To Thine Own Self Be True

A friend requested this motto so I did this small pattern....it is stitched in Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe over dyed floss on 28ct linen. I thought it would also look nice as an insert on a Quaker design....love the Quaker patterns and they are fun to do. It is like putting a puzzle together each time and hoping it turns out without any missing pieces! I really do enjoy designing them and plan to add new patterns on a regular basis. Thanks for stopping by!

Nancy

New Quaker Sampler patterns added to my inventory

I have been very busy the past couple months, first with the usual spring gardening and then moving 1500 day lilies which was quite a task that I am glad is behind me. At times I wonder why I take on these projects.....

I then decided it was time to get back to fun things and of course that meant all new patterns. I wanted  to do Quaker patterns and have several shown here in the blog with a link to my ebay store. You can also email me direct to purchase if you don't use ebay. I went with the pdf format with these patterns so all of my customers can have the file quickly and not have to pay postage. I asked quite a few stitchers and they like the pdf patterns so it was the way to go. I am sure there are some who still like to collect charts but this was an easier way for me to put out more patterns quickly. I have a few ladies stitching for me now so I can focus on patterns as they are very time consuming, especially the Quaker designs.

I have always like the mottoes Love one Another and Forget Me Not....so I decided to do a pair of Quaker frames with a different motto in the center of each. I then did the pattern in two colors so you can see how different they look just by changing the color. I like the Jane Greenoff program as it allows me to show the pattern stitched on linen and it looks very nice even if it is not framed. Again, this gives me more time to work on patterns instead of stitching.

I will also be adding new floss and trim colors over the next few weeks so I can be ready for the quickly approaching stitching season when summer ends. I love that time of the year...to be done with yard work and focus on stitching in a cozy house on a chilly day..........hurry Autumn!

Thank you for stopping by.

Nancy

Chenille trims on sale, buy 5, get one free! 9 New Colors!

I am having a Chenille trim pack sale on ebay....buy 5 packs of Chenille trim (Chenille only packs) and get one free. No limit....I love to share! I have added 9 new colors today and they are 5 yards packs. They are $2.99 per pack. I have 4 new mini Chenille trim colors: Faded Celery, Pale Antique Blue, Antique Green and  Variegated Fawn. The Medium (regular) Chenille colors are: Champagne, Buttercream, Variegated Tan, Caramel and Moss Brown.
Get them while the sale lasts!

I would write more today but I am sneezing from all this fuzz from the Chenille in this room!!!!!!!!
Nancy

Victorian Rose color hand dyed trims, eyelet, twill tape,ric rac, etc.

The Victorian Rose was definitely my favorite color this week. The colors are softer than they look in the photo...look very antique. There are two shades of rose ric rac, 1 shade of eyelet trim, 2 sizes of cotton twill tape, soft rose pink and soft green vintage rayon seam tape. Plenty of goodies to stitch up some antique looking gifts. I plan to use all of these on needle books later this spring and will post pictures when I am finished.
Thank you for stopping by to peek at my newest trims...back to the dye pot.....
Nancy

Pastel Peach seam ribbon,cotton twill tape and eyelet trim

The Pastel Peach collection will include 2" eyelet, 2 sizes of cotton twill tape, a large 1/8" and 1/2" tape, peach and soft green vintage seam ribbon tape. More colors coming soon......

Nancy

Antique champagne color trims

I am adding more pastel colors this week; this is my Antique Champagne color...reminds me of all the yellowed antique laces you find. This set will have 2" eyelet, 1/2" ric rac, and two sizes of cotton twill tape...the kind you use as a tie for needle books and things...so many possibilities. I will be using this on my new line of needle books which will be available late spring. I am working on several designs right now. I will add more Champagne color trims in the weeks to come.

