The Loretta Spears Design Archive: February 2020

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Victorian Heart

Victorian Heart has turned up on eBay this week. Published under Needle Adventures name, this is a heart sampler with rows of hearts, Bargello, and Smyrna crosses in shades of pink and at least one overdye on white line drawn canvas. Date unknown.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-Needlepoint-Pattern-MyPocket-VictorianHeart-XmasHeirloom-SparklingPlaid-PN538/333511094265?hash=item4da6cf6ff9:g:GX4AAOSwEj5eQbIx

Materials List:
white needlepoint canvas
pink overdye, probably Needle Necessities. #180?

lavender Anchor cotton floss?

Mill Hill beads #2010

silver Kreinik metallic

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Welcome to the Loretta Spears Design Archive

This site is a record of the designs published by Loretta Spears between roughly 1986-1996. After her death, Loretta Spears' family honored her wishes by not republishing any of her mystery designs or ornament charts and have refused multiple offers to license her designs. The only places you can find them now are on eBay or through stash sales.

I plan to list all the magazine articles and charts that include her designs, and describe them to help her fans know what is available. This is a collaborative effort and I wish to thank everyone who helped develop this site to honor and document Loretta Spears' work. By the way, the header photograph shows part of Fascination (Mystery #10) stitched by Needleartnut with the title created by lara hartley.

If you have further information about Loretta Spears' work or would like to share photographs, please email me at LorettaSpearsDesigns@gmail.com

About Loretta's Mysteries

There were fourteen mystery pieces total. Though the kindness of DH, I have the descriptions of each mystery as Loretta posted them on her old website (now gone). I also have a separate article about each mystery in blog postings which you can find by searching "Mystery #1," etc. Each mystery article has Loretta's description, a list of threads, photos of the threads she specified if I have them and finally photos of finished pieces and links to websites showing them. If the finished piece shown isn't in Loretta's colors, I'll tell you. If you don't want to see photographs of the mystery pieces, click on the Mystery Designs Checklist tab at the top of the blog under the header photo. That lists only the designs with Loretta's own description of them.

Not For Sale

Please note that this site does not have any Loretta Spears' designs for sale. In fact, I don't own any of her designs, and the kind folks who helped me with photographs and information do not wish to be asked to sell their charts. Your best source for her designs is eBay where currently mysteries go for $20-250. The small ornament charts seem to sell for around $5-50 although these don't turn up that often, making a price prediction hard. Needle Adventure charts for pieces such as Florentine Fantasy and Bargello Fantasy are common and usually sell for $5-10 although you can get bargains occasionally. (Currently the ornament charts aren't selling well so you can probably get some good bargains.) The old Needlepoint Now and Needlepoint News magazines with Loretta's charts also turn up on eBay periodically and go for $2-4 but they can be pricey due to shipping charges if you must buy a group of magazines to get the one you want.

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Sunday, February 16, 2020

My Pocket (Loretta Spears Designs)

Victorian Heart (Needle Adventures)

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