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Society of American Mosaic Artists – SAMA

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This weekend I’m teaching a mosaic class so I’ve got mosaic on the brain. As I was shopping around for some extra supplies I stumbled on the Society of American Mosaic Artists. On this web site I found inspiration as well as information. This is a group I’m definitely going to join. One of the pages on their site that’s alot of fun is the suppliers and resources. I plan on doing quite a bit of mosaic in the future and I’m finding tons of inspiration in the materials available.

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A trip through the gallery pages shows members work and there are many different levels of expertise. Some pieces are so simple and lovely and others are these massive outdoor commissioned pieces, while others are sculptural. All very cool. I just want to glue tiles and glass to everything. Also check out the page for their conference so that if you’re a mosaic enthusiast you can plan ahead for a trip to Chicago.

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Designer Spotlight: Curious Carrie Designs

If you like seasonal samplers and cross stitch patterns with a primitive twist, you’ll enjoy the collection from Curious Carrie Designs.

You’ll find alphabet designs, biscornu, patriotic projects and more. The summer category is the largest on the storefront, with Americana and floral designs. There are also categories for the other seasons and more general designs.

One of my favorites is this pretty sunflower cross stitch pattern, which is shown styled as a biscornu but it wouldn’t have to be. The pattern features sunflowers and bees and a little beehive. It uses 12 colors of floss and each side of the pattern is 51 by 51 stitches, which comes out to 3.64 inches or 9.2 cm square.

I love the fabric she used for the sample, which she actually dyed purple herself, but it would also be pretty on a purchased light blue or other color if you don’t want to dye your own.

There’s also a whole set of themed biscornu with a four letter word on one side (crow, home, love and snow, to name a few) along with a seasonal pattern on the other side.

The shop has a rather small selection at around 90 patterns as of this writing, but it’s a nice collection of traditional looking designs heavy on samplers and biscornu designs, so if those are things you like you’ll want to be sure to check it out. Visit Curious Carrie Designs on Etsy to see all her pretty designs.

Are you a designer or do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t made it into the spotlight yet? (You can see all the featured designers in the craft businesses category on the page.) Let me know in the comments, or you can submit more detailed information by clicking on “suggest a craft” at the center top of the page.

[Photo: Curious Carrie Designs]