Brooke's Books Blog

Tea Time "Hospitality"

Tea time, everybody! Come on in out of the heat and stitch a cup of tea. This is "Hospitality", the 9th in the Bride's Tree Ornament collection. It was finished and shipped to our auto shops a week ago but I still haven't had time to put it up on the web site. Yikes! I've been vvvveeeeerrrry busy, though, with something to show for it. In the last two weeks I finished all three Holiday Spirit Angels and will post photos of them soon. But I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. You can find "Hospitality" at your favorite needlework shop. If they don't have it yet, they will very soon because our distributors will receive theirs by 8/31. I'll post it here: http://www.brookesbooks.com this weekend too. Only thing I regret about this one is that there's no yellows or golds in the palette so I couldn't include a lemon slice. I guess I really am tired of the heat. Maybe I'm actually looking for lemonaide. 

I want to say THANK YOU to so many of you who have purchased the Bride's Tree ornaments. I am blown away by the response we've had to these little designs and am so grateful from the top of my widow's peak to the tips of my toes. You are all just wonderful!

So, on to "Eternity", which is symbolized by a pine cone. We're finally moving into the "wintry" / "Christmas" themed ones.

Evergreen

OK...I am having SOOOO much fun designing this year's Holiday Spirit Angels. I just had to share. Several of you have emailed me requesting more behind the scenes "process" stuff so here's what I'm working on this week. This is The Spirit of Evergreen Angel ornament so disregard all that brown perforated paper. It will be cut away when she's finished. And yes, her garland, wings and crown wreath aren't stitched yet. But I had to share the gown...I think that medieval silhouettes are just gorgeous...The long waist and flowing sleeves...the long tendrils of hair. Do you get the golden embroidered Christmas tree down her front? And can Kreinik create more BEAUTIFUL metallic braids? These Brocade and Amethyst colors are just amazing. I'm SO thankful for ALL the amazing materials available to all of us designers and stitchers today.

July's Faithfulness

Sneak peek of "Faithfulness"...#8 of the Bride's Tree Heirloom Ornament Collection. Symbol is the rose and it will ship to your favorite shop this Friday 7/15. I can't believe we're already up to eight. The year is going by too quickly. Only four BT ornies left. "Hospitality" = Teapot, "Eternity" = Pinecone, "God's Guidance" = Angel and "Giving" = Santa. This collection has been SO much fun to design.

Since the year is rushing by, Meg and I have been dreaming up the next monthly ornament collection. So, here's the tease..."Favorite Christmas Carols". I don't have a list for you yet but you can be assured that the most iconic favorites will be there. They will be done in the same style and size that I've used for the Bride's Tree...Prim / elegant / whimsical...I don't know what you call this style. The palette will be warm Holiday colors and I think I'm aiming to use mostly Gentle Arts Sampler Threads this time. I may use a combo of GA, Weeks and Crescent Colours, though. Not sure yet. But I'll definitely do DMC conversions for the entire palette so there's a more affordable way to stitch them. Jingle bells...Jingle bells...Jingle all the way...WooHoo!

It's Sadie Spring & A New Way Of Doing Freebies

Hey, Sadie...I've always loved that name. Mom wanted to name me Sadie for my great grandma but my maiden name was Thompson so Dad put the keebosh on that right quick. For all you yungins out there here's the Sadie Thompson reference. But I digress...This is Sadie The Spring Witch, who has nothing what so ever to do with Sadie Thompson OR Gloria Swanson. She's the first of the Four Seasons Witchie Collection. Her sisters, Sandy Summer, Annie Autumn and Wendy Winter will be released later this year.

This is Sadie's good friend, Boswell Bunny. He's a complimentary companion piece to Sadie that you can find on my Freebies page. I recently decided to give away surprise freebies that go with my larger ornaments like the Stitch-a-Little Witchies and the Spirit Angels, etc... Boswell is the first of his kind in this respect. So, for instance, I'm currently designing The Spirit of Evergreen Angel ornament and her companion piece will be a fawn freebie.  

