Settle in, it's a chunky one!

 

Let's just breathe, shall we? Let's look at new fall stuff, and new stitchy stuff, and talk about stitching plans, and pet some fluffy kitties, okay?

Fourth of July has come and gone and in my autumn loving heart, it is time for fall. Every year I have to strongly resist the urge to drag out all my fall decorations on 5 July. What I do instead is allow myself a couple of new goodies to get me through the rest of the summer. So I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby and found some stuff I needed. The picture above is a set of fall lights and they are so much prettier in person. These are real fall colors--orange, brown (yes! brown lights!), and gold--not just the orange you usually see. Initially I only got one set, but after getting them home and plugging them in, I went back for a few more sets. They're that pretty.

I also got some pretty trees and a tiny canvas print in soft autumn colors.

Of course I've done a little stash enhancement: a sweet winter fox and some mini quakers.

I also got some lovely bird scissors to go with my Nimble Birds sampler I'm working on. These cut well and feel substantial.  They're available in several finishes (this is bronze) in a number of Etsy shops and on Amazon. I assume the manufacturer is the same.

Project bags! Can we ever have enough? The fancy handmade ones are beautiful but they can be expensive. I fully support those who make things by hand charging what their work is worth, and I have a couple of these, but if you need a lot of them the cost can be prohibitive. I was nosing around on Amazon and found these mesh book/document bags and I love them. These are well made and come in a set of four for about $15, but there are a number of similar styles and sizes to choose from. Just a thought, in case you want to do a bunch of project prep at once.

For the second year in a row I've purchased the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue. For me, the annual JCS Christmas Ornament issue and later the annual Halloween issue were must-purchase for many years, but after JCS was sold, I found the changes to the magazine didn't suit my taste. Last year I was pleasantly surprised to find several things to stitch in the Halloween issue, and there are some cute things in this year's issue as well. I always used to look forward to these annual issues and it's nice to do so again.

I think I might eventually stitch all three of these designs, and maybe even a couple of others. Yes, I'm still working on Summer Birds, still working on Nimble Birds, but y'all. Halloween is calling. What do I say? Well, kinda like resisting decorating for fall in July by buying a few autumn things, I plan to spend a little time putting together the supplies for a few of these projects (project bags!). Choosing fabric and pulling threads is fun and that should hold me for a bit. Maybe I can sneak in a Halloween stitch here and there!

So that's what's new in the sewing room. As promised, here are some sweet, fuzzy babies to smooth out your day!

Tummy rub!

Happy Stitching!

June Basket

 

I'm still on track with the Cosford Rise Stitchery flower basket series! The only change to this one is the same change I've been making throughout this series, which is to use DMC Blanc for whiteish or off white colors, just to add a bit more brightness. This one has a busy little bee.

And here's January through June. Such a charming little series; I'm really enjoying stitching these. Along with my bird project, I am definitely getting in some colorful stitching this year.

Summer Birds, So Far

 

How bright and cheerful and fun is this?! This is my progress so far on my Summer Birds project and I have to say, it's turning out exactly as I had envisioned it and I'm having a blast stitching all these birds! I wanted a colorful jumble of birds in a variety of styles, and I think I'm well on my way to achieving that. Although I don't have many yet, I'm looking forward to getting these finished so I can begin working on my display. It will be a bit sparse at first, but I hope to fill it in over the rest of the summer. 

These just make me smile.

Hope y'all have a wonderful Independence Day and a safe and peaceful holiday weekend. The month of June was a little wild at the Wonderful household, but we made it through and I am tired! I would love to spend this long weekend in the sewing room, reclaiming it and getting some work done. We'll see. 

Enjoy the holiday and Happy Stitching!

Nimble Birds

Finally got started on this gorgeous bird sampler, Nimble Birds by Owl Forest Embroidery. (I put links to all my Owl Forest sources in this post.) I'm using Owl Forest threads and stitching on 32 ct. Sand Dollar by new-to-me fabric dyer Tropical Stitches. My plan is to work on this sampler throughout the summer alongside my other bird projects. 

If brightly colored tropical birds are more your thing, there is a companion sampler called Exotic Birds.

Happy Stitching!

Summer Birds: Barn Swallow

 

Another little lovely from Pigeon Coop Designs! Isn't this one so pretty? It's one of a pair of swooping swallows. I only stitched one because I'm trying to get as many different birds stitched as I can, but at some point I'll stitch the other one. The only changes I made were using DMC Blanc for the clouds and using a Smyrna stitch for the single stitches, as I like the look better than single cross stitches and they're easier to finish off if you're not carrying thread between stitches. He's stitched on 28 ct. Blue Whisper.

I am so excited for the Pigeon Coop Designs book being released at the end of July. I provided links to all the PCD stuff in this post, in case you missed it.

Also, I just noticed this morning that he is having a great sale on his digital patterns until the end of June. If you've been thinking about picking up a few, now would be a good time!

Happy Stitching!

