TNNA Phoenix! Here I come!

Hurricane Erik is expected to reach Phoenix, Arizona the end of January! 

I am very excited to be one of four winners of a Scholarship from the Counted Thread and Embroidery group of TNNA (The National Needleart Association). What this means is I get to attend a big show/market this January in Phoenix. It is a huge honor and...to be honest...I am SCARED!

It is amazing to me. I am looking forward to meeting all the great shop owners and companies who I have spoken with in the past year and all the new people I will meet too.

If you can't tell...I am still in shock. Ever since I started designing I have wanted to attend a TNNA market. Without this scholarship it would've been years before I would've been able to go.

So, thank you everyone for sharing my designs with others and spreading the word!

Happy Holidays!

It's official. Winter Charms and Nutcracker Glow are a big hit! Thanks everyone! 

Two new designs will be released in January. Guaranteed to delight! These designs are not Holiday related so you will have plenty of time to stitch them and will be able to display them in your home all year long. Also, in January I will be giving one lucky person a free pattern and all the materials to go with it. So, join me on my facebook page for more info.

Ship's Manor on facebook

Pengy Fish- Free ornament for you!

I have been stitching ornaments because, believe it or not, my tree has no stitchy stuff on it. This year is going to be different! I decided I wanted a penguin ornament but could not find one I liked so I designed this one. You can find it on my website under the "freebies" tab. Happy stitching!

Winter Charms and Nutcracker Glow *Coming Soon!*

Two new designs will be out soon!

Hoffman Interview

I am honored to be a featured designer at Hoffmans. If you haven't checked it out yet here is the link. INTERVIEW

Other news: I have designed and stitched (90% done) a nutcracker design. Of course I just made a mistake tonight and will have to frog some of it. So, it's maybe 85% done now. Watch for pictures soon. Tranquility will be released at the same time.

Fall

You love it, I love it, we all love it...right?

Utah has been a little strange this year in the weather department. One day it will be in the 70's and the next day it's in the 50's.

I recently changed my webpage. It has all of my current fall/Halloween themed designs. So, if you have the time check it out!   www.shipsmanor.com

Tranquility Home

"The Tranquility House is a residential treatment facility for women with substance abuse problems. The unique thing about the Tranquility House is that women can keep custody of their children and have them live in the home with them during their rehab time. Children under 8 years of age may continue living with their mothers, instead of being taken into state custody, during their mother's treatment. This allows the women to continue being mothers during their treatment, and eases the transition for the children."   http://weberhs.org/home/Foundation.htm

I was asked to make a design for the Women at the home. The home wanted a small design that the Women could stitch and take with them when they were through with treatment. It is something that will stay with them and remind them of what they had accomplished. The Dragonfly is their symbol. I wasn't told this but I imagine the dragonfly symbolizes flight and new beginnings. The dragonfly is beautiful and ferocious. I was bitten by a dragonfly larvae when I was a child and it HURT!  I've always been fascinated by their wings, beautiful wings, and stunning eyes. I finished the design and had it framed. I am extremely proud of it and I hope they find as much beauty and hope as I did when making it.

Mummies and Pumpkins and Sheep..Oh My!

The Bearded Mummy and Early Autumn Lane are now available! 

I updated my website today. I fixed some links added some bigger pictures etc. So, check it out!

I am currently working on a charity design. I was asked by a local Women's shelter to make a design for them. I need to get it finished soon because fall is a great time of year to stitch. Speaking of fall...I love it but I guess it doesn't love me. I have a cold. Blah. I thought it was a joke at first. I felt tired and had a scratchy throat. I didn't know anyone who was sick. I went to a Harvest Moon Festival last Saturday so maybe someone there was sick and not selfish. I would've been ok if they hadn't shared. It's okay not to share sometimes. In fact...be SELFISH!  PLEASE!  But no...they shared.

So, while you're just sitting there at your computer, why not check out my website? Ship's Manor

The Bearded Mummy and Early Autumn Lane

Coming soon!