 

June Blessings

Fishy, fishy in the brook, Daddy catch 'em by a hook...Mama fry him in a pan...Baby eat him like a man.

This was the best the bullies at school could do with my name. LOL! Needless to say, I lucked out. But I digress...

"Blessings", #7 in the Bride's Tree Heirloom Ornament Collection, is now available at your favorite needlework shop and on my web site.

This collection is going so fast...The year is wizzing by. Up next is "Faithfulness" represented by a rose.

Bride's Tree "Blessings" Sneak Peek

Under the sea...Under the sea...Sometimes it's better out where it's wetter...Take it from me... except I think this is a trout, isn't it? So, in this case it should be, "Under the river...Under the river, etc..." Can you tell, I'm having too much fun with this collection? "Blessings", the lastest addition to the Bride's Tree Collection will be ready to ship in a week.

S & T Freebies Are Done!

"S Is For Sampler" & "T Is For Tatting (& Thimble)" are DONE! I'm so sorry it's taking me forever to finish the Stitcher's Alphabet but I'm breakin' a sweat...I promise. LOL! You can download these blocks and others from my Freebies page: http://www.brookesbooks.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html  
Just scroll down and click on the images.

If you haven't already, you should check out Meagan's "Stitcher's Alphabet SAL". Looks like they're having fun over there. http://bbabcsal.blogspot.com/

Happiness & Plenty

The top images with the birdie are of "Happiness", the 5th of 12 in the Bride's Tree Heirloom Ornament Collection and the fruit basket is "Plenty", the 6th of the set. You can find these latest additions at your favorite needlework shop or on my web site. Ooooh, I love designing with these Belle Soie silks from Crescent Colours. Yummy doesn't begin to cover it.

Sneak Peek At Penelope Pumpkin & "Hope" For "JCS"

Long time no talk...Had a couple of things keepin' me busy, though. My darling mom came down with ulcers on her leg in January and, oh, my gosh...has it been a terrible time of suffering for her. I could go on and on but unless you've struggled with leg ulcers from Diabetes...Holy mackerel...It's just the worst! Since January she's been in and out of the hospital twice for extended stays and she's now in a rehab facility after the latest surgery hoping to come home soon. When she became completely nonambulitory my time for work was greatly reduced so I could care for her and that's why you haven't heard from me in a long time. But in that time I did continue to design for Brooke's Books and this is one of the things I did for "Just Cross Stitch" magazine. This is only a sneak peek and it will be published this year for Halloween but I don't know the exact publishing date. I had so much fun designing Miss Penelope...Her hat is supposed to be an upside down pumpkin blossom. I also had a blast playing with Kreinik's 1/8" metallic ribbons...They are so pretty. I'll let you know when I know the exact publishing date and JCS issue she'll be in.

Here's another sneak peek of a design I did for "JCS" magazine. She's called "Hope" and she'll be published in their Oct/Nov issue this year.

I used to be a portrait artist and I've always wanted to design a cross stitch portrait so here is "Hope". She's based on my original drawing...I didn't have a model for her so she started off being some kind of Valentine angel but "JCS" wants to publish her in October so by the time I was done she had morphed into a "Hope" angel. I used DMC, Mill Hill beads, Kreinik #4 metallic braids and 1/8" metallic ribbons on Wichelt's 28 count Sand Castle Hand Dyed Jobelan over two threads. Can't wait to see how they frame her at "JCS". They always do a fantastic job choosing frames.

Hope - The 4th Bride's Tree Ornament

I can not tell you how much I LOVE designing this Bride's Tree Collection. I am having much too fun with these. This is #4 of 12 - Hope. The symbol is the rabbit which represents hope and peace. The charts will be shipping this Friday, 3/11/11 to shops and I'll post it on my web site approximately a week after that. Thank you to all of you who have embraced this collection. I appreciate you SO much! On to "Happiness"...The bird in the nest for April.

