First Giveaway of the Year

The theme is witches.  These ladies are a favorite stitching motif of mine.  Indeed, I have always enjoyed reading about witches and witchcraft, either fact or fiction.  The history of persecuting wise women and healers is an abiding interest.  I suppose it strikes a feminist chord deep within me: the way men have always feared the power of the feminine and found ways throughout history to deny or neutralize it.

With a mailing date in mid-January, this giveaway will give the winners nine full months to stitch these very interesting ladies, well in time for Halloween.

In order to help folks get a more realistic sense of these charts, I am posting my own finishes.  I find that trying to photograph the leaflets always ends up with wonky photos marred by glare spots.  Just be aware that I don't always do the final finish as suggested by the designer.  I've neither the room nor the budget to frame all my work.

These first two photos show a pair of projects from The Primitive Needle's Salem Witch.  The model photo shows them framed in interesting little tin frames from Twisted Threads.  The first is in the Star  Frame and the second is in a tin necklace frame.  As you can see I finished mine differently: as a mini wall hanging and as an ornament.  The leaflet called for both designs to be stitched over one on 36 ct. linen.  I stitched mine on 32 ct. [1692] and 36 ct. [witch] linens over two with the result that I needed to come up with an alternative finish for each.

Then, there is this very special piece from Notforgotten Farms The Giving Sisters.  Though, I have yet to decide on a finish for this, it is one of my very favorite pieces.  It reminds me of the woodcut illustrations one finds in very old books.  I had a lot of fun stitching this piece.  I think I keep holding off on a finish for this because I would really like a Jill Rensel frame for it.  I think the piece deserves a very unique and distinguished finish!

Finally, I have this whimsical entry from Twisted Threads, Man Into a Credit Card.  This very cartoonish  piece appealed to my warped sense of humor.  I plan to hang it in the half bath of the main floor of my townhouse during the appropriate season in 2015.  Something this silly just cries out to be hung in a restroom, sort of like elegant grafitti.

Although not in keeping with the witch theme, I will also offer Cross My Heart's Sampling of Herbs, now that I am done with it.  In this case, I'll have to photograph the leaflet since I only stitched four of the many designs included in the leaflet.  My own versions were stitched on huck towels I had in stash which were exactly the right size for the taller and narrower charts.  I understand, though, that today's huck towels have a smaller stitching area, something to do with changes in the formatting of the manufacturer's looms.. In any case, these charts were really designed for linen.  The many fractional stitches made stitching on Aida inserts a bit fussy but the final product was quite lovely.