Samplers of the Month: Pansies and Feather Stitches...

I spent Friday packaging up everyone's monthly subscriptions, and somehow managed to get them out the door and into the mailbox before Saturday.  Some of you might even have them on your kitchen counters by now....

I've been having so much fun sitting in the glow of the radiator stitching these Colorburst Samplers in the late afternoons.  In a season without a lot of color, they make me really happy.   This one, Pansy, is in the mail now.  I stitched mine with back stitch, running stitch, french knots, and Algerian eyes.  How would/will you stitch yours?

If you are a Stitch of the Month subscriber, this month you'll receive Feather Stitches- the version pictured below was stitched by my Mom. Hi Mom!  For the entire year in one book/post, click here.  For a mom that will stitch them all for you, I can't help you.  She's all mine.

November Embroidery Pattern Subscriptions...

I can hardly believe it's November.  I was restless the night we got back from our honeymoon last week, and I walked to the grocery to get a few things, noticing the pumpkins on my neighbor's doorsteps.  It seemed so early for jack o'lanterns, I thought, wondering what said neighbors would do when their pumpkins were rotten when Halloween rolled around.  I told Katy when I got home, and she kindly informed me that, in fact, Halloween was over.  I missed it! I Rip Van Winkled it!  There was no Halloween celebration or even candy at the little beach-y resort in Costa Rica where we were holed up.

WNYC just reported that there might be snow tonight.  I'm cooking a big pot of soup for friends tomorrow night, and today, as I walked to and from my studio I was bundled up in last year's down vest and my mittens.  Life is good.  I love this time of year.  Late fall, sweater weather, it's my jam.

Today and tomorrow, in between stirring a big pot of bean soup, I'm packaging up this month's subscriptions.  This month, Colorburst Subscribers get Blocks, featured here:

I stitched mine with a motley assortment of DMC and Valdani perle cottons and a ball of unidentified metallic laced perle cotton that I got at last year's quilt market in Houston.  I think it's from Turkey, wish I had more info to offer you.

Stitch of the month subscribers will receive weaving stitches this month- make sure your dull tapestry needles are ready!  Some of you will get both- thanks for being *supersubscribers*

Please note that for the first time ever, by popular demand, I am now offering back copies of select Colorburst samplers on a limited basis, but starting with this month's Blocks sampler.   They are available here.  Should you wish to dip your toe into the Colorburst world without jumping head first into a subscription, there are five or so designs available now.   Thanks to all of you who asked...

As always, please keep on hashtagging on Instagram with #dropclothsamplers  I check everyday to see the latest and greatest, and when new ones pop up it makes me smile.  Thank you!

Newest Colorburst Embroidery: September...

A few months ago, Weeks Dye Works sent some threads to me to experiment with*   After much admiring, I finally got to work with them this month for the latest Colorburst Sampler:  **Rows of Rainbows**.  

I first used their hand dyed quilting thread in my BERNINA to cover some of the thin lines (see above pictures) and then used their size 8 hand dyed perle cotton for the rest of the stitches (running stitch, couching, and a little back stitch).  The pink yarn couched down around the border is a rogue knitting wool from my editor, Melanie.   

I'm so curious to see if any of you will use your machines on this sampler or others. The straight stitch makes such a beautiful line! My machine also does a sort of double straight stitch which (surprise!) is twice as thick and twice as nice.   You may want to slow your machine's speed down a bit (easy peasy on the BERNINA) when sewing on something so specific.  It helped me quite a bit.  I also recommend a stiff embroidery stabilizer on the backside to keep your fabric from bunching up.  I get mine here.   Try a little sample fabric first to get your speed and stitch length adjusted to your liking.  

These shipped out yesterday (so did the Stitch of the Month *Cross Stitch* Samplers), complete with Circus and Harvey Milk stamps.  The USPS stamp designers are really making me happy these days.  Can't wait to see what else is in store!

*this is all in an effort to select threads to send to YOU, dear subscribers.  Soon, soon.  

Chain Chain Chain!

Through somewhat of a coincidence, both of this month's subscriptions focus on chain stitches.  The Stitch of the Month sampler explores a few variations on this simple stitch, and the Colorburst subscription has circles of chain around the border.  Of course, with that one, you could choose NOT to do that part as chain stitch.  They could be filled-in ovals of satin stitch, or tiny little bunches of french knots, or tiny back stitches, or, or, or.....

You can see my mom's version up top (along with a few other upcoming colorbursts out on her clothesline in Michigan), and my (yet to be finished version) in my messy studio in Brooklyn.

