Daisychain Alphabet Sampler
September 23, 2011 This past Spring, I was visiting one of my very favorite blogs and nearly fell over when I saw this beautiful sampler (pattern available as a PDF)!
I HAD TO MAKE IT! I just HAD to. I mean come ON people!
Now you may or may not know that I like little. Remember my obnoxious decision to make my FWQAL blocks 5" instead of 6 1/2"? And the Mini-Series I started this week? Well, I'm doing it again.
But lemme 'splain .. there is a method to my madness.
See, Alicia's sampler is stitched with crewel wool which is thicker than embroidery floss. I'm a flosser. However, if I use the original pattern size with floss, the letters will look a little too "skinny" for me. Plus, I want my sampler to fit easily in an 8 1/2" x 11" pre-made frame.
So I reduced the size of the pattern to about 70%.
Now I love Alicia's sense of style, but the colors she used for her version just wouldn't work in my house. So I picked these little pretties.
Have you tried COSMO embroidery floss yet? I was a hard-core DMC girl until I tried these ... now I'm a Cosmo girl! (Tee hee!) But seriously, this stuff is awesome. Super Buzzy is one online store that carries the entire collection of solids.
I based the colors on my all.time.FAVORITE fabric lines - Paris Flea Market by Moda (2004?).
You guys, if I could be reincarneted as fabric, THIS is what I would look like.
So for the next little while I'll be sharing my progress with you here and there in amongst my Mini-Series & FQWAL and other silly things. Not quite as big an undertaking as Project Simplify, but I hope it will entertain you a little. And maybe inspire you to get the pattern and start stitching up one for yourself. ;)
Daisychain Sampler, Embroidery 
Reader Comments (27)
Paris Flea Market is my all-time favorite too! I still have some hoarded.
Okay, I need that pattern! So pretty, and it's educational, right? I mean, how will my baby learn to read if I don't embroider the letters!
I just love Posie Gets Cozy! Her felt Christmas ornaments (esp. the red wool coat!) are SO adorable! I have never embroidered before, but use the DMC floss for counted cross-stitch. Yes, I am intrigued. My project list has grown rapidly since following your blog! I love, love, love the colors that you chose. Paris Flea Market must be in your "forbidden pile", yes? :)
This is totally on my list to do too!
You be careful with that embroidery, it's dangerous!!
Happy weekend,
Vivienne x
I still love that fabric! ;0 So pretty and I never bought any??!! At the time, I was into bright colors. My bad. :( At least someone will make something beautiful from it.
Can't wait to see the progress. Yes, I'm a Cosmo girl, too!
I hadn't seen your blog until Camille Roskelley's post the other day and haven't missed a day since. I'm also looking at past blogs and am amazed how fast you get things made, the quality of your work and all the things you do! And you have a family!! How amazing you are. Thanks for sharing because you truly inspire people like me to make more things and try no new things! Thanks.
Thanks for the pattern and the idea to minimize it and use floss (definitly DMC!).
Hildy
Please. please ...... stop posting beautiful things that I want to do NOW. OK, I don't mean it!! Love the sampler. I don't know if Cosmo is available here - I will have to inverstigate.
Good evening from england, your gonna have to stop blogging for say a month to let me play catch up im on june so i have 72 blog post left to read and thats with out you adding lol . I never got chance to see that paris fabric line. After reading your blog ive only just found the wounderful world of fabric and well im stuck :( where do you start? I have a machiene but i do think it has limits and well i have a basic sewing box few needles , couple of threads kinda thing nothing special guess what im trying to say is HELP lol, ( and who better to ask then a queen of sewing like yourself ;) )
Hugs
Vikki
P.s omg omg omg you emailed me thanks you so much its so nice to be noticed on a comment bigger hugs from over sea's to you .
Hello Vikki and everyone else who leaves me comments or just reads them here. I read EVERY SINGLE COMMENT left and REPLY TO MOST of them - privately. Some days (when either the house is totally tidy or I'm hiding from the vacuum) I will reply to everyone. Other days I don't quite get to responding to you all. (Forgive me, please!)
I really appreciate it when you take the time to say Hi or share a story with me. I'm just a stay-at-home mom (usually still in my pjs) making things that make me happy and sharing them with you while I try to figure out what I want to be when I grow up and my children don't need me anymore. :)
The sampler is gorgeous and I love the threads you've chosen - can't wait to see it!!
