One of my bucket list items is to eventually learn how to do Hardanger embroidery. I’m getting there – I took the plunge in 2021 to cut threads for the first time, but I need to do some practice scrap work to figure out Dove’s Eye stitch and some of the other wrapped bars.

Enter Victoria Sampler charts… which are well known for their use of Hardanger at the bottom of their band samplers…

In 2014, I received a copy of the Jazz Sampler by Victoria Sampler as a door prize at the Stitcher’s Hideaway Winter Escape retreat. It also included the floss pack. I loved the piece, given my love of music, and knew that eventually I’d want to stitch it. Not quite yet, though. At that time Max was only a year old, sleeping was still a luxury, and I was just barely able to stitch my basic stuff – Hardanger was not in the cards!

Fast forward a couple years, and I thought it was time to get it going. I had fabric ready to go, had project bagged it (the “now it’s official” move), and I had it in my “will start in January…” batch. But then it didn’t happen… and didn’t happen… and didn’t happen.

Finally for the #NYE12x12 (New Year’s Eve 12×12 stitch-a-long) in 2021 hosted by Just Keep Stitchin’ on FlossTube, I decided to just get it going. Didn’t matter if I only put a few stitches in. It needed to start. With the basic outline of one house, it was underway before the ball dropped in Times Square.

I feel like getting this first band of houses done will be the hardest part until I get down to all of that cutwork. I always struggle with the first batch of motifs in any project before I get into a groove on a piece. Jazz Sampler will move quickly into a series of less intense bands. The people are fairly blocky with color – not as many color changes to progress as there are with these houses.

And if I don’t feel comfortable with the Hardanger by the time I get to the bottom? Well… I can always leave it off. 🙂

No timeframe for finishing this one – I imagine it’ll fly pretty quickly once I get into the groove on it. I’m not quite there yet, though.