Thursday, March 5, 2015

1836 Louisa Horsey Sampler Kickstarter Project


I will do a market update soon, but wanted to share with you my new Kickstarter Campaign to purchase and reproduce the 1836 Louisa Horsey sampler.  I found this sampler two days ago on the Internet and was captivated by its beauty, quality, and heart.  The campaign will help me come up with the funds to purchase the sampler, which is on hold at the dealer's. (I only need 69 people at the $25 level to fund the project; if I receive more than my goal, participants at the $10, $25 and $40 levels will receive extra gifts!)


I'm always looking for new samplers to reproduce, but I have certain things that I look for.  I love pieces with unusual elements and fun motifs.  Samplers with more than just plants and flowers are fun to stitch, and this one has lots to love: a shepherd and shepherdess, folk art angels, an unusual border, a gorgeous urn, and a host of animals, including birds, sheep, a dog, butterflies, bugs and bunnies and more.


In the above picture, you can see what a treat it will be to stitch the border, as the flowers alternate, including a flower with a lovely navy blue coloring, still bright after almost two centuries.


If you look closely at the bottom border, you'll find two figures tucked inside.  The shepherd and shepherdess are wearing beautiful clothes, and would you look at that man's fantastic calves?

The sampler does have a somber tone, focusing on the death of dear brother Henry, who died the day he was born.  But the verse is hopeful, and I admire this girl for dedicating many, many hours to creating this one-of-a-kind sampler.

Follow this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/834098970/louisa-horsey-1836-memorial-antique-sampler-reprod to read more about the project and the rewards for participation.  People who contribute $10, $25 or $40 will receive rewards in the mail (at $25 and $40, you receive the graph to stitch the sampler.)  I have one month from today to raise the funds.  Thanks for your help!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Here I Am

Thanks, everyone for your concern.

Since the end of August when I was recuperating from several biopsies and surgery, I have been coping with changes in my body chemistry, which resulted in the undoing of my mental health medications.  I suffer from general anxiety disorder, including intrusive thinking, and some obsessive/compulsive tendencies.  These have been controlled for years by medication (and I've done my time in therapy.)  When my iron levels shot back up, and my metabolism kicked back in, I was a nervous wreck and, frankly, spent a lot of time in bed.

I've been working closely with my sweet and gentle psychiatrist, and am finally able to face the computer and work again.  I had really gotten to the point where I would just sit down at my computer some days and stare at it, unable to do any work at all.  I wasn't stitching at all.  A combination of four different medications now means that I can sleep properly, function much better, and can face the things that I need to do and want to do.

I used to be able to juggle a shop and an online store and design under two different companies, and I think that has really gotten to be too much for me to handle.  My shop has closed, and I am scaling way back on my online store in order to spend more time designing and stitching samplers and working on other creative endeavors.  I probably won't be doing much more designing for Raise the Roof Designs anymore -- look for the "odd" chart now and then.  The back catalog will (mostly) still be available for Raise the Roof and Shakespeare's Peddler, too.

One of the things I started dreading about designing was the idea that I had to try to fit my designs in a box.  Some shops refuse to carry designers' graphs if they use certain thread or fabric companies' supplies.  There's also that added pressure of what will sell ... August?  Better be putting out some Halloween things.  Is this sampler too big?  Too small?  Too many colors of thread?  Will it fit on a fat quarter?

I've had some grand ideas for designs that I have continued to put off, knowing they wouldn't fit someone's criteria for what makes a good/sellable design.  And I think designers, as the cross stitch world has gotten smaller, have felt more beholden to the opinions of the outspoken.  That's robbed us all, I think, of the grandest things a designer can create.

This week, I am starting work on some of those dream designs of mine.  I'm not going to be using anything discontinued in terms of supplies, and will continue to do conversions on the charts to other thread lines.  I hope you like them.  I know that I will.  And I feel really good about moving forward and being my most creative.

Please check out my clearance on my Etsy shop: Letters Great & Small.  Anything marked CLEARANCE is 15-85% off the regular retail price.  None of my designs are on sale, except for some discontinued Raise the Roof charts.  Everything is limited to what is in stock.  I have more in storage that I will add as things disappear.  It will be great to start the new year with clear space and a clear mind.

