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Our Scarlet Letter Years 2016 SALs!!

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It’s that time of year to start planning what to stitch NEXT year!
We will have a few different SALs to choose from….
Pick one, two or all three!   

SAL#1:   Member’s choice! 

We will be having a vote for our most popular pick!  
Any Scarlet Letter sampler of your choosing!!   Yes, ANY!! 


Please comment on this post with your choice to place your vote - one vote per person please!.  First round of Voting begins on Oct 1.  The top 30 choices will go on to a second round of Voting beginning on Oct 18 with a final tally made on November 1!  This will leave plenty of time to gather supplies and get ready!!  Perhaps take a browse through our gallery for inspiration or visit the Scarlet Letter website.


SAL#2:   Quaker Quick Change!

This stich-a-long will give members a chance to be a bit creative if they wish!  Two Quaker samplers to choose from:  
Ann Grimshaw  (already a popular choice!).  


Either sampler is perfect to get a little creative with by picking a favorite thread color or linen.  So whether you are looking for a smaller or larger project one of these will surely fit the bill!  For more info on either sampler please click on the sampler name above.  





SAL#3:  Group Learning Project!

As the 2015 learning project was so popular and enjoyed by many, Nicola will be hosting a new learning project for 2016 – The Ann Lawle Sampler!   

This sampler features a variety of specialty stitches: tent, cross, French knots, double running, stem filling, Montenegrin cross and satin.  There will also be some pulled thread work to try too!  





We hope you will stitch-a-long with us in 2016!! 








The 2016 Group Learning Project - Ann Lawle

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I hope everyone is having fun deciding on which sampler they are going to nominate for one of the SALs for 2016.

It is going to be an exciting year with three SALs to choose from. If you haven't seen the post check out the earlier post on the blog or the pinned post on Facebook

The 2016 group learning project is Ann Lawle. You can read about the original which is in the collection of the Fitzwilliam here.

http://webapps.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explorer/index.php?oid=110562

This is the link for the chart

http://scarlet-letter.com/samplers/lawle.php



If you would like to participate in the tutorials/stitching notes please email me nicola.parkman@gmail.com

Anne Lawle - The Group Learning Project 2016

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I thought I would share a few close ups of Anne Lawle - The Group Learning Project for 2016. Isn't she beautiful?. 



For new members who did not participate in  the 2015 project Mary Hurst you can see the comprehensive stitching notes via the tab below the blog's banner photo. We will stitch Anne step by step together as we did with Mary.



I know we shouldn't wish our lives away but roll on January 1st so we can start stitching  her.

If you wish to join in please email nicola.parkman@gmail.com

Anne Lawle Thread List

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Last year our members came up with the name Mastering Mary for our group learning project, can anyone come up with a name for Anne Lawle.

Anne was charted way back when it was customary to sell just kits. Whilst the chart lists the threads used the quantity is not specified so here is the list with DMC/AVAS

5@ 712/brut
3@ 3012/2124
2@ 223/2941
2@ 932/1712
2@ 3750/1716
2@3051/2126
1@ 3045/3823
931/1714
744/2532
3371/4136
610/3835
370/4534
371/3833
221/2924

Plus two skeins of DMC cotton #822 for executing the cut and drawn work

Marsha has advised that the recommended cut of linen with a 2" margin is 15" x 33" on 35ct






Beyond the Little X – An Interview with Janet!

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This month we visit with Janet from Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom!  We sit and chat and learn about Janet’s stitching story.  She shares with us a bevy of beauties: from antique treasures to special needlework samplers and projects that are near and dear to her.   Take a look and see…..


How old were you when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch?

My mother always made clothes for us as small children and I have a photo of me in a smocked dress.  I was always interested in crafts, I remember stitching together hexagons which had been tacked over pieces of cornflake packets! I can’t remember when I started, there was always needlework around.  As a teenager I made many of my own clothes, studied Domestic Science/Needlework through to A level and made my own 21st birthday party dress and wedding dress.

Janet in her smocked dress


What was the first sampler that you stitched?

My first proper sampler was the Grateful Heart band sampler designed by Sharon Cohen and published in Just Cross Stitch Jan/Feb 09 & Mar/Apr 09. A modern interpretation of old patterns and beautiful colours.

Grateful Heart Sampler


What is your favourite time of day to stitch?
I lead a busy life and so my main stitching time is in the evening. Not necessarily my favourite time as it can lead to mistakes and reverse stitching!


Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have on hand?

I have an Orkney chair which is very comfortable. However, I do need a cover down the back as the woven sea grass is a bit scratchy! I keep my tools on a tray which has a tray cover designed by Thea Dueck of The Victoria Sampler Company. Usually my needle case, beautiful Italian scissors, tweezers, threads on wooden thread organisers and my Ort pot, of course, are all to hand!



Do you use the stick and stab technique, or a sewing stitch? Do you prefer to stitch in hand, or with a hoop or frame?

Stick and stab definitely.  I like my fabric taut to get a nice even finish.  I will even machine baste a strip of fine calico on to a small piece in order to get it onto the frame. I have gradually upgraded my stand and frame and now have a top of the range Millenium stand and several frames of varying sizes. Every time I went to a stitching show where John of “Needle Needs” had a trade stand I treated myself to another frame.  I was so lucky that this was before he was “discovered” by so many ladies that he is struggling to keep up with demand.  They are the best ever and well worth the cost and the delivery wait.



What is your favourite linen and thread?

I like stitching on any linen, except white, normally Zweigart as we do not have quite the selection there is available in the US.  Count – since my introduction to the Scarlet Letter I have a couple of pieces on 40 count but I do still work on 28 or 32 count.  Threads – DMC but more and more turning to silks.

Do you like specialty stitches and have a favourite?

I love speciality stitches and enjoy the challenge of mastering new ones, I think my favourite has to be Queen stitch.  I tend to get bored with a piece stitched in just cross stitch and need to rotate with more challenging pieces.

Daffodil sampler

Special gift stitched for a neighbor

When did you discover the Scarlet Letter?