This version (below) of the Chain Stitch Sampler is from Sherie on Instagram.   I am amazed (AMAZED!) at how many of you have stitched the text onto these samplers.  It looks so good!

Finally- Thank you to everyone who ordered samplers and subscriptions during our annual summer sale.  There are lots of new subscribers in the mix now (welcome!)  

Stitch of the Month Subscriptions shipped out this morning.  Colorburst Subscriptions will mail out tomorrow (I had to print more after that summer sale added a ton of new stitchers!).

Get your needles ready- and send me your pictures!  #dropclothsamplers

Sampler of the Month: Embroidered Filling Stitches

This month, Sampler of the Month Subscribers are working on Filling Stitches.   Check out Jorie Slodki's version from last year here:

I think Jorie is the fastest stitcher I know.  It seems like last year I  barely dropped these in the post office box when I'd see her finished versions of the samplers on Flickr.

Just like the Colorburst Subscribers, every Sampler of the Month envelope comes with Cottage Garden Threads this month.  Post of picture on instagram of what you're working on tagged wit h#dropclothsamplers for a chance to win three full skeins.   Can't wait to see what you all are up to!

Introducing...Colorburst Starburst!

You guys really know how to make a girl feel good.  I was so happy to send so many of you the brand new Colorburst Subscription last month.  And you! You (ya'll) who subscribed to both subscriptions?  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  You're the best.

I myself am obsessed with these little Colorburst samplers, and just today, as I was leaving the studio to walk home, I noticed a stack of as yet unprinted drawings that I cannot wait to get onto fabric so I can stitch up the examples.  

This month's sampler  I'm calling Starburst, but I'm curious, what would you call it?  Perhaps next month I'll host a little naming giveaway.  I'm sure we could crowdsource some amazing ideas together.

A few details, since I'm sure some of you will ask.  I stitched this one almost entirely with backstitch and running stitch.  Yes, yes, I'm a broken record. They are my favorites!  The little orange stars at the end (beginning) of each section are algerian eyes, which really just means that they are made by making one stitch for each spoke that goes from the outside in.  They are easy!  You can see that I added even more running stitch in the outside yellow section than was originally printed.  What can I say? I'm a maximalist!

I can't WAIT to see what you guys do with this one.  Please- show me!  You can post in Instagram with #dropclothsamplers, or post to  the Flickr group here.   As always, thank you so very much for stitching along month after month, I love designing these patterns and sending them out into the world.

PS- These shipped out a little early too- check your mailboxes and get your needles threaded!

Dyed Fiber Embroidery Thread (and Bubblegum Sampler) Giveaway!

One of my favorite things about the subscription programs, is that every so often, I am lucky enough to partner with other small companies to offer subscribers samples of beautiful threads.  Last year, when the first subscription program was just starting, I reached out to Kathy Leever, the maker behind the beautiful threads at Dyed Fiber, and asked if she would be interested in including a small sample of her hand dyed tencel threads at some point in the first year.  Not only did she, but she reached out again to me this year to include threads in March's envelopes.

I can tell you from first hand experience that these threads are a joy to work with.  I love variegated threads so much,  if for no other reason than the fact that their changing colors keep me motivated to stitch longer.  I've long been stitching with Perle Cotton, particularly DMC, but  until I found Kathy's shop, I had never heard of Tencel Perle.  In Kathy's words, it is as soft as silk, but as strong as polyester.  Her threads are hand dyed in her Texas studio, and no two skeins are alike.

I used a combination of Kathy's threads and solid colored DMC threads in my version of the Bubblegum Sampler (which is the first in the Colorburst Subscription), and I love the way the two combined.

Along with the samples that Kathy sent along for subscribers, Kathy sent me eight full sized skeins of Tencel Perle to give away!  I'm sweeting the deal with a copy of Bubblegum (pictured above).    There are a few ways to enter to win- feel free to enter one or all ways to up your chances!  

• Leave a comment.
• Visit the Dyedfiber Shop and tell me what color you'd pick.
• Post one of the photos in this post to pinterest and leave a link.
• Post a photo of one of your samplers in progress (esepcially if you used Kathy's threads- we want to see!) to the Flickr group.

I'll pick two winners at Random next Monday, April 28th.  Winners will receive four hand dyed skins of Dyedfiber Tencel Perle and one Bubblegum Sampler.  Please make sure to include your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you!   

 *This giveaway is now CLOSED*

Stitch Sampler of the Month: Running Stitches

This month, we're focusing on Running Stitches.  This stitch is so easy, and it is probably the first stitch you learned when you were learning to sew, or quilt, or embroider.  It looks ok on it's own in a straight line, but my favorite way to use it is to make dense rows of it, over and over again to create a beautiful background pattern (as in the darning stitch, above).   To know me is to know that to me, more is more, so of course, I love to use the running stitch in the densest way possible.

