D.E.S.I.G.N. for January

or Designers Everyone Should Instantly Get to Notice is hosted by Leonore and is a way to spread the word about different designers. My first thought when I saw this SAL was, "I don't stitch anybody's work that everybody doesn't already know about", but I went ahead and signed up because maybe, just maybe I do.

 

This month I worked on two pieces, one by Lizzie*Kate and the other by Homespun Elegance, but will focus on Homespun Elegance as I don't see her pieces in blogger land to often. The piece I worked on, and finished, was Blessings to All:

 

This was a freebie from either her blog, Plain & Fancy Merchant or website Homespun Elegance several  years ago. Leonore provided a list of questions/topics for each post (which I love as I don't have to think too hard):

Have you stitched a design by this designer before?  I have stitched one other Christmas ornament, but I can't find a picture of it. I do have many of her Cinnamon Stick Santas kitted and waiting for their turn in the rotation.

Would you buy/stitch a design by this designer again? Why or why not? Definitely. While primitives are not my usual style, there is something about her designs that do appeal to me. I saw a display of her finished annual Christmas ornaments at Haus Tirol in Williamsburg, Virginia and wanted almost every one and of course the Santas.

What made you chose this particular design/designer? Although Sandra has been designing for years, there are 20 of the Santas alone, I hadn't heard of her until I moved to Virginia. I did a search for cross stitch stores in Virginia and Homespun Elegance came back as hit. I immediately went to the website and found she was located in Fredericksburg which is only 35 miles from my house so I was thrilled. I was less thrilled when I saw that it wasn't a store but a designer's page, but when I saw all the designs, I was thrilled again.

 

Did you notice anything that distinguished this designer from others? What I really liked is that while her designs have evolved, she has remained true to her style.  Perhaps it is easier with primitives but so many designers have lost me when they started chasing the latest trend or changed their styles so drastically as to be unrecognizable. I do understand growing does sometimes lead to changes, but not such that I can no longer tell that a piece is by A, B or C. I also like that she frequently has companion pieces to her stitched pieces available on her blog and Etsy shop.