This is quite a convoluted story!  I am a member of Jane Greenoff’s Cross Stitch Guild and at one of the CSG weekends a lady brought a Victoria Sampler piece – “Where Stitcher’s Gather” – for Bring and Brag.  I loved it so much I tracked it down, stitched it and a number of other VS pieces.  I travelled to Victoria for the VS retreat in April 2011.  We received many gifts including several of Thea’s alphabet small samplers.  I was told that someone has stitched all 24 as a single piece, searched www and found a picture of Nicola’s beautiful work.  Following her blog and there it was –the Scarlet Letter- and I was hooked!

Alphabet Sampler

What was the first Scarlet Letter sampler you stitched?

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I am only about 6 inches in to Mary Hurst! This was to be my 2015 main piece and I hoped to keep up with Nicola as she gave us such detailed notes but too many other things have got in the way this year.  Now we are going into the autumn and winter I definitely plan more stitching time but need to schedule time in the day when my concentration levels are higher!  I have the Huswif to stitch, all framed and ready to go.  I was lucky to receive Margret Gatis in the draw during the visit to Elizabeth and Michael Feller’s home.  That will be my next challenge. My stash of Scarlet Letter charts will be increasing soon.

Mary Hurst Sampler in progress


What is your favourite period of sampler-making and why?

No favourite period, I do however prefer patterns and alphabets to pictures.

Dutch sampler


Which designs appeal to you the most?

I love the colours in the Scottish samplers, especially the alphabets.  

Scottish Sampler

Although only cross stitch, the Quaker motifs are amongst my favourites.  I am lucky enough to own an original dated 1776.

Quaker 1776 sampler


Has working with reproduction samplers given you any new insight into the lives of the girls and women in the 17-18-19th centuries that you did not realize before?

I enjoyed reading both the Feller books about their samplers and just chatting with Michael during the visit I learnt so much more.  I am also interested in reading about the Bristol Samplers and the young people that stitched them.

How do you display your stitched samplers? Do you frame them? Hang them singularly or in groupings?

My collection of antique samplers is displayed on the wall up the stairs with a couple in our bedroom and several on the landing. 




My own stitching is on the walls of my craft room.  A room shared with my partner as he frames my pieces and his own photographs.  We are rapidly running out of wall space!!





Do you collect antique samplers?

Yes.  I look in antique shops when we are travelling and I also go to a small local auction house where they occasionally have just one sampler in a catalogue.  I have managed to purchase several nice pieces there including a map sampler which I obtained at a very reasonable price. 

Antique Map Sampler


My very first antique sampler was when my partner’s sister was sorting out an old chest belonging to their eldest sister who lives in Beirut.  This came out over her shoulder, I commented Oh that’s nice, was told “take it if you like it.......”  Of course I did!! I had it mounted and reframed by Jane Greenoff as it was before my partner did his framing courses and it hangs on my bedroom wall.

First antique sampler

My favourite antique is definitely my Quaker 1776 piece.  This will probably be surpassed as I have just purchased Dorothy Walpole plus her daughters from Marsha in a pre auction sale agreement.  Dorothy is so beautiful I just wanted to invest in her.

Antique Dorothy Walpole Sampler


Do you have any other collections special to you?

Over the 25 years of his career I collected many of David Winter’s miniature cottages and other works. I met him several times and always enjoyed meetings and get togethers with other collectors.

Janet's David Winter cabinets


What other types of hand work do you enjoy?

I enjoy machine patchwork and quilting.  Here is my nearly finished quilt being tried for size before setting the corners.  





I inherited my mother’s lace pillows and bobbins and have done just a little, attending several classes.  Here is my second bobbin lace project.  



I have also done a small amount of gold work, again at classes. As with my stitching there are just not enough hours in a day for all the craft I want to do! I have found that attending a class or a weekend, or even a week if possible, allows me to devote time whereas at home there are always so many other things that need doing.  How anyone who is retired can say they don’t know what to do I cannot imagine!




Any guilty secrets to confess?

I cannot fudge a mistake!  It has to come out – I know that often it would not be noticed by someone else but I know the error is there so out it must come!  My cat does help and likes to walk over the chair and tray of tools but so far she has not been caught asleep on my work, although she does like my quilt template folder if I am working in the craft room!




What has been your worst needlework disaster?
Getting to the bottom of the letter C on the VS alphabet sampler and finding the bottom didn’t line up with A & B because of a thread count error 2/3 of the way down – and Yes – it did come out and get re stitched! I then basted in the grid marks to avoid doing it again!

If you can pick just one, which is your favorite sampler that you stitched? And why?

It is still “Grateful Heart” until I get a Scarlet Letter finish.  I just loved the patterns and the colours.

My other favourite is a small sampler, again from Just Cross Stitch, which was my first on a finer count fabric.  It was a real challenge but I was so pleased when it was completed.



What Scarlet Letter sampler are you currently working on now? What do you most enjoy about it?

Mary Hurst.   It is my first - I love the design and really want to get on with her.  I need to complete the white work (I am using the pale blue silk) and get that done, I am sure it will progress faster once that is complete.  I need to schedule a day when in peace and quiet I can concentrate, I think that is why I have not made progress yet.

What other hobbies or interests do you enjoy?
Ah – now that is where my problem lies!! I keep bees, two hives only at the bottom of my garden, but they do need attention.   Here we are extracting the honey.  

Hives, bees, Extraction day, and buckets of sticky stuff!
My main other hobby is small bore target rifle shooting.  My stitching friends joke about the fact that they don’t know another stitcher who keeps bees and shoots!! 

I have been competing for nearly 30 years, was once at minor International level, but now am a good Club and County level competitor.  As County Captain for Buckinghamshire I have 45 shooters competing in winter inter county leagues, shooting at paper target at a distance of 25 Yards indoors. Cards are signed, witnessed and dated and each round is sent to a scorer for marking.  Most of the Counties in the UK have teams, all divided into leagues according to current averages and ability. Dealing with these as well as my own competition commitments is why my craft suffers for lack of time.  It may not be too long before arthritis prevents me shooting and then I can concentrate on the crafts!!  

