When I saw the preview of the Country Cottage Needleworks Sampler of the Month posted on Instagram, I knew that there would be another new year-long project on my list. There was something so appealing about the size, shape, and colors of the January pattern that I couldn't resist. When Fat Quarter Shop announced a monthly club, I signed up right away. I chose the 32 count linen club since I prefer linen or evenweave to Aida.

The pattern calls for (and the club comes with) Wichelt 32 count linen in beautiful beige and floss by Classic Colorworks. I have completed or have in progress a few patterns from Country Cottage Needleworks, so I'm familiar with their pattern layout. The patterns are in black and white. Sometimes if my eyes are feeling a little tired, I will take some colored pencils and color in black and white patterns for easier stitching, but this time, I left it as is and didn't have too much trouble keeping track of the colors and stitches as needed.

I love the way the Really Tealy Classic Colorworks gives the house an icy vibe. I had recently completed a different Country Cottage Needleworks pattern that was winter-themed (which I'll show on another day), so it was nice to have the snowflakes be the same. I didn't have to re-learn how to do them.

It was a pretty quick stitch. It only took me about 18 hours to finish, and I enjoyed every stitch. The linen is imperfect, so some Xs are a little larger than others, but that's the way it is when working with linen. I mostly stitched one X at a time, even though it's faster to go across in one direction and back in the other.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do about a frame for this piece. It is finished on the pattern cover with a 4" x 9" frame from Family Tree Frame Co. It is a lovely frame, but it's not quite my style. It has a little too much going on for my taste, so I did some searching, first on Amazon, and came up with nothing. I then went to Google and stumbled across ArtToFrame.com. They seem to have a huge selection of items that I've only scratched the surface of, but most importantly, for this project, you can order any frame size.

Since I had not heard of them before, I was a little leery about ordering but decided the worst that would happen is that I'd be out a little bit of money. I typed in my inner frame dimensions and was shown a variety of frame options. I think there was a color or style that would work for anyone. I was pretty excited that they were affordable too. The base price of the one I selected, an off-white stain on solid wood, was just over $20. You can then choose the type of glass you want, from a basic plain glass up to museum glass. I selected something in the middle for this, TruVue Conservation Reflection Control, which reduces glare and protects from UV light. You also get your hardware choice, a simple sawtooth, easel back, a wire option, or easy hang. I went with the simple sawtooth since I was planning on using an easel from Amazon to rest this on.

It took about three from ordering to shipping, though I did order on a Sunday, so I wouldn't count that as a day. The shipping step of the way is where we ran into a delay. ArtToFrames ships from Brooklyn, NY. I live in western Massachusetts, so that's only about three hours away. Well, the frame went on quite the adventure with USPS. Instead of traveling directly to the closest hub to me, like I've noticed most of my packages do, this one took a trip to Nashua, NY. After hanging out there for a day or so, it headed to Boston, MA. And, there it sat for five days. It didn't move. I know that USPS is experiencing a crazy amount of volume, so I tried not to stress. After a week of waiting, I eventually submitted a missing mail request, and suddenly, the package was at the hub closest to me and was delivered the next day.

After its adventure, I was worried that the frame was going to be in pieces. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the securely stapled box and saw that the frame was nestled into a unique cardboard holder. I didn't take any pictures of this before sending it to the recycling pile, but I was super happy not to have to deal with all kinds of packing materials. The best way I can describe it is that the cardboard holder allowed the frame to be suspended in the middle of the box, safe from crushing. Overall, I'm very impressed and will certainly be back again for other projects!

To finish the stitched piece, I cut some Sticky Board down to size and spent more time than seems to look like centering the piece on the Sticky Board. I used straight Sticky Board with no batting since it's going into the frame, and for now, I'm keeping it behind glass. I might decide later I don't want it, but I'm pleased with it for now.

I'm happy that I finished this with a couple of weeks left to January. I wonder if I'll be able to complete the February one before February starts?

Details
Pattern: Country Cottage Needleworks Sampler of the Month - January Sampler
Floss: Classic Colorworks in called for colors
Fabric: 32ct Wichelt Linen in Beautiful Beige
Frame: 4" x 9" off-white on solid wood from ArtToFrame.com
Total Hours Spent on Project: 18 hours, 3 minutes