A Creative Boost

Hello friends! I have been having an extra creative week...it is always good when you have a personal epiphany. The past few months had found me feeling defeated and searching for purpose - but it is amazing how a few letdowns and frustrations can bring clarity. It took being treated far less than I was worth to give me the proper attitude adjustment! So this week, I am getting back to basics and doing what I love...removing the negativity and jobs that abuse my talent...and I'm enjoying my creative journey. I have been designing new projects (both cross stitch and quilting), sewing for my Etsy shop each day, completing some custom projects for those who truly appreciate my talents, and model stitching each evening...and that makes me extremely happy (and isn't that what life is truly about?). So, I hope to be here more often, sharing the fun projects I work on each day...and the little things that inspire me!

The last few days have found me sewing up and listing a bunch of Stitch Starter Ruler Pocket Sleeves...I have been having playing in my fabric stash and fussy cutting some fabulous prints. These pocket sleeves measure 3.5" x 3.5" and hold my BRD 3" Stitch Starter Ruler perfectly - they are fully lined with no raw seams...and they use fusible fleece to give them a bit of padding and stability. To read about the BRD Stitch Starter Ruler, visit this link:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/210845150/stitch-starter-ruler
...and to see the available Stitch Starter Ruler and Pocket Sleeve sets, visit:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRibbonDesigns?section_id=11683865&ref=shopsection_leftnav_4

This afternoon, I am working on a springtime project of my own design with very cheerful colors (yes, I am ready for spring!)....and I am sewing up a few smaller zippered pouches to add to my Etsy shop (I call them tool pouches). It is supposed to warm up a bit this afternoon, so Miss Schatzi and I will definitely be taking a decent walk (which is always good for my sanity and creativity!). Take a little time to do something you enjoy today...

"By The Numbers"

I have something extremely fun to share with you today. Many of you know Elegant Stitch releases an exclusive, limited edition needlework kit benefiting breast cancer awareness, prevention, and education each year (and some of you may remember the "With All Your Heart" project I gifted to Lois for one of her special kits back in 2007). This year the exclusive kit is quite spectacular and I was lucky enough to collaborate with Lois on this modern (and in her words "kicky and edgy") project. It is appropriately called "By The Numbers" and is a bright and cheerful all-inclusive kit...that's right - the kit includes everything for the complete set shown in the photos. Last fall, Lois showed me the two bolts of fabric she purchased for her 2014 limited edition kit and told me about the fabric tray she wanted to center the project around...she gave me a cut of the linen, a couple snippets of the fabrics, and we pulled a pile of Weeks Dye Works floss to match...I took them home and designed the ruler fob, needlebook, and ditty bag - I stitched and partially assembled them - then sent the pieces and designs back to California, where Lois finished the easel needlebook and embellished the ruler fob and ditty bag. It was quite fun to watch this project grow and evolve into what you are seeing! This gorgeous limited kit includes the fabric tray, the adorable little spool pincushion, the ruler AND embellished laying tool - plus all the materials, charting, and finishing instructions for the needlebook, ditty bag, and ruler sleeve and fob - it is truly an all-inclusive kit - an amazing bargain at $45 + shipping...and, of course, all proceeds go towards breast cancer awareness, education, and prevention. These are very limited and going fast (at the time of this post there are only about 30 kits left), so if you are interested, you will want to get your name on the list right away...you can find all the details here: http://www.elegantstitch.com/bythenumbers/ - Lois is putting the the finishing touches on these unique needlework kits and they will be shipping soon...

More Needlework Book Offerings...

As I mentioned in my previous post - my studio bookshelves are overflowing and I have been needing to simplify and narrow them down for months...and although I adore my book collection, it is time to start letting a few of them move on to new homes where they will continue to be loved and cherished. If you collect books about needlework or antique samplers or have a love for historical needlework, then you just may find a treasure you have been searching for...

Over the coming weeks, I will be posting photos (scans of front and back cover) and details of the actual books in my collection, along with pricing information in US dollars. If you are interested in any of the listings, simply send me an e-mail. E-mail messages will be honored in the order received. I will provide you with shipping options (please tell me where you are located or your mailing address in your e-mail message, so I can give you an exact quote), then I will send a PayPal invoice. I ship world-wide, package items very promptly and carefully, and I will combine shipping if you are interested in multiple books. Once a book is spoken for, I will remove it or mark it as sold as quickly as possible. I have treasured these books and taken extremely good care of them - they come from a smoke-free home - and I will try to provide you with as many details as possible. My hope is to find new, loving homes where these special books will continue to be enjoyed...

Many of the books listed are rare and/or out of print (OOP) - they are priced in-line with the current market value. Serious inquiries/e-mails/comments only - thank you! Please click on photos for larger images.

A Winterthur Quide to American Needlework by Susan Burrows Swan
Good - $5.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 1976 - 5.5" x 8" - 144 pages - black and white images
ISBN: 0-517-521776  Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc.
Cover wear and sticker residue - all pages intact - no markings inside.

"Behold the Labour of My Tender Age" Children and Their Samplers, 1780-1850
by Gayle A. Rettew, William H. Siener, and Janice Tauer Wass
Very Good - extremely rare/hard to find - $200.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 1983 - 8.5" x 11" - 60 pages - black and white images
ISBN: None  Publisher: Rochester Museum and Science Center
Great condition - very light cover wear.