GB Ladies team for Randle match August 2015 and winter league team cards
I qualified to shoot in the GB ladies team against the American ladies in August, we set a new GB ladies record and also won the match.  Each team of 10 ladies shoot their cards at their National Championship with an independent witness present who watches the scoring and any gauging of shot holes and signs the score sheet which is submitted to the organising committee. The GB Championship week in August is the last so we know the result quite quickly.

I also enjoy reading.  My favourite author has to be Terry Pratchett.  I have the full set of disc world books and will soon be starting back at the beginning and re reading them all.


Can you share a current project with us?

My Quaker sampler has been charted by a stitching friend, Jane.  My stitching friend Christine, who is a wiz with the IStitch programme, helped me size it and move the motifs around to fit the top of a beautiful wooden work box I found at The Button and Needlework Boutique in Victoria when I attended this year’s VS retreat.

Box for Quaker sampler

1 strand space-dyed Gloriana silk over 2 threads on 40 count





Thank you so very much, Janet, for sharing your stitching journey with us all!  It is so wonderful to see your beautiful antiques, stitching and needlework techniques that you enjoy.  It is so great to learn about your hobbies that mean so much to you.  While it is not possible for us to all meet each other in person your words and works are full of life and it is like you are sitting with each one of us! 



Final vote for Member's Choice SAL!

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There are 17 samplers that have now moved on to a final vote for our Member's Choice SAL for 2016!  

TO PLACE YOUR VOTE CLICK ON THIS SURVEY LINK - HERE!

You may comment below with any feedback or questions or enthusiasm for your favorite but only votes made on the survey will be counted!

Here is a sampler parade of all the finalists!  
The winning SAL choice will be announced on November 1st.  
Can't wait to see who will win!











































































FABRIC, THREADS AND PROJECT NAME CHOICE

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The two popular suggestions for the name of the 2016 group learning project are Advancing With Ann and Accomplishing Ann. Which do you prefer?

I will be using the fabric that came with the kit, it is a beautiful colour.

My plan at the moment is to substitute the white (mode) silk with one that is the same shade as the fabric to stitch the whitework band below the cutwork section. This is stitched with DMC thread which is also the same shade as the fabric.

Last Day to vote for Member's Choice!

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There is still time to vote for the 2016 Member's Choice SAL!!  

Please click to place your vote!!    VOTING IS NOW CLOSED! 

Can't wait to see what sampler is the favorite!!





Our Member's Choice 2016 SAL!

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Announcing our 2016 Member's Choice SAL! 

With a total of 270 votes collected we had a triple tie!!! 

30 votes each for Hanna Katerina, Sarah Dutnel and Ann Smith! 
Each one unique in it's own right. 
I expect there will be lots of happy stitching in 2016!




Beyond the Little X – An Interview with Pam!

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For our November featured interview we meet Pam from South Carolina.  Pam tells us about her journey with stitching and how her love of samplers brought her to designing her very own… something, I imagine, that many of us aspire to do! 


Pam, how old were you when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch? 

I was 25 years old and married.  I went to the Milwaukee County Technical school adult class and learned to needlepoint.  The session was 15 weeks for $1.00.  Best dollar I ever spent!  My teacher was Pat Wagner.  She is one of the best needlework teachers.  She introduced me to the Badger Chapter-EGA, a very talented group of ladies.


What was the very first sampler that you stitched?

I got the kit from a shop on Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay.  The kit was linen fabric and Danish flower thread.  The designer was a local needleworker.



What is your favorite time of day to stitch? Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have on hand? 

I stitch whenever I can sneak a moment.  Usually after supper on the couch.  I always stitched after the kids went to bed.  They are grown now with kids of their own.  I don’t have any special tools just my needle, thread and scissors and my magnifying glasses.


Do you use the stick and stab technique, or a sewing stitch?  Do you prefer to stitch in hand, or with a hoop or frame? 

I use the stick and stab method and prefer to stitch in hand.  I love to feel the linen.  I can take my needlework with me where ever I go.


Do you have a favorite linen and thread?

I love Zweigart natural linen in 30, 32 or 35 count.  I stitch with DMC floss as silk was hard to get and have stayed with DMC. 




Is there a specialty stitch or technique that you enjoy using?

I like the rice stitch and the queen stitch.  I don’t use them very often but do like their texture.



When did you start designing your own samplers?  

In 1979 after we moved to Nebraska.  I worked at a very nice needlework store and I sold my designs there under the name The Prairie Sampler.  My husband John always said that I see life through samplers.  Always looking for a verse, flower, house or event to put in another sampler.


What was the first sampler you charted?





Can you tell us about your creative process of reproducing samplers / designing samplers?  

I start with a color palette then pick house or verse or event.  Put a border around it.  Add an alphabet or two.  Put in cross borders.  Add motifs to fill in the open spaces.  Having the computer makes it much easier to do today than it did before computers.  Then we did it with graph paper, colored pencils, scissors and tape.


 
What is your favourite period of sampler-making and why? 

18th century American.  It truly amazes me how these children stitched their needlework with no electricity, heat or air conditioning on such fine linen.  Their skills are so amazing and their perseverance to finish their complicated designs.  I am 64 years old and my skills are not as fine as theirs or my perseverance.



 
Which designs appeal to you the most?  Certain stitches, colour schemes, animal motifs, houses, perhaps?

I call them double sided houses.  My first sampler design I stitched a double sided house.  I have a collection of them on my computer.  This is one of the pictures I have saved.



When did you discover the Scarlet Letter?

In 1980.  The Scarlet letter workshop was on Coffee Road in Milwaukee. Marsha is one of the reasons that I am stitching samplers today, Marsha shares her love of needlework with us.  Back in 1980 sampler making supplies were not readily available.  Here is a picture of my patterns from the SL.  I tell people I am the curator of my sampler pattern collections.


 
What was the first Scarlet Letter sampler you stitched? 

Heloise Williams.  It was designed by Marsha - not a reproduction.  I always take the sampler and make it mine.  I learn from the little girl that stitched their sampler so many years ago.  Here is my adaptation.

