New needle arts and frame shop to open in Brea, CA!

Carriage House Samplings just heard from Kerry and Yvonne of We, of the Needle needle arts and frame shop in Orange county. They're still painting the interior but the signs on the soon-to-open shop are up. You can see more images on their blog:
www.weoftheneedle.blogspot.com

Here's Kerry's version of our Scarlet Berries pattern. She adapted it to a genealogy sampler featuring six generations of her fore-mothers. This was the third place winner in a juried exhibit, The Shoreline Stitcher's Showcase, put on by The Needle Artists By the Sea Chapter of The American Needlepoint Guild! I love the way she elevated the design by including her family history.

We're excited to report that We, of the Needle will be carrying a collection of Carriage House's designs.

CHS in Lancaster, PA July 7th!

Pat from Stitches Unlimited, 721 Olde Hickory Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, agreed to have a meet-the-designer(s) event on July 7th. I'm hoping that Kathy will come along! I'm bringing lots of classic Carriage House models and charts! It's 10:00 am to noon. Stitches Unlimited: 717/560-9416 (The models will be on display in Pat's shop for a few weeks starting on the 7th.)

Work Less, Play More, Enjoy Life

I'm happy to report that I ended my 27-year career as an art director at The Washington Post last week. I decided that it was time to spend more time with my family, to create more CHS designs and to get back to oil painting. Plus, it's time to over-haul the Carriage House Samplings website and explore social media. Would you follow CHS on Facebook or Twitter? How about Pinterest?

I feel really lucky to have been able to attend so many school events this past week without rushing downtown to my office afterwards. Anna's 8th grade class booked a theater so that parents could see their power-point presentations, skits and their websites on immigration. And today, I attended her promotion to high school. (Anna is on the right)

And last week Grace was promoted from 5th grade to middle school. That afternoon, we learned that there was an opening in one of our county's public middle schools that specializes in music, dance, theater and art. This will be a great fit for her! (Grace is on the right)

On Saturday, I cracked open some tubes of paint again during a barn painting event with a friend who was also a Post art director for over 20 years. She handed me a journal with a cover that reads "Work Less, Play More, Enjoy Life." Sounds like good advice!

Alphabet Blocks, The Whole Kit and Caboodle

Kathy, who designed this really creative chart, suggested that stitchers choose their own colors for the border. The cover photo shows green for the vine and leaves, and red flowers. Pam Tanner, originally from Grand Rapids, but now from Manassas, Virginia agreed to share her color choices:
Mulberry/Pomegrante for flower 1
Deep Sea/Peacock for flower 2
Fragrant Clove/Bittersweet for flower 3
Cherry Bark/Old Red Paint for flower 4
Hyacinth/DMC 327 for flower 5

It's so colorful and fun, Pam. Thanks for sharing it with us!

A twist on The Farms

It's exciting to see how Joan Bynum, one of the co-owners of a needlework shop in Boaz, Alabama called Out of the Box, tailored The Farms of Hawk Run Hollow to fit her life. She and her husband own a small farm (see block one) and her grandchildren call her "Honey" (block nine). Each one of them has had the experience of making homemade biscuits with her. This configuration, 4 x 3 blocks, works really well! (The original shape is 6 x 2 blocks) Thanks for sharing this, Joan!

Award-Winning Work!

Congratulations to Mark Novotnak who stitched the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow for the NC State Fair and won both First Place and Best in Show! Thanks to Mark for providing this image!

Please feel free to send Carriage House Samplings images of your work, whether they've won ribbons or not!

In other news, I'm choosing colors for a new design that will be stitched in a combination of DMC and Gentle Arts threads. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Three New Designs by Carriage House Samplings

Shaw, A Quaker Reproduction Sampler: Thanks to Kathy for finding the original sampler in an antique shop in New Oxford, PA. The pastel letter forms are beautiful! Thanks for Carol Sims for stitching it amazingly fast, and to Valley House Primitives for creating the wonderful frame (during the holidays!!) and to Weeks Dye Works for providing the fabulous linen in the color Straw.

Counting Sheep was stitched by Kathy Bonham on Havana Weeks Dye Works linen.

And finally, Chincoteague! Designing this has made me want to return to the barrier island on Virginia's eastern shore so many times. Chincoteague, with it's colorful history, has seafood and ice cream parlors, artsy shops and a fabulous new library while Assateague Island, just over the bridge has the ocean and wetlands, incredible birds and other wildlife, biking trails and of course the wild ponies. This year, the pony swim and opening of the carnival will be Wednesday, July 25. Thanks to Julie Murawski for stitching this! It's on Putty Weeks Dye Works linen surrounded by a gorgeous Valley House Primitives frame.

Thanks for taking a look! Marty