Nancy

Pale Violets seam ribbon, ric rac, eyelet lace, buttons & Chenille

I have been working on a Pale Violet collection for spring and I am happy with the results. I put 2 shades of hand dyed ric rac, 2 shades of hand dyed 2" eyelet trim, 20 hand dyed buttons, 5 yards of cotton chenille and 10 yards of vintage seam ribbon tape in violet and soft green. I think this trim collection would compliment several projects and still have some left over. I will have a few new patterns in the coming weeks and use all of the soft colors I have been dyeing recently. I have recruited several ladies to help me stitch models and will be sending them their goodies shortly. There is just no way I can dye all of these trims, keep up with current orders on kits, frames and floss and stitch all of these by myself...even if I never stopped to sleep!

I am also working on a pale mint, antique rose collection,  and several others. I truly love working with all of these beautiful trims.....part of why I love my work!

Thanks for stopping by to peek at my newest goodies.


Have a great day!
Nancy

Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon is here!

The Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon has arrived...or at least the first wave of it. I will list a dozen colors today...stock and right off the roll. Now....next week I will begin to over dye some of it for a WOW vintage look. I experimented already on some bright red and brought it down to a deep antique red and was very pleased. Next week I will work with the pastels and tint them a bit. The stock ribbon will be $2.50 for 5 yards on a card. The over dyed will be $2.99 for 5 yards. This is rayon and has a soft sheen to it but not too shiny so it looks vintage. Great for edging pillows and cushions, making flowers and sewing them on little gifts. I make  the same ribbon  flowers (that I used to make tiny flowers) and use the larger ribbon. Then you can sew them in place on all your projects. I like to finger press them flat for a vintage look. I will show some examples of this in weeks to come. There are only so many hours in a day...and believe me, I wish there were more! A dear friend of mine asked if I ever sleep or do I run on a battery pack! I didn't want to let the secret out...but I have several battery packs!

I will also be listing some hand tinted cotton seam tape next week. It is a nice  quality tape and still very flexible like the rayon is but has a more textured feel. I thought I would experiment with dyes on this...I only have 1,000 yards of the cotton so far...hard to find it on rolls from suppliers....but if there is some out there I will find it!

I should have dozens of colors of rayon ribbon tape listed in the weeks to come....then I need to find the next trim....off hunting again!!

Nancy

Hand dyed pastel chenille and ric rac trims

Another busy week adding new pastel chenille and ric rack colors. I thought a soft pink, gold, aqua and purple would be nice for Easter...or any time of the year. This chenille trim is the widest I have and is about 3/8" wide and thicker than the other two sizes I have. I have also dyed it in honey and taupe. I love to add new colors on a regular basis but it is a lot of work and does take some time for the trims to dry.
I will be listing different sets of trims this week, some with eyelet trim and some ric rac and chenille sets.

I hope to be done with the dyeing soon so I can have a chance to "play" with trims on some projects. I love to see the projects you ladies create and I am always browsing your blogs and admiring your work. One can't work all the time!

Speaking of which...I need to go list some trims!
Nancy

Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon will be here soon!

Yes, I have had a request for another product that will be added to my inventory next week. Vintage seam tape ribbon, that beautiful silky rayon ribbon you see used on lots of Blackbird Designs. One of my favorite customers told me she loved shopping in my store because she could find everything in one place. I think I will have to add quite a few more items to the inventory but I appreciate the compliment. And believe me...I am working hard on adding all these trims and sewing notions to my store.

I will post pictures after the seam tape arrives and is available. I will try to do a few creative things to the ribbon and see how they turn out. Watch for the announcement!

I will also be dyeing more colors of the chenille trim this week....I wish there were more hours in the day! I keep telling my best friend that I will continue to work 7 days a week for another year but then it is vacation time. It has been 12 years since I took a vacation...I am due!

I will post the new chenille trim colors later this week......back to the dye pot......

Nancy

Mini cotton Chenille trim is here!

This has been a fun week and a busy but productive one. I have been dyeing lots of mini cotton chenille trim. This mini trim is great for all of those little pillows, pin cushions, boxes, jar lids and anything else you can think to decorate. The possibilities are endless. I am even going to do a sampler with this mini trim as a divider between sections...pattern in the works right now. The mini trim is 1/8" wide.

I like to sew my trims on rather than glue them on. No chance of a glob of glue on a precious needlework project. The couching technique for sewing on the trim is the easiest for me. The trim is put into any position you want and sew stitches over the trim to hold it down. Don't pull the stitches too tight and it won't ripple and pucker...unless that is the look you were aiming for.

