Raindrops Keep Fallin'.....

Sorry I've been away so long. I've been in a kind of blog slump. I guess it's because I've been in a bit of a stitching slump as well. That happens every now and then. I used to worry about it, but then I realized that eventually some project or some neato idea will come along and I'll get hyper-excited about stitching all over again.

In the meantime, I've learned to honor those fallow periods. I just have to be patient and wait for those creative winds to start blowing again. And when they do, they fill up my sails and my little boat glides into fresh, new, uncharted territory....and woo hoo, that's always worth waiting for!

Speaking of wind and water, here in Healdsburg we've had lots and lots of rain in the past few weeks. During our big rainy week, I ventured out to see how high the Russian River was rising. The river is several blocks away from my house, so it's not a threat by any means, but we all keep track of how much rain is falling by how high the river rises under the old bridge. Here it is at the high stage a few weeks ago:


I'm sure all that water makes the local steelhead trout happy.... which ahem, leads nicely into my next watery subject -- TA DA -- my new LEAPING TROUT COLLAGE is done! Here it is, complete with fishing pole and assorted lures:


I've stitched the model with a variegated thread that reminds me of a spring/summer landscape in blues and greens (I used Watercolours and Waterlilies 257 - "Spearmint"). But if you'd like to stitch it in a more muted and autumnal palette, you can use Watercolours and Waterlilies 024 - "Twilight" instead.

By the way, the Waterlilies thread - in a simple 2-ply four-way stitch - is used to create the watercolory effect of the background. I love stitching the backgrounds with a variegated thread, because the overall effect is so lovely. Sometimes, like in this piece, I'll use the same thread color/number as the thicker Watercolours, to create a very monochromatic look. Other times, I'll choose a variegated thread that compliments one of the designs main colors - like green, gold, brown or blue. Using a plain color for the background allows the collage boxes to pop a bit more. It all depends on how you want the piece to look.

As for the LEAPING TROUT COLLAGE boxes, I used patterns that looked "watery" to me, such as these fun wavy lines


and reflective zig zags


All in all, it was a very fun (and fishy) piece to stitch.

P.S.: If you're interested in ordering this new LEAPING TROUT COLLAGE, please visit my website (Laura J. Perin Designs) for more information.