Happy St. Piggy's Day

It's that time of year again...St. Patri - oops - I mean St. Piggy's Day is approaching so I thought I'd get out in front of March 17th with a freebie for y'all. What? It's not St. Piggy's Day? Well, it should be. OK...I apologize to St. Patrick for that joke.

You can find this and a leprechaun freebie on my freebies page: http://www.brookesbooks.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html . Scroll down below the Stitcher's Alphabet blocks and click on the piggy image to download the chart. 

Wishes

Well...This has been a tough February, I must say. We all came down with the flu the first week and it dwindled into Pneumonia for me and two of my sons...Wow...I haven't been this sick in years. But thanks to steroids and powerful antibiotics we're back on our feet and back on track with our Bride's Tree ornies and everything else in life. I apologize to everyone who has been waiting patiently for their Autos and orders over the past two weeks. I really appreciate your patience. Today is President's Day so the post office is closed but tomorrow, 2/22/2011, everything we have in house will be shipped. 

Hope you like the latest Bride's Tree ornament, "Wishes". Looking at all those flowers...I think I was longing for spring when I designed this. BIG thank you to everyone who's embraced this collection! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I designed a "stupid cupid freebie" for ya'll to stitch. To download him go to my freebies page here: http://www.brookesbookspublishing.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html , scroll way down below the Stitcher's Alphabet blocks and click on his little image to open the .pdf. I designed him in basic DMC but you can use whatever you have available. Miss Carol B from Meagan's Brooke's Books Interactive Yahoo! Group stitched him on metallic silver perforated paper and I must say, he's looking adorable on the silver...Very "vintage-ie". 

May you be blessed with someone or the someone's in your life to celebrate LOVE with today and everyday.

Bride's Tree Finally Up On BBP

"Love", The Next Bride's Tree Ornament

Here it is...January's Bride's Tree Ornament..."Love". The symbol is obviously the heart, which denotes true love...After being married for twenty-six years to my Dear-Heart, I can attest that true love is the vital ingredient that makes one happiness out of two lives. I couldn't wish more of it to all the new brides and grooms out there. This is the second of twelve ornament designs in the Bride's Tree Collection. I'm releasing one each month. The models are stitched with Crescent Colour's Belle Soie Silks and Hand Dyed Cotton floss and Mill Hill seed beads but I've included DMC conversions for all the colors. For more info on the tradition of the Bride's Tree check out this previous blog entry.

Note to everyone signed up for subscriptions through their LNS (Local Needlework Shop) or online shop: These publications are shipping on Tues. 1/18/11. We got a little behind on shipping because of the snow. We're not used to snow that piles up and stays for weeks down here in Dixie. It's been an adjustment, I must say...But a beautiful one. So, have no fear...They're on their way after MLK Day. Thanks for your patience.

One more thing...Just a reminder that Miss Amy of Down Sunshine Lane is offering a special subscription program for this collection. If you participate you'll get the 12th design for free. Big thank you to Amy for offering this. 

Winter House BBI Challenge Freebie

Does anyone remember when I committed to designing four seasonal houses in the "House For All Seasons" freebies collection last year? You may not believe me, but I do too. The four houses, (Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter), are "Challenges" for Meagan's Brooke's Books Interactive Yahoo! Group. I started off strong with "Summer House" but got waylaid by our home school life and didn't get to "Autumn House" like I promised. (Great results from the "Summer House" Challenge, by the way. You can see the entries here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbinteractive/photos/album/908982080/pic/list Congratulations, PennyB!.) Anyway, I'm back on track with this "Winter House" offering. Here's how a BBI Challenge works: You can either download these charts as freebies and stitch them the way I've designed them with no obligation or you can participate in Meg's BBI "House For All Seasons" Challenges. Either way, you need to join her Brooke's Books Interactive Yahoo! Group to have access to the charts. All the "House" charts are located in the BBI Files section under Freebies / Challenges Freebies folder. There's no sign up for this. Stitch Winter House anyway you'd like. Add things, subtract things, use different colors and specialty threads, use beads, bobbles, buttons...Be creative and stitch it your way. Then upload a photo of your masterpiece in the folder specially designated by Meagan for this Challenge in the group's photo section by March 15. Meagan will then run a poll starting March 16 so you can vote for your favorite entry. The winner will win six Brooke's Books Publishing chart packs of their choosing. So go to it! Happy Winter Stitching!