Adaptation of the Scarlet Letter's Heloise Williams sampler


How do you display your stitched samplers?  Do you frame them?  Hang them singularly or in groupings?  

I frame most of them.  I hang them singularly most of the time.   Groupings are nice but it is hard to see each sampler and what is on it in groupings.



Do you collect antique samplers? Or have any other collections special to you?

My needlework and sampler book collection.  I have a library room with my books.  I have been collecting them since 1976.  My first book was A Pageant of Patterns for Needlepoint by Sherlee Lantz and Maggie Lane.


What other types of hand work do you enjoy? 

Bobbin lace.  I am just a beginner but it is very relaxing.


Any guilty secrets to confess? 

I always have a can of soda nearby.


What has been your worst needlework disaster? 

I have been stitching for 40 years and I have been very lucky.  I have never had a true disaster.  Knock on wood!  I have learned there is always a plan B.


If you can pick just one, which is your favorite sampler that you stitched?  And why?

I can’t pick just one. 
Each sampler tells a story...... 



.....and I love them all.


 
Are you currently working on a Scarlet Letter sampler or other sampler? 

I would like to stitch the Scarlet Letter Mary Hammand sampler.  I am currently working on a needle roll and sampler I designed.



What other hobbies or interests do you enjoy? 

I love to play golf, travel to 18th century American towns, volunteer as an 18th century needlework/instructress at our 18th century living history park in town.  Here I get to stitch in a re-created 18th century log building just as the little girls did so many years ago.  I get to educate the public on how important samplers are to our history and what they mean.  I designed a sampler for the park in 18th century style using the Meeting house on site as my theme.  We had the sampler made into lap throws and pillows to sell.  That was so much fun.  All of the proceeds went to the park.  They are no longer available.

Meeting House Sampler by The Prairie Sampler

                                                                                                               

Thank you so very much for sharing your story with us, Pam!  It is so wonderful to hear about your designing process and seeing your beautiful samplers.  I am sure we can all agree with you that samplers tell a story for us… the houses, the verses, the motifs all speak to us in a very special way.  No two are the same and why each and every one is to be celebrated! 



Beyond the Little X – An Interview with Jackie Du Plessis of It’s Fine-ally Finished!

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For this month’s interview we are delighted to sit and chat with Jackie!  We will hear about her journey in stitching, how she came into teaching and creating three dimensional art, and the stories about the projects that are near and dear to her heart.  Her stitching and embroidery skills are truly amazing to see.  Each and every detail is so special.  Grab a nice cup of tea and have a good read.  It will feel like Jackie is sitting right next to you!  

 
Jackie, how old were you when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch?

I honestly can’t remember how old I was when I first had a needle in hand.  My childhood was idyllic, spent playing with chickens and calves while building mud huts with the farm’s workers children.   We spent our days outside mimicking a grown-up world of make-belief.   When we moved to the coast, my neighborhood was filled with boys so I rode bike, played cricket and Robin St. Crusoe always exploring and looking for treasures.   I do remember, most too, all the woman in my family and our family friends were creative.   My mother and two grandmothers were always busy, knitting, quilting, gardening, painting, pottery, sculpting, singing and writing.  Being creative is simply a part of us all.  I think I learnt the most from me Mom.
  
What was the first needlework project that you stitched?

I now wish I kept all those doll clothes.  For my sixth birthday I received a Cindy doll. I still remember her being blonde and beautiful, in a slender cardboard box.  She was dressed in a red bathing suit with open toed high-heeled sandals.  We were instant friends and she became my travel companion.  With me turning six that year, big girl school would start and Cindy did not have the necessary school uniform.  I recall my mom helping me, making her a blue jumper and white shirt.  I hand stitched an emblem on that jumper.  So Cindy’s uniform emblem must be my first stitched memory.   

I was 8 when at school we were assigned to embroider a placemat.  Here is a picture of that placement.   It showcases rudimentary cluster blocks on Hardanger fabric in browns and orange with a Herringbone outline border.  I use the Herringbone stitch often in my work; this must be why I am so partial to the stitch.  



WhenI was 12, we had to make a dress for school and then walk wearing it in the fashion show.  I was so shy and afraid of falling; the poor boys in our class had to be the dwarfs.  I was the second tallest girl in my class and none of the boys had not come into their growth spurts yet, I remember that I really like this short dwarf.


The first time I was able to see the entire line of DMC fibers, was when we moved/immigrated to the US in 1995.  I was astonished to see the selection and could not wait to buy/use every color. 
Arriving and living in Indianapolis for four years, I joined the local EGA guild, took out every needlework book from the library and spent those years just soaking it all up, refining and developing.
The Indianapolis library was stocked with wonderful books and there I found Janice Love’s Hardanger Instruction books and taught myself to hardanger.  I remember well buying that cut of Lugana and almost falling over at the cost of the yard piece.   (Remember I was still converting Rands to Dollars at $6 = $1 and today it’s $14.60 =$1. 



Here is a picture of one of the four corners of my Janice Love table cloth teaching.  I could not wait to complete it, worked on it day in and out, almost for two months.  When finished, I showed it at EGA “show and tell” the ladies were so encouraging.  I have to admit – this will probably be the one and only for me to complete!  I love hardanger but find adding color and making objects into functional 3-D objects more rewarding.   
Here is a of a toddler dress with bullion stitch flowers I made while we lived in Florida in the late 1998.  I loved exploring the different fibers now available to me.  I made the dress from Irish linen and used Floche fiber to work the chain stitch and bullion stitch flowers.   



Hetsie Van Wyk, who wrote ‘Embroider Now” and “How to Embroider” taught my grandmother to do “combined work”.  Here you see a combination of counted thread and surface stitches.  The Sorbello stitch is worked with pearl bottom.    This blue fiber on white Lugana table cloth was worked when she was still 83 years young. 


 
Hetsie’s book can still be found on e-bay now and again.  I often pull mine out and use it when designing.  I have an Afrikaans and English version.  A funny note, I can’t follow the Afrikaans version, I have no connection to the stitching terminology, and I only use my English version.  I must stitch in English then.    