Over-dyed Threads

I love the new Gentle Art colors, especially Otter Creek, and always get excited when they send them to me. First thing that happens is I think too hard about what I can use them in and then forget about designs in progress. Yes, my attention span is pretty loose. DMC recently sent me some of their memory thread and I stared at it for a long time....dazed look on my face. I decided to use some of it for an ornament I am making for The Gift of Stitching magazine. Gentle Art, Crescent Colours and Weeks...the thread is eye candy. Now, Crescent is making rick-rack and other lacy things...my brain is hurting. So, my question to you is this... Do you every buy something, linen or threads, and not know what to do with it? You just buy it because it's pretty (ooh-ahh).

The Gentle Art

Crescent Colours

Good Grief!

Those who know me know I am a HUGE Peanuts fan. I especially love Charlie Brown. Today I went to the swap meet and found two very nice Peanuts items. The first one is a "garden statue" which, I found online, is selling for $120. I bought it for $15. I am sure I could've gotten it cheaper but it was definitely worth that much to me. He won't be going outside though. The second, I found, was a quilted pillow. There were quite a few pillows, all hand-made. The man selling them said his wife makes them and his kids stuff them. I love crafty people and especially crafty families. Here are a couple of pictures of my finds. If you have any Peanuts stitching you've done, or seen, please post some links or pictures. I would love to see them!

Happy Birthday! Free Design!

Ship’s Manor celebrates its 1 year Birthday with a free design for you!  For a limited time (Aug 13-14) a free Attic Treasures download will be available on the “Freebie” page.

Tell all your friends, send them to this website but please don’t share the pattern with anyone. This is a freebie only for you, thanking you for supporting me this past year.

The freebie will be ‘October Birdhouse’. It’s a cute birdhouse design ,that is the perfect size, to make into an ornament for your Halloween tree. Thank you everyone!

Deja Boo

Deja Boo and The Fortune Teller will be released this Friday!  I really enjoyed stitching these and working on the Gingham linen from weeks. I used a Chartreuse metallic from Kreinik to make 'The Fortune Teller' sparkle. The crystal ball was stitched with DMC's variegated threads which was a first for me. Here is a picture of Deja Boo!

Whisperwind Carnival

Coming soon!

A new Halloween-ish series called 'Whisperwind Carnival'. Two designs will be released  in August.

July

Wow, it's already July 16th!  I've been doing some stitching. Mostly I've been working. I decided to help a friend with his firework stand. I've never worked in one...actually I haven't done very much retail work at all in my life. It has been fun and exhausting and boring at times. Utah has some new firework laws this year. The old laws were: no aerial fireworks at all. No firecrackers. You could light off fireworks about a week before the 4th and a week after. Utah also celebrates the 24th of July. It is our birthday. So, again...a week before and a week after the 24th. This year everyone can light off fireworks for a month and aerial fireworks are legal. It is a HUGE deal for Utah. So, it's been busy at the firework stand. My yard looks bad, I am missing out on blooming flowers and tasty vegetables. I will definitely be releasing some new designs the beginning of next month. I am excited and hope you like them. Enjoy your Summer and I will write about, and post pictures, of my new designs in a week.

Celebrate, Summer and Halloween

Thanks to everyone for making 'Celebrate' my most popular design to date. I noticed the other day that the design is on 123stitch.com's 'most popular' list. Hopefully the success of it will get more people to try out my other designs.

I've been working on 'My Summer Heart'. It looks great but the stitching is slow going since I don't have a lot of free time right now. Also, lot's of exciting Halloween designs are in the works. So, please look for them sometime in August/September.

If you haven't already please check out my website. Ship's Manor

Jill Rensel

Amazed once again by her talent. She truly is an incredible artist. She takes stitched pieces (which are incredible works of art on their own accord) and turns them into masterpieces. I have had the honor of visiting her studio a couple of times and have seen artwork, done by her, hanging on the walls. If it were up to me I would live there. After all, her studio is only 9 blocks away from me. Jill, if you ever need someone to come down there and give you an ego boost just let me know. Those of you who haven't seen her work need to peruse her blog. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. 