Sneak Peek - New Bride's Tree Ornament Collection

 
Wanted to show you what I've been up to. I'm designing a Bride's Tree ornament collection for 2011. This is the first one called "Home". It will be released in December and the subsequent eleven ornaments will be released one each month in 2011.

I'm so charmed by the idea of the Bride's Tree. It's an old German tradition that says that a bride and groom should have the following symbols on their first Christmas tree to ensure a life of happiness together. Meagan put together the following graph to show the symbols and what they mean.

I designed them with Crescent Colour's Belle Soie Silks and Hand Dyed Cotton floss because I wanted stitchers to be able to create an heirloom collection for their special bride. But I'm also acutely aware of how costly a collection like that is. So, I've made sure to list DMC floss conversions for every color.

Also, wanted to mention that Amy of Down Sunshine Lane is offering a special subscription program for this collection. If you participate you'll get the 12th design for free. Big thank you to Amy for offering this.

Design Name	Image	Meaning
Home	House	Home/ protection
Love	Heart	True love
Wishes	Flower Basket	Good wishes/beauty
Hope	Rabbit	Hope/peace
Happiness	Bird in a Nest	Joy/happiness
Plenty	Fruit Basket	Generosity/plenty
Blessings	Fish	Christ's blessing/fertility
Faithfulness	Rose	Affection/faithfulness
Hospitality	Teapot	Hospitality
Eternity	Pinecone	Fruitfulness/eternity
Guidance	Angel	God's Guidance
Giving	Santa	Goodwill/giving/sharing

Introducing Miss Meg

Because Meagan will be writing on this blog from time to time, I thought I should officially welcome her and introduce her wonderful self to y'all. Meagan Mize manages customer service and marketing to independent retailers for Brooke's Books and I don't know what the hec I'd do without her help. WELCOME, MEAGAN!

All Three Sweet Treat Angels

Gretel & Peg

Yodel-ay-ee-hooo! It's Gretel, The Gingerbread Angel. Sister to Peg and Pinky.

  

And last, but not least...Peg, The Plum Pudding Angel. These little Sweet Treat Angels will be available in late September. I'm just sharin' a sneak peek preview...cuz that's how I roll. Funny thing about the following photo...Notice the glue hadn't dried yet under the gift bow. LOL! 

Pinky Peppermint Angel

So, the first of this year's Christmas Sweet Treat Angels is done. These gals are the Witchie Sisters' cousins for sure. LOL! This is Pinky The Peppermint Angel. She's not available yet but will be in September. Now I'm working on her sisters, Gretel The Gingerbread Angel and Peg The Plum Pudding Angel.

I got a big surprise in the mail yesterday! Look at what my dear friend, Jana Coley, sent me...Just cuz...Jana...THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love her beaded fobs. I use fobs a lot to keep my needlework scissors and perforated paper scissors separate. I use the same sharp pointed Gingher embroidery scissors for both jobs and cutting the perf paper dulls the blades quicker than thread or fabric. What's special about this fob is Jana created it with my birth stone (ruby) Swarovski Crystals. Isn't it gorgeous? I think Jana sells these but don't know if she has a web site yet. I'll ask and post one if she does. Jana...If you're reading this...You know what I think would be wonderful? Personalized scissor fobs like this with the birth stones of a stitcher's children and grandchildren. I just love this...You know how I love the "sparkley". Thank you, darlin'.  

