Pat's Cross Stitch Corner

Narcissus and Myrtle Counted Cross Stitch

Pat Geary — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:45:17 +0000

Narcissus and Myrtle by Ginger & Spice

Some time ago, I started on a beautiful floral piece from Ginger & Spice. It is called Narcissus and Myrtle and I am stitching it on white 28 ct Jobelen over 2 threads. It is coming along slowly as I have also been working on two baby samplers and a wedding sampler that need to get finished.

A Stitch in Time Mini Sampler

Pat Geary — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:41:59 +0000

The chart for A Stitch in Time Mini Sampler appear in the Jan/Feb 1988 issue of CrossStitch & Country Crafts. Stitched on 14 count white Aida, the sampler was framed without a mat in a shadowbox bronze frame to keep the glass of the fabric.

Baby Sampler Counted Cross Stitch

Pat Geary — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:02:23 +0000

My neice, a brand new doctor, had her first baby in June, a little boy. This was stitched for him . I finally got it stretched, matted, and framed and will be delivering it over the Thanksgiving holiday.

It was stitched on 28 count cream Jobelan, one of my favorite fabics to work on. The chart is one of the Heirloom Samplers from Vera K. Designs.

UPDATE: Delivered the baby sampler to my niece and ner husband on Thanksgiving Day. They loved it.

Home Sweet Away From Home Sampler

Pat Geary — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:50:46 +0000

I first stitched this sampler when Jim and I were traveling in our 21′ Sunline travel trailer. It hung in the trailer during all of our travels. When Jim’s daughter, Martha, and her husband, Paul, started using an old family farmhouse as a summer retreat, I thought this would make a nice gift. So I pulled our the chart again and made it for them as a Christmas gift (this year.)

The sampler is worked on 14 court khaki Aida and finished with red bell pull hardware.

Why God Made Little Boys

Pat Geary — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:42:13 +0000

This design “Why God Made Little Boys” from the Stoney Creek Collection was stitched for my grandson, Travis Lee Martin and given to him in 1990. The design is still available but it has changed considerably from this original one.

Why God Made Little Boys
Author: Unknown

God made the world out of His dreams
Of magic mountains, oceans and streams,
Prairies and plains and wooded land,
Then paused and thought “I need someone
to stand On top of mountains,
to conquer the seas, Explore the plains
and climb the trees. Someone to start out small
and to grow, Sturdy, strong as a tree…”
And so, He created boys,
full of spirit and fun, To explore and conquer, to romp and run.
With dirty faces and banged up chins,
With courteous hearts and boyish grins.
When He had completed the task He’d begun
He surely said “A job well done”.

Childhood Dreams - Little Girl’s Purses

Pat Geary — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:38:52 +0000

Little girls’ purses hold magical things,
Cookies, paper dolls, and “diamond” rings.
But this treasure is nothing to the magic one finds
In little girls hearts and little girls minds.

This piece was stitched on white 14 count Aida and framed in a fire engine red frame. It was a gift to my brother and his family in May 1985. The colors are much more vibrant that what the picture shows.

Folk Art Wedding Sampler

Pat Geary — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:07:41 +0000

This Folk Art Wedding Sampler was stitched for my niece, Megan Wells. The chart is from the Sudberry Series Book #4. It was stitched on ivory 28ct Jobelin over two threads. It is single matted in green with an ornate gold frame. The finished piece measures 14″ x 14″ framed.

I stitched this same pattern for my husband on our 2nd wedding anniversary and placed it in one of the Sudberry Square Trays.

Shenandoah Valley Sampler

Pat Geary — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 13:49:31 +0000

The Shenandoah Valley Sampler was worked on 14 count ivory Aida from an individual graph by W. W. Reynolds of Cary NC. I have no idea if it still available. The piece was professionally stretched, triple matted, and framed and was a gift to my husband on his 70th birthday. He is now 93! Later the entire framed piece was disassembled to put glass into the frame.

The poem at the bottom of the sampler reads -

I love the mountains wreathed in mist,
The twilight skies of amethyst.
I love the gorgeous trumpet flowers,
Wild rose and honeysuckle bowers.
I love the laughter of the rills,
Cloud shadows stretched athwart the hills.
I love the martial ranks of corn,
Thin blades agleam, with lights of morn.
I love the love of native sod.
The simplest faith that trusts in God,
In old Virginia.

The words surrounding the sampler are Shenandoah - Daughter of the Stars and all the counties that make up the Shenandoah Valley.

Floral Christmas Wreath

Pat Geary — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:44:00 +0000

Quite some time ago, I purchased a chart Floral Christmas Wreath from Sue Lentz Needlework, an on-line company that has since gone out of business. It is a stunning piece and except for a large amount of back stitching (with gold floss) is finished. Because gold floss is hard to work with - at least for me - I pushed it to the back of a drawer to be forgotten.

Wreathes are not only beautiful ornaments, but are very symbolic and soothing. Mine is no exception. According to romantic victorians, the Christmas Rose symbolized tranquility, Spruce wished for Hope and the Poinsettia, through its legend, is a reminder of unselfish love. Religiously speaking, a rose is the flower of Mary, while evergreens symbolize everlasting life, and the Poinsettia is a reminder of the flaming Star of Bethlehem. I rather like the first which brings wishes of peace, hope, and love. ~ Sue Lentz ~

Spare Moments Counted Cross Stitch

Pat Geary — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:07:00 +0000

One year for Christmas, I gave my Mom a leaflet and fabric for a project. By that time she had accumulated all of the DMC colors so she did not need them. The chart was Spare Moments by Kept in Stitches. It was based on a watercolor painting by Danny Munns.

I liked the look of the piece and knew Mom liked working on large projects. I did not look to see that part of the design was stitched over one thread for greater detail. She worked on the design periodically until her death a few years ago. I inherited the piece to finish. The fabirc is Jobelan 28 or 32 count and my eyes are not what they used to be so the piece has languished in the drawer for many years now.
After joining the Counted Cross Stitch group on Yahoo, I decided to bring it out again and look to see what needed to be done. Only the sampler on the wall and the sampler on the frame were left to complete. So perhaps now is the time to put it back on it’s scroll frame, get out my magnifying neck thingie and get to work on it.

I also need to try and take a better photo. The piece is being stitched on an ivory colored Jobelan.