our january sampler of the month a welsh sampler -...

Where Samplers Rule

The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com

THE ATTIC J u s t 1 5 m i n u t e s f r o m t h e A i r p o r t a t t h e

SE CORNER OF DOBSON & GUADALUPE

1 8 3 7 W . G u a d a l u p e R d , S u i t e 1 0 9

M e s a , A Z 8 5 2 0 2

www.atticneedlework.com Issue No. 18-1 2018 January 4

T O L L - F R E E : 1 . 8 8 8 . 9 4 . A T T I C

T E L E P H O N E ( 4 8 0 ) 8 9 8 - 1 8 3 8

*Chart $28

*Linen ~ 40c, $32 w/2-inch margins; cost varies with c o u n t a n d margins

*Silks ~ overdyed s i lks $198 ~ Gloriana Tudor Silks for high-count linens, $132

From Gigi R Designs …

A WELSH SAMPLER - Mary Griffiths 1873

Our January Sampler of the Month

Mary Griffiths was 9 years old when she stitched her sampler that features a central floral bower with a girl standing below, a red ewer on her head and another in her hand. There is a seated cat on each side of the bower and big colorful parrots above them. The upper section of the sampler is stitched with the Welsh words: Cofia yn awr dy Greawdwr yn nyddiau dy ieuenctid, cyn dyfod y dyddiau blin, a nesáu o’r blynyddoedd yn y rhai y dywedi, Nid oes i mi ddim diddanwch ynddynt, what appears to be a Welsh version of Ecclesiastes 12:1: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say: I have no pleasure in them. The verse has a floral urn on either side. Mary embroidered her sampler on 35ct canvas with thick woolen threads except the verse, which was embroidered with silk threads.

M y m e a g e r s t a r t o n Lakeside’s 52/60 linen with Gloriana’s Tudor silks. I can’t wait to get to the birds … and the girl with the red ewer on her head … and her cats!

http://www.atticneedlework.com



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THE ATTIC PAGE2And Even More from . . .

MARTHA S SCOTT 1876 $19, 198 x 127, such a sweet size, this reproduction sampler is entirely worked in cross stitch over 2 threads. And Gigi says there is a Stitch-Along for Martha’s sampler on 3 continents! I love the little house, the center motif. I want to stitch it over 1 and put it in a locket! And below that, our overdyed silk conversion.

. . . Gigi


And here is Leona’s incredibly fast finish of MARTHA SCOTT that she began on the 27th of December, delayed due to a power outage! Needles must move faster in the Southern Hemisphere! Stitched on Lakeside’s 40c Examplar with mostly the called-for overdyed cottons.




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W E 1 8 3 9 , A S A M P L E R F RO M H O L L A N D $ 2 4 , 2 5 7 x 2 3 7 , a reproduction of a Dutch sampler filled with motifs, including a well-dressed Adam & Eve. Shown is the chart cover photo.

THE ATTIC PAGE3More Beautiful Designs from . . .


A FAIR LADY SAMPLER $24, 326 x 186, right, beautifully stitched by Marsha. This was our Sampler of the Month in November, and we’ve done a conversion to overdyed silks. It’s a very fun sampler. See close-ups of Marsha’s beautiful work on the following page.

A snippet of my snippet p r o g r e s s o n t h i s b e a u t i f u l s a m p l e r, stitched on Lakeside’s 5 2 / 6 0 l i n e n w i t h Gloriana’s Tudor silks.




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THE ATTIC PAGE4Close-Ups of Marsha’s Exquisite Sampler . . .


. . . from Gigi R Designs

Although this might be my favorite motif … it is totally stitched in rice stitch, one of my favorite stitches. Isn’t it beautiful! And so fun to stitch. And there’s a swan partially visible in the corner, another of my favorites! I have a lot of them, I know.

This, I think, is my favorite motif. Beautiful flowers!




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More Beautiful Treasures from GigiPAGE5THE ATTIC

Terry’s exquisite ROSE WREATH SAMPLER (C. MATTHEWS 1841) $24, arguably one of the most beautiful samplers ever reproduced. Oh, I hope to finish mine someday.

