Bye to summer 2012

The wild cats that inspired "Cats' Eyes" live in this small barn on my brother and sister-in-law's property: They're not so timid around dinnertime!

Here's the memorial in Gettysburg where Lincoln gave his address. Notice the pennies left by visitors.

Inspiration for future designs?

Gladiolus in Maine

I've never seen hydrangeas quite like these growing in Massachusetts!

I think these are Rose Hips.... lemme know if I'm wrong!

Back to Woodlawn Manor

Woodlawn Manor, depicted in one of my first designs, was a part of the Underground Railroad. A trail near the barn brings you to a historic spring, a HUGE white ash tree and finally to the Friends Meeting House. This is from the Montgomery County Parks website: "The time is the 1850s. The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, have helped make Sandy Spring a prosperous farming and commercial center. The Friends Meeting House, built in 1817, is the center of religious and community life. Even though slavery will not be abolished in Maryland until 1864, Maryland Quakers outlawed the owning of slaves by its members in 1777. In Sandy Spring, free blacks own their own homes and have organized churches, schools, and an array of social clubs although such public gatherings are extremely dangerous in this anti-abolitionist county. Local patrols and slave catchers stalk the fields and woods. Quakers and free blacks assist escaping slaves via the secret “Underground Railroad”— a system of people and places organized to help slaves escape to freedom."

I was lucky enough to hike the trail with a friend on Friday! The photo below shows the Woodlawn Manor stone barn in the background. It will eventually become a visitor center focusing on the Underground Railroad experience.

New CHS Releases (and scenes from the show)

Carriage House released these four designs at the market in Baltimore:

 CATS' EYES

LINCOLN

ODE TO THE NEWSPAPER

PANTALOONS

 Tim constructed a new wall for all our models!

My niece Liz launched her new creations: 

stunning collages that are enhanced with embroidery and vintage-inspired sequence and embellishments.

 

And thanks to the fun women at DMC who handed out free mustaches! 

Grace is already dreaming up her Halloween costume!

Many thanks to all the shop owners and other friends who stopped by
to support Carriage House!

The winners are . . .

Our first winner who correctly identified Kingsford as Kathy's first design is Jeannine Foss from Northern California. She's been stitching for almost five years and the third third design she ever stitched was a CHS tombstone. She chose Lincoln as her prize! 

The second winner is Joy Downing from Tempe, Arizona. Joy created gorgeous frames for Valley House Primitives for many years. Other than cross stitch, her favorite way to spend time these days is in her garden and with her sweet little flock of chickens who inhabit a little saltbox hen house called the Coop de Grace. I checked out Joy's blog (http://g2gardengate.blogspot.com/) and it's obvious that Joy is a gifted photographer also! She chose Ode to the Newspaper as her prize.

The third person to correctly respond to the contest reigns from Brookfield, Massachusetts: Bonnie Olsen. She's been stitching long before Carriage House Samplings came into being! Bonnie has been very patient, waiting for either Tim or me to finish charting an 1849 sampler by Agness Rowlandson. Hopefully it will be ready for you in 2013, Bonnie! In the meantime, Bonnie will stitch Cats' Eyes.

And the fourth winner is Margaret Chess from New York. She's been stitching CHS since about 2006, when she picked up stitching again after a long hiatus. She fell in love with Kathy's designs right away. She has stitched three of the Hawk Run Hollow series (Houses, Village and Shores), and the Alphabets and Sarah Esh as well. It looks like Cats' Eyes will be her next project!

Congratulations to all our winners!

And Kathy's first design was . . .

The Kingsford Sampler! I intended to tell you that this morning! Kathy said that the inspiration came from an old painting but has no idea who the artist was.

We have four winners!

Congratulations! I'll post the winners' names (if they're willing) and the new designs next week!

 Thanks so much for participating!!
  Marty

A CHS Contest Clue

Clue #1: Kathy's first design includes a deer!

What was Kathy's first cross stitch design? Please e-mail your answer: chsamplings@gmail.com  (Do not Post a Comment.) One answer per person, please. The first four people with correct responses will get their choice of one of our new designs: Cats' Eyes, Lincoln, Ode to the Newspaper or Pantaloons.

Marty

A CHS Contest!

Kathy produced over 260 Carriage House Samplings designs! Does anyone remember Kathy's first design? I don't think you'll find the answer on the Carriage House website. I really will improve our site after the Baltimore show.

Please e-mail me your answer:chsamplings@gmail.com  (Do not post your answer under Comment.) One answer per person, please.

The first four people with correct responses will get their choice of one of our new designs: Cats' Eyes, Lincoln, Ode to the Newspaper or Pantaloons. We'll show you the entire design next week (sneak peeks are on my last blog.)

Good luck!

New designs a week away!

We're gearing up for the Needle Arts Market in Baltimore where we'll be releasing four new designs and catching up with busy shop owners!
Doesn't everyone need a design featuring lingerie? Here's a sneak peek at Pantaloons:

And for those of us who still appreciate the printed newspaper and all its uses, here's a peek at Ode to the Newspaper:

Lincoln was inspired by a recent trip to Gettysburg. We stood where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863. Here's a detail:

And it wouldn't be Fall without a new Halloween design. Here's a detail from Cats' Eyes:

I'm excited to report that Carriage House will distribute my niece Liz's fabric collages that are designed for embroidery. These vintage-inspired pieces are so fresh and creative! A small sample:

Kathy will also be joining us with her one-of-a-kind jewelry masterpieces!!
Finally, look for a quick Carriage House Samplings contest next week!

Marty