A closer look at the Sorbello stitch.   


Another table cloth my grandmother made for me – Unfortunately she did not add a hem, and I have been reluctant to add it, so it’s neatly stored but I pulled it out to share her work with you all. 



My mother was a phenomenal quilter.  Her free hand quilting skills were amazing.  She was able to teach many quilters in South Africa and here in the US her skills.  I feel very fortunate to own a few of her pieces, now my treasures.  

Below is a view of a Trapunto quilt she worked as a class model.  I added the scissor to show scale of her machine stippling. 




Here is a view up close of her work.  See how all her corners meet perfectly.  My mom taught me to pay attention to detail, her color selections were outstanding; I hope we share that color gene too.

 



This quilt hangs in my entry way.  It’s called “New York Beauty”  I cherish it everyday!



What is your favorite time of day to stitch?  Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have on hand? 

I enjoy stitching when the house is quite – when everyone has left for work and school, but my most favorite time is when the morning light is bright with sunshine.  It makes all colors look brilliant.  I often work at our dining room table.  It’s a large table, in front of a bay window, that allows plenty of natural light and I can spread all my fibers and linens out on the table.  I love adventure of starting a new project.  Seeing how it develops and grows to completion.   
 

Do you use the stick and stab technique, or a sewing stitch?  Do you prefer to stitch in hand, or with a hoop or frame? 

I stitch in hand mostly using the stab technique but when my samplers are large I’d like to put them in scroll frames and then I work in a stand.  When deadlines are looming and I need to complete a project, I will scroll frame the linen and use a table stand so that I can work with two hands.  Stick and Stab is the only way I stitch, but when finishing I will sometimes use the sewing technique. 


Do you have a favorite linen and thread?

My selection of linen is dictated by the project I am creating. When stitching samplers my first choice would be Lakeside or Legacy Linen.  When 3- dimensional pieces are created my preferences is working with the linen that has sizing in it such as Wichelt or Northern Cross linens.


Is there a specialty stitch or technique that you enjoy using?
Specialty stitches – I love them all.  What I really like doing is adapting stitches to meet my design needs.  I create three-dimensional objects where the linen sometimes needs to have texture and color – so the linen becomes the fabric of the shape.  That is why I use many different stitches, such as pulled-thread, surface and textured stitches to achieve a desired look.  When I started teaching my main focus was to utilize a sewing machine to explore the different aspects because of my tailoring background and now I find myself moving more towards complete hand finishing.


When did you start creating your own designs?

I used to finish for chart-print designers, students and other stitchers.  With my finishing company being used by so many needlepoint and counted cross stitch shops, I realized there was a great need to show stitchers how to finish a basic pillow, ornament and stocking.  This was in the early 2000s.  It made me think of how I could do it…and Ifound myself thinking and dreaming of projects, in which to show/teach a finishing technique.

The first project I created to teach was BEE Safe – I did it in two color ways – a solid AVS silk for class and then a hand-dyed version for an on-line session. 



Bee safe is completely stitch on the exterior and finished with silk fabric on the interior.  I find that I adapt my linen ground by adding color and texture so that it becomes a usable fabric to create the object.  

Examples are:
Celadon – the front of this etui is linen with silk but a hand-dyed fiber with pulled stitch is used to create the filigreed fabric. 



Ella’s Slipper –
Hand-dyed fibers were used to stitch the toe panels for this dainty slipper



Secret Garden - A combination of hand-dyed fibers and specialty stitches were used to create this completely stitched folding etui with flower box pockets and detached buttonhole fountain for button storage. 


Then Briar Rose was my first project created for a workshop where I was the sole teacher.  It has been a favorite of mine for all these years but recently I had to retire it and offered the last of my supplies as an on-line class.  I find it is becoming a huge challenge obtaining and maintaining a current source for supplies used in projects. 




A vew of what it looks like getting ready for a class, all supplies cut and sorted. 



What led you to designing three-dimensional needlework?

All forms of needle art inspire me but the greatest satisfaction I get is when a pretty object becomes functional.  Three-dimensional pieces allow me to make a pretty object functional.  

When offering classes, so much focus is being paid to the finishing aspects that I wished my students to practise these techniques.  I started making smaller complete supplies kits – calling them Make-it Kits.  

These I offer for sale at classes and via a Newsletter offering as “Show to Sell”  and Facebook.    Facebook has been a wonderful took – connecting the grapevine of information.  If you are looking for me, I am JackieIFF. 


Can you tell us about your creative process of designing?   What inspires you? 

What inspires me of can be anything from a coloratura shape to a button to away the fabric falls.

Inspiration comes in many ways, it could be a button, fiber color, a pleat in a piece of fabric anything basically.  When something intrigues me, I can’t stop thinking about it.  I find myself driving in the car thinking, doing daily chores while still thinking….and that’s the start of the process.  I sometimes wake up very early and needing to work until I have the concept or the shape figure it out.  When I have the concept figured out and in concept I mean “object” I will then select my linen and then either the lining fabric or the fiber pallet. 

This project is called Thistlewood.  Purple is my favorite color and when I found this bolt of silk, I knew immediately I wanted to create a shaker styled roll-up etui covered with thistles. 



The removable pin keep has a linen pocket for scissor storage, a ribbon tool bar and the thimble dimple. 


I wanted to create a thistle interior, so the silk lining fabric is manipulated into a drawstring pocket to look like a thistle and a tiny thistle tassel embellishes the top green silk pocket. 


Which designs appeal to you the most?

It could be just the color scheme and the specialty stitches that make me look at a sampler twice, but most three-dimensional objects appeal to me.   Historical samplers are very inspiring but I try focusing on what is relevant to me as a needle artist so I try and create objects that are fitting to our time in either color scheme or functionality.

This is Ebony and Ivory, it was a joy to create.  



Working with only two colors creating different values by adding ivory silk underneath as lining to areas and weaving ebony ribbon into voids.




Above is the silk fabric ort container that stands and collapses.  All my friend’s husband thinks this is the coolest of all of my projects.  


This picture shows the carry-all created using combinations of three silk strips machine sewn and then encasing a shipping tube.  Two sides were added as well as a ribbon handle. 


