{ coming along nicely....}

I am a primitive stitcher...no doubt about that...
my little x's are askew & akimbo, even a bit wonky...
BUT
that has never stopped me from stitching...
Like some of you, I just can't seem to make a 'perfect' stitch...

my Mom can, so can my sister Sharon & niece Sharon...but not me.
~and that's ok~
we all create differently, and that is the pleasure of primitives....
as long as we, ourselves are happy with the outcome,
.....that is what truly matters!!

I'm using Gentle Art's Sampler Threads
"Pebble"

for the border of this sampler...
I love the way the color looks against my hand-dyed linen...

This sampler will be designed as I stitch,
something that I used to do when I first started stitching...

until I found the software programs for designing cross stitch

and have used that for many years...

I'm going to get back to "stitch-designing",
as I think it lends a more authentic, early look to my work...

After it is stitched

(and the mistakes worked out!)
I'll then transfer the design to a graph
(that will be charted on the software)
and finally, printed out for the pattern packet....

Dear Barbara from 'Quaint and Plain' commented on my last post:
"YOUR DYED LINEN IS DEVINE... NOW YOU CAN SELL LINEN AND JUST MAYBE A LITTLE "BOOK" MIGHT BE BORN FOR TELLING THE SECRETS IN THE DYING OF SUCH THINGS...."

and she was right...she must be a Gypsy or something,
because just last night I began thinking how nice it would be
to design a little book of my original, and some antique motifs for cross stitch,
and compile them together with recipes for dyeing the linen to stitch on...

So I will be working on that concept straight away!!!

{let me know how you all feel about that idea, please?}

aside from dyeing linen & stitching,
I am still punching my new needlepunch design models for the
Virginia Rugfest
(Saturday, March 27...link on my sidebar)

I should have a slew of new patterns that I'll be releasing for that show,
so come by if you can!

~::~::~::~::~::~::~

I'm headed into Lynchburg today, with my friend Robin
(Millstonemercantile)
I want to go to the Lynchburg Market
and then do a little antiquing in the 'city'

Hope your day fills YOU with joy & creativity!

Blessings from the Farm,
Lori