Sweet Treat Process

I've received a lot of requests to share my design process more. So, here we go. My next assignment is a collection of three Sweet Treat Angel ornaments for this Christmas...Peppermint, Gingerbread and Plum Pudding. The first one is Miss Peppermint and here is her palette...Mmm...I LOVE peppermint. Have a bottle of peppermint essential oil next to me at all times. So, refreshing. Also, one of my favorite lotions is Twisted Peppermint by Bath & Body Works. Oh, gosh, it's yummy...You get the mint up front and the longer it's on your skin it turns into a sugar cookie smell. But yes...Miss Peppermint.

So, after I set upon a palette, I start putting what's in my head into the computer. (Easy Grapher Pro)

And then I start stitching. I've gotten to know certain materials pretty well over the years...Like DMC's floss. But I still do color changes as I stitch the first model quite a bit. A lot of times what looks good on the computer monitor looks terrible stitched...and visa versa.

Stay tuned...

Witchie Sisters Are Up

Finally got this year's batch of Witchie Sisters up on my web site. They were SO fun to design...Hope they're as fun to stitch. Happy Early Halloween! You can purchase them at your favorite needlework shop, The Stitchery catalog or my web site.

Christmas In July GingerBaby Angel

Well...Actually "Christmas In Nov./Dec.". I hate to keep posting things you can't have but this baby is for the Nov./Dec. "Just Cross Stitch" issue. So, you'll have to wait until that's released. But I love sharing what I'm doing as I do it and I'm three to six months out from publication on most of my designs. I haven't designed a GingerBaby for years. This was fun.

All Three Fall 2010 Stitch-a-Little Witchie Sisters Done

OK...Finally completed all three witchie sisters for fall 2010. They aren't available just yet but they will be in approximately 2 weeks. Now I've got to get on with Christmas and BABY SUNSHINE LINE designs. Yes, you heard me.

Trixie

Trixie The Halloween Witch...She's the little sister, I think. 

Fauna The Fairy Witch

Number two witchie sister...Done! This is Polly's sister, Fauna The Fairy Witch. I'm working on Trixie now and when she's completed I'll be able to market all three witches as individual Stitch-a-Little chart packs. So, they'll be out in two weeks or so. Fauna was stitched on Antique Brown 14 count perforated paper with DMC floss, Mill Hill beads, Kreinik #8 Fine Metallic Braids and Kreinik 1/8" Metallic Ribbons. I'll post a materials list as soon as I can.

Summer House - BBI's Newest Challenge

Hey Everybody...I reeeeally had fun designing this one..."Summer House" is the first of four FREE, yes free, charts I designed for Meagan's Yahoo! Brooke's Books Interactive Group as a "Challenge". It runs from June 1 to July 31, 2010 at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbinteractive/ . As the name alludes, there will be three more "House Challenges" to come in Autumn, Winter and Spring of 2010 & 2011. I'll use the same "bones" and size of "Summer House" but change the details to reflect the seasons. You can either download these charts as freebies and stitch them the way I've designed them or you can participate in Meg's BBI "House For All Seasons" Challenges. Either way, you need to join her Brooke's Books Interactive Yahoo! Group to have access to the charts. This first one is located in the BBI Files section under Freebies / Challenges Freebies folder. Stitch Summer House anyway you'd like. Add things, subtract things, use different colors and specialty threads, use beads, bobbles, buttons...Be creative and stitch it your way. Then upload a photo of your masterpiece in the folder specially designated by Meagan for this Challenge in the group's photo section by July 31. Meagan will then run a poll so go vote for your favorite entry. The winner will win six Brooke's Books Publishing chart packs of their choosing. And that's how a BBI Challenge works. Happy Stitching! 