Jacqueline’s stunning finish of o n e o f my f avo r i t e G i g i reproductions, THE LADY IN RED SPINNING HER WOOL $22, 302 x 185


RHETA SUGGITT 1883 $15, 161 x 168, a reproduction of a miniature antique sampler that Rheta made at Cele School when she was 12 … such a sweet sampler!




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Wednesday, January 10, 6 - 8 PM, Meet & Greet with special guest Nicola Parkman. Please register so that we know how many to plan for.

Attic Events Schedule

Saturday, January 6, 10:30-12:30 Beginning Linen This class is appropriate for both beginning

s t i t ch e r s a n d a nyo n e wishing to refine their skills. The class pro jec t i s L i n d a / N e e d l e m a d e D e s i g n s ’ Tulip needlebook design, and the $30 fee includes her expert

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday, January 9~11, Special hands-on workshops with Nicola Parkman, including in-shop demonstrations and teachings from her book, FEARLESS FREEHAND. Details next page.

Customer Appreciation/Stitch-In, Thursdays, 4 - 8 PM. For as long as I can remember, The Attic has been open on Thursday nights and, along with that, provides the setting for customers to gather to share

their needlework with others. This is an opportunity for me to host a weekly time with our customers, to show them the newest and greatest, preview new designs and great needlework stuff, and also see what you’re stitching! As a valued customer, you are invited to join us!

Friday, January 12, 9 - 4 PM, Betsy Morgan Workshop, Details inside! Spaces available.

So Excited to Announce that . . .

August 2018 Summer School ~ Details to Follow

Sunday, January 21 , Sampler Sunday, 1:00-4:00. Join us for our first-of-the-New-Year gathering of samplermakers for a wonderful afternoon of sharing our love and passion for samplers. Reservations required. Fee $10.

Every Thursday

As an Attic Addict member, in January receive a 15% discount on your purchase of: * Gigi R Designs Reproduction Charts

* Gloriana Silks * SQ’s & SH’s of ALL in-stock hand-dyed linens

January

January 12-14, 2018 Sampler Symposium ~ Details on page 8-10.

Registration is Full - Waiting List Only

Saturday, February 24, Our Semi-Annual Framing Frenzy. This is your opportunity to save 20% on your custom framing order, including frame, mat, and fillets, when you let Sandy use her expertise in selecting the perfect frame to enhance your needlework. Give her your budget, your likes and dislikes (“I don’t like gilded, but I love primitive”), make a $20 deposit, and she will do the rest. The discount does not apply to the framing labor charge nor to readymade frames. All orders will be processed in the order received, and orders with deadlines are ineligible for the FF discount. Additionally, you should know that any non-FF incoming orders will receive preference in the order of completion, which makes it difficult to give a time estimate, but to save the 20% it is important that you understand the order of completion.

. . . these favorite designers will be here November 9-11 ~ watch for details coming soon!

February

Our 2018 Junipine Retreat is scheduled for 3 PM Thursday thru Sunday at 11, February 15 - 18 and, with several cancellations, there are openings, which must be enough to fill a creekhouse and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The $350 free includes 3 nights’ accommodation in a four-person creekhouse (which has two bedrooms & two baths, full kitchen, fireplace & living area), the opening reception on Thursday at 5 PM, and a few surprises. Bring your own WIPs, or a new project, and join us for a fun weekend of needlework in a stunning setting.

Checks totaling $17,000+ were sent to the BCRF as a result of our 20th Annual Silent Auction for Breast Cancer Research. My sincere gratitude to all of you who have supported our efforts over the past 20 years. Your generosity for this, our last event, was overwhelming. Such kind, generous, and beautiful donations. I am filled with emotion and mixed feelings about this being the last. Hopefully someone else will pick up the ball and make it grow. And to all of the many volunteers who made it happen, thank you! And, most of all, to Alice, who contributed 50 handmade items every year for the past 12 years! Thousands and thousands of dollars she raised. Incredible!


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The 12-page instruction book includes instructions for stitching the freehand flowers as well as the counted flowers shown on the cover projects, the pin disk and the needle book, as well as complete finishing instructions for both projects.