You can make flowers by cutting small pieces of trim and sewing them down as shown in this picture. Sew the trim in a straight line...or curve to fit the shape of an object... zig zag it like ric rac trim. Have fun and be creative.

You can leave it fluffed and round or flatten it....if you were wanting it to border a photo in a scrap book it will lay flat when pressed. Finger pressing is usually all it requires.

I will be listing pastel colors and a wider Chenille trim next week.
For now.....it's back to the dye pot!

Nancy

Hand dyed cotton eyelet and Mini cotton chenille trim

I have been very busy this week dyeing mini cotton chenille and eyelet trims. I will be adding new colors as I add them to my inventory but I  decided to start with some basic stock colors; colors that I will repeat and keep in stock. Shown above are a few of the new colors for eyelet trim. Paprika red, golden yellow, pastel pumpkin, Robins egg blue and carmel browns. The cotton eyelet trim is 2" wide and is 4 yards per package for $2.99.
 
The mini chenille trim colors are paprika red, golden yellow, Robins egg blue, spice, cranberry wine and dark forest green. The mini chenille is 1/8" wide and there are 5 yards on each card for $2.99.

I will be listing these trims later today in my ebay store.

I will be adding fancy lace trim next week along with pastel chenille colors and  a wider chenille trim. After all...you can list all these goodies at once!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Nancy

Cotton Chenille yarn trim coming soon!

Yes ladies....cotton chenille yarn trim will be here soon. I have ordered a ton of it...well, not quite a ton, but a LOT and as soon as it arrives later in the week I will begin to dye it in dozens of beautiful colors. I will have several sizes to choose from and I will post pictures as soon as it is finished. I had several customers ask me to add this item to my inventory and I was happy to do so after a long hunt for the product!

Watch for my post announcing it's "arrival"....I can hardly wait!

Nancy

My Soul is fed by Needle and Thread

My latest design that a customer recently requested; I stitched this one in soft shades of antique rose and sage greens. Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss of course......on punched paper. I may have to do a chart for this one as requests are already coming in. I get caught in the middle...me and my regular customers love to stitch on perforated paper for the antique motto look....and then there are the counted cross stitch ladies....so I need to make everyone happy!

I need to get back to dyeing trims but I had to stop to stitch this motto.....after all.....my soul is fed by needle and thread!

Nancy

Hand Dyed Ric Rac

And then there's ric rac...one of my favorite trims of all time. Maybe because it looks so old fashioned...and adds so much to all those little pillows, ornaments and other goodies. And of course you have to have it in delicious...over dyed.....slightly variegated antique colors for all those great finishes. Red, brown, toffee, caramel, antique blues, soft faded green, etc. One can never have enough trims if you ask me.....just look around here...it always looks like a factory exploded everywhere! You gotta love it.....

I use 1/2" cotton ric rac that I purchased in a bulk lot. I like the slight variations in the weave of cotton that make it look antique....gotta look antique around here. It is hard to find anything new in this house. Eccentric might be a good description of me....a very good description but at least I admit it!

I have dyed some eyelet trims and lace and will be listing them soon.....still experimenting with colors. I would love to just dye trims all day long but the regular orders and daily work slow me down....or maybe age....can't tell which! I will be posting more pictures soon....

Bye for now.

Nancy

Hand Dyed Buttons...EVERYWHERE!

There is always a new project going on around here.....so now it is hand dyed buttons. I love adding buttons to my stitching projects...but don't really like the colors out there. So what do I do? Dye buttons!!!! I have been busy for a week...dyed over 100 pounds of buttons...yes...they are EVERYWHERE! Lots of colors....Pumpkins, Yellows, Toffee, Butterscotch, Reds, Blues, Violets, etc. I will dye some trims to match soon...and some fabrics. Sounds like a lot of projects to keep me busy for sure. I am selling them in packs of 20 for $1.99. I like to price my items reasonable...in this economy we need reasonable! I have listed them in my ebay store today and will add trims and fabrics as they are available. I guess I better get back to counting buttons...one....two...three....