Polly The Pirate Witch

OK...A sneak peek at the first of this year's Stitch-a-Little Witchie Sisters. Oooh, she's a gaudy girl. This is, of course, Polly The Pirate Witch with her friend...Mmm...What should I call him? Pete? Ahhh...Alliteration...How I love thee. Maybe a little too much sometimes. So, I'm working on Polly's sisters Fauna The Fairy Witch and Trixie The Halloween Witch. They should all be available in June. Back to work...

Sally Stitch Witch

Here's a sneak peek of Sally Stitch Witch. She will be available in the Halloween ornament edition of "Just Cross Stitch" magazine. Don't know the exact date when it will come out but it should be in the next couple of months. She was really fun to design. I used some of Kreinik's 1/8" Metallic Ribbon this time. She's stitched with DMC floss, Mill Hill seed beads and Kreinik #8 Fine Metallic Braids on Metallic Silver 14 count perforated paper. Her hat, hoop and scissors are stitched separately and then tacked on to create a dimensional look...and yes, that is a real needles she's holding.

Noah's Ark & Miss America

Didn't Mona and Lindy do a fan-freakin-tastic job on Noah's Ark for The Silver Needle's April Secret Needle Night design? I love what they did with the chart I concocted for them. For those of you who follow Secret Needle Night, you didn't imagine it, I did take a short vacay from designing for them. It was a much needed break but Lindy, Mona and the gals didn't let their customers down. They produced two adorable designs for February and March while I was gone. You should cruise over there and check them out: http://tinyurl.com/y99emgg

I admit it...This is something I'm proud of...Making the cover of "The Stitchery". I'm SO honored to have this privilege. I can't say enough good things about Potpourri Group / The Stitchery...Except...Check out what the esteemed Donna Saiia buys for them. She's an amazing talent. Go add more fabulous stitching treasures to your stash from their catalog. LOL! That's not a shameful plug, is it?

Back To Work

"Madonna & Child" is the ornament for this year's "Just Cross Stitch" magazine's ornament issue. (Not due out until late summer or the fall.) I'm so honored to have been invited to participate. Really enjoyed designing this one...Used DMC floss and Kreinik #8 Fine Braid on Periwinkle and Midnight Blue perforated paper. The pieces are stitched separately and tacked together with floss and Velcro dots to show dimension. I love love love Kreinik's braids...They make this design shimmer.

It feels great to get back to designing. We home school our boys so until our youngest two get into high school, I spend most of my time planning, teaching and driving them to their outside classes and social events. Our oldest two sons are away at college, jobs, etc...and I know how quickly these grade school and middle school years pass. That said...I neeeeeeed to design or I'm going to go bonkers. So here's to production time. WooHoo!

Hannah & Emma...After my own heart...

Oh, my gosh! My head just exploded from the cutness quotient involved here. Found this on Kirsten Edward's "Gift of Stitching" blog. This is Miss Hannah, Kirsten's beautiful five year old daughter. The fact that she wanted to pose with the "Emma Rose" model just tickles me to death. 

P Is For Pin Cushion

Yay! Another letter block for The Stitcher's Alphabet is done. You can download this free chart from my Freebies page: http://www.brookesbooks.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html  Go there, scroll down until you see the pin cushion image and click on it. "Q" through "Z" are on the way.

Also wanted to let all of you interested in stitching these blocks know that Meagan has set up a SAL blog here: http://bbabcsal.blogspot.com/  Looks like fun.

Sneak Peek of Emma Rose

I had such a wonderful time designing this little baby...It's my pleasure to share a sneak peek of "Emma Rose". I'm honored to say that she'll be in The Gift of Stitching 's February issue. Love that online magazine. My mom AND husband both seperately commented that I should've put a yellow feather in the cat's mouth because the cage is empty. VERY funny, people. We have a black cat named Oni (Japanese for "Demon") and I have to say that if THAT were Oni, he'd definitely have a yellow feather in his mouth.