A Recipe For You

 

While looking for snack recipes to try for Mr. Wonderful, I found this one for protein balls/energy bites, made half a recipe as an experiment, and proceeded to eat most of them myself (not all at once, y'all). I love this recipe. It's easy and has everything you need in a little pick-me-up snack: protein (peanut butter and protein powder), a quick-releasing carb (maple syrup), and a slow-releasing carb (oatmeal). I also added 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips, because... chocolate. They're delicious, and keep very well in the fridge. I used a small cookie scoop and got about a dozen and a half from a halved recipe. For me, one is usually enough if I'm feeling a bit crashy. 

Enjoy!

Summer Birds: Baltimore Oriole

 

My latest addition to my Summer Birds collection is an adorably chunky Baltimore Oriole. If you've never seen one, they are rather sleek, and not chunky like Chickadees or Juncos, but I loved this little guy. They are beautiful birds, and their bright orange coloring makes them look almost tropical. I stitched him on PTP Flash, which unfortunately is no longer available. I found some on clearance years ago, and when I realized it was being discontinued, I stocked up. Although I'm not a huge fan of orange in general, I really love this fabric color, and it's also great for Halloween designs. I'm sure there's something similar available somewhere. 

Hope y'all are enjoying summer and getting lots of stitching done. I am loving all this bird stitching!

May Basket

 

Just a couple of small changes to this one: I used DMC Blanc instead of GAST Picket Fence to make the flowers a bit brighter, and I used CC Blue Moon instead of GAST Uniform Blue to soften the blue.

We're by ourselves again this week as Mr. Wonderful is TDY. As usual, I have sewing room plans. Today I spent a lot of time prepping my next few projects: the Owl Forest Nimble Birds sampler I showed a few posts ago, a couple more summer birds, a fox (!), and June Basket. I like to have 4 or 5 projects all ready to go so when I finish one I can immediately pick up the next one. It takes me a while to pull threads, choose fabric, and cut and press it, which is why I like to prepare several at once. I even go ahead and mark the center so all I have to do is pop it on the q-snap and start stitching. 

My next major sewing room job is reorganizing the cubby shelves where I store all my stash. I have three units that cover one whole wall and they need a re-think. Hopefully I can get that done this week.

As always, I have finishing and framing waiting. I'd like to get started on my birds so I can display them and just add to them throughout the summer, but that may have to wait just a bit.

Busy, busy, busy. So thankful to have such a soothing hobby to keep my mind and hands peacefully occupied. 

Summer Girls

 

Summer Birds: Goldfinch

 

I am steaming along with my summer birds projects! Latest finish is this realistic Goldfinch from this Etsy shop. I stitched him with the recommended DMC (except for the blue highlight on top of his head, which I omitted) on pale yellow fabric. When choosing my designs for this project, I didn't try to stick with a certain style, I just picked out what I liked: realistic, whimsical, highly stylized, etc. And I'm stitching them on colorful fabrics, so the look I'm hoping for is a sort of busy, bustling, cheerful little flock of stitched birds in all shapes and styles and colors. I am really enjoying this project. Four finishes so far, and a notebook full of birds to choose from! Who will be next?

Summer Birds: Spring Robin

 

New finish for my Summer Birds project and introduction to the new (to me) designer I mentioned! This is Spring Robin by Pigeon Coop Designs, stitched with the recommended DMC on 28 ct. PTP Highland. 

I've had a prairie design by Pigeon Coop in my Etsy favorites for quite some time but hadn't really explored his work very much as I had just stumbled across it and marked it. Then I happened to see a couple of his newer bird designs and decided to investigate. That ended with me buying several designs and pre-ordering his book, which comes out this summer. And I never buy designs sight unseen! I am definitely not a mystery sampler/SAL/design kinda girl. I tried that once, and ended up having to redesign the last few parts because I didn't like them. Lesson learned. However, I made an exception here. I just love his unique style and the fact that the book is all nature designs. He's periodically releasing sneak peeks from the book on his Facebook page, and has also released all of the chapter and design titles. I can't wait!

I really enjoyed stitching this pretty little Robin. This style stitches up quickly and is very relaxing, much like the geometric and mandala designs I love so much.

If you enjoy nature designs and are looking for something a little different, do check him out at all the links I've provided, and Happy Stitching!

Saturday Sampler: Full Color Edition

 

Linen: 32 ct. Mater Samich by Dames of the Needle

Foxy Fall by Far Away Designs

Floss organizers by BagzplusUSA

Nimble Birds by Owl Forest Embroidery: pdf downloads, printed patterns and thread sets, kits

Spring Evening

 

Summer Birds: Stitch and Be Glad

 

Another quick finish for my Summer Birds project! This one is by Needlework Press and is in both the 2019 and 2022 editions of the Nashville Needlework Market Cookbook. As you can see, I did change all the colors!

Stitched on PTP Valor

Words: GAST Wood Trail*

Robin: GAST Wood Trail, GAST Wood Rose, Weeks Curry, DMC 310 for the eye

Branch: GAST Heirloom Gold, GAST Bayberry

*A note about Wood Trail: I have three skeins of this and all three are different; one is slightly more of a grayish brown, one more golden brown, one more chocolate brown. I used the grayish brown.

I love this design. I really like the sturdy, straightforward character of the font, and the "keep your chin up" feeling of the sentiment. Just a cheerful little design.