Happy Valentines Day!
Everyone was a winner! The 22 ladies who put a post on the original give away entry day.

Thank you for entering once again. I had my grandsons help me with drawing the names as usual...and the three lucky winners of my newest kits are :
Jules
Carin
Mary
Please send me an email with your address and choice of kit. Pick from the Home Sweet Home bird designs or the Love and you shall be loved. You can have 28 count linen or Aida Rustico 18 count fabric.

BUT.....it's Valentines Day......so all the  other ladies who put a comment on the post for the give away  will receive ****ONE OF MY CHARTS**** for my newest designs. You can choose which chart you would like. Send me an email with your choice and your address. Nbelgian@aol.com. Charts are being printed and I will mail them out in a day or two.

Thanks for participating and have a very Happy Valentines Day!

Nancy

Valentines Day give-away ENTER NOW

This the the third kit that will be given away for Valentines Day. This is from the Home Sweet Home Collection and called Mothers' Little Helpers. I decided to do another wall hanging to compliment the  True Love kit. You will have your choice as to which one you would like. Three winners will be drawn and announced on Valentines Day. You can choose this kit, True Love, or Love And You shall be Loved. Kits are on 18 count  Aida Rustico Oatmeal or linen and you will be able to choose which fabric you would like.

*******You need to be a follower and publish a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing.***

Good luck, thanks for participating in the drawing. I love to share!!!

Another Valentine's Day Gift

This will be the second kit I will give away for Valentines Day. It is from my Home Sweet Home Collection and is called True Love. This 7 x 7 inch wall hanging is the center part of a larger design.   This will also be available in a larger design with the words true love in it. Model is stitched on 18 count Rustico Oalmeal Aida but will also be available on 28 count linen. The surrounding fabric is a cotton print, black with tan leaves and compliments the bird nest design. Backing is black fabric on this wall hanging. I decided to make my own twist cord as I wanted a custom color...I get a little carried away with custom colors as you can tell....so I made my own cording. I think I will make twist cording in several custom colors for my kits because I like to have a unique item that you cannot find any where else. I will do limited editions on the kits when they become available in February.
I will announce the details of the give-away soon.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Nancy

Valentines Day Give-away

Preview of Valentine's Day give-away

I thought I would show you my latest design....and one that I will be giving away for Valentines's Day next month. I will announce the give-away on another post so keep tuned. I will be giving away three kits of my latest designs. I will be offering these as leaflets and kits after I get everything printed and packaged.
I put this finished piece in a frame to show one way it could be displayed and then I made it into a little pillow...a wonderful gift for a special friend.

The design is 5 x 6 inches so it fit nicely into a small frame and a small pillow. I remembered I had a huge roll of a very tiny trim and I decided to use it on this piece to dress it up. I went with a light colored fabric to surround the piece and for the backing. I tried several fabrics...the darker colors made it look more casual and the lighter dressed it up. I used a high quality muslin fabric as I like the tiny flecks in it that complimented the coloration in the Aida Rustico Oatmeal fabric that I stitched this on. I will also offer this on linen and will have that picture at a later date.....you can only stitch so many at a time!

I will be showing you the other two kits that I will be giving away very soon.....and then give the details of the drawing. I have to say....I love to share!!!!!

Have a great day!

Nancy

From Me to Thee

From Me to Thee.....a little token of friendship made into a small pillow 6x6 inches. I stitched this in soft tones of antique green, gold and faded rose for lettering. I added two small butterflies that I had dyed to match. When you stitch the body with a few stitches, the wings lift up a bit off the fabric....just adorable. I bought these trims many years ago and finally found a use for them. When I offer this as a kit, two butterflies will be included in each one. I hope to have charts and kits completed in two weeks....lots of work to do for sure. There is never a shortage around here!

I will also offer this kit available on linen as well as aida. I ordered 40 yards of assorted linen and will dye some for new patterns as well as these I have just completed. They will be pictured on both fabrics. I wish they would add more hours to the day and then I could do all I need to do! I also need to add on to this house and I have taken over half of it (and we already remodeled once to double the size), the whole basement and we have a building 30x60 we use as a work shop for the frames. Who would have thought a motto collection would turn into an all-consuming passion....but I do love what I do.
Back to the drawing board.......