How about you? Did you stitch this one last year?  I would love to see your version!  Please leave a comment with a link to your photograph!

Introducing: Color Burst Embroidery Subscriptions!

It started with the Makerie.  I was invited to teach a workshop there this year, and I started sketching up ideas.  One day last summer when I was sitting in my studio wondering about what to teach in Colorado, I stared straight ahead of me at a wall of patches that I had collected.  The patch class I’m teaching a week from Saturday was born, and so was a nagging feeling that patches could keep going in other ways in the studio.

It also started with a text message from my friend Jackie earlier this year,  it was a photo of a drawing that she was making.  It was a beautiful drawing, but it gave me a little twinge of jealousy. My new year’s, (monthly, weekly, daily) resolution, had been to  start drawing again after a long break, and I wasn’t.   Then Jackie and I talked on the phone and she said something that really stuck with me about her own drawings.  “I realized that they didn’t need to be a big deal, I could just draw in a notebook for fun”  Yeah!  Immediately I started doodling, just for fun, for no big deal.

We started sending each other photos of what we were working on, and I started amassing a huge collection of drawings on my studio wall.  Some of them were pretty bad, but some of them I liked a lot.  One day while I was painting in the studio it clicked- this collection of drawings could become a new series of samplers, and their small size led me to think that maybe this series could be dreamed up as a collection of patches.  So, after many iterations, and more than a few flopped designs and prints, I am so happy to bring you this new collection.  With many thanks to my good friend in California for getting the ball rolling……

Introducing: Color Burst Sampler Subscription!  From lots and lots of pen and ink and gouache drawings came this collection of twelve samplers, each handmade by me in my Brooklyn studio and printed for you to stitch. Subscriptions are now available in three, six, and twelve increments. I hope you'll join the fun!

This collection is making its debut as the follow up to last year’s popular  Stitch Sampler Subscription.  Each design is hand drawn and painted by me in my Brooklyn studio using pen and ink and gouache.  Not all designs make it to the printing process, but twelve did!  These small samplers started out life as patches, but I quickly realized that they have a lot more potential.  Will yours be the center of a quilt block, a coaster, a collection of patches, the beginning of a pieced pillow?  I can’t wait to see what everyone does…..

Each month, I'll mail you a brand new sampler, available only to subscribers, based on a unique drawing.  Each three to five inch sampler fits perfectly into a five inch hoop, and can easily be completed in a month's time- just in time for the next one to arrive!   These small embroidery samplers make the perfect on the go project.

Samplers will ship on the 15th of each month starting April 15th (order by the 10th to be included in the current month). The designs are available only to subscribers (they cannot be purchased individually)

The design size ranges from 3-5" round, and the fabric they are printed on is approximately 5-7" square, 100% Cotton.  

Each month I’ll tell what threads and stitches I used on the blog. I can’t wait to see how you stitch yours!

Sampler Subscriptions- Free Embroidery Sampler!

Last December, I went out on a limb and launched the first year of the Sampler Subscriptions.  I wasn't sure if anyone besides me would think it was a good idea, but low and behold, a lot of people did!  I was (am) thrilled that so many of you have been stitching along this year.  I can't wait to show off your samplers next year!  I love that so many of you have been posting in the Flickr group, and I am looking forward to highlighting some of those here soon.  Of course, I couldn't have done any of this without the people who helped me iron, fold, and pack up samplers this year.  Katy, Nancy, Mom,  Dad, Postmaster, and my mom's friends Ellen and Val. Thank You!

Some of you have written to me asking what is next.  You stitched all year, and you say you want more?  Awesome!  I am excited to say that I have more planned.  So please, stay tuned.  I promise that good things are in store.

In the meantime, if you stitched all twelve months, or are in the midst of a subscription now, how about spreading the love?  We're stitching all twelve again next year, and like last year there will be a few surprises, including some exciting partnerships with independent thread dyers.   Perhaps you received all twelve but haven't had time to stitch all of them?  Wouldn't a friend receiving them be a good incentive for you to hang out and stitch together?  I would love it if you considered a gift subscription, and as a thank you, I'll send you a Sunshine Sampler for yourself if you purchase a 12 month subscription for a friend between now and December 15.  There's no special code, just send me your address in the note to seller at checkout.   If you prefer to have the bonus sampler go to your friend, you can tell me that in the note as well, it's your choice!

PS- Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free Creativebug subscription on this morning's post!