. . . with Nicola Parkman of Hands Across the Sea Samplers


Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, January 9, 10, or 11, 1:30 - 3:00 PM, $65 It is my supreme privilege to have Nicola Parkman teaching at The Attic in afternoon workshops where she will present hands-on demonstrations on three afternoons while she is here prior to the Sampler Symposium. The workshop will include video and in-person demonstrations of the freehand techniques Nicola has included in the instruction book she prepared especially for this class. Your workshop kit will include the book and everything you will need to stitch and finish the needle book shown on the cover, left, with a few British touches from Nicola. During the workshop Nicola will also discuss the Larkworthy sampler, below, as well as her famous pin stitch. Workshop participants will also receive a link to the video she has prepared. Seating is very limited, so don’t delay in registering, and don’t miss this very special opportunity to learn from the master! When registering, please specify the specific afternoon workshop you are interested in so we have you on the correct registration list.

On the left, Sarah’s original sampler and, on the right, Nicola’s stitched model.

SARAH MARY LARKWORTHY 1727 Sampler, a Nashville release, will be on display at The Attic during these workshops, and students attending will have an opportunity to purchase a copy of this beautiful chart prior to its release in Nashville.

THE ATTIC PAGE7Fearless Freehand Workshops . . .




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THE ATTIC PAGE8The Attic’s 2018 Stitch-Along from . . .


Classic Colorw

orks hand-dyed cottons

The SAL parts: * Chart $25 * linen of your preferred count (40c $32) * Gloriana overdyed silks (Tudors for high-count

linens$88, or 12-ply $132 or Classic Colorworks hand-dyed cottons

We are thrilled to announce that needleworker extraordinaire Robert Harris of Texas will lead the SAL.

SARAH STEWART HARDMAN 1824 $25, 236 x 254. We’ve been showing you sneak peeks for a number of months now, but now it is time for the big reveal! … because it is almost time to ship your chart & supplies.

. . . NeedleWorkPress

I especially love Sarah’s border … and the verse … and the fact that it doesn’t begin with rows of alphabets … and the sweet chairs … and the peacock and the birds … and the flowers! I have thoroughly enjoyed stitching my attempt at reproducing Sarah’s sampler.

If the sampler looks familiar to you, or at least some elements of it, it’s no doubt because of its similarities to the out-of-print ANN RAYNER 1839 sampler, below, a perennial favorite among sampler lovers for decades, so much so that it was even reprinted in 2014. The bottom third of both samplers is almost identical!

My model on 52/60 linen w/Tudor silks.

We are offering several Lakeside linen choices: Vintage Buttercream & Vintage Pecan Butter have little or no red in them; Vintage Lt. Examplar, which is what I’m using on the 52/60, has a bit of red in it.




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THE ATTIC PAGE9January 2018 Sampler Symposium . . .

... Friday night, January 12, thru Sunday, January 14 Sharing Our Passion for Needlework

W hen we engage in fiber arts, we are creating something, but we’re also participating in historic traditions tens of thousands of years old. You are not only making art for your soul and for future generations, you are embodying the work of our ancestors. —The Woven Road

This quote perfectly illustrates why we are so excited to bring you “A Present from England 1818.” Two hundred years after AM created this diminutive pinkeep for HS, we will show you how to construct a cross stitch version of the knitted antique. From your first stitch to application of the silk ribbon, your labor of love will be a treasure to whomever may uncover it in 2218.

I am very pleased to present the weekend faculty for this event: After a 5 - 6 PM supper ~ Friday night, 6-9 PM, “A Present from England 1818” ~ Vickie & Maegan Jennett/NeedleWorkPress Saturday morning, 9 - 10:30 AM - “A Journey Through Time with Some Charming Samplers with Fascinating Histories,” a lecture presentation by Nicola Parkman, Hands Across the Sea Samplers Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM, with an hour for lunch, Betsy Morgan/Willing Hands: “The Swan’s Bower” ~ Part 1 Saturday evening, 5 - ? PM, reception at The Attic, with food & refreshments including adult beverages served Sunday, Betsy Morgan’s “The Swan’s Bower” continues 9 - Noon, followed by lunch. Your $595 fee for the Symposium includes all classes, kits, and lecture, and all meals (a light supper on Friday night, breakfast, lunch, and coffee/tea breaks on Saturday, a Saturday night reception at the shop with refreshments and supper, and Sunday breakfast and lunch).

