Updated Saturday, March 6, 2010

A little breaking news. Belle Soie prices will soon be going up -- probably mid-April. The price increase could be as much as a dollar a skein (bringing them to $7.50). This is due to a dramatic increase in the price of the raw silk. If you have Belle Soie silks you need, please get them now, before the increase. Also, I just started a Shakespeare's Peddler Facebook page. If you're on Facebook, simply type Shakespeare's Peddler in your search window, and I should pop up. You can join the page to keep up on what's going on around here, see my reproductions, antique samplers and original designs, and hear about what the cat dragged in.

Make Do #3: Kindness Bouquet I had a lot of fun with this little one, and it's got me thinking of my planters out back. Kit comes with Wren's Wing linen and Needlepoint Silks and a few over-dyed silks, too. What's missing? I found a sweet little sterling silver flower charm in my stash to use to decorate the basket. What can you find to decorate yours? Price: $23.00. Buy the sweet little tray by Eastside Mouldings for an additional $36.00.

About the Make Do's: You can sign up to get these automatically, and your 12th will be free. Or you can just them up as you need them. Each kit will be a "Make Do," which means each time, you'll have to dig through your stash and find something to complete the project.

Anniversaries of the Heart A new monthly series by Blackbird Designs! The first two designs are out now, and you can start collecting them. They are charted so you can stitch them separately (as shown), OR use the placement guide inside the pattern to make a large sampler using all 12 months, plus two bonus patterns that will be released later this year. The charts are $9.00 each. I can sign you up to get threads and/or fabric each time, or I can send you one big piece of fabric to get going on the whole thing.

Here it is -- "Jenny Bean's Humble Servant Sampler." I'm so tickled with the way it turned out. Thank you, Kathy Krause, for your wonderful and speedy job stitching it! Here's the low-down. The graph and supplies will be available BEFORE market next week. For those who want to pre-order, I will ship Thursday before I go for market (this goes for shops, too, who might not be able to go to Nashville this year.) The chart is $12.00 retail, the Sampler Threads are Royal Purple, Portabella, Chives, Endive, Wood Trail, Jasmine, Antique Rose, Baby Spinach, Grecian Gold, Chamomile, Hyacinth, Lavender Potpourri, Old Purple Paint, Toasted Barley and Onyx. The fabric is 40 ct. Vintage Navy Bean by Lakeside LInens. The total kit price, with 40 count linen, is $62.25 (I do have 28, 32, and 36 count linen in stock, too, and the price will be different for those.) The box is available, as well. It's $195.00 retail, but if you buy the Jenny Bean kit from me, you will get 20% off the box. If you don't want to do a treasure box, why not buy the frame (it's basically like the top of the box...except it's a burl wood frame.) I'm waiting on the retail price of those, but they are on the way to me. Pre-order now. It's SOOOO cute! Yea!

Jane Philpott 1838: An Adam & Eve Sampler My latest reproduction -- isn't she a beaut? If you'd like to stitch this, the graph is $25.00, the 40 count Vintage Homespun linen is $27.00, and the silks pack is $69.20. (Total kit price is $121.20.) Can you believe this little darling was only 10 when she stitched this in 1837? The verse is done over one, and the chart is mainly cross stitch. Watch for Jane's sister's sampler to be reproduced maybe later this year....

March marks my march up to the top of the hill -- I turn 40 on the 12th. Can you believe it? Can I believe it? Who would want to believe it? For fun, I've included a picture of me on my birthday when I turned 7. My dad would get me flowers every year. And actually, the ash tray you see on the table there on the right is on my bed side stand. I use it to hold scissors, lip balm, and odds and ends (but no ashes). It's got my maiden name engraved in the bottom, "Andreski." I keep reminding myself: "I'm only as old as I act."

Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow: Ho boy, oh boy! Isn't this awesome? A new Hawk Run village sampler -- this one in plenty of time for fall. The chart is $36.00. If you'd like to stitch the entire piece, you can get special cuts of 40 count Sand Dune for $38.00. If you'd like to stitch on 32 or 36 count, you're going to need a linear half for $52.00. The silks set is $232.50, but until June 1st, you can get the set for $200.00.

Needle and Thread (a scissors bed!) This limited edition was something I picked up at market. With the kit, you get the graph, needle bed, and threads! Make a cozy littleplace for your bed to rest. The verse says: "Needle and thread, needle and thread, when starlight fades I lay them to bed." $36.00.

The latest Loose Feathers by Blackbird Designs: Winter Wonderland (gotta love those reindeer!). The chart is $9.00. If you'd like the hand-dyed linen and fibers to go with it, it's an additional $33.20.


Hey, if you don't get my newsletter, send an e-mail to xspeddler@yahoo.com, and I'll put you on the list. Oh, go to Theresa's Basket for the newest things. Other places to find me...the Shakespeare's Peddler Blog is at www.shakespearespeddler.blogspot.com, and I have an Etsy shop, too, at www.shakespearespeddler.etsy.com. And you can find all of my reproduction and orginal sampler designs on the Shakespeare's Peddler page of my site.




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Saturday's Orphan: 40 count Vintage Homespun Linen by Lakeside Linens. Gorgeous (need I say more?) A great creamy color for your favorite sampler projects. I've got it in stock in 28, 32, 36 and 40 counts. $25.00 per quarter for all but 40 count, which is $27.00 per quarter. Halves available for those large projects you've been meaning to get to. Crazy about the Daily Orphan? You can find LOTS of orphans on my Etsy page at www.shakespearespeddler.etsy.com.




This Month's Sampler Kit of the Month is Margaret Harris 1877 by Blackbird Designs. This is part of their new Honeysuckle Manor book that just came out in February. For $60.00, you get the book (40 pages of designs/projects!), the hand-dyed linen in 30 or 35 count (please specify count, or you'll get 35 like the original), and Belle Soie silks. Barb and Alma are awesome -- and this was one of my market favorites! If you already have the book, you can get the supplies for $39.00. Every kit of the month this year will be a sampler...some old, some new. Join on and get the sampler every month, and your 12th month is free.




Fabric of the Month: I will be doing both 30 AND 35 count this year in SAMPLER COLORS. Some of these will be repeats from the past two years. But they're all sure to be perfect for your stash. $19.00/quarter yard -- make sure to tell me if you want 30 or 35 count, and you can get half, or whole yards as well. This month's color is Beige!




The free graph for March (with any order) is "Now I Know My ABC's" by Blackbird designs. This reproduction was shown at Nashville Needlework market. If you'd like the supplies to stitch the design, you'll need Crescent Colours Stepping Stones, Sampler Threads Grape Leaf and Grasshopper, and Weeks Dye Works Palomino, Red Rocks and Terra Cotta, plus a piece of 30 ct. Old Mill Java linen by R&R Reproductions. The kit price is just $18.10.

© 2009 Theresa Venette.
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