THE LEAVES BY HUNDREDS CAME Cross Stitch Sampler Kit is now available for pre-order. Please CLICK HERE to order.
So, it's really fall. It's still kind of sinking in. Amelia's first week of school went blissfully, thrillingly by in a flurry of new shoes and new routines, long drives and books on tape (thank you for the recommendations). It's been nothing short of extraordinary, for all of us. She seems to have, literally, matured before our very eyes, all in the span of a week. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. I went from having zero time to myself during daylight hours to having six entire child-free hours a day, and I'm still getting used to that, and now am missing her profoundly. In a good way, but still. These milestones. I mean, everyone says this will happen and then it does. I remember this so well four years ago when she first started going to a lady-in-the-neighborhood's house for two mornings a week with three other little kids. Leading up to it I was really excited to just have a few hours of time to myself, and then a couple of days before it was time for "school" to start I totally lost my nerve and got profoundly nostalgic/sad/happy-in-a-sad-way/generally emotional about everything and nothing at all. It was like my body, unleashed from its constant, real-time diligence, sort of blobbed out and puddled in the road. I feel like that today, heightened, perhaps, by the morning's golden light, and cool breeze, and suddenly red leaves. I don't know. Her tap shoes came in the mail yesterday when we got home from school and she hastily pulled them on, and had me tie the bows. Immediately afterward her grandma drove up, bringing with her two big pieces of big bubble wrap, and Amelia's glee as she tap-popped every cell in her new black-patent shoes and her turquoise tights almost brought me to tears. Fall. I get choked up. She loves everything so much. And I love her.
Here is The Leaves by Hundreds Came, a piece I stitched earlier this summer in anticipation of just this lovely, fleeting season. Autumn is the shortest and most precious season we have here in the Pacific Northwest, at least in my opinion. It starts off warm and bright, gets cool and crisp by October, and sometime in November, once the rains and wind have whipped the trees bare, it is quickly over. The title is taken from a line from a George Cooper poem:
October's Party
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came —
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."
Vital Statistics:
Finished Size of Design Area: 6.25"w x 8.5"h (16cm x 22cm); 100 stitches wide x 138 high on 32-count fabric
The kit contains:
One 14" x 16" (36cm x 41cm) piece of 32-count evenweave embroidery linen in Milk Chocolate (color 95) from Wichelt
(46) 24" (61cm) lengths of various colors of DMC 6-ply cotton embroidery floss
Stitching instructions
Full-color cross-stitch chart with symbols over color blocks
One piece of chipboard for creating a floss organizer
You will need your own:
#24 tapestry needle(s) for cross stitch
Embroidery scissors
4" (10cm) embroidery hoop
Frame and framing supplies
If you are new to counted cross stitch, or need a refresher on the basics, please see my "how to do counted cross stitch" tutorial here.
This kit is designed to fit in a ready-made 8" x 10" frame. All you need to do is make sure the frame is deep enough to fit a piece of foam core (and glass, if you want to use glass. I never use glass. I don't like it. I have my embroidered pieces hanging all over the house, and I don't feel that they suffer appreciably for being exposed). What you will do is wrap you embroidery around a piece of foam core, and stretch it with the help of about a million sequin (about 1/2" long) straight pins. You can read my tutorial about how I've done that in the past (though I finished the rest of the framing with custom frames at a frame shop). But with an 8" x 10" piece you can even buy the pre-cut foam-core at the craft store (JoAnn's or Michael's, or easily online) for just a couple of dollars. A frame store can also cut foam core for you for just a few dollars if you ask nicely.
This kit will be shipping sometime around the middle of October. We have the fabric and floss on hand right now and I just have to send the pattern off to the printer this week. We will assemble and ship as soon as possible, if we can manage it sooner than mid-October, and I'll keep you posted on our progress here.
The pattern-only option will also be available separately as a downloadable PDF, but not until sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'll post here when that is ready, too.
This kit is done with two plies of DMC cotton embroidery floss on 32-count linen. That means it has sixteen stitches per inch. If you are interested in waiting for the PDF because you're worried the 32-count linen is too small, I think you'll want to read this post about cross stitch that I wrote a couple of months ago. It will help you determine what supplies you need to purchase, particularly fabric.
And, as always, I carry my favorite embroidery supplies in my web shop, should you need lovely, high quality tools. These are the exact ones that I use every day.