To sampler lovers across the world, Nicola Parkman of Hands Across the Sea Samplers needs no introduction. Nicola lives in a beautiful little cove overlooking the sea in Cornwall, England, a magical place full of inspiration. Nicola collects antique needlework and is interested in 18th and early 19th century samplers and is especially drawn to beautiful borders and speciality stitches. - Read more about Nicola and her partner, Sandra Moffitt of Australia, here.

A Journey Through Time ~ For a brief moment in time, we join Nicola Parkman for a bit of time travel while she shares her passion for samplers, exploring the compelling stories of several samplermakers, samplers from her collection, samplers that one day soon you and I can stitch. There will also be time for a short Q & A.

Registration is Full - Waiting List Only

We are pleased to host this event at the Hyatt Place in Mesa, located just 15 minutes from The Attic, with shuttle service available to and from the shop. Reservations with the hotel can be made by calling 888-492-8847 or 480-969-8200. You must ask for the “Attic Needlework” group rate ($149) or register online here. These rates are available 3 days pre and post the weekend for any of you who wish to come early or stay longer. The rates include a deluxe continental breakfast, free Wi-Fi throughout all guest sleeping rooms, and shuttle service within a five-mile radius upon availability. The hotel is just 8 miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Rates are available until December 15, 2017.


http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/reservations/flow6/place/propCheckAvailability.jsp?pid=PHXZM&extCorporateId=G-ATNN


https://hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com/nicola-parkman-sandra-moffitt/

https://hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com/nicola-parkman-sandra-moffitt/


http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/reservations/flow6/place/propCheckAvailability.jsp?pid=PHXZM&extCorporateId=G-ATNN


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Your kit will include all of the supplies needed to complete the design - 32-count linen, silk Dupioni lining, interfacings, comic board, skirtex, Gloriana silk floss in 8 colors, DMC pearl cotton, needles, pins, charm, thread waxer, wool felt, full color charts, thorough instructions, and a wonderful mother-of-pearl button featuring a mother swan and babies.

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January 2018 Sampler Symposium (continued)

The Swan’s Bower with Betsy Morgan/Willing Hands

PAGE10

The theme this time around is "swans" - swan eggs, baby swans, adolescent swans, full grown swans. The title of the design is The Swan's Bower and the original inspiration came from a motif on an 1813 English Sampler which is in Betsy’s collection. Another inspiration was a motif on a sampler that Betsy saw in a museum in Timaru, New Zealand last year.

The format for this etui comes from an antique needlebook that she bought at Beating Around the Bush in Australia last year. The original is burgundy colored velvet and is rather worn and ugly, but the construction of it fascinated her and she thought that she could take the format and run with it. The original was commercially made in England in the early 1900's

Betsy’s version is much larger and has pockets inside, made from the yellow silk Dupioni lining fabric. There are 3 "smalls" to tuck into the pocket - a scissor holder and fob and a floss holder. Also included is a swan beeswax thread waxer and a tiny enameled swan charm. The center of the inside of the book has an attached needle/pin holder which has a thick piece of yellow wool felt inside to hold the needles/pins.

I love swans, and I can’t wait to do this piece!

Betsy has been stitching for over 50 years, beginning with stamped Erica Wilson Crewel kits when she was a child. She has dabbled in almost any type of needlework imaginable, but her heart is in counted thread and Stumpwork. Betsy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She began designing and teaching needlework for her local EGA chapter in the mid 90's, went professional in 2001 and started her business, Willing Hands Needlework Design, in 2003. Since then she has taught at the chapter level, the regional level and the national level all over the US and in Canada, England and Australia.




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The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842) www.atticneedlework.com

THE ATTIC PAGE11Optional Friday Workshop . . .

. . . with Betsy Morgan/Willing Hands

$225 Workshop Fee includes the kit with all kit supplies as well as breakfast and lunch.

“Maria Katarin’s Stitching Reticule” is a Mexican stitcher's purse. It is named for Betsy’s adopted daughter, Caitie, who is part Mexican. The various motifs and techniques used in this purse were inspired by an 1844 sampler from Pachuca, Mexico which is in her collection.

