My Friend’s House

My Friend’s House by Blackbird Designs is #8 in the Abecedarian Series.

I bought this one kitted up from another stitcher some time ago. I switched out the 30ct Espresso by R & R Reproductions for 16ct Sand Dunes by Seraphim. I also switched out the Gentle Arts Country Redwood for Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Brick Road.

From the inside of the chart: The year stitched into this sampler, 1999, celebrates a lasting partnership and the beginning of Blackbird Designs. Barb and I met at a local quilt and cross stitch shop, The Saltbox Sampler, around 1997. She attended an applique class I was teaching. As she worked on her quilt, I couldn’t help but notice that she had a great eye for color and an innate sense of design.

We made an immediate connection and quickly became fast friends. As our friendship grew, we decided it would be fun to begin a quilt pattern business. Little did we know that we would branch out and expand into cross stitch designs.

Barb and I live a good distance apart so we are not able to run over to each other’s houses as often as we would like. Instead, we try to meet somewhere in the middle. Nordstrom’s Cafe and Applebee’s are two of our favorite places but, in a pinch, even the Quick Trip parking lot can serve as our “office.”

No matter where we are, we feel at home with each other. This sampler celebrates our enduring friendship. (Barb passed away in July 2021)

Because these two are my very favorite designers, I decided to stitch this one in their honor.

I decided I wanted a simple finish for this one so I covered two pieces of matboard with fabric and mounted the stitched piece to that. Add an easel stand and it was ready for display.