Quick Notes

Just wanted to remind everyone that Gay Ann Rogers is continuing to post tips for improving needlework for stitchers of all abilities on her website. This is a run-up to her releasing her next big counted project, the portrait of Catherine the Great, in early May.  When that happens, the tips will disappear so read through them now.  The latest lesson is featured on this page, but you can read them all by clicking on the various buttons at the bottom left side of the page.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/lessons.html

If you aren't familiar with Gay Ann Rogers' counted canvaswork portraits, check out this video featuring her Queen Elizabeth I along with two smaller portraits of Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick.  She says Catherine will be much more opulent in keeping with her style and her age.
https://vimeo.com/31689238

In other news, I am posting a lot of new stitch guide information on the CH Stitch Guides blog this month.  Guides are available everywhere these days!  Don't forget to check in periodically to keep up with stitch guide news or just find out how to contact the stitch guide writer you want to reach.  To go there, just click on the photo of the magic carpet in the right hand column of this page.  You'll magically be transported to that blog.  Click on the magic carpet there and you will fly back to Blog.

I'm also planning to blog stitch a piece once I finish my current project.  Stay tuned for that announcement shortly....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 9, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Gay Ann Rogers' Hearts Sale is TOMORROW

Gay Ann Rogers has retired from teaching but not designing counted canvaswork pieces. This year she is working on a portrait of Catherine the Great of Russia that will be offered later in the year (May?  Her annual October sale?).  Gay Ann also does a mini sale in February of charted heart designs.   This sale starts TOMORROW.  Some items are one-of-a-kind and the charts sold as kits are often limited in number so pay attention to the times the sales will occur.  I never remember because her starting time is most inconvenient for me so I miss out very often.  Don't be like me!
http://www.gayannrogers.com/hearts-2015.html

http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/2015/02/among-my-hearts-this-february-is.html

This year there will be four new heart designs (including the magnificent Imperial Emeralds Heart which is based on one of Catherine the Great's crowns), special antique awls, special scissors fobs and tool sets, etc.  There will be items for the Sweet Tooth box of stitching goodies, which is actually a repurposed See's Candy Valentine box that is used for stitching tools and supplies.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/catherine.html

If you have not seen her portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and the smaller portraits of Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick, you can see them here.  I don't believe these kits will be offered for sale again as GAR can't get the special tiny pearls and other beads used for them any more.  She says the Catherine the Great portrait will be much more opulent.  Hard to believe, right?
http://vimeo.com/31689238

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Mary, Queen of Scots and Her Embroideries

If you are interested in the embroidery of Mary, Queen of Scots, you will love this website that talks about the pieces most associated with her. 
http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/embroidery.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Pocket Histories of Bess and Mary

Gay Ann Rogers' husband is a retired history professor, which certainly came in handy when Gay Ann developed an interest in Queen Elizabeth I and her contemporaries and designed projects using that information.   He has written small booklets on Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick that stitchers interested in English history might want to purchase.
http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/2013/07/history-for-stitchers-small-booklets-on.html

I've read his supplemental material on Queen Elizabeth I which was part of Gay Ann's Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I class and found the articles interesting, scholarly and informative.  I have not seen these so I can't comment on their value.  There is a brief introduction to the booklets on Gay Ann's website plus links to purchase if you are so inclined.  I don't know how long these will be on sale so I suggest you act sooner rather than later if you are interested.
http://www.gayannrogers.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Visiting the Oxburgh Hangings

Thanks to the Needleprint blog, we can visit the Victoria and Albert Museum's online display of the Oxburgh hangings, small needlepoint slips stitched in the 16th Century by Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick.  You can get a quick peek at the Needleprint blog, or...
http://needleprint.blogspot.com/2013/04/see-mary-queen-of-scots-oxburgh-panels.html

... you can head straight to the museum's online display.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?listing_type=imagetext&offset=0&limit=15&narrow=1&extrasearch=&q=oxburgh&commit=Search&quality=1&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&after-adbc=AD&before=&before-adbc=AD&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch=

Tiny URL
http://tinyurl.com/bl6gjrb

The Summary and Further Information sections of each page are quite helpful in explaining what you are seeing. Many of these images are complex puns with many meanings, another example of the word games the Elizabethans were so fond of.  (Shakespeare uses many examples in his plays and poems.)

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.