Jill Rensel's Blog

Patriotic Heart Pins

One of the pins that comes with the 'Celebrate' pattern. Hopefully this design will be out this Friday!  Ask about it now at your LNS or online store. Thanks all!

Celebrate!

My new design!  It comes with the main 'Celebrate' pattern and the pattern for the 'Celebrate Biscornu'. Also, I have made two OOAK pins that are included. I hope to have this out in a week or so. If you haven't already...follow me on facebook!  Ship's Manor on Facebook

 

Check out more of my designs on my website!

Ship's Manor Website

Patriotic Biscornu

This is the first one I have made. It was a lot of fun but more time consuming than I had imagined. I will definitely be making more in the future. 

Here is another shot.

Deconstructing a Nod and a Wink

These two designs are my homage to period dramas. I’ve always been a fan of period dramas. The simpler times when a bolt of fabric would be cause for celebration and time was taken each day for a cup of tea. I dreamed of how it would be to live during the times of the March family; reading and writing by candlelight. Days were spent working hard, living each of them to it’s fullest and enjoying the company of others.

These period dramas were a huge inspiration in the construction of this town: Lark Rise to Candleford, Downton Abbey, Cranford and Little Women.

I hope you enjoy stitching these as much as I enjoyed designing them.

Bonsai

I love working with Bonsai. Unfortunately, it's an art that takes a lifetime to do properly. I shouldn't really admit to this but, last year I spent the whole summer pruning and taking care of a small tree. It was beautiful. Then winter came, the bonsai was left in the greenhouse, and I forgot to water it. Needless to say...it's a dead bonsai now. Yeah, I really didn't need to share that information with you. You could've just thought I was a master at bonsai but we all make mistakes. What does this have to do with needlework? Needlework is all about smalls. We stitch worlds onto fabric in miniature. Needlework is delicate and time consuming just like working with bonsais. The finished result is beautiful and interesting.

 

This is my new bonsai. It is a small juniper bush. I spent the day pruning it's roots and branches then covering it's base with moss. Since the container is small you really need something like moss to keep the moisture in. Don't ever let it dry out. A small world needs just as much, if not more, care as a big one. The results are well worth it.

 

Utah Stitchers Group

A new yahoo group for stitchers in Utah who want to get together and stitch or just want to talk about it.

This is not my group, it is a friends. I think it will be fun though.


JOIN HERE!

A Nod and a Wink

'Dance of the Bees' is doing well. The model is now at the Shepherd's Bush shop for all of you who are close by. Go check it out!  Two new designs are now finished and shipped to my distributor. They were suppose to be out a couple of weeks ago but due to some minor problems they took longer. The first design is called 'A Nod and a Glance'. I shared it with you all a month or so ago. 

The second design is a companion piece to this one and it's called 'A Wink and a Smile'. You can stitch the designs separately or together. They fit together perfectly. I chose to put them both in the same frame in separate mats but you may do as you wish. Here they both are framed.

Two Cents- Michaels Craft Stores

I visited Michaels today and noticed the cross-stitch isle was pretty much gone. In its place was yarn. This is what I think has happened to our craft and why I think these stores are shooting their selves in the foot. First, When the recession hit I think almost all crafts were affected. I think many people turned to knitting/crocheting/quilting because it gave them something to do and they had a useable finished product. "Useable" as in not just something to look at and enjoy. They made blankets, clothes etc. I think these craft stores saw a drop in sales for floss etc. and an increase in sales for yarn. Well, how long do they expect that to continue? People will stop going there for stitching supplies (because they don't carry them) and eventually get tired of knitting and crocheting and stop buying yarn. Personally, I can only crochet for a couple of months before I have to switch to something else. Embroidery is not a dying art. Every time I get an email, from a fan, I know this to be true. I see the excitement in their words and when I see people in the stitch shops I hear the excitement in their voices and see it in their eyes. Those who haven't picked up a needle and thread don't know the feeling. Those who haven't felt the linen and oohed and awed at the variety of colors don't know the history behind it. Michaels....you're killing yourself and when you're dead and gone you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Dancing and Planting

My newest design 'Dance of the Bees' was released yesterday. Yesterday was also my 9 month anniversary. I was telling Tina (from Shepherd's Bush) today that my first patterns were released on a Friday the 13th so it must be a lucky day. I met Sharon Crescent today she is in Utah for the quilt market in Salt Lake. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep well last night and took a sleeping pill which is still affecting me today. I'm sure the impression I left was of some slurred speech, tired eye drunk. haha.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I've been picking weeds and mowing the lawn. Lots of work but the yard really looks nice now.