Nancy

Kindred Spirits

We should all be lucky enough to have a kindred spirit. Mine is my dear friend Eunice in Ireland and I cherish the friendship. We are all brought together for a reason and she is the joy in my life. Distance does not keep us apart; if we don't write every day we are thinking of each other every day and that is the beauty in it. Together, yet so far apart.

Scatter Smiles....says it all!

New year, new designs

      I like to put some humor in some of the mottoes....you can't be serious all the time! This is a mini motto pattern I did recently and decided to stitch it on paper first and will stitch it on fabric soon. It is small so it lends itself for a small pillow. Of course it is stitched with Victoriam Motto Sampler Shoppe floss. I will do the chart for this soon and it will be available in my shop. I have been working on 5 small designs that I will post shortly......there are only so many hours in the day and I am always looking for more...I must have left some around here some where....

Have a great day!

Nancy
    

Resolutions

This is a motto fashioned after an antique I have.....says it perfectly!
New Year Resolutions. I try not to think of the standards, diet and exercise....but go right to the fun stuff. New designs, new floss colors...new charts to do.....now we're talking! I have done 3 new designs this past few weeks and have two of them stitched and ready for finishing/framing. New photos will be posted soon. First I have to get out the sewing machine...which I thought I was done with.....

With the motto business I did 3 new patterns a week for the first year (and stitched each one for photos). Quite an accomplishment for arthritic hands. Now I hope to do a cross stitch pattern a week for the next year. It will be a slower process than the mottoes simply because I will have to do a chart too. I will offer them as chart only and some of them as kits.

I love the look of stitching on linen...but I need my models stitched quickly so I will stitched them on aida. I am not a patient person and want them finished NOW. Aida stitches so much faster for me and I still know a lot of people who prefer it simply because it is easier to see. Age related again....the eyes are the first thing to go when stitching!

 I hope to be adding a lot of new primitive designs to the inventory as well as the Victorian mottoes. I like both....I decorate with both. I love a lacy Victorian bedroom filled with antiques. I also have a family room that reminds me of a general store! I always said I could live in a general store and be quite happy...maybe some day I will. I could be the crazy eccentric little old lady down the street......I think I am half way there.

I would like to wish each and every one of you a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Lets have fun stitching together!!!!!

Of course we will have to have a few give-aways during the year!

Nancy

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I am pleased to announce the winners of the drawing. I had my two grandsons help with the draw of the names and I think they had fun. They were a little shy at first but finally agreed!

So here are the lucky winners. The first name drawn was Bronny.
The second place prize goes to Carolyn.

The third place prize goes to Peg C.
I have included a picture of the names drawn for you to view...thanks so much for participating.....I think we will need to do this again!

This was such a nice way to meet all of you fellow stitchers and I hope we can keep in touch on a regular basis. I would love to hear from you.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!

Nancy

Christmas Floss give-away

So here it is ladies...my present to you...or one of you, as my thank you for the warm welcome to blogging. You gals are great! Now I will share....as I LOVE to do! I am giving 50 (20 yard) skeins, 1,000 yards of assorted colors of my over-dyed floss.  Enough to stitch a beautiful flower garden or dozens of projects. I will have a second place prize to be announced at a later date.
Rules....simple. You need to be a follower of my blog. I will need your email address if you do not post it in your blog so please contact me with info so I can contact you if you win the drawing. The drawing will be Christmas day and I will make the announcement then. I will give you a chance to enter your name more than once...for every purchase of floss, charts or motto kits in December (either in my ebay store ...click on pictures at the bottom of the page to go to the store....or through me and paypal), I will put your name in again. If you buy through ebay you need to tell me (in the note to seller) your blogger name. So this is my Christmas present to you. Thanks again for the VERY warm welcome to blogging!
Nancy

Santa said he just found a gift in his bag for second place!!!

No Place Like Home motto sampler chart for cross stitch and 15 skeins of my over-dyed floss. The second name drawn  will receive this gift from The Motto Shoppe.

