Last Call for PURPLE DAISY!

 If you want to try a bit of messy beading on a small & easy project, now's the time to sign up for my fun PURPLE DAISY cyber class!

 

Registration ends this weekend, and the class won't be offered again until next year...

So please visit my website for all the class details and ordering information!

HAPPY WEEKEND, STITCHERS!

Springy Things

 

Are the flowers blooming where you live?

Does it get you in the mood to stitch some springy things??

One of my favorite spring pieces is LONG SPRING PANEL, which I originally stitched

in cool pinks and greens:

 

 

Then I loved this design so much I stitched it again in warm pinks and greens:

Both versions are yummy and I STILL can't decide which I like better!!

Then there is the fresh and airy SPRINGTIME BOUQUET, that reminds me

of a garden gazebo, covered in vines and climbing roses:

For a springy blue piece, I created this SPRING BOUQUET SAMPLER below, which is stitched 

on 24 ct. Congress Cloth with delicious Waterlilies 110 - "Hyacinth".  The stitched patterns

are a combination of "composite stitches" and "blackwork stitches" done in color.

The fun thing about this design is that it can be stitched in ANY color palette, if you first

choose a variegated Waterlilies thread you adore, then pick your solid colors to coordinate:

And for another light-filled springtime piece, here's BLUE RIBBON SAMPLER, 

which sneaks in a bit of hardanger amongst the blackwork flowers for a lovely lacy feel:

I stitched the above piece in blues and apricots - using variegated 

Wildflowers 147 - "Winter Sky",but again, 

you can change the colors in this piece just by choosing another variegated thread,

then matching the DMC #8 and #12 pearl cottons to it.

Just looking at these pieces creates the illusion of walking through a springtime garden, 

filled with colorful flowers waving in the soft breeze.  So if any of these pieces 

strike your fancy, please skip on over to my website and look under my

"SAMPLER COLLECTION" to peruse these and other springy designs! 

 

INDIAN SPRING is here!

Over the years, one of my most popular quilt designs has been INDIAN SUMMER, with its muted fall colors (using Watercolours 168 - "Rainforest") and complex star blocks:

INDIAN AUTUMN is another favorite, with more Southwestern/Indian blanket motifs, and using the same color palette as the previous INDIAN SUMMER design:

A year or two ago, I added INDIAN WINTER to the set (using a blue & brown color palette with Watercolours 279 - "Martinique", although it would be equally lovely in the same "Rainforest" colorway used in the other quilts):

And since then, I've had lots of queries from stitchers asking if I was going to do an INDIAN SPRING design to complete the four season set.  Of course I had always planned to do a spring design, once I could figure out a quilt design that
     1)  had an Southwestern/Indian blanket kind of motif in it;
     2)  had a floral look to it as well;
     3)  could evoke a springtime feel; and
     4)  would fit in with the other three designs in the series.
And that was harder to find that you can imagine...

But -- TA DA!  I finally found a quilt block that met all those requirements and once I had it partially graphed out, boy-oh-boy, I did some marathon stitching.  Here's what the new INDIAN SPRING quilt design looks like:

I just love how it turned out!  Especially since it hits all my design targets, PLUS I think it has a rather contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright look to it as well!  For a spring design, I wanted brighter colors, but not pastels...so I used Watercolours 093 - "Painted Desert" for the variegated thread, and picked a vibrant mix of pearl cottons from that.  [BTW: while the lower half of the dark green border looks like a different color, it's not - the stitches go in a different direction and the scanner reads it as a lighter color!]

And, again, although I stitched the model in spring-like colors, it would be equally impressive done in the fall "Rainforest" palette.... or how about a traditional Indian blanket color scheme of black/grey/red??  Something to think about, huh?

So if you're one of those stitchers who's been waiting to complete the Indian quilt series, now you can stitch up your INDIAN SPRING!!   Please gallop on over to my website for ordering information....

Color Possibilities: ARIZONA STAR

Playing with color is always a fun thing for me, so I've been exploring other colorways that might work for some of my older quilt designs.  A very popular design in the past has been ARIZONA STAR, which I stitched in soft sage greens and pinks.  I love how this design has a Southwestern feel, but also is very geometric and could be more modern, if the color palettes were different.

So how would it look in other colorways?   Playing on the computer gave me these possibilities:

BLUES...

PURPLES...

Or how about more masculine BROWNS....wouldn't that make a great pillow for an office?

So many more stitching possibilities to consider!!

Color Possibilities: SUMMER DAYS

Out of the blue this week, I had a handful of orders for an older quilt design called SUMMER DAYS:

As I'm printing, I always have to wonder if someone out there in Blogville is stitching up my design and inspiring other stitchers, or perhaps a store has a model stitched up...  In any event, this design came about after a store asked me to design something rectangular, to use up the 12" strip of canvas that always seems to get left over, after other square pieces of canvas are cut.  Well, that was a unique challenge for me!  Anyway, the rectangular design is a fun one to stitch, with several fun and easy borders to keep things interesting  Plus, I always think this would make a terrific bolster pillow....

I stitched the original model (shown above) in peppy blues and yellows, which reminded me of traditional french Provencal fabrics.

Now I wonder how it might look in other colorways, and - TA DA! - thanks to modern computer magic, I was able to play around and create some other fun colorways to share with you.   Such as...... a PINK & GREEN version!! (very Lily Pulitzer, don't you think?!)

Or how about a BLUE & CHOCOLATE version -- YUM!

And look at this GREEN & PEACH version...dreamy, n'est pas?

It's certainly an eye-opener to see how different a design looks and feels in another color scheme.  And it also gives you some idea of the endless possibilities within each quilt design.  The trick to stitching any of these new colorways would be to find a variegated thread that has those colors in it, then find matching solid colors: one dark hue for the borders, one or two medium hues for the accent colors, perhaps one or two soft metallic ribbons for a bit of shimmer, and a very pale color for the background.      Gets me itchin' to go stitchin'.... how 'bout you?