Wendy's Owl

I made this for my friend Wendy. She has been stitching a lot of birds lately and asked when I was going to make one. This is a freebie on my website.Ship's Manor

If you like this pattern please thank Wendy, at her blog, for getting me to make this.

http://craftybasenji.blogspot.com/

The Apple Picker

Now available in the May issue of The Gift of Stitching. I am excited to share this pattern with all of my friends, and maybe soon-to-be friends, in this magazine. I hope, while you stitch it, you think of hot summer days, lemonade, and of crisp apples picked from the tree. I remember when I was a kid and how in our back yard we had all kinds of fruit trees. I don't think there is anything better than sitting up in a tree eating it's fruit.

http://www.thegiftofstitching.com/latestissue.php

All patterns 20% off at 123 stitch!

Just wanted to let everyone know that all of my designs are on sale right now at 123. Now is the time to get them, if you haven't already. Please share this information with everyone you know!

http://www.123stitch.com/Cross_Stitch_Patterns_Kits_Ships_Manor.html

Dance of the Bees

This is the "secret" design. I really had a hard time putting it down. I actually miss stitching it. It is called "Dance of the Bees". Like most designs it would look good on almost any colored fabric. I used Tobacco colored linen and various silks. I also used a yellow metallic. Of course, the design will come with a conversion chart for DMC threads and will look great stitched with them. So, here it is!

Gift of Stitching

I am going to be in the May issue of The Gift of Stitching! There will be a brand new, never before seen Ship's Manor pattern in it. TGOS is an online magazine that you subscribe to, like a paper mag, and then download the issue at the first of the month. Check it out, sign up and look for a new design, by me, in the May issue. http://www.thegiftofstitching.com/

 I am also planning on releasing two new designs in May. One of them is done and the model is stitched. The other is currently being stitched and should be finished within the next week or so. They are both around 100x100 stitches. Just big enough to keep you busy during the summer but nothing daunting. 

So, I hope you enjoy my design in the magazine and check back here often for more exciting news!

It's a secret

I normally have a design in my head for months before I finish it. I'm telling ya...this is not normal. I was just sitting around the other day looking at my old art pictures and an idea popped into my head. "Hey, that would make a great stitch design!"  Of course it needed a lot of changes and had to be scaled down to a good size. Just out of nowhere my hands started flying and all these colors swam through my head. I had a new design in front of me and I had no idea where it came from. The last time this happened I designed 'Eventide Flora'. Eventide took me months to stitch because I kept putting it away to stitch something else. My newest "secret" design is almost done. I can't put it down. I haven't even shared it with family/ friends yet. I am obsessed with finishing this design.

Now, that you know what I have been up to...I have a question for you. Have you ever stitched something that you had a hard time putting down? A design so fascinating and fun that you couldn't wait to see what came next? Tell me about it!  I don't want to be the only one. LOL

Green thumb

It's spring. It's time to start planting seeds. Last year I built a small greenhouse. It's probably 8 feet long and 6 feet wide. Unfortunately I don't have heating in it so I have to wait until the snow stops falling before I plant my seeds. This weekend I will start planting and hopefully they will be big enough by may to plant in the garden.


Here is part of my backyard. The greenhouse is in the corner.

Here is the inside of it. It is a little messy right now since it's been sitting vacant for the winter.

and lovely strawberries.