I also have put together a new lotion bar for fall, and it is delighting me enormously. Here is Autumn Woods:
As I mentioned when I first launched lotion bars this summer, when I started dyeing yarn earlier this spring my hands started to get really dry from all of the washing and rinsing of yarn I needed to do. I got interested in making lotion bars with my own customized essential oil blends. Lotion bars are great because they have no water in them, so they last for ages and a little goes a long way. I've been really pleased with how they well they work and they smell absolutely amazing! Autumn Woods is made with beeswax from local bees; coconut oil; unrefined shea butter; lanolin; and essential oils of cedarwood, fir, balsam Peru, and a drop of cinnamon. It's such a nice, light, earthy, spicy smell. I totally love it. By the way, thank you to all of you who provided feedback on the first round of lotion bars. Everyone was so nice and happy with them that it made me feel so great. I'm so glad you like these, and, in addition to this new one, I'll also have a new one coming for winter, as well (probably sometime in November). These don't sell out; as I develop new scents and source new molds all of them will be available indefinitely in my shop, so keep them in mind as stocking stuffers as we get closer to Christmas, because they make perfect little gifts. We'll make as many as we can sell.
To use, just hold the lotion bar in your hands for several seconds until it starts to melt a bit, then rub lotion into skin and cuticles, or anywhere you need some TLC. It also works great on feet, elbows, and knees.
All bars come in a reusable tin, as pictured. Please note: Lotion bars are solid at room temperature but can start to soften in very hot weather while in transit. Your bar will be packed in its tin with absorbent paper, but shipping it at this time of year may result in the design appearing a bit soft by the time it reaches you. This won't affect its qualities. Many people did say that they received their summer lotion bars in very hot weather and they looked absolutely none the worse for wear, so I feel pretty confident that yours will look great. But I did want to mention it just in case.
We do ship overseas! To place your order, you will be required to read this information, which contains details about international shipping and customs fees you may incur when ordering outside the U.S. (If you are overseas, the shipping cost charged by Posie does not include any further charges you may incur when importing goods.) To see the shipping-only costs for your order and location, just place the items in your cart and choose your location (or enter your zip code, if you are in the U.S.) and it will tell you how much the shipping is. As usual, I have a sincere request: Please check on and update your shipping address correctly in your Paypal preferences so that there is no confusion when we go to ship. If you do need to add things to your order or change your address after you've placed the order, just email me. I will cancel your order and you can place a new one with all of the things you need, etc. I used to try to combine orders manually for people and it has just gotten too complicated for me, so I'm going to go back to my original policy of just one order per person if you want everything you order to ship all at the same time. If you place two orders, I will assume that you want me to ship them separately unless I hear otherwise.
Please note that all supplies, and anything else you order at the same time, will be shipped along with your Leaves by Hundreds Came kit and lotion bar. If you need other items before the kits or lotion bars go out, please place a separate order that will ship right away.
Whew. THANK YOU everyone. I am very excited to get into my new routine and have more time to work. I have so many ideas coming up and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you.
With love and gentle thoughts for this most tender season of change,
Alicia
What a beautiful post. Fall is indeed a magical time! Amelia looks so cute in her 1st day of school picture. Such a precious girl. The new sampler is gorgeous! I love it. It will look so nice with the others. The soap is wonderful. Everything you create is magical! I really hope you are still working on the dolls from earlier in the year. They were/are delightful. Have a wonderful Autumn and school year.
This one is my favorite! It may convince me to buy all the patterns!
Beautiful cross stitch! May I be so bold as to say you might consider changing the name of your Knitters lotion bars to Crafters Lotion Bars.
Beautiful! That's one hardy mushroom to hold up that tea kettle (haha)!
You've done it again, Alicia! With this series done, I hope you'll design a whole new series. You're such a great designer.
Hurrah! I have been eagerly anticipating your final design, and it’s just gorgeous.
Wishing the best for your lovely girl’s first school year!
This is such a sweet pattern for fall. I especially love the girl and the teapot. Your patterns are so unique! I recently purchased a quilt pattern and can't wait to start working on it.
Oh, how I have been waiting for this one. Of course, my stitching is a lot slower with two little ones at home, but I find time here and there to start or finish a motif and it's so satisfying! This one is lovely and I am so excited to add it to my pile.