  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey Y'all! I'm baa-aack...and I have a freebie for you. The New Year Fairy and I wish you a prosperous, healthy and all round wonderous 2010! We need a little "wonderous", don't we? In the words of Sponge Bob, "I'm ready!" You can find this freebie on my Cross Stitch Freebies web page. Once you're on that page, scroll down below the "Stitcher's Alphabet" blocks until you see the fairy and click on her to download the complimentary chart.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Holiday Season.

Spirit of Christmas Future

OK...All three together. Now on to composing their publications. They will probably be available in about two weeks.

Thank you to everyone who's left a comment! You are so kind and a great encouragement to me.

Spirit of Christmas Present Angel

 Ice skates...LOL! I have to say that I enjoyed making the loopy wings for these.

Spirit of Christmas Past

 Hey Everyone...Did you think I fell off a cliff? Naw...Just life got in the way. We've had a super busy summer with the boys and vacations and birthdays and our 25th Anniversary and lots of work. Blogging always takes a back seat.

This is the Spirit of Christmas Past...The first of three little "Spirits" in the "Christmas Carol Collection". I know it's not exactly like the Ghost of Christmas Past but I was going for the "spirit" of the character in the story. I've finished the Spirit of Christmas Present too and will post that image soon and am now creating the Spirit of Christmas Future. Booooooo......

I haven't forgotten the Stitcher's Alphabet! I know I said I'd get the "O" out in August and I'm still trying to do that. The moment I'm done with the "Future Spirit", I'll git-er-done.

WOW! The Most Beautiful Gift I've Ever Received!

I can not believe what I just received in the mail. I'm reeling!!! Look at what a BEAUTIFUL gift the Brooke's Books Interactive members created for me. I STILL can not believe it. THANK YOU so much to everyone involved in this gift of love. You'll be happy to know that I cried for thirty-five minutes after I opened it. I'm crying again writing this. LOL! 

I've create an album in the BBI Yahoo! Group's Photo Section for members to view the absolutely gorgeous blocks up close. 

Want to send a hug and HUGE thank you to: Marlene Lee, Carolyn, Cristiin, Helen, Jennie, Phyllis, Barb in TX, Nancy Crowell, Robin Bobbin, Ledda, Louise Dixon, Jan, Dawn, Barbara Brainard, Jan Bills, Jana, Marissa, Maru, Lisa, Valerie, Fiona Gaz, Vivian Cripps, Cameo, T.S., Terry F, Tracey NC, Sandy B, CTE Emily, and L. McIntosh. Your blocks are so beautiful and it means the world to me that you all wanted to do this for me. I know this is a wall quilt but I'm tempted to wrap myself up in it because the love that went into it is so profound.

I also want to thank the people who stitched the following lovely squares: The pretty bright bouquet, the Quilt House, Tea Room and Basket House and the beautiful apricot-ish biscornu style block. These don't have names on them so if you can, let me know who you are. I'd love to thank you in person.

I also want to thank Meagan for conceiving the idea and getting the ball rolling. I'm once again bowled over by your deep and abiding friendship, dear one. And Miss Valerie...Wow! I'm amazed by your generosity and your stitching talent. You are indeed a needlewoman extraordinaire. I know how much planning and action go into piecing a quilt together and I appreciate you creating this beautiful end result of everyone's efforts. LOVE the blues.

There's nothing I can say that will express just how happy you all made me with this incredible gift.

Love you all!

Brooke

  

 First image of them all together. The background reminds me of "Bewitched".

Hannah Lives...

 Hannah and her sisters, that is...(For you younger folk, that's a Woody Allen movie.) Mom asked me what historial period her costume was from and I've got to say...Beats me. How about a place instead of a time? It's from "Fantasy Land", I think. Doesn't that look like vintage "Fantasy Land" to you?...That little poofy bubble / hobble skirt? Or maybe it's straight out of CooCooville. Oh, hey! It just dawned on me. Hannah looks like a very young Mother Goose. It's Mother Goose as a child...Daughter Goose. And, of course, I couldn't design three witches without at least one black kitty cat between them. 