British Samplers: A Concise History by Jane Toller
Very Good (like new) - $24.50 plus shipping
Softcover - 1980 - 5.5" x 8.5" - 63 pages - color and black/white images
ISBN: 0-85033-383-0  Publisher: Phillimore & Co., Ltd.
New condition - small original price sticker inside front cover.

British Samplers by Mary Eirwen Jones
Good - $8.50 plus shipping
Softcover - 1988 - 7.5" x 9.75" - 96 pages - color and black/white images
ISBN: 0-7134-5634-5  Publisher: B. T. Batsford Ltd.
Slight cover wear, sticker residue on front cover, and minimal
writing inside front cover.

The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin Volume 24, Number 2 April 1959
Includes: New England Crewel Embroideries
AND
The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin - Volume 52 - Summer/Fall 1987
(Includes:  A Middletown Cameo: Mary Wirght Alsop and her Needlework by Glee Krueger)
Both Very Good (like new) - $25.00 plus shipping for 2 book set
Softcover - 6" x 9" (both) - 1st listing 64 pages, 2nd listing 230 pages,
black/white images
Both in great condition.

Discovering Embroidery of the 19th Century by Santina M. Levey
Very Good - $5.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 1983 - 4.5" x 7" (pocket size) - 64 pages - black/white images
ISBN: 085263398X  Publisher: Shire Publications Ltd.
Very light cover wear - original owner wrote name in pencil
inside front cover, then erased.

Embroidery Motifs from Old Dutch Samplers by Albarta Meulenbelt-Nieuwburg
Good - $40.00 plus shipping
Hardcover - 1974 - 6.5" x 9.75" - 192 pages - black/white images
ISBN: 0 684 13678 3  Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons
Dust jacket is worn, but cloth book is in excellent condition - original
owner's name written inside front cover.

English Embroideries of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
in the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum by Mary M. Brooks
Very Good (like new) - $16.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2004 - 5.85" x 8.25" - 96 pages - color images
ISBN: 1-85444-192-2  Publisher: Jonathan Horne Publications London

Guide to English Embroidery (Victoria and Albert Museum) by Patricia Wardle
Good - $22.50 plus shipping
Softcover - 1970 - 9.5" x 7.25" - 93 pages - black/white images
ISBN: 11 290030 5  Publisher: Victoria and Albert Museum
Slight cover/corner wear - original price in pencil inside front cover.

The Fourth of Joan Edwards' Small Books on the History of Embroidery
Gertrude Jekyll - Embroiderer, Gardener and Craftsman (1981)
Good - Rough spot on cover, slight bend lower right corner cover,
sticker residue on back.
AND
The Fifth of Joan Edwards' Small Books on the History of Embroidery
Sampler Making 1540-1940 (1983)
Very Good - light cover wear, pricing marks on cover
$25.00 (two book set) plus shipping
Softcover (both) - 5.85" x 8.25" - 1st listing is 24 pages, 2nd listing is 20 pages, black/white images
ISBN: 0-907287-03-4 and 0-907287-04-2 Publisher: Bayford Books

Old-Time Tools & Toys of Needlework by Gertrude Whiting
Very Good (like new) - $14.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 1971 - 6.5" x 9.25" - 357 pages - black/white images
ISBN: 0-486-22517-8  Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc.

Patterns of Childhood: Samplers from Glasgow Museums by Rebecca Quinton
Very Good (like new) - $20.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2005 - 5.85" x 8.25" - 96 pages - color images
ISBN: 0-7136-7476-8  Publisher: Herbert Press

Pioneer Memorial Museum Samplers - Daughters of Utah Pioneers
Very good (like new) - $16.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2004 - 9" x 7.5" - 67 pages - color images
ISBN: 0-9749100-0-7  Publisher: Wasatch Marketing

Samplers by Pamela Clabburn
Very Good (like new) - $9.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2002 - 5.85" x 8.25" - 40 pages - color images
ISBN: 0-7478-0365-X  Publisher: Shire Books

Samplers from A to Z by Pamela A. Parmal
Very Good (like new) - $16.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2000 - 8.75" x 9.5" - 64 pages - color images
ISBN: 0-87846-481-6  Publisher: MFA Publications

The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection of American Samplers (Sotheby's Exhibition/Auction Guide)
Good/Very Good - $63.95 plus shipping
Softcover - 1981 - 8.75" x 9.25" -172 pages color and black/white images
ISBN: None  Publisher: Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc.
Slight cover/corner wear.
This is a sale catalog for an auction held at Sotheby's York Avenue
showroom on January 31, 1981. Sale # 4531Y. The sale consisted of the remarkable
 collection of American samplers assembled by Theodore Kapnek. 

This Have I Done: Samplers and Embroideries from Charleston and The Lowcountry
by Jan Hiester and Kathleen Staples
Very Good (like new) - $35.00 plus shipping
Softcover - 2001 - 8.25" x 8.25" - 46 pages - color images
ISBN: 1-928584-03-9  Publisher: Curious Works Press and The Charleston Museum

For additional available titles, please see yesterday's post...

If you are looking to add to your needlework book collection, please check back over the coming weeks, I still have a large list to add. If you are looking for a specific title, please e-mail me and I will let you know if I have it available....and you are welcome to send me a message with any questions you may have...

Thank you so much for all the inquiries and purchases - I am so glad my collectible books are finding good homes!