Wait...Santa is saying he still sees something down in the bag......I keep telling him I can't hear what he is saying  with his head down in the bag.....he just yelled he found a gift for 3rd place!

I still can't hear him....

HE MADE IT!!!! Floss in Christmas red, cranberry, green, gold......15 SKEINS OF FLOSS AND A MOTTO CROSS STITCH CHART FOR 3RD NAME DRAWN CHRISTMAS DAY. THANK YOU SANTA!!!!

Santa is having fun

Santa said he is having fun helping me with the give-away! Jolly old guy!!!!

Floss give-away

And there will be pinks....greens....blues..yellows......purples......lavender......cherries.....reds......

and pumpkins according to Shari.......

40 skeins, 800 yards of floss in assorted colors would be great.....but I think it will be greater!
Tell your friends! Everyone gets a chance to win.

The drawing will be Christmas day.There will be other ways you can have your name added more than once....I will tell you tomorrow! Curious?????????

LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF LADIES SIGNING UP....I THINK WE NEED A SECOND PLACE PRIZE! DEFINATELY!!!!!

I'll give you a hint.....

A friend asked me to give her a hint of what was in the give-away...I told her 10 skeins, 200 yards  of floss would be nice...but not near nice enough. 20 skeins, 400 yards of floss would be nice...but not near nice enough. I thought 30 skeins, 600 yards of floss would be more generous...but not generous enough.......

Christmas floss give-away

Tomorrow I will announce the details of the Christmas floss give-away....I think you are going to love this one.....everyone who is signed up as a follower of my blog will have a chance to win.
Here comes Santa Claus....Here comes Santa Claus.........
Nancy

From start to finish

I often have requests for custom mottoes. A gentleman emailed me to say he wanted a motto with an antique steam engine in it...and the motto to read Train up a child in the way he should go. They are expecting their first child. I love to do custom mottoes...some are more challenging than others as you can imagine. I did this pattern in a couple hours, transferred it to the perforated paper (secret recipe) and had it stitched in less than 7 hours. That is what I love about working on perforated paper with these mottoes because you just fill in between the lines...the satin stitch I use on my mottoes stitches so quickly! I am not a patient person...just ask my family...no, better not....lets not go there...back to the motto...the kits are easy and fun to stitch. I did counted cross stitch for 30 years...giving my age away....and I wanted a quicker way to stitch. Perforated paper mottoes were the answer for me. I recently started doing charts for my motto samplers and will be adding them to my inventory all next year. Making charts is time consuming to say the least...but I wanted to offer charts for all the cross stitchers.
Train motto is stitched with my over-dyed floss. Very subtle changes in these colors as per the customers request.

I just thought I would share my latest project with you and explain a little about stitching on perforated paper if you havn't tried it. Thanks for "listening"!

Thank you for the warm welcome

I appreciate the warm welcome I am receiving from all you ladies...it is greatly appreciated as you are. I will show my appreciation soon...with a floss give-away. Now I need to think of something great....after all...it's almost Christmas!
Nancy

Over dyed floss

I guess I will start at the beginning and tell you about my floss. When I first started selling my motto kits I was using over dyed floss from other companies. The dye lots were so inconsistant that I thought I could do better. I have dyed floss for about 4 years now....I do limited editions so I am always adding new colors.

I wanted to offer affordable floss to my friends and customers. I thought $2-3 for 4-10 yards of floss was  too much....and I wanted to offer a generous amout of floss so I did 20 yard skeins for $2 each. Money isn't the most important thing to me.....people are. My decision was a good one...and I have a lot of gals who buy my floss on a regular basis.

After I get this blog all sorted out...and it will take a little while so please be patient with me....I will start to do some give-aways with floss. I love to share!

Thank you for stopping by.
Nancy

Just beginning the blog...thank you for your patience

I have had many requests to start a blog so here I go...trying to find the time will be a challenge as I already work 7 days a week! I have met so many dear friends all over the globe and I thank them for the inspiration that they have given me. I hope we can have a great time together on the blog.

Nancy