OK...All three witchy sisters are done so I'm off to finish publications for Fiona and Hannah and they should be available in about a week. THANK YOU, EVERYONE for all the wonderful emails, phone calls, snail mail, etc...about my work. I couldn't do this without you...I mean it. 

Love ya!   

Fiona Update

Big THANK YOU to everyone who said such nice things about "Fiona"! I appreciate you all so much. On to design "Hannah The Happy".

Sneek Peek - Gwen's Sister, Fiona

I'm almost done with Miss Fiona, Gwen's sister. She is "Fiona The Fay" and boy, is she blue. I loved stitching her gown. It's all so shimmery with Kreinik #8 Fine Metallic Braids. (3506 Blue Samba and 329 Bahama Blue) I still have to stitch her hat and put the finishing touches on her like Hot Pink boot laces, a little owl friend, her broom, etc...But she's stitching up very fast. Then it will be on to "Hannah The Happy", their third sister who will complete the trio.

Uncle Sam's Fireworks Factory

OK...I personally think that Mona did a fabulous job on ol' Uncle Sam here. This is the most recent Secret Needle Night design in the Silver Needle's SNN subscription program. I design these and then Mona and Lindy interpret the charts with all kinds of specialty threads, buttons, charms, bells, and whistles. I love this job.

Meet Gwen

 

She's finally available in your Local Needlework Shop: http://www.hoffmandis.com/mainmap.htm ...and my web site: http://www.brookesbooks.com/NewStuff.html . I know a lot of people have been wondering when she'd be released...and here she is. Thank you SO much for your interest in Gwen. I'm now designing her two sisters, Fiona The Fay and Hannah The Happy and hope to have them complete by the middle of June.

A Year Of Cakes Comes To A Close

...And there they are! I'm feeling bittersweet about the close of another collection. I really enjoyed designing these. You can download all of the above Birthday Cakes by joining http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbinteractive/ . They will be in the Freebies Folder for a long time to come.

Stay tuned for the completion of "The Stitcher's Alphabet". I'm going to be releasing two letter blocks each month until December to complete that collection. You can find letters A through N right now on my web site's Freebie page: http://www.brookesbooks.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html . 

Hey! I'm In "Just Cross Stitch"! No Way!

 How lucky am I? VERY! There's my little "Elf In The Box". I think she's on the cover too. Wow...I'm so honored. I'm also their "Featured Designer" this month and I designed another Spirit Angel especially for the occasion. Here she is...Spirit of America. Just in time for the 4th of July.

Thank you to everyone for your compliments and encouragement regarding these designs. Looks like I didn't do anything too crazy because they've asked me to come back and design more next year. Also, look for my "Stitchy Claus" in their annual ornament issue coming this fall. 

http://www.just-crossstitch.com/

The Crab Is In

 Oh, come on! He's pretty cute. I love love love how Mona and Lindy stitched and finished King Crab and his castle. This is the latest Secret Needle Night design by me, Mona Bost and Lindy Legener. I design the monthly SNN charts, then Lindy and Mona take them and work their magic to create the finished pieces. They select the specialty fibers, and sell the kits with all the bells and whistles in the Secret Needle Night subscription program at The Silver Needle. I usually don't have time to stitch the SNN designs but I think I'll make an exception for this little guy.

Spring Has Sprung

I know...Summer's almost here but it's never to late for springy pastels and bunnies...Is it? Here is the fourth and final chart in Brooke's Books Interactive Seasonal Pantry Collection. All you have to do is join the BBI Yahoo! Group and you can find it in the Freebies folder along with the Summer, Autumn, and Winter Pantries. It so looks like it says "panties" when I read that. LOL!