Early release at Shepherd's Bush

If you're in the area stop by the Shepherd's Bush shop here in Ogden and see the models for Ida's Rose Garden and The Egg House. You can buy the patterns there today too!  If you're not close by your LNS can order them this Friday or you can order from your favorite online store.

Working copies.

Many people, who don't want their original patterns destroyed make working copies. Maybe you can't see well and the pattern is small so you enlarge the pattern and make a working copy. I bet when you saw this title you thought I was going to be complaining about them and talking about copyright laws?  Didn't you?  Well, I am not. I think a working copy is a great idea and if you're not sharing the pattern with anyone else then I don't see a problem with it. In fact, I put enlarged working patterns in the first 48 copies of Ida's Rose Garden. Save your paper, I made a copy for you!!!!

Round Robin and Release Date

Had some printer problems so I had to push back the release date of Ida's Rose Garden and The Egg House. Everything is good now though so printing should be finished tomorrow and my distributor will have the pattern in their hands either Wednesday or Thursday. If you live close to Shepherd's Bush shop you can see the model for The Egg House there and buy the pattern when it comes out.

I spoke to my Mother today about doing a Round Robin. The Stitcher's Village has some RR going on right now and I really wanted to participate but due to having time restraints and shipping etc. I wasn't able to. So, I am going to do one with my Mother. She has chosen a sampler as her project and I decided on a Halloween theme. It should be fun and if I take too long to get my stitching done...no one will be mad at me. lol

Speaking of The Stitcher's Village. I was there the other night chatting with some good folk. Patty was there and even Michelle from Stitchy Kitty stopped by. So, if you have the time you should come chat and waste that time.

Ida's Rose Garden- Up Close

A picture of the bottom of Ida's Rose Garden

The Egg House- Up Close

Some close-ups of The Egg House.

Ida's Rose Garden

Picture of Ida's Rose Garden on my website. www.shipsmanor.com

Happy St. Patricks day and here is my new Easter pattern! lol

Here is my new pattern. I hope to have it released a week from tomorrow. I have also finished my sampler which will be released the same day. This Easter pattern is very colorful and fun to stitch.

The Egg House

The Egg House a.k.a. Easter pattern is finally finished. I had some custom mats made for it yesterday by Jill Rensel and found a nice decorative frame to put it in. I am going to try my darndest to have it out by Friday the 25th. I haven't been able to get a good picture of it due to the weather.

Other news: I am still working on Ida's Rose Garden. It is the name of my sampler pattern. I really like how it is turning out.

Still stitchin

I am about 3/4 done stitching my Easter pattern and about the same with my sampler. Sometimes I feel like a stitching machine. I am also a de-stitching, frog machine. I actually kind of like frogging. I just don't like re-stitching. I am sure this blog makes tons of sense so I should stop while I am ahead.

What if?

There was a tragedy yesterday. Lisa Roswell, designer of The Primitive Needle, died. She was swept off a road, in her car, from a flood in Ohio. I didn't know Lisa. I loved her work though. I know that these things happen all the time but it doesn't make it any more comforting. So, I think 'What if?' when these things happen. I can't even imagine how scared she was. I can't even imagine how hurt her family is. What if she got out of the car? Most likely she would've been swept down the river and died. But what if she caught hold of a branch or tree? What if, for some reason, her car didn't start that morning? What if it was my own Mother who was in that car? I know 'what ifs?' don't mean much but by putting ourselves into these situations and pondering over our own lives we see how precious life is. We see how fleeting life is. Don't forget to say 'I love you' to those you care for. Don't forget to give hugs often and remember that kisses are free. We can't go back and change the 'what ifs' so make the best of today.

Good News

Just heard some good news today. I guess some of my patterns attended the TNNA Nashville show. Since I couldn't be there I am very pleased that Hoffman Dist. took some of my work with them.

I am currently working on 3-4 different things. I also contacted a magazine to see if they wanted some of my work. Hopefully I will hear something back soon. I guess if I don't then I don't. LOL. Maybe I am too laid back but I really am not designing for any monetary reason. I've made myself a promise that when designing becomes monotonous and not fun then I will stop. I think if you don't enjoy what your doing then its not worth doing. It's not fair to myself or those who appreciate my art. I certainly wouldn't want to stitch something that I knew the designer hated making.

