Hello Stitchers, Ahh Spring. Truly my favorite of all seasons. My forest floor is brilliant with color as the Trillium, Wild Geraniums, and my favorite, the violets, carpet the view from each and every window of my home. It is my pleasure to poke in the gardens at the earliest hours of daylight, hours before our offices begins the craze each day. I have made great perennial strides in most beds, and regard all of my bending and stretching as enjoyment to come in the years ahead. Don't you love the yield that this years efforts afford for years to come! Last month I enjoyed a tremendous two-week journey to Wales and England. My most rewarding chapter in history, as well as a quite lengthy and secluded stay at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I studied in the Textiles division for endless hours, and have gained great strides in the knowledge of the wonderful samplars of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. I am overwhelmed with the talent and youth with which these were created. Amazing. We also toured five additional private vintage needlework collections in Wales, and the northern regions of England. It will always remain in my dreams. An awesome journey indeed. The weather, a rare gift of sunshine and warmth, was a genuine pleasure. My days were filled with the needleart and historical tours of one of my favorite places in the world, and my quiet evenings back at the hotel were the perfect environment to create my new designs for our TNNA wholesale market next month in Columbus, Ohio. Ahhhhh! To be in London! I am still smiling! Such fond memories, and always treasured acquaintances. Would you believe I was exiting the London Theater late one evening, and recognized a friend of mine from high school. We hadn't seen each other in thirty-five years, and if you could only have experienced the reaction of the crowd surrounding us, as we screamed and embraced, followed by an hour conversation, which transformed into such a pleasant re-acquaintance. Instantly, we both claimed to hate each other if one of us resided there. Those are the little joys of life that you feel when the sun shines on your face, or the warm breezes gently flow from the ocean to your back, and you just know that you are there for a very special reason. Her graduation photograph still hangs on my message board above one of my office desks, and often, I have wondered where she might be. I have a warmth inside of me, and will always treasure our fateful meeting at the Theater in London. Destiny. Needs to be the focus of a future design. That was very touching. You can imagine the needlework treasures I smuggled into my home. And yes, you can assume that a few of those new purchases will be the material for the continuation of my "Respectfully Reproduced" Authentic Reproduction Samplers series. I am literally overcome with awe when I stand in the presence of so many needlework treasures of the English ladies of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The charm and eloquence of these treasures is amazing. I am honored to now possess a few new additions to my antique sampler collection. Every room in my home reminds me of this era in history when the work was more difficult, the days were shorter, the light was less, the conditions not to be compared, and yet these young girls embodied these rare pieces of needleart that we have come to treasure in our lifes, some two hundred years later. I so enjoy my wonderful collection, and am certain to have several in view from each stitching nest in my home. Often, I bury my thoughts for long periods of time, pondering what the school was like, or perhaps what Elizabeth was wearing, as she studied her grammar lesson, and household stitches, to create her samplar of her accomplishments. Oh, how I love England. Oh, how I love its wealth of these endeared stitched treasures of our ancestors. You just know to be aware of these popping into my web site. To be reproduced soon I anticipate. I have just completed five new creations for the upcoming market. As they are photographed, you will find them in the "New Designs" section of this web site. Here is a listing of these new designs that will be available within a month. Your local shopowners will be gathering them in Ohio, or you are welcome to order directly from us by mid June.
As always, I sincerely appreciate your support of my design efforts, and I look forward to stitching with you very soon. Not even photographed, printed, nor assembled, and I am already entertaining serious thoughts of my next creations. I continue to daydream about my "Status Thimble". It appears most elaborate, though it is not quite threaded at this time, I guess patience will be your virtue. If it fairs you well, also nest the thoughts of the third "Golden Series" in my sampler collection. Also while in London, great opportunities met with me for the reproduction of a delightful vintage Jacobean china pattern from the Windsor Castle. The long flights afforded me the time to dabble with color, design, and stitch my pallet to the linen. It's amazing to be so attached to a piece at its most earliest stage. This creations has such dear memories attached. Oh, to be in London. Still another glimpse ahead is the continuation of my scissors fob series. Last weekend, my staff and I attended the International Bead and Button show in Milwaukee, WI. A few treasures for this series. Exquisite blue and white porcelain beads. The Canadian gentleman distributor certainly appreciated our order. He was delighted to learn that these one thousand beads would be kitted with my design. These will compliment the continuation of the Ming Floral Fob series. Refer to Kit #129. These are all on my pallet for the next batch. Late 2004. Speaking of batches, OMG! Have I got some exciting news. The Linen Emporium here @ The Heart's Content, Inc. is now dying our own linen. That's right. We are thrilled with our first batches, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. We found that we have the perfect setting here with the separate building and a very large area for drying the linens on the lines. It has turned out beautifully, and we are extremely proud to announce that we have now provided the hand-dyed linen for two of my five new designs, Splendor IX, Kit #132, and the Poppy Pinkeep, Kit #133. We named our first color "cognac", as a tribute to France, the theme of the new Splendor IX. "Cognac" (ko nyak). n. [Fr.], a French brandy distilled from vintage wine. I love it! The color was achieved with a coffee base, and then we went to the wine, among several other natural ingredients to achieve that warm glow of a hue that is so appropriate for our linens on which to create these heirlooms. We are very anxious to share this with you. My sister, Mary Beth and I were experimenting with several ingredients, until just the right shade was achieved. We already discussed the color for our second batch. Our maiden name is Golden, so we are already experimenting with dried mustard, curry, and the such. "Golden" will be offered in a few of my new designs to be released later this year. Look for these exclusive hand-dyed colors to be included in several kits from The Heart's Content, Inc. Summer approaches, and the possibilities are endless. Okay. We are the linen sisters. A good team. Our Father loved Lawrence Welk. Oh did I mention! I recently spent my birthday with my daughter, Andrea, in Virginia (we share the same one!), and am now enjoying my newly sprouting Virginia Blue Bells. I love my gardens. It's all about England. Also returning home with me from the UK are several wonderful English countyside garden ideas to plan for. Andrea and her dear friend Ray, and I spent our birthdays at Colonial Williamsburg. Thank you dears, for that wonderful treat. An enjoyable re-visit to my early threads as a new designer in the late 70's. I sure wish we didn't live so distant. I miss her so! Andrea recently established her own practice there. She is a chiropractor, and specializes in geriatric women. She is the love of my life, and we share so many good things. All the time. I love that she loves to stitch. She is my daughter. It is her job. I wish you a most relaxing summer. May your lemonade last as long as your floss, and may the sunshine on your face remind you that it is very special that you are here. Indeed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fond Regards to all of our supporters. Kindly,
Maureen |
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