I'm working on my next project for my Summer Birds. It's by a new-to-me designer that I have really taken a liking to and I'm finding working on this project very relaxing... when I show you the design you'll see why! Looking forward to sharing it with you soon, so stay tuned!

Happy Stitching!

April Basket

 

Sliding in on the last day of the month with my April Basket finish (Cosford Rise Stitchery, Etsy)! Isn't this so bright and cheerful? Only a couple of small changes to this one. I stitched the little bun in brown instead of white (GAST Maple Syrup) and used DMC Blanc for the bowl. 

And here's a bonus pic of my new stitching buddy. Both of our girls are very sweet tempered but have very different personalities. Butterfly is a snuggle bug, and while Marigold will come to us for snuggles, they are quick and on her own terms. Where Butterfly will settle down for a snooze on me, Marigold will just pop in for a welfare check and then go about her business. Until this past week. She has suddenly decided that when I settle down to stitch, it's time to nap on me. If I had been asked to predict which one would end up being the stitching companion, it wouldn't have been her, but here we are. We are still working on not interfering with the stitching, but she's doing pretty well for the most part. She will sleepily watch the thread moving but I know she's on a hair trigger, so every now and then I remind her to be good, and she usually is. They're growing up!

The Great Fabric Reorganization, Part 1

Prepare for a lengthy ramble about fabric. Or skip it and just look at the pictures, whichever you prefer.

I learned to stitch from my mother when I was about five (yep, you can teach a five-year-old to stitch), but didn't really take it up as a hobby until I was about 15. Back in those days, pretty much everyone stitched on Aida and your neutral choices were limited to white, ecru (or off white, or antique white), an oatmeal color with little flecks in it called Fiddler's Light, and a few colors like light and navy blue, red, green, and black. It was the dark ages, in terms of fabric. At some point I learned about this new thing called hand-dyed fabric, but I was more focused on building my chart stash and fabric wasn't a priority. I don't remember exactly when that changed, but I do remember--and still have--my very first piece of hand-dyed fabric, a piece of crystal Da Vinci linen by PTP. I even kept it in the bag I brought it home in. It's more of a keepsake than anything, a reminder of a happy time, and an LNS I loved with an owner who was wonderful.

Anyway, somewhere along the way, I began to really focus on fabric over charts. I think it was because the American designers seemed to be really locked in on primitives, samplers, and quakers, and have been for many, many years. I don't have anything against these styles per se, and have stitched a few myself, but the overwhelming number of them just makes my eyes glaze over. My discovery of Etsy years ago definitely rekindled my chart buying, as I was able to find designers from all over the world with a wide variety of styles. But I still buy more fabric than charts.

So. I have a lot of fabric. Mind you, it's a collection about 20 years in the making (she says, in an attempt to justify how much fabric she has). And I also lived through the heady days of the annual PTP Christmas in July sale, and the days when you could find gorgeous hand-dyed fabric on clearance if you knew where to look. Sadly, those days are gone. But the stash remains.

When I decided to stitch a bunch of birds for summer, I decided instead of stitching them on neutrals (always a safe bet) or blues (like the sky!), I would really lean heavily into my hand-dyed stash and make my summer display as colorful as possible. I started thinking about choosing fabric colors, and digging through my stash trying to find the perfect one, and something dawned on me. To my great bewilderment, I had never bothered to sort my fabric by color, only dividing it by colors and neutrals. 

What?

I don't know why I've never done this. I think it's because that's how I had it organized in the beginning when my stash wasn't very big, and I just stuck with it. But probably more so because I usually just dive in looking for a fabric for one project at a time, and I always have a good idea of what I'm looking for. The idea of digging around trying to choose fabric for a lot of projects at a time made me realize I needed to update my organization. And off I went.

It took me quite a lot of browsing on Amazon and measuring and thinking to decide on my containers. I had fairly strict size requirements so they would fit on my cubby shelves, and I wanted the most storage in the smallest space possible. I went with some Rubbermaid 7.2 qt. containers (14"L x 10.5"W x 4"H). They come in a 6-pack. I always keep a supply of acid free tissue paper and silica gel packets on hand as I use them in all my stitching storage, so I lined the containers with paper and threw some packets in them.

I divided my fabric into six groupings:

Pink, Rose, Red

Orange, Yellow

Green

Blue

Lavender, Purple 

Grey, Brown, Black

I made the labels using a large round craft punch and card stock from my craft stash.

Remember all those times I told y'all I wasn't really a fan of blue? Yeah.

Somehow, Miss I'm Not Really a Fan of Blue managed to acquire *a lot* of blue fabric. As much as green, which is my favorite, and no, I don't know how that happened. I also have more orange than I would have guessed, which is also weird. Anyway, here's my fabric all organized by color, lighter shades on top, darker down the stack.

These containers hold quite a lot of fabric.

And that's all my colors organized! I can't believe it's taken me so long to do this, but I guess my stash has just slowly arrived at the size it needed doing. Neutrals are next, at some point. 

Next on the Stitchy Week to-do list is some finishing, and maybe a couple of framing projects. Back soon!