steal. For the sake of restraint I passed up another pair of crazy quilt pillows but neither of them sported such exquisite loveliness. Now I need to decide whether to leave it in its shabby pillow form or frame up the floral sampler.

Ephemera Sampler no 100

Sushipot Sampler no 100

I recruited Patrick during one of his snow days last week to help me put together a new batch of Ephemera Samplers for the shop. Every packet has 50 plus bits of vintage paper goodies and we put together a dozen sets. Here's a peek at the 100th sampler. I'm telling you folks--that's a lot of paper!