Love your blog! I bought Alicia's kit the moment that she posted it!! I bought the kit with the crewel yarn in it and I am not too good at it! I have been thinking about using floss so I can't wait to see yours!
btw..I had just started quilting when PFM came out and my sweet husband bought me the full fat quarter set..including the wovens!!! I have never ever used them!! I love them so much that I cant cut them. Isnt that silly? I have been thinking about using them in a big Swoon quilt though.
This is going to be soooo pretty! Just don't try to do it all in one day, OK....Cosmo girl.....I don't know if there is a store to purchase it from in Colorado Springs,,,,,may have to go online :)
Paris Flea Market - absolutely beautiful fabrics and definitely an all-time favourite. Your alphabet sampler is going to be so very pretty.
Yeah! Paris Flea Market is my all time favorite. Am keeping some in my stash for that very special quilt I will make someday. Absolutely love the alphabet sampler. Just found your blog and know I'm going to enjoy it. THANKS!
Kristyne, I love the threads you picked out for this piece. Do you know what kind/color of background fabric you plan to use? It's going to be fun watching your progress! Kd - www.KdQuilts.com
I'm another who just found your blog via Camille...it is sooooo delightful, and I'm so happy to see each new post. Will invest some time reading older ones asap. I'm in TOTAL agreement about the Paris Flea Market line. I still have a bit left from my half-yard collection. I've made a quilt for myself and one for my niece from it...need to use it up on something else very special for myself, I think I see the newest 3 Sisters line looks similar, with the words and map of Paris again. I know I'll be buying that one! If you ever find out who those 3 Sisters are, would you tell me???
Seriously fabulous! Can't wait to see yours in the colors you've selected - YUM!
I haven't been quilting that long and this is the first time i have ever seen Paris Flee Market ,i can understand why its your all time favourite, its gorgeous. As is this beautiful sampler you are about to undertake. Now, me and embroidery aren't the best of friends my satin stitch is the worst ever, but i am looking forward to watching you complete yours letter by letter, only this time make sure you give yourself lots of breaks no more injuries.
Now i am off to search the 3 Sisters website to see what Amy was talking about and also going to have a look at your Cosmo floss.
Kristyne ... I've got a few tears in my eyes - this is so pretty.... and the comments you are getting and that fabric ... I have touched and seen your pile of this - and I have never stopped looking for the Paris Map - and I have still not found it :(
I just cannot tell you ... I am so proud of you ... I'll go dry my eyes now!
Thank you for pointing me to Posie Gets Cosie! I haven't been to her blog in ages and that is my loss. ;0 I fell in love with her wool ornaments! ;0
Enjoy your weekend with your family Miss K and I'll see you bright and early for Mini Series Monday!! ;0
Love, love, love your blog!!! I found out about you on Camille's blog and I am reading EVERYONE of them! Love your sense of humor. Keep up the great job. I now check your blog daily before I do anything else in the morning.
Hey Kristyne! I'm with everyone else: my list of quilty/sewing things continues to grow as I read your posts! I'm a slow turtle, and am so happy that fall is getting here so I can really get going on projects - love this time of year!! Can you let us know the color numbers of the Cosmo thread in your picture that you are going to use (the colors you have chosen are just wonderful, so pretty and feminine) and also what material would be good to use (I'm not sure what would be a good weight or color of fabric to use). I'm thinking about following in your shoes on this project since I didn't follow along on any of your Project Simplify (I didn't find your blog soon enough - sheesh!!) and am now kicking myself big time! You are the best!!
I had not seen your blog until Camille posted about you the other day. I now have two favorite fabric ladies to inspire me! I have a daughter who is only about 3 weeks younger than Camille's youngest. When she was first born I thought I would never be able to sew again....LOL...but now that she plays on the floor and isn't getting into too much trouble yet I have been quite prolific. =) I love the sampler pattern you shared. I bought it and plan on making it to put in her big girl room when I move her out of the nursery. I think it will look so awesome! So thanks for sharing that. I also love Camille's Simplify book...just finished Sweet Pea. It came out so pretty. I want to make everything in that book too! Anyway sorry if I have rambled but I think you are awesome and look forward to following you with all your projects! Thank you!!!
~Sarah
Can you tell me what Cosmo colors you picked? =)
I really love your blog and just got to this post.
I love all the stitchery you did (have already seen it cause I read from actual to way back),
and now i realized that the link to the template isn´t working anymore. Can you give us a tip where to get it?
Thank you!