Maybe I should start my blogs with 'Dear Diary' from now on. haha

Easter Freebie

Coming soon!  I should have the pattern posted on my website either today or tomorrow.

Beautiful Briny

Hoffman's released my pattern 'Beautiful Briny' today. You can see it on their website or mine. That means it's available to purchase online or at your LNS. Yippee!

www.hoffmandis.com
www.shipsmanor.com

The Changing of Seasons

My ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is acting up. It always does this at the changing of the seasons and about smack dab in the middle of a season. I have four (4) works in progress right now. One of them is Halloween. Yes, I said HALLOWEEN! I really enjoy stitching on it but decided today I had to put it away. I still have at least a couple of weeks stitching on it and that time could be better spent stitching something that could be released now. Speaking of Halloween...I already have two patterns pretty much done for the Holiday. Just have to make the models.

So, I decided I wanted to attempt to make a sampler. Yes, I already have a sampler pattern out there...but I wouldn't call it a true sampler. Two things made me decide I wanted to try to make my own. First, I received new colors from The Gentle Art. These colors are BEAUTIFUL and will be released at TNNA Nashville market. I can't tell you what they look like. I am sworn to secrecy. Second, while surfing the web, I came across a website that sells antique samplers.One of the samplers (of course it had to be my favorite) is for sale. That's the good thing. The bad thing is it costs $35,000. YIKES! Yes, I am going to attempt to make one of my own. A true, honest to goodness, antique look-a-like sampler. You will be able to make it for a lot less than $35,000 when it comes out. That is a guarantee!

http://www.antiquesamplers.com/
http://www.thegentleart.com/ga/home.asp
http://adultadd.info/adult-add/what-is-adult-add/

Eventide Flora and a blog special preview.

Eventide Flora will be out this Friday. Ask for it at your local needlework shop. I will be posting a new journal entry for it on my website.

Wanna see something new I've been working on? The model is finished but not ready for the public yet. Here it is...

Ship's Manor- Attic Treasures

Once in a while I have the need to make small patterns. Sometimes the smaller patterns are related to larger ones i've done but most of the time they are not. I've never felt they should be released to the public until now. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it. It wasn't financially feasible for me to make printed copies of them all and distribute them to stores.
Ship's Manor - Attic Treasures patterns will be available as a download online from patternsonline.com. No matter how large the pattern, they will never be more than $3.95. This is a chance for you to get a good deal and a chance for patterns, which would've never seen the light of day, to be enjoyed by all.

3 Patterns will be available tomorrow Feb 4th. (Thanks for asking Wendy!)

Note: The main line of Ship's Manor patterns will never be offered online as a download. You will need to visit your favorite LNS or online stitch shop to get them.

Bookmark and chat

Bookmark pattern is now available for download at the Stitcher's Village website. I will be having a chat there this evening at 7pm cst. No need to RSVP just show up in your jammies.

http://stitchersvillage.ning.com/

Eventide Flora

Eventide Flora is my newest pattern. It will be available soon. You can see it on my website:

http://shipsmanor.com/

The model is stitched with 'Old Crow' Belle Soie silk and on Wandering Ivy linen.

Bookmark

Bookmark pattern is finally finished!  I have such a hard time with making small patterns. Ornaments, bookmarks, FOB's. I do have more ideas for bookmarks now though. Maybe in the future I will make more.

Happy New Year!

It's the beginning of a great new year. Even though the temp is in the teens outside..lol. Boy, it is freezing out there!  Just some quick information for all my friends. I am going to be participating in the bookmark challenge this year. I will have a bookmark design available through The Stitcher's Village website in February. I might even have two designs. It all depends on how much more addicted I get to playing World of Warcraft. haha. Seriously though, I am planning on having two new patterns released soon. I already have one finished and another is about 90% done. So, look for them soon. I will post updates here and on facebook.


http://www.stitchersvillage.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ships-Manor/146415035397488