Thanks so much to those of you who have stuck with me the last (almost) 18 years.  I still value you as sisters in stitches, and continue to appreciate what you give me -- business, advice, support, inspiration, and the chance to be doing something so fulfilling.

God bless,

Theresa

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Thrift Shop Thrills Numero Dos: Hollow Books

Volunteering at the thrift store always gets my creative juices flowing -- I see so many things that don't have much purpose as they ARE, but do have purpose in what they COULD BE.  Last month, my new Thrills piece showed how to take cruddy old cookbooks and turn them into gift wrap, tea towels, gift cards, stickers and more.

And now, I'm showing you how to make your own hollow book (for keepsakes or to use as a pincushion.)  Simply find yourself a couple of these babies:


Yes, the old Reader's Digest Condensed books.  They were published from 1950-1997 and came out four to six times a year.  These were classics and other books that were edited for length and put all in one volume.  We get them all of the time at the thrift shop, and only really sell them to people who do this with them:


And yes, those are very cute, cool, and clever, but seeing as I like having 10 fingers, I will leave the power tools to someone else.  My idea was something more like this:


Huh?  What do you think?  Who needs a $50 frame for a little piece of needlework, when a thrift shop find can become a frame with a little elbow grease.  (The darling golden strawberry was made by Stacey Nash -- love it love it love it!)


In my instruction book, you will get all of the tips on the best way I came up with to hollow out these books and make them into needle-works-of-art.  This is definitely a weekender project, and I can see all kinds of fun applications with these -- especially depending on the covers you can find.  There are some that are wintery/Christmasy, lots of kitchy covers, and old-fashioned almost calico patterns.


(Side note: the SUPER COOL piece of pottery I scored while hitting garage sales with my friend Jennifer two weekends ago -- $8!!!  It's brand new and hand-thrown!)


My instructions tell you step-by-step how to prep and hollow out your book, and I include two patterns to put inside (but encourage you to find motifs that are meaningful to YOU!)  This is such a fun project.  And you can do it!  It was also a neat way to use up some trinkety trinkets and trims that I had lying around hither and yon.


Speaking of hither and yon, I haven't shared any kitten pics for a while.  Everyone has been sick for weeks, and we finally had to go to the vet to get everyone kitty Z-Packs.  They're on the mend now.  Right now at home, I've got Shrimp, Lister, Stephen and Colbert, and these two fluff balls -- Gelato (with black ear) and Sherbet.  They are FUNNY kittens.  When Sherbet plays with the others, she screams like she's being mugged or something.  They'll soon be up for adoption.

Our shelter completed 1,006 adoptions/live releases in June and July this year.  We're hoping for another 500 for August, as we are participating in the Rachael Ray $100,000 shelter challenge.  Seeing all of those happy animals and new pet owners really makes the hard work worth while.

Yes, I'm working on other things.  No, I didn't do market releases.  This summer, I had a few different biopsies (including breast).  I had to do some medication adjustments on my psychiatric drugs, and got bifocals.  Oh, and after finding out I have been anemic for probably the last 8 years or more, I was put on iron pills and yesterday had a D&C/oblation surgery.  So...this summer has been my "tune up" summer.  Get ready for some good needlework designs coming up, especially now that my energy is back!!!

Thanks for reading -- stay well.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Summer Clearance


Last night I had the shocking realization that summer is almost over!  In the south, that's a big deal.  This morning, when I was getting dressed, I looked at my long-sleeved shirts and sweaters and thought ... soon!

Getting ready for a market season and new fall designs, I need to clear out some of the more than 700 items on my Etsy site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LettersGreatandSmall.  Everything is 20% off today through Sunday when you shop and enter the word hooray in the coupon code area.  HOORAY!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Thrift Shop Thrills and Free to Be

Long time, no write.  I've had a busy, crazy, up and down summer.  Nearing the end of it, though, and I'm feeling renewed and happy.