Friday, January 12, 9 AM - 4 PM with an hour lunch break, Maria Katarin’s Stitching Reticule

When folded closed, the reticule measures 4 x 8 inches. It is stitched on light mocha Belfast linen using Gloriana silk flosses and is lined in olive silk Dupioni. Inside there are 3 small pockets for holding your small needlework tools including two of the smalls in this design - a scissor fob and a thread winder. The reticule also includes a 5-inch stitched ruler.

Stitches include: Aztec, eyelet, diagonal pattern darning, pulled four-sided, long-arm cross, diagonal satin, Mexican klosters, satin, rice, upright cross, cross over one and cross over two.

Registration is by email only, to [email protected]



mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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A New Teaching Piece from . . .

. . . Merry CoxPAGE12

We are thrilled to present this is an Attic exclusive from Merry. The 5-page chart includes all of the finishing instructions with photos. The $25 chartpack also includes the 1870 German antique linen for the needle pages and scissors holder, the antique button from England, and the ribbon.

The Attic will also have available a kit that includes the 40c linen & cotton threads (Gentle Art, Weeks & DMC) for $29.

If you prefer a 36c kit, please specify when ordering.


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‘Tis Christmastime’ By Merry Cox

How wonderful, that despite Merry’s inability to teach to us in person at this time, she has designed a sweet little 4” x 3” needlebook to celebrate this Season of Joy … with a sweet original poem by Merry on the back. Her model is stitched on 40c Vintage Country Mocha with cotton threads, but it could easily be done on 36c linen if that is more comfortable for you, and its size becomes 4.4” x 3.4.”

The needle pages & scissors holder are made with antique linen from 1870 that Merry purchased in Germany. The antique button for the closure is from England. Merry also includes the lovely ribbon that ties the needle book shut at its “binding.”

A Word (or two) About the Supplies Kit … Merry has sent the chart packs, and they await the linen+thread kits. What many of you may not realize is that most of our vendors close for the Holidays … and many close for 10 days or more, some for two - three weeks, some for a month. And so the kits will come together soon, very soon … thanks for your patience!




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PAGE13New from . . . . . . Beth’s Magical Finishes

Back of the Pillows

#4

#1

Front of the Pillows

THE ATTICPerfect little pin pillows to share Beth's 2018 New Year’s resolutions! All 5"x5" pillows are trimmed with glittery, faceted black beads and embellished with silver butterfly charms. Each pillow includes two color-coordinated counting pins, one with a charming "bee" charm, and a hand-painted butterfly threadkeep. Supply is very limited to 4 pillows of each design for $38 (ND). Clockwise from the top: • Pillow #1, "Find Joy in Simple Things,” features a spectacular

butterfly on the back. • Pillow #2, "Create a Bee-u-tiful Life,” features golden songbirds on

the back. • Pillow #3, "Focus on the Good,” features a bee hive with a favorite

motto, "Bee Inspired" on the back. • Pillow #4, "Gather Happy Moments,” features gorgeous

hydrangeas on the back.

May 2018 brings you everything you hoped for and more!

#1

#2

#2

#3

#3

#4

Threadkeep & Counting Pins





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New in Our Attic from . . .PAGE14

. . . The Workbasket

CHRISTMAS STARS 3 $20, featuring a raccoon (48 x 45) and a mouse (56 x 49)!

. . . Rosewood Manor

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GINGERBREAD MRS. SANTA MOUSE $14 w/embellishments


NO DAINTIE FLOWER $12, 96 x 142, features a quote from Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene Book II: No daintie flowre or herbe that growes on grownd, No arborett with painted blossoms drest And smelling sweete, but there it might be fownd To bud out faire, and throwe her sweete smels al arownd.

. . . Reflets de Soie

. . . Just Nan Limited Edition

. . . Stoney Creek

BUTTERFLIES WEDDING SAMPLER $9, 98 x 126

ROSES SAMPLER $17, 201 x 516 … perfect design for an overdyed silk or several! Pick your favorite palette and enjoy!




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THE ATTIC PAGE15An Attic Exclusive . . .

I am honored to offer this beautiful Mani di Donna reproduction exclusively at The Attic. The chart ($20) thread legend lists DMC choices ~ for other like-minded silk lovers, we’ve done conversions to overdyed silks [$330 for Gloriana 12-ply, $220 for Gloriana’s Tudor silks for the high-count linens; Au Ver A’Soie (AVAS) silks, $189.90, or NPI silks, $220].

