Tree of Life Mini Sampler by Lila's Studio
Stitched 2 over 2 on 28 ct. Bo Peep Pink
I've blogged about Lila's Studio before, when I first discovered her charts at my LNS, Just Crossstitch. Lila is from Collegeville (not far from me at all). This is the Tree of Life mini sampler I stitched up late last year on a piece of Bo Peep Pink linen I had in my stash. The piece was just the right size to stitch this up, and I'll eventually frame it to hang with some of our other bird pieces.
If you haven't checked out Lila's catalog, you definitely should. She has some really lovely designs, several of which I've purchased, and a few more are on my list. Some of the designs have a distinct PA Dutch / PA German feel to them. And I just spotted a peacock one that I hadn't noticed before that will make a perfect gift for a dear friend of mine who adores peacocks.
I like this piece because it has that PA Dutch feel to it, and it reminds me of a stitched piece my MIL has had hanging in her breakfast nook forever. Her friend designed and stitched it for her at least 30 years ago.
I had such a fondness for the piece that I stitched two more on 14 ct. aida cloth. (My MIL's friend no longer has her original work) The blurred area you see is our family name, just like on the one at my in-laws.
One of the pieces sits on a dry sink in our front hall, and we gave the other one to my BIL and his wife for their home. The design fits perfectly into a 5x7 frame, so this was a quick and easy gift for them. It's such a simple little piece, but it does have great sentimental value to me.
I did think at one point to stitch this four times, as a "Four Seasons" type piece with bare branches for winter, tiny pale green leaves for spring (maybe some pink blossoms), the green leave you see here for summer, and autumn leaves, but then I took a look at my stash pile and figured stitching this twice was probably enough, at least for now.
Destiny by Lila Umstead