THE CELIAC HUSBAND: NEW GLUTEN FREE PASTA

YES!! It's THE best pasta out there! The Market (in Mississauga) carries it. (lasagna, penne, etc)
My husband couldn't tell the difference!
No more cooking 2 different meals....... it's delicious!

Summer's Breeze
(July's square)

So named as all teh while stitching it, I was somehow reminded
of a warm summer day with a cool breeze, thus the name!
This piece is stitched on linen, 5.5 inches square.

I used DMC cotton stranded for my stitching and a beautiful
Mill Hill glass star adorns the center.
So far, this one is Joanne's favorite cushion square.

Dragonfly - Aeshna Verticalis
(June's square)

With stitches 85w by 81h,
this piece was worked on linen with DMC rayon and Jewel Effects floss.
Just another square for Joanne's cushion!
I stitched this one while we vacationed in Florida.
I had seen numerous dragonflies which gave me the idea!

A Bloomin' Spectacle
(May's square)

82 stitches wide by 98 high, this piece was worked
in rayon floss on light blue linen.

The different flowers were worked in Rhodes Hearts, eyelets
and Lazy Daisy stitches.
Mill Hill glass beads center each flower.
This piece was especially designed and made for
my dear friend Joanne in New Brunswick.
last Christmas I gave her a cushion with buttons (9"square)
and each month I make her a new cross stitched square for her cushion!
She's just loving it!!

Bunny's Tree

The Bunny's Tree

Here's Bunny! She's decorating her tree for Easter
with brightly decorated eggs stitched with rayon floss and metallic threads
as a little yellow button bird keeps his eye on things.
Bunny herself is stitched with a wonderfully soft (and brushable!) angora yarn.
She's ready for those April showers all dressed in her raincoat and boots
with her butterfly umbrella in hand!
This is April's cushion square, measuring 9 X 9 inches.

The Lion and The Lamb

The Lion and The Lamb

The Lion and The Lamb is the cushion square specifically designed for March

and measures 9 X 9 inches square.

Stitched on 14ct aida, the lions mane was stitched with an eye lash yarn

and the lamb with a thick velour.
The remaining stitching was done in DMC cotton stranded.

Cross Your Heart

This design measures 9 inches square and was designed
for February's cushion piece.

It was stitched in full cross stitches to resemble hardanger using

DMR (DMC rayon floss) and Mill Hill glass seed beads.

SAF Designs

Snowflake

SAF Designs

Happy New Year!
The above design, Snowflake, was designed specifically for a dear friend of mine. It now graces the center of her cushion. Each month of 2007, a new design will be introduced to her (and her cushion). Eventually these will all be together in one folder - a design for each month of the year!
So keep your eyes on SAF Designs and see what comes up next month!

Don't Be So Busy

SAF Designs

The CSNF was excellent (as always!) I was @ The Sampler booth, promoting my designs and handing out a design 'freebie' made up special for this event. The above photo - Don't Be So Busy - and the one below - My Canada - were the most popular.
I also treasured a bit of shopping time. People had come from the US, all over Canada & Europe to display their wares bringing a marvelous variety of most every art/craft item you can think of! Needless to say, I did not go away empty handed!!

SAF Designs

My Canada!


My Canada! (which includes this Mountie design) will be released through The Sampler needlework shop while at the CSNF in Toronto this week.

Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival

The Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival (CSNF) will bi in Toronto from October 19th to the 22nd. It's an annual event (with a smaller creative festival in the spring located in Mississauga). Check it out at http://www.csnf.com/f06_index.html
The Sampler needlework shop will be present and displaying SAF designs again this year. In preparation for this event, I have several designs that will be introduced at this festival. After numerous requests for 'something Canadian', I expect My Canada to be well received.

Magnolia Splendor

Magnolia Splendor

Folder Difficulties

My latest design, Magnolia Splendor, is now stitched and framed. The folder design has been completed and it's ready for printing!

However, printing this particular design has posed a problem for me. The green shades, for whatever reason, are being 'read' as blue and thus printed as such! I find this quite exasperating to say the least. It has been tried several times on different machines with the same results. This has caused me to rething my selling format.

I am now strongly considering changing my designs from a folder format to the bagged item I've seen in LNS shops - where there is the printed design photo and key as well as numerous sheets representing the different sections of that particular design. I have never been a fan of this concept but can now see the possibilities of it! I'd actually be able to print off my own design rather than going through a printer. Since I am unable (at this point) to order the massive quantities that printers prefer (thus a better price), I expect my cost would be much the same.

So for now, I only need to obtain the massive quantities of bags (required for an order) to continue...