After the “First Steps” samplers (July 2003), I began designing a piece to use the 31 stitches which I’d just learned & was finished stitching it by Jan 2004!
Because I’d wanted to stay with blocks like the samplers I had just finished, I thought of bricks in a fireplace. The selection & placement of stitches was somewhat complicated by certain stitches which have a raised effect. I wanted a balanced effect. And, the 3 shades of red enhanced the brick effect while the Byzantine stitch helped create depth.
The hardest part may have been deciding what to put on the mantle. I do have notes on this project. And someday, I’d to recreate the fireplace using the same layout with a different background, various objects sitting on the mantle, and with stitch selections in the fireplace appropriate for an intermediate & advanced stitcher.
I named it after Fireside Stitchery in Frazer, PA. And, my “Fireside Sampler” was finished just in time to become a housewarming gift for friends, Jim & Deb.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 