The Alphabet Club

It's the first Saturday of the month, so it's time for detention!

"They only met online, but it changed their lives forever"

I think most of you know the lovely enigmatic Chiara who blogs at The Grey Tail?  We were chatting via email a while back and between us came up with the idea of an A-Z language challenge.  We batted some ideas around and are calling it the The Alphabet Club.  Chiara has the full details on that link but basically she will post a link-up post on the first Saturday of each month (Saturday being detention day in the film) starting with the letter A and we will all link up with A themed things, from stitching to designers and local customs.

Now there was a vote on Chiara's blog as to whether we would start in July or August, and August won the vote.  So I thought I would start a month early, but not with A.  I toyed with the idea of inventing a new letter or maybe using a symbol but then thought I would go for the Entire Alphabet, yes, all of it.  In other words - Alphabet Samplers I have stitched.  So here are just a few...

A little tiny one from a cross stitch magazine back in 1995

Blue Sampler, started by my Mum and finished by me in 1995

Spooky Hallowe'en from Better Homes & Gardens book of Alphabets and Borders.

Stitched in 1996

Another tiny from a cross stitch book, stitched in 1999

Sampler for the Large Boy, chart from a library book.

Stitched while pregnant in 2002

Freebie from Vavi

Stitched on 40 count linen in 2012

A Dark Alphabet

Free design from  Note of Friendship 

Stitched over 1 on 28 count tea dyed evenweave in 2011-12

Turquoise ABC Sampler from Cross Stitcher 249

Stitched on 32count evenweave in 2012
Birth sampler for my friend with her two children's names added

Scarlet Letter - Elizabeth Burrows 1725

Stitched on 35 count SL linen

Using Olde Willow and DMC

This sampler was stitched as part of the Scarlet Letter Year challenge to celebrate Nicola Parkman's 50th Birthday in 2013

The Little Owl Sampler by Knotted Tree Needleart from the Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en Ornie Special 2012.  Stitched in 2014

So, there we have it!  A wide selection of alphabets for you to enjoy.  Of course, several of my samplers have an alphabet somewhere within them but I wanted to show those where the alphabet is the main focus of the piece.

To finish off I will show a year long project I completed in 2013, the JBW Alphabet Kitties:

I chose a different fabric and thread colour for each month and finished them into a little ornie embellished with a suitable charm.

Finally, the cat pictures bring us nicely to the Summer Postcard Blog Hop where the theme is Pets.  So far it seems that stitchers love their cats!  I do have some other animals too and it would be nice to have some more. The first postcard has been sent out to Stitching Noni, so go and stalk her blog as it will be appearing there soon.