July Basket

 

Cruising along through the Cosford Rise Stitchery (Etsy) basket series and having a lovely time with it! The baskets are quick to stitch so it's easy to keep up with monthly finishes, even if you're busy with other things, and of course, they're so pretty! This design includes a number of flag options, and the model is stitched with the flag of the UK, so I hadn't seen a finish with the American flag. I think it's beautiful!

As we head into this holiday weekend, the last weekend of summer (hooray!), I've had to make some adjustments to my stitchy plans. If you've been around lately, you know I've been stitching up a bunch of birds for my summer decorating, and that we've been sick, and that this summer has not gone according to plan. No worries! I have adapted! 

I'm about 2/3 done with my final bird of the summer (a real showstopper). I wanted to get my birds finished/framed in time to display them this summer, but that didn't work out. I am undeterred. I really want to enjoy them so I decided to just go ahead with that plan, instead of bringing out all of my fall/Halloween stitching. (If you missed last year's somewhat over-the-top display, click on the Halloween label in the right sidebar and scroll down a bit.) I have a stack of small Halloween stitches I want to get done, and the new plan is to whip those up and do a smaller display with just my new finishes. So, full speed ahead on Summer Birds, and on a scaled down--but all new!--Halloween display! Fingers crossed I can get some finishing done this weekend. 

Wishing you all a safe and stitchy holiday weekend... we made it to fall, y'all!

PS: Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes for the girls! 

The Werewolves Are Two Years Old!

Happy Summerween!

 

If you are a fellow Summer Sufferer and spend June, July, and August longing for all things cool and crisp and autumnal, this design is for you! This is Jack-o-Melon by The Stitch Crypt (Etsy), stitched with the recommended DMC on lime green Lugana. Such a cheerful, unique little design. It's very summery, but with a spooky twist!

Speaking of summer, I'll be glad to write this one off. We were both sick (he in June, I in July), which is extremely unusual. We both get sick maybe once every four years or so, and even then it's never at the same time. I hadn't been sick since December of 2019, so I was overdue. Anyway, that messed up some summer plans we had, and also threw me behind with stitching and finishing projects, and that's most annoying! Last week I spent about five hours doing project prep for a bunch of stuff I want to stitch, so now I can just pick up a new project as soon as I finish one and keep going. I am in desperate need of a finishing marathon. Maybe Labor Day weekend? We'll see.

Meanwhile, sneak peek of an almost-finish! 

Happy Stitching!

Nimble Birds Update

 

Nimble Birds (Owl Forest Embroidery) is coming along nicely. I have one more bird to stitch on this side of the sampler before I tackle all the intricate straight stitched feathers and tracks scattered between the birds. They're probably hard to see in the pictures of the design, but there are a lot of them (7 pages of illustrated instructions) and they're so lovely. Then I'll move to the other side of the sampler. I haven't decided if I'm going to add the backstitched border. I'll see how it looks when everything else is done.

Thank you for all the well wishes for my recovery. I'm over whatever was wrong with me, but it has left me pretty depleted. I missed an entire week of stitching, which is intolerable! 

Hope you're all well and getting lots of summer stitching done! 

Naptime With the Werewolves

When there's a loud lightning strike nearby...

...but it's okay to go to sleep because you're under the blanket with mama. 

Why were the three of us passed out in the middle of the day? Because I took a nasty virus Saturday evening that came with a very persistent fever that didn't break until Tuesday morning. So I've spent most of the last three days asleep, which is a terrible waste of stitching time. When we get sick, the goal is to be just sick enough that we can't do housework, but not too sick to stitch. Right? 

Anyway, there's been a lot of sleeping around here. A lot.

Fuzzy werewolf paws

Think I've finally turned the corner, as my Grandmother would say. Probably not strong enough to do laundry but I should be able to stitch!😂

Christmas in July! (& Fall & Halloween)

 

Look at this adorable wee mole in his jaunty little hat! Isn't this the cutest? I had to pause summer birds and Halloween mania just for a minute to stitch this cheerful little guy. He's from Lola Crow on Etsy. I stitched him on 32 ct. grey Basalt Splash.

I added a bit of stash in preparation for some fall projects. The fabrics are (top) 32 ct. Sandbar linen by Under the Sea Fabric and 32 ct. Service Lugana by Atomic Ranch Fabrics.

I also rummaged around in my hoard and pulled out some Halloweenish fabrics.

I have a stack of small Halloween designs I want to stitch so, as I do with most of my multi-design projects (like Summer Birds and Christmas Open House) I put them all in a presentation book (Avery, a few bucks at Walmart) and made a pretty cover. The picture is a free printable from the Purple Pumpkin blog.

Next up is either July Basket or a summery/spooky little design I found that's perfect for those of us trapped in summer and longing for fall! And my copy of the new Pigeon Coop Designs book should be here this week, and I'm pretty sure there's a bird in there I need to stitch right away. 

Happy Stitching!

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!