Earlier this month I went in for an exam, and ended up having a uterine and a breast biopsy.  The uterine situation may require surgery (but is not life-threatening...I'll spare you the details), and the breast biopsy had great results.  I also found out my hemoglobin was NINE (should be 12-15), which would explain why I've been surviving on Coca Cola and caffeine and needing early bed times and naps.  I was exhausted the last few years, and figured it was just old age.  Nope...I started taking iron pills, and about a week later, I had several "vroom vroom" moments where all of the sudden my whole body would go flush and hot.  They lasted just a few days, and I asked my friend Jennifer (who teaches anatomy and physiology) what those were.  "That was your metabolism kicking in."

I am finally awake, only drinking Coke for enjoyment, and feeling much better.  Thank goodness.

Oh, so the cupcakes above were made by Harrison's girlfriend Christiana in celebration of my breast biopsy results...can you tell what they were supposed to represent?  (They were yummy!)


So, I have a new graph under "Raise the Roof Designs."  I've been volunteering twice a week at the Thrift Shop that supports our shelter, and see loads of items that don't sell, but that still have some quirky life in them.  I've got ideas already for three more in this series.  This is "Thrift Shop Thrills: Cookbooks."  I give instructions for five projects: stickers, wrapping paper, notecards, recipe cards, and tea towels (and there are seven designs for tea towels, two of which are below... I haven't made the Crock Pot yet, but it's on the list.)

Above is a box I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby for $3 decorated with stickers made from cookbooks and scanned and shrunken copies of my grandmothers' recipes in their own hand.  They're stained, which makes them look really cool and legit.


I made my own tea towels out of muslin, so they were extra cheap.  You can also buy tea towels pre-made at most craft stores.  I used the opportunity to try some fancy borders, and did mine in black, but hey, to celebrate this "era," use avocado green, goldenrod, or rust.


The wrapping paper was super-fun to make, and you can see one of my notecards above, too.  I bought carnations (of course) for the above gift decoration, but would love to see people use those little fake vegetable and fruit picks you find in the floral department of a craft store.  My boxes were too small to support those.  This is all meant to be something crafty to do, where you can't really screw it up, and where you finish in a short time.  

I am able to buy these cookbooks for 33 cents and $1 at the thrift store, but try garage sales and estate sales, too.  Don't limit yourself to cookbooks -- make wrapping paper for a graduate out of an old textbook or dictionary.  Use a 1960's travel book to make notecards and stickers for a friend who likes to see the world.  Make stickers out of fine art books and decorate a box to hold your goodies.  

You can purchase the pattern now from me at https://www.etsy.com/listing/197558709/thrift-shop-thrills-cookbooks-craft.  The distributors will have theirs soon.


Southern Pines Animal Shelter asked me to design a t-shirt to sell to help fund lifesaving surgeries for feral cats.  Until this summer, the shelter has always been required to euthanize any feral cats that come in through animal control.  The trend now in sheltering is to practice trap-neuter-return, which means those cats, after being fixed, can go back and live their lives where they were.

It has always made me feel so sad to see animal control come in with animals in the back.  Possums, raccoons, armadillos, and other wild animals are released out in the wild.  But all of these beautiful cats with shiny coats, bright eyes, lean muscles and strength have been killed for years and years.  Why?  People tend to think of a feral cat as a "bother," but somehow adoptable.  These cats are too dangerous to handle (mostly, they stay clear of people.)  They could not be adopted (I've been bitten a few times by a feral cat, and let me tell you, they bite HARD!)

Everyone would think we were crazy if we were euthanizing squirrels or snakes, but for some reason, it's sensible to euthanize wild cats.  So, I designed two t-shirts (the purple one is a ladies cut, and the grey/green one below is in men's sizes.)  Proceeds from the sale of these t-shirts will literally save lives by providing spay and neuter surgeries to feral cats coming in to the shelter.

The design shows that there are two different kinds of cats -- those who have made it into homes and are living their lives as pets, and those who live outside as wild creatures...both kinds are beautiful!)  Free to Be means that these feral cats will be free to live their lives just as they are, hooray!


Briar says: "Deese are de links, and what your money will do, pee-pulls.":

Help save a life ($13.00 from the sale of a $20 t-shirt will add to our pot of funds.)