Do you display your stitched pieces? 

I purchased a lovely class display cabinet last year, thinking it was large enough, but I found I needed two additional class shelves to showcase all my tiny treasures.  This display case is in our living room so our guests stand up to go look at my treasures; it’s always very interesting to hear the comments.  It is very interesting what appeals to the woman versus the men.   




What other types of hand work do you enjoy?

During my lull times I knit, the fiber and colors sooth my need to doing something.  I find the knitting keeps my hands busy, my mind at ease and gives me a feeling of accomplishing and not wasting time with idle hands.  I am not a good knitter – but a suburb yarn purchaser! 


What has been your worst needlework disaster?

Touch wood…I have not had a mayor disaster…but thinking of wood. 
This past year’s seminar project for Annie’s Needle arts festival in Williamsburg VA, used a beautifully handmade Birds’ eye Maple frame…and the love of my four legged live, my whippet Leo decided that it would be a wonderful teething ring.  That specific day was my husband’s birthday and we decided to go out for lunch.  My work went into my sewing box, placed in the center of our dining table, the wooden frame under the linen cuts that I have been working on for days….upon our return, wooden bits were “Hansel and Gretel -ed” around the house.  I broke down crying…maybe due to the stress of getting the project completed to meet deadlines or just the fact that this stunning purse frame was not more.  Leo knew he had done wrong and true to whippet character quietly left the room and spent the day in his bed.



Leo




Here are three dogs enjoy the winter sun.  Two Vizsla and one Whippet. 


 
Now that I think of it, another disaster could be the retirement / discontinuing of supplies.  I created this basket many years ago, it’s called Treasures of Comfort, with needle book.  The linen was discontinued before I had a chance to buy supplies and could only teach it twice.  I hope to one day, rework it with linen, but for now my creative path journeys forward.



If you can pick just one, which is your favorite project that you stitched? And why?

Florine’s Palm-Vane and Reticule could be my favorite at the moment.  I think it has to do with my husband’s comment.  He is a wonderful supportive and encouraging man that always finds the time to look at the object I created during his work day, always with a kind work of “ That pretty” or “That’s really nice” but showing him Florine he said “ I have to show my Mom” – I knew  that moment I did good.   




A view from above to show the stitched reticule handle and open fan needle case.  

   

The added storage area of the bottom panel – I will be working on accessories that will fit inside this tiny secret area in the next few months.  



In the Sampler and Antique Quarterly magazine of 2010 and 2012 – Fall issues, the Indian ink and Case of Indian Ink was featured.  I have since added the third case called “Star of Indian” as well as ornaments and ort containers and photo holders.  Maybe this is the collection I favor the most.  A very dear lady said to me after stitching Indian Ink, “Jackie, it’s like pop-corn…I could not stop until it was done”.  


Are you currently working on a project that you can share with us? What do you most enjoy about it? 

I have just returned from Williamsburg where I have been teaching at Christmas in Williamsburg for the past nine years.  Everything since October has been placed on the back burner until this week of my return.  It’s the last of my teaching and I spoil myself by working on someone else’s work.  Here you find Martha Edlin – wip.   I will be alternating between her and a few ornaments I would like to see on my Christmas tree (worked on 52/62).  The day after Christmas “Boxing day” will be spent getting ready to work on the new project.  Such as the Sweet Pea Sewing set with Cherry workbox, Tribute and Ode.


 
Here are pictures of the “Ode” project’s desk.It is a cherry lap desk filled with needle workers accessories all styled as writing tools and implements.   This wonderfully crafted cherry lap desk will be lined with stitched band panels reminiscent to the time period of Jane Austen, showcasing her lovely English garden.  The needlework accessories will showcase a variety of techniques for finishing and assembly.  Inside you will find a needle book fashioned to look like a dictionary, a inkwell thimble holder, pen-wipe pin cushion...all the treasured tools Jane would use.   



In mid January if all stitching on my new projects go well, I hope to announce an on-line class offering.  The class will focus on finishing with strawberries as the theme…below is a sneak picture of the dimensional strawberries with pincushion, thread winders and workbasket I hope to offer. 


What other hobbies or interests do you enjoy? 

I love buttons, simply owning buttons.  I do not think of myself as a button collector…To be a collector  in my mind is to obtain the perfect /ideal  one and only…not me, I love them all and buy all when able to do so in many shapes and sizes.  My first love are carved diminutive mother of pearl buttons.    I have spent many hours looking in many different places for these tiny treasures.   

I am an art teacher by training and favor the Post-Impressionist artists such as Cezanne and Gauguin but I do love modern cubist art as well.   To be able to work with glass and color such as Chihuly does is breathtaking.  Working with glass is on my bucket-list.   


Merry Christmas and happy blessed New Year filled with many hours of stitching.  

Regards,
Jackie.



Thank you so very much, Jackie, for bringing us into your world of stitching and three-dimensional art!  Your personal stories are so special and yet, I am sure, pull at similar heart strings in all of us.  Your projects are all so detailed and beautiful, they will surely inspire us on our own stitching journeys.  To keep up on all of Jackie’s endeavors please visit her website here.  Perhaps you will be inspired to join a class or two! 



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Thanks to everyone who participated in the holiday gift draw.  Despite today's horrific sleet storm (ongoing, fingers crossed that the power won't go out) all prizes were sent today and I hope you receive them soon.  Four new designs are in the works now and you'll be the first to know.  All the best for everyone in 2016!  Cheers, Marsha

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Coming soon, a very nice ship, with a lovely cut and drawn work outer border.


Accomplishing Ann

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I have just posted  the first stitching notes for Ann Lawle so that everyone has the chance to read through them and will be ready to start on January 1st. SEE TAB BELOW THE GROUP BANNER PHOTO

There is NEVER a silly question so please speak out if you are unsure of anything.

Active discussion and the pooling of knowledge is welcome and encouraged so please join in.

I can always be contacted via email nicola.parkman@gmail.com or by private messenger if you are a little shy.

ENJOY !!!! Ann is another beauty from Marsha's  wonderful collection.

