Friday Flowers: Red Mixed With Pink

I'm settling into my new house very nicely now. I've even had time to snap a few pictures of the flowers I've inherited from the previous owner. I'm guessing she REALLY liked red, since all the flowers are some variation of magenta. And I've also included some shots of dark pink flowers, that a good stitching friend of mine brought as a house-warming present, when she visited a few weekends ago. She said she wanted to make sure I had some new flowers to show in my "Friday Flowers" posting. Thanks, Laurel!










And in keeping with today's red theme, I'll close with a picture of my newest "stitching station" which shows off my new wicker patio furniture. It's very comfy, very spacious, and most importantly, very stitch-friendly!! I could EASILY spend all day lounging out there -- reading, stitching, and playing on my new (ahem, burgundy) Nindendo DS....


Happy Friday, Everyone...I hope you all enjoy some quality playtime this weekend!

Singin' More Blues

Well, it's officially Summer.

Which in my mind means it's time to stitch on projects that have a summery feel to them. Or, when the weather gets hotter and hotter, I like to find projects that have really COOL colors in them..... which means BLUES AND GREENS! (with a dash of purple, too...)

So I thought I'd pull some of my COOLEST quilt patterns to share with you. (Feel free to go get a tall iced tea...or lemonade....or iced coffee. Then put your feel up and enjoy!)

Ocean Waves

Tumbling Blocks

Toad in a Puddle

Pineapple Quilt

Moorish Tiles

Ocean Waves

Fisherman's Fancy

Flying Geese

Starry Nights

Singin' the Blues

I've started my week by printing a batch of patterns for a couple of in-coming orders. Sometimes, while I'm printing and collating, my eye catches on an older pattern of mine and I think,"Geez, that's really pretty." Case in point: my BASKET OF BLUEBONNETS pattern.


This was a fun design because instead of repeating the same quilt block over and over, I alternated a few different blocks (all with Texas names) to create a sweet little quilt. Here's a detail shot that shows the simple but elegant checkerboard border, plus the different "bluebonnet" blocks:


While I was printing it today, I got to wondering what the design would look like in other colors....in pinks and greens? lavenders and greens? orangey-golds and dark greens? how bout deep reds and greens? Oooooh, and while we're at it, how about stitching it smaller, on 24 ct. Congress Cloth, using a finer thread (like Wildflowers and #8 pearl cottons - or maybe even stranded silks, like Waterlilies.)

I get excited about all the potential combinations I can envision for my designs, and wish I could stop whatever I'm doing and start stitching a new color combination. But reality intrudes, I think about ALL the other projects I have lined up to stitch, new projects just waiting to be finished and revealed to the stitchy world.... and I sigh and get back to printing....

Friday Flowers: Blushing Pinks

Before we go for a walk in my virtual flower garden, I just wanted to update you on a few stitchy items of interest:

If you're in the Southern California area, you might like to drop by NEEDLEPOINTS, LTD. in Garden Grove, California (at 7707 Garden Grove Blvd.). During the month of June they're having a trunk show of my designs. I've sent lots of models and lots of patterns, so if you're in the mood for a new design or two or you want to oogle some of my models, please go visit their store and say "Hi" to Diana, the owner.

Another stitchy place to visit this month is the incredible FAMILY ARTS in Phoenix, Arizona (5555 N. 7th St.). They called to tell me they were having a "Laura J. Perin Designs Weekend" this month, where stitchers brought in their finished pieces for a big "show and tell" event. So I sent a bunch of my patterns to their store to inspire lots more stitching! I wish I could wiggle my nose and transport myself to FAMILY ARTS to see all the stitched pieces, but hearing about it was just as exciting...

Anyway, here's my selection of flowers for you today -- all in the blushing pink color family:





(Is this salmon Oriental Poppy too GORGEOUS, or what?!?!?)


Have a Happy Friday and of course, a Happy Stitching Weekend!

All My Mythical Creatures

I recently received an email from a stitcher who is working on a very old pattern of mine called MYTHICAL CREATURES. It contains a set of two patterns -- one of a griffon and one of a pegasus. Here they are together:


I remember at the time I was designing these patterns that I wanted to create something that would be totally different, yet elegant enough to hang up in a bathroom or a den or office. Here's what the griffon looks like up-close in his rather Romanesque medallion:


The stitcher who emailed me (Lynn) also said her grandchildren were having fun stitching just the animals for themselves, like this:


Isn't that a great idea?