Save a Tom ($32 purchase of this t-shirt will save the life of a male cat)


Save a Kitty ($57 purchase of this t-shirt will save the life of a female cat)


In the meantime, I'm busy working on some fall graphs and more Thrills.  Thanks, as always, for your support, and I hope you are having a wonderful summer.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Sweet Temper and Sweet Kittens


Kittens have been coming and going lately -- five kittens have gone back to the shelter in the last week or two, and we have three new ones.  Ace (aka Prince Eric, above) was always the biggest in his litter of six, and so he was ready first.  He's having a good time at the shelter playing with lots of new friends, and I have no doubt he'll find a home soon.


Dear Smee was my little sweetheart, and when I go to visit him, he gets happy and purrs like crazy.  He was almost adopted yesterday by a young girl and her parents, but she decided on a girl kitty named "Grasshopper."  Smee won't be there long.  Gentle Ben (aka Dwarf) and Ursula are also back at the shelter waiting for their new families.  

Of course one of the downsides to having so many kittens around is that it makes it very difficult to stitch.  I'd sit down with my new sampler design, put on my cheaters, and immediately, I'd have a lap full of squiggly, rambunctious fuzz balls.  Still, I pushed through, and have a new sampler to present.  It is called ....

The Sweet Temper Sampler



The sampler is slightly larger than my Mercy Goodehart Sampler, and measures 301 by 297 stitches.  It was so much fun to work on.  When I design a sampler, I think of it from a stitcher's point of view, and give the chart lots of little surprises....


Like a heart-in-hand, spool and needle....


Or some pretty spiderweb roses....


Or a house tucked into the border.


I realized when I was stitching the sampler, that I gravitate to verses with the idea of humility.  This is an old verse I found and tweaked a bit.  I was going for a summery sampler in dusty colors.  The border seems to be a favorite element to those who have seen the sampler so far.  I also included the sentence: "Jesus wept."  As children, we all knew this (very short) Bible verse, and would joke about having "memorized" it.  I like the idea that it conveys the idea of humanity in Jesus -- that he had the same emotions that we do.

The design is available right now in my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/192231314/the-sweet-temper-sampler-cross-stitch.  Separate listings for the linen and threads are also on my site.  Some of these items are on order, so if you order them now, you get first priority when they come in.

SUPPLIES:
40 count Creme Brulee Linen by R&R Reproductions
Au Ver a Soie Silks 1441, 3833, 2516, 4525, 3815, 2542, 2635, 3735 (2), 1814 and 4534
Needlepoint Silks 693, 333 and 203
Gloriana Silk Floss Vanilla, Hazelnut Dark, Antique Black and Spanish Moss

There are several specialty stitches: spiderweb roses, satin stitch, and Smyrna cross.  The rest is cross stitch over-two (there are no over-one areas.)  I hope you like it -- I LOVE IT!


Two of my new kittens were happy to have their pictures taken today (the third was very busy!)  Above is Cinder, and below is his sister Ella.  Cinder's two favorite things are to get his belly rubbed and clean someone's face.  He's very social and friendly.


Ella is a bit of a fuss-pot.  She has a LOT to say and likes everything just-so.  She's a beautiful diluted calico -- pale orange and pale grey with white.  These two have about a half a pound to gain.


Two of our flock will fly the coop next weekend -- Wendy (above) and her sister Ariel.  They've been good company the last two months or so, and it is always an amazing experience to see them grow and develop.  They leave my house about the time their ears get crazily big for their tiny little faces.

I hope you are enjoying summer so far -- we will be going to a blueberry farm this week to pick blueberries, and we've got corn, grapes, pumpkins, and sunflowers growing in the backyard (among other things.)  It's hot, but hey, it's summer!  A very good time of year.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

New sampler coming soon, and oh my gosh, a house full of kittens

Kitten season is definitely here -- I took two phone calls today from people who had found small (bottle-feeder) kittens.  They needed advice on what to do.  And earlier this week, PetSmart called me...some guy had run in with a box of kittens, set them on the counter, and hustled back out.  (That's what I get for becoming known around town as a crazy cat lady.)