If I may ask where do you get your molds... they are spectacular
Hi Alicia, I haven't commented in a long time, but I still follow your posts here, and I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your life and work here. I immediately had to pre-order this latest cross stitch for my Autumn daughter's birthday. She's 14 now, and I got her your first one last year, the wintry one, and it meant so much to me that you seemed to rush it out to me in the mail last year (per my request) in time for her birthday (or at least very close to it). It's on my mind again because my daughter just pulled it out to work on it after setting it aside over the summer. I love seeing that and how it really seems to bring her joy to sit for a few minutes with it each evening after her long, busy days. Thank you. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store this fall! And yes, I completely relate to your parenting emotions, which rush ahead eagerly to the next milestone and then are all mixed and heart wrung when it arrives. (!!)
Your lotion bars look great! I can almost smell it now. Excited to get one :)
Fall, or Autumn as we call it, is not my favourite season. In fact I don't like it at all, my hair and skin react very badly and I feel so out of sorts. I have no idea why! But this cross stitch has made me smile and I cannot wait to sit and work on it as the nights draw in and the colder weather settles on our patch of land. Thank you so much for your lovely kits.
I have just placed my pre-order of your Fall cross stitch kit. I love it so much! I also have the kits from summer and spring but don't have the Winter one. I'm wondering if you think you may make a new kit for the coming winter since last winter is sold out? Your work is just beautiful!
P.S. I know you are working so hard on everything, so let me express great enthusiasm for a seasonal/Christmas cross-stitch kit, if you are so inclined (I missed out on the Love and Joy one a few years back and was so sorry!)... :)
Alicia, you are lovely. Thank you for sharing the heartwarming poem.
Hi... i ask where yo got your molds.. if you don't want it all over can you please email me where you get them. . I have no desire to sell my creations, just want to try to make some... and love your molds thanks so much. .I have ordered from you before and just now have finished some of my projects.. christmas ornaments and the abc picture.. .love all that i have from you :)
I love the lotion bars and will definitely be ordering for stocking stuffers😊
I’m so excited Alicia! What a beautiful pattern! I carried your lotion bar in my bag to work today, planning for when it would get busy and stressful, knowing I would stop right in the middle of it all to rub that lotion bar on my hands and inhale the scent before taking it all on. Ha Ha! It was great! Thank you! Jeannine
This Fall cross-stitch is perfect, the colors are wonderful. My very favourite one is still Love&Joy, but this one is also magical. I love fall, it’s the best season for me and sometimes nature and smell in the air is so right that it almost make me cry, the feeling is close to the one you’ve described this spring when talking about one of your friend.
I was on vacation so I missed Mimi’s first school day, I love her outfit, it’s so great you make her clothes again! And her shoes are nice too)) I really hope that you will be able to sew something for her in future and show us!
Everything you make is so lovely! I definitely want to purchase some of those lotion bars for gifts :)
I LOVED the fall poem you included in your post. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, followed closely by winter. All my friends think I'm crazy. :-) Here is a sweet verse I memorized my first year in college (38+ years ago) -- from a greeting card I bought at the campus bookstore.
The sky is gray
The leaves have turned to gold
Winds whip the clouds
The year is growing old
New on the thorn
The berries cluster bright
Lighting the lamps of winters’ night.
I am so thrilled to hear that lotion bars will be in stock allllll the time! Now I can use mine with impunity, right down to the nubs. They are so beautiful and the designs and scents go together so well - can't wait to receive my autumn ones.
Happy Autumn! xo
Thanks Alicia for another beautiful design and kit. I have made up so many of your kits over the years, most of which been gifted to other people. The 4 seasons kits are going to be mine though, I have just the spot for them in my dining room. Handy work has bought so much comfort and peace to me over the years, thanks for being a part of that.
I have to say, "I ache for autumn." It is a season we don't have so much in southern California. I love your new autumn cross stitch. I love that poem and all things autumn. Here is how I truly feel about autumn in case you don't know by now.
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
--George Eliot
This is a wonderful season for baking.
Blessings, Julie Joiner
What a nice surprise to see your final x-stitch pattern and it wasn't sold out - Yay! Of course, I purchased one. I can't wait for Fall Season weather - my favorite time of year! Yes, it is always so bittersweet to be a mom and send your kids to school - I'm a grandma and I feel that way about my grandkids too! It's amazing to value that free time once school is in the picture and the mix of emotions (which you described perfectly) - I work part-time and I still feel that way. As always, love your blog and look forward to seeing your part of the world!