From Mani di Donna … Eunice Tanquerel 1853





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NEEDLEWORK SHOP $6, in their ver popular series Hometown Holiday … Our shop model of this will, of course, say, ATTIC NEEDLEWORK!

FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS … a new 9-part series that will start the end of January. Part 1 is pictured here, LITTLE RED BARN. The series can be stitched individually (63 x 63) or you may stitch all on one piece of linen, 195 x 195 or, with a free border, 209 x 209. The models were stitched on 30-count natural linen that was known as Northern Cross, but it will now be available from a different distributor and will have a new name, Studio Line. Or you may choose to stitch this on Zweigart’s linen, available in natural in 28c, 32c, 36c and 40c. Or you may choose a beautiful linen, Legacy Linen’s Sunflower Seed, a dower-quality linen that really doesn’t get its due. It’s an exquisitely elegant linen. Go here to read more about this series.

. . . Little House Needleworks

THE ATTIC PAGE16New Stuff Here & Some On Its Way From . . .


. . . Country Cottage Needleworks

Here’s a sneak peek at Nikki’s first pattern of the new year, LOVELY HOME, coming “this month.” As she points out, if you don’t love the pink, it’s easy to choose your favorite red or even blue or purple.



http://www.littlehouseneedleworks.com/categorynavigation/farmhousechristmas.html


http://www.littlehouseneedleworks.com/categorynavigation/farmhousechristmas.html

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DOVO Scissors Now in Our Attic

3-piece set in zippered leather case - $239

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Gone for the moment but more on order Scissors set in red leather, 3 1/2” - 4 1/2” & 6 1/2” - $169

Embroidery set w/3 1/2” stainless steel scissors with a pin cushion as a divider in the taupe leather geometric pattern $134

In the last newsletter issue we showed these without prices because we didn’t have the information yet. Here they are again with prices!

S c i s s o r i n a lavender-colored leather sheath $54

3-piece scissors set in black leather, snap-together case, $309


S c i s s o r s s e t i n white/grey cowhide, $255




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Our Annual Kris Kringle Party . . .PAGE18

The Attic, Mesa, AZ Toll-Free: 1.888.94-ATTIC (1.888.942.8842)

THE ATTIC . . . was less than three weeks ago, but it seems more like months. Well, it was last year! Thanks, Tedra, for sharing your photos! It was a very fun afternoon.

The Ornament Exchange!


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Zelma’s lovely 40-count silk gauze finishes on 2 OOP Threads Through Time designs, in frames made for her by her late husband.

Patty’s finish, using her own color palette, of the Lizzie Kate SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Mystery Sampler.

Helen’s fun and colorful finish of the cover design from the 2016 Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue, and we still have a few copies of the magazine.


THE ATTIC PAGE19Our Customers Share

Carol’s beautiful gift from a friend, WINTER IS PAST from Blackbird




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Amy Lynn Hill, 1965 - 2017 On Monday, December 18, family, co-workers, and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Amy Lynn Hill, daughter, sister, aunt, fiancee, diabetes educator, f r i e n d , a n d a m a z i n g n e e d l e w o m a n w i t h a n u n f o r g e t t a b l e s m i l e a n d effervescent laugh.

THE ATTIC PAGE20A Small Part of Amy’s Beautiful Needlework





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Thank you, Barbara Hutson . . .PAGE21

. . . for charting this beautiful prayer written by author and needlewoman Mary-Dick Digges. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mary-Dick when she attended a Darlene O’Steen workshop presented by The Attic in the ‘90s, I think it was. This prayer has special meaning to many needleworkers, whether you knew Mary-Dick or not.

Mary-Dick Digges was a most consummate need lewoman, so respected among her peers that an EGA scholarship was established in her name. In addition to her skill with the needle, she authored a very interesting book featuring an exquisite needlework collection, that of Lady Evelyn. I have a copy … somewhere … and I am most frustrated that this morning I’m unable to find it on my bookshelves. Published in 1988, it features some remarkable needlework, so minuscule it’s difficult to imagine, especially when we don’t have materials readily available to today’s needleworker. The book is available on Amazon and other booksellers. If you love whitework, you need to own this book.