The whole litter received rock star (ladies) names.  They all looked similar, and three were bobtails.  They are going into foster care at the shelter for a few weeks, and except for some fleas, these babies are healthy and happy.


Our little Mercy isn't so little anymore.  She's nearing the two pound mark, which means she'll soon go up for adoption.  We've had her since the day she was born, so it has been a joy to watch her grow.  She originally was about the size of a roll of quarters.  Now she's leaping, bounding, meowing, playing, wrestling her friends and enjoying the heck out of life.  She's definitely got a joie de vivre!


My bottle feeders took up so much of my time the last month.  But I was happy to help them.  They still have a ways to go, but they're developing, learning, and having a ball.  Plus, I'm like the Pied Piper around here.  Everywhere I go, I've got a gaggle of kittens following me.  I have to mind my feet and walk softly.

Above is Smee napping with Ty (who we adopted last year.)  Smee is my faithful little companion.  If I'm out of sight, he meows and meows, and he loves a good cuddle.


As proof to his cuddling abilities, please notice Smee (nose and cheek visible) sleeping with his sister, Ariel.


Ursula is a black beauty.  This picture was taken right as her eyes were changing from blue to green.  She's independent, quiet, and even keel, and she will have medium-length hair.  This whole litter has been very sweet.


We interrupt these kittens with a brief sampler announcement.  This was taken a while ago, but I am making good progress on a new (original) sampler design.  I'm stitching in silks on 40 count linen and will release a supply list soon.  The look I was going for was "dusty summer," and I've used brown/rose, a root beer color, a caramel color, a deep sooty grey, a few rusty reds...it's really turning out nicely, and it's been fun to stitch.  Lots of little surprises in this one, and a few specialty stitches.

The working title is "Jesus wept."  It is often quoted as the shortest bible verse.  The thing I like about it is that it shows Jesus' humanity -- it is a human condition to feel sad and weep.  It says volumes about his humanity to show sorrow and grief.



I'll also take this opportunity to plug my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LettersGreatandSmall.  I've been busy adding new things every week -- now I've got over 700 items in the shop, including almost 300 different sampler designs.  I've been able to get more of some old (classic/beautiful) Carriage House Samplings designs that the distributors aren't carrying anymore, as well as some Scarlet Letter samplers, the new Lizzie Kate designs, and some fabuloso scissors by Bohin (they're lime green, cherry red and sunshiny yellow.)

I'm also having a CLEARANCE, so if you type the word "clearance" in the "search this shop" bar on my shop, you'll find everything that's on sale (up to 50% off!)













Okay, back to kitties, because there are more!!!  This is dear little Wendy.  She has been one of my favorites, because she's quiet, calm, gentle, and humble.  She was the only one who didn't scratch and bite for the bottle (she sat on my knee and waited her turn.)


And this is Ace, aka Prince Eric.  He is HUGE (already at about 1 1/4 pounds.)  He's got long legs, a long body, and LOOOOOONG hair.  I had made a comment on my Facebook page that he seemed a little slow -- that was confirmed by our shelter vet who did some tests on him.  She said she believes he has a slight brain abnormality, which means it takes him a while to catch on to things, but he eats, cleans himself, uses the litter box, and is absolutely darling.  He will make someone the most lovable cat!


My husband loves Dwarf (we call him Gentle Ben.)  He has a very, very gentle demeanor and loves to just sit with you.  I think he'll be pretty big, but he has got a great personality and is a really attractive little cat.  In this picture, he's getting beaten up by Ariel, but you can see he doesn't worry too much about that.


This is Ariel.  She has been one of the most demanding, grabby, bite-y, complaining-est kittens I've ever had.  Well, she had been.  (One day while I was bottle feeding her, she lunged at my face and bit my nose so hard I bled, simultaneously gouging the bags under my eyes with her needle-like claws.)  Now, though, she has about 30-50 kisses a day for me, again and again and again.  She's calmed right down, is very polite and loving, and she is a doll baby.  She's been a good lesson in patience for me.  And of course I love her.


Life is so good.  It makes me happy to see these little boys and girls grow and learn about the world.  I opened the window one day, and little Wendy just sat looking at the big, big world, marveling at it all.  I am so gosh darn blessed to have time with them.