Happy New Year!!

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Happy New Year!
Whether you choose one of our 2016 SALs:
Ann Lawle, M Quertier, Ann Grimshaw, Hanna Katerina, Ann Smith, or Sarah Dutnel.... 
or a favorite Scarlet Letter sampler on your wish list, 
 we wish you lots of fun stitches this year!!

 


Accomplishing Ann - a mid week update

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I have had an email asking why I have basted stitches around the inside of the framework for the cutwork panel together with the center vertical and horizontal lines.


We are using these basting stitches for two very important reasons:-

to ensure that we have laid our satin stitch framework correctly, we cannot be one thread out

and

to act as a guide for which threads to cut when we return to this panel at a LATER stage.

I cannot emphasis enough how important it is not to take short cuts with this type of work. Threads can be repaired but it is fiddly and time consuming.

In the diagram below the light blue lines represent the threads of your linen, the green the satin stitches for the framework and the red the basting lines. 

The little scissors show the threads we will be cutting LATER, the diagram to the right show the grid we will create when the cut threads are withdrawn. 

The remaining threads will be reinforced by wrapping thread around them.

Accomplishing Ann - the 2016 Group Learning Project

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The file has been updated to include week two's notes and can be viewed from the tab at the bottom of banner photograph.

Accomplishing Ann

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Week 3 notes have been updated and are available via the tab below the bannger photograph.

Beyond the Little X - An Interview with Inguna!

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For our first interview of the New Year we visit with Inguna in Belgium!  We sit today and learn about how Inguna began stitching as she shares her story and her samplers with us.  You will see that she has a true love for samplers, including Scarlet Letter samplers.  You will truly be amazed and inspired by all of her works. 

Inguna, how old were you when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch?
I was around 40 when I started cross stitching, that is less than 10 years ago.  I am a self-taught embroiderer. 
I grew up at home where women were not really busy with fancywork.  My Mom didn’t do any needlework at all.  Her passion was, and still is, gardening.  My maternal grandmother who lived with us used to sew clothes, but besides that she also didn’t do any other kind of needlework.  I never got interested in sewing and still today I don’t like to use a sewing machine.  I learned the very basics of knitting and crocheting at school.  When I was 17 I took some knitting classes at our local culture center and got seriously hooked on knitting.  The only problem was to find good materials to work with.  Latvia in those days (1980’s) was still a part of USSR.  We experienced a regular shortage of different things and needlework supplies were not an exception.
In 1985, after finishing secondary school I left my hometown and studied biology at the University of Latvia.  During the third year of my studies I joined one of the most famous knitting groups that existed in Riga those days.  The group was called ‘Atkalnis’ and it was led by a very inspirational lady Baiba Balode.  We were focusing mainly on designing and creating contemporary apparel – sweaters, cardigans, dresses, coats, anything.  I stayed with this group for about 10 years.
In 2002, during an international biologists congress in Oslo I met André – a very talkative Belgian biologist.  In 2005 we got married and I moved to Belgium.  Finding a job in my profession was almost impossible and with our son being born a year later it was convenient for everyone that I’d stay home.  Somehow I lost interest in knitting and needed a new hobby to pass my free time.  I thought that it would be interesting to try cross stitching.
And it just happened that the first needlework magazine I bought featured two lovely and small antique French red work samplers … my interest for samplers was triggered instantly... 


I liked them a lot.  And although I didn’t stitch them I started to look out for similar things in other magazines, needlework shops and the internet.  Joining several sampler related groups on Facebook, seeing wonderful finishes of reproduction samplers made by other sampler lovers and getting to know designers that reproduce antiques, brought my passion to a new level.
In 2012 Gigi (GigiR Designs) was looking for someone who could help her with charting.  I offered my help and that was the beginning of our collaboration.  Susie Pierce 1889 was the first antique sampler I charted.


What was the first sampler that you stitched?
My first sampler was an alphabet sampler from DMC. 


What is your favorite time of day to stitch?
Any time is a good time for stitching :)  Usually I do some stitching in daytime while my son is at school and then again late in the evening.

Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have on hand?
Yes, I always work in the same place – at my office table.  My magnifier lamp is fixed there so I hardly stitch anywhere else.  I like to keep a chart on the table in front of me and I usually color the stitched parts with a marker.  The laptop computer also has to be at hand – to check the news, to listen music or watch some movie while I am stitching the more boring or tedious parts. 

This is a view on my window from the outside.  The huge Hydrangea shrub takes away lots of light, but I like it too much to let it go.  It also is the favorite place for a bunch of sparrows that nest under our roof.


Do you use the stick and stab technique, or a sewing stitch?
I use stick and stab technique.

Do you prefer to stitch in hand, or with a hoop or frame?
Most of the time I use a small wooden hoop, but free-hand stitching I do, holding my linen in hand.


What is your favorite linen and thread?
Most frequently I use hand dyed cotton threads: The Gentle Art, Classic Colorworks and Week Dye Works, alone or mixed with DMC.  I also like NPI and AVAS silks.
When it comes to linen, I prefer to work on 40ct linen.  The 35-36ct linen is also good, but sometimes I find it difficult to get a good coverage with cotton threads. For some colors one strand doesn’t cover well enough, but two strands of thread result in too bulky appearance.  Week Dye Works – Linen, Beige, Confederate Gray, Lakeside Linens – Light Exemplar and Exemplar, Zweigart Newcastle – Flax, Light Mocha and Sand –are my favorite linens.

Do you like specialty stitches and have a favorite?
Yes, I do like specialty stitches.  They add interest to the needlework.  Counted satin is probably my favorite.

When did you discover the Scarlet Letter?
I can’t tell precisely, must be some seven years ago.  But I remember that the first Scarlet Letter chart I purchased was the Ann Grimshaw Sampler.  I ordered it from Kunst & Vliegwerk, based in The Netherlands.

What was the first Scarlet Letter sampler you stitched?
The first Scarlet Letter sampler I stitched was the Ann Hall sampler.


It was followed by Susan McPherson’s and Gennett Clapp’s samplers.  All three samplers were finished during the first Scarlet Letter Year Challenge.