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Beautiful Samplers from . . . THE ATTIC PAGE22

MARTHA PETTIT 1804 $18, 173 x 162, a reproduction of a Chester County, Pennsylvania sampler. My husband was born in Chester County, and his Quaker family roots are there as well, including in Westown School, so I have a soft spot for Chester County Quaker samplers. This one is particularly lovely, I think.

Barbara/Queenstown Sampler Designs shared her charting on the previous page, and here are just a few of Barbara’s beautiful sampler reproductions, some that are my favorites!

. . . Queenstown Sampler Designs

LYDIA SHARP $22, 277 x 199, a stunning New Jersey memorial sampler … I love the border, the flowers, the weeping willows over the monuments … Lydia was 13 when she finished her sampler. I love seeing the antique as well, featured in a 2013 SANQ issue.





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Right, FANNY COVELL c.1790 $26, 13.4 x 15.9

Below, John’s 52/60 version, with our Tudor silk conversion, laid atop his 40c model that he stitched as the chart model for Queenstown Sampler Designs. It’s interesting to see the size difference between the two, isn’t it?

More from Queenstown Sampler Designs

MARIA JENUARIA 1833-34 $30, 357 x 447, a Portuguese sampler that Maria stitched when she was 17 years old. I love it that she included the two-year time period on her sampler. Maria has filled, and I mean filled, her sampler with wonderful motifs, Adam & Eve, ladies & gentlemen, children, soldiers, sailors, and perhaps a pirate. They travel by land in a carriage or by donkey and by sea in a ship. There is also a windmill, a three-story house, and lots of flowers … all surrounded by a border that is different on each side. How wonderful! No need to get bored with this border! On 46c linen, a size many find as comfortable as 40c, the design size will be16.2 x 20.3.


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Left, MERCEDES OSPINA 1863 $26, 306 x 314 … Ever since this Colombian sampler has been available, I’ve longed to stitch it. After all, it is red … and it has some lovely alphabets and even lovelier flower motifs and other fun motifs, including a ship! On 40c linen its size will be 15.3 x 15.7, and on 52/60 linen it will be a sweet 11.8 x 10.5 … seems so doable in short order.

Below, MARGARET ANN KLINEDIENST 1830 $20, 229 x 253, the reproduction of a Baltimore, Maryland sampler from the QSD collection.

Below left, BARBARA LANGLEY 1860 $12, 229 x 253, is a very charming reproduction sampler featuring wonderful spot motifs, potted flowers, and fruit baskets, surrounded by a Greek Key border. There are also a couple birds and dogs, and throughout the sampler there are a number of delightful little hearts. What a perfect little sampler to stitch for your new grandbaby!

THE ATTIC PAGE24More Treasured Reproductions from QSD





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THE ATTIC PAGE25And More from QSD

Clockwise from above: RUTH PASSMORE 1804 $28, a reproduction of a Brandywine School sampler from Wilmington, DE, and a part of the QSD collection.

MARY REESE 1785 $24, 415 x 310, an adaptation attributed to the Philadelphia, PA Ann Marsh School … and I admit I have a soft spot for these Ann Marsh samplers, as a relative of John’s has a sampler in Bolton & Coe’s American Samplers pictured in Plate CXI, the Ann Tatnall sampler, that has Philadelphia sampler similarities.

ELIZABETH POWELL 1819 $15, 200 x 275, another reproduction of a sampler for Chester County, Pennsylvania. This was our Sampler of the Month in 2011, for which we did an overdyed silk conversion featuring Belle Soie, Dinky Dyes, Gloriana’s Florimell & Gumnut.


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THE ATTIC PAGE26Epilogue

Early in the morning of December 31 I was sitting enjoying my morning coffee and doing a bit of stitching, and I looked up and saw an incredible burst of color as the sun was rising. I grabbed my “camera” and ran out on our patio to capture this beautiful view! Yes, Arizona is frequently gifted with beautiful sunrises & sunsets!

The new floor is finished! Here is Tyler installing the last pieces on Saturday evening, December 30!

Hannah and her new puppy, Sadie!

In addition to being siblings, it is wonderful that Hannah and Tyler are best friends as well … taken Christmas Eve.




our january sampler of the month a welsh sampler -...

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