She also asked if I had created any other "mythical creatures." Well, I went digging through my archive of old patterns and found the companion piece I created after MYTHICAL CREATURES. And - guess what it's called? SEA CREATURES! Here are the pair of them - a watery sea horse and a friendly mermaid:


I designed this pair in terra cottas and turquoises, for an antiquey, mediterranean look, and used an old greek key pattern around the edges, and also added a few bullion knot seashells in the corners. Here's what the sea horse looks like up-close (and yes, the actual model is aqua/turquoise - not the blue shown in the cover photo above):


Anyway, I was glad that Lynn contacted me about these old designs, because it prompted me to go looking for them and made me remember how much I enjoyed stitching them. (So, I'm off to find the models now...I think I may have to find a place to hang them in my new house - Woo Hoo!)

P.S.: If you're interested in these designs, drop me a e-line and I'll be happy to print them up and sell them to interested stitchers!

Is It Summer Yet?

Is it feeling like summer yet where you live? Well, regardless of the weather, here's a sunny project to get you in the summertime mood -- my latest design called DAISY CHAIN.


It's done on 18 ct. mono canvas and the finished size is 10" by 10". It uses one skein of Watercolours and a bunch of #5 pearl cotton colors, as well as a gold Ribbon Floss.

The inspiration of this piece came from an earlier design of mine, called DAISY COLLAGE. Here's the little box of daisies that started the whole thing:


When I stitched these little daisies, I had so much fun, I wondered how I could stitch them again, and give them a bigger part in the design. I wanted to see what it would look like to do LOTS of little daisies. So I decided on working four rows of "daisy chains" - each in a different color - and then let the rest of the design come together around those daisies.

I couldn't decide what color of daisies I wanted. White or yellow or pink? So I compromised and chose a variegated thread that had a little bit of all of those colors, plus a lovely peachy/apricot color as well (Watercolours 053 - "Coral Blush"). On the pattern, I've also included thread lists for other color versions in PINK, YELLOW, and LAVENDER.

And in my usual fashion, as I was stitching the cover model, I began to wonder what the design would look like if it were stitched on GREEN canvas with the PINK threads. So I started stitching a second model. (My intention is to make it into a pillow one of these days.) I just finished the pink version this week, and TA DA -- here it is for you to see:


Here's a close-up of the design:


Now here's the thing....this design is all about the daisies, and you can play with it to make it your favorite color of daisy. If you love white daisies you can stitch the whole thing with white daisies (well, I used ecru, actually, for my white daisies, but I digress)... or yellow daisies, if those are your favorites.

And oh, I almost forgot....the pattern also includes a second pattern for a slightly smaller "companion" version of this daisy design - it's 7" by 7" with a smaller daisy flower in the center.

So....if you're a daisy lover, or just want a fun summery project, check out my new DAISY CHAIN on my website!

Stitching Stations, Everyone!

Howdy, Stitchers. I thought it was about time to sit a spell and get back into the blogging mode from my new abode. Most of the boxes are unpacked (whew) and the rooms are starting to look presentable (hooray), so I thought I'd share a few photos of the most important spots in my new house -- my STITCHING STATIONS! (These photos were taken on a grey, gloomy day, so you don't get the full dazzling effect of the sunshine streaming in...)

Here's the stitching spot that caught my eye the moment I walked into the house and I thought, "That's the PERFECT spot for a stitching station." Windows on both sides, so light comes in from all directions - a stitcher's dream location (or as I refer to it) Stitching Station #1:


For those of you who are wondering why I have a dishtowel wrapped around my daylight stand, it's because the light is SO bright, it can be blinding at close range. I can't tell you how many times I've spent stitching under that light at night and when I get up, one of my eyes is actually blind from the brightness. Rather scary, actually. Also, and most importantly, I try to shade the bright light a bit for Katie when she's laying underfoot.

[Aside: if you have a pet, you might get down on the floor and look up and see how painfully bright those lights are on your pets eyes, and perhaps create a visor or shield of some kind. I also made a cardboard visor on the backside of my big Dazor magnifier, so the light doesn't blind other people/critters in the room when I tilt it over my work.]

And here's Stitching Station #2, which is in my bedroom, which has a bay window with light coming in from all sides:


And then there's the outside Stitching Station #3, which is a totally covered patio area, so I can stitch, stitch, stitch at all times of the year:


(My old worn-out chairs are going to be replaced by a lovely wicker set arriving next week. I can't WAIT to try them out -- they should improve my outdoor stitching quite a bit - grin!)

Oh, and here's Katie's living room station, under the dining room table with all of her (many) toys close at hand:


I will end this posting with a shot of Katie's MOST favorite place to rest -- under my bed, where she feels the safest and has the most privacy. Can you tell she's in her "I VANT TO BE ALONE" mood?:


As you might guess from these photos, Katie and I are settling in quite nicely and enjoying all our new spaces to work and play...Talk to you again soon, but now I need to pick a Stitching Station and do a little stitching!