What is your favourite period of sampler-making and why?
The band samplers do not appeal to me too much, so I will say 18-19th Centuries.

Which designs appeal to you the most?
I am attracted to many different styles of samplers and do not have a particular preference.  I surely like samplers with rich flower borders and flower baskets, houses, cows, sheep, deer, all sorts of funny critters, Adam & Eve and cherubs.  But I also enjoy the more geometrical motifs featured on Vierlanders, Quakers and Friesian samplers.  Alphabet samplers are great, too.

Has working with reproduction samplers given you any new insight into the lives of the girls and women in the 17-18-19th centuries that you did not realize before?
No, I don’t think so.  But I would really have loved to see them at work.  Often I wonder how these girls composed their samplers.  Some of them are so well organized and balanced that it is hard to imagine that they were done without careful planning.  How did they start their work?  Did they make some preliminary drawing how the sampler should look like or just added motifs as they worked the sampler? 
I admire their imagination and really love all the funny little details they added to their motifs; also the way they tackled problems like running out of space.

How do you display your stitched samplers? Do you frame them? Hang them singularly or in groupings?
Hmmmm… now I have to hang my head in shame.  None of my stitched samplers is framed and on display. They all are rolled together and stored in the cupboard.  So far, eagerness for patterns and stitching supplies has pushed aside the need for framing.  My sampler roll now contains close to 30 samplers. I feel it is time to start thinking about framing some of them.


Well, since I do not have a nice sampler wall to brag about, I will just show a few pictures of samplers from my sampler roll.
Anna Shütze 1847 by Wiehler Gobelin


Elizabeth Welford by Handwork Samplers


PDW 1730 by Merkwaardig (The Dutch Sampler Lover Association)


Mary A Bunce by GigiR Designs


Isabella Fox by GigiR Designs


K&V 9304 Friesian Sampler with The Wise and The Foolish Virgins


Margaret Ann Klinedienst Sampler by Queenstown Sampler Designs



Do you collect antique samplers? Or have any other collections special to you?
I have a few antique samplers, not really a collection.  The most famous of my antiques probably is The Red Deer Sampler which was given to me by Gigi.  I love its folk art look and heavy original frame.  This sampler has been charted and published by GigiR Designs. 


Two more of my antiques have been charted and released under the wings of GigiR Designs – ‘Madonna and Child Sampler’ and ‘Mary Forsyth/ Mary Brown Sampler’.

What other types of hand work do you enjoy?
There used to be times I didn’t spend a single day without knitting.  Nowadays I knit only when we go for longer road trips.  I can’t stitch or crochet in the car, so I knit socks - usually striped ones, because it is fun and makes counting easier.


Ten years ago when we moved into our house, which is almost a 100 years old, I decided that it would be nice to have crocheted curtains on all windows.  It took about five years, with some longer breaks in between, to crochet them.  All together I made 11 pieces, 6 of them like the one you can see in the picture, 3 wider and 2 narrower. 

 
Any guilty secrets to confess?
I drink coffee at my stitching table.

What has been your worst needlework disaster?
I had a bright idea to wash a sampler after I had finished it.  The red color bled and left pinkish stains on the linen.  That was the Janet Ferguson sampler from R&R reproductions.  I didn’t manage to recover it.   

If you can pick just one, which is your favorite sampler that you stitched? And why?
I think that each of my samplers could be my favorite for one or another reason.  But If I have to choose one, then it would be the Mary Eaton’s sampler by Scarlet Letter.
Firstly, it is a very lovely sampler with an attractive design and colors.  Secondly, for me it’s a real milestone.  This was my first attempt to tackle free hand stitching.  I was gladly surprised that it turned out to be easier than I thought.  It gives some confidence to continue and try even more elaborate designs like Ruth Bolerwoth by The Essamplaire or Rebecca Cullin by Scarlet Letter. 

 
 

What Scarlet Letter sampler are you currently working on now? What do you most enjoy about it?
Currently I am working on the Chieveley Sampler which is not a Scarlet Letter’s design.  But this year I surely want to do at least one or two Scarlet Letter samplers.  I haven’t made up my mind yet which one it will be, there is a lot of choice :)

What other hobbies or interests do you enjoy?
I love to read.  In my young years my favorite books were ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë and stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.  Now I would say Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and The Hours by Michael Cunningham.  From time to time I like to re-read ‘Changing’ by Liv Ullmann.  And I never lost interest in good crime novels, particularly Scandinavian crime.  My favorite time and place for reading is at night in my bed.
I frequently listen to music, especially when I am alone at home.  I don’t have one favorite style, but a good deal of what I am listening could be described as melancholic, dark, reflective.  Some of my most favorite artists are Nick Cave, Calexico, Tindersticks, Sigur Ros, Nouvelle Vague, Julee Cruise, Anouar Brahem, Stéphane Pompougnac…


In first years after my move to Belgium I tried my hand in orchid growing.  We both, my husband and I were really fascinated by diversity of this plant family.  In a short time we gathered a rather big collection of orchids.  Many of them thrived and flowered well.  Unfortunately, in the long run it turned out to be a very demanding and time consuming hobby.  All sorts of parasites were yet another problem that we encountered.  And of course, my growing passion for samplers also played an important role.  So, after several years of intensive orchid caring, we decided to radically downsize the collection.  Here are two of my favorites.
Arpophyllum spicatum


Coelogyne cristata

Those who visit my Facebook profile maybe have noticed that I frequently share insect images. Macro photography and particularly insect photography is my husband’s hobby.  He is very good at this and I truly enjoy his work.

Thank you so very much, Inguna!  Your samplers are such an inspiration for us all.  I am sure everyone’s to-do list has grown after seeing your beauties.  There will be must-have and must-do’s for us all.  It has been wonderful to see not only your stitching but other handwork and learn about some of your favorite things!  While we all have a love of stitching it is so nice to hear about each other’s hobbies and interests.  Thank you for sharing your stitching and your world with us! 

Accomplishing Ann

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The link for Week 4 notes has been updated.


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