A NEW QUILT: Sagebrush Stars!

Are you feeling the arrival of Autumn where you live?  Are you enjoying the cooler weather and getting out your flannels and sweaters?   Is it also time to start some fun Autumn Stitching Projects??

I'm so happy to share my latest quilt design, SAGEBRUSH STARS, as a fabulous new fall piece:

 
Woo Hoo, was this a fun stitch! I deliberately chose to use the same thread/color palette as my popular INDIAN SUMMER and INDIAN AUTUMN patterns show below:

           

This counted canvaswork piece is done on sandstone 18 ct. canvas (you can also use eggshell, since you fully cover the canvas with your stitching), and the finished size is 10" x 10".  There's just something about that Watercolours 168, "Rainforest" in combination with the muted blue, green, lavender and terra cotta colors that makes me happy.  And while the colored elements are done in #5 pearl cottons, the background is stitched with 4 ply DMC floss, which is a nice change and easy on your hands - I love that, too! 

And then there are the stars.... don't you love stitching stars?  I had fun making different star centers in each of the smaller stars, which added a bit of surprise "scrappiness" to the overall look of this piece.  Here's a close-up look at the stars, plus the various triangles (or flying geese motifs, as I like to think of them):

 So, if you're itchin' to do some Autumn Stitchin', please saddle up your pony and trot on over to my website and check out the rest of the information on this new SAGEBRUSH STARS pattern!  And Happy Weekend Stitching, Everyone....

Some Early Autumn Fun

With all the crazy hot summer weather we've had in Northern California, I'm soooo looking forward to fall!  Acorns are starting to fall from the oak trees in the area, and some of the first Chinese pistache trees are turning red and gold.  So I got into the early autumn mood and stitched up some fun HALLOWEEN ORNAMENTS:

Well, they're a little larger than ornaments - 5" x 5" on 18 ct canvas - but they make cute little squares that I'm planning to hang around the house or maybe insert one in an accent pillow.  You could also stitch them in a long row, to create a festive banner, or stitch all four of them on one piece of canvas as a combined pillow top. 

As you can see in the photo above, I stitched two of the designs on orange canvas and two of them on the old-fashioned looking brown canvas; but you can stitch them up on any color canvas you want.  Zweigart no longer makes the lavender-colored canvas, but if you can find a piece of it, they would certainly be fun to stitch on that, as well.

I used Watercolours 231 - "Ethiopia" for my foundation variegated thread (it has a great mix of orange, purple and pink) with a handful of #5pearl cotton solid colors, plus some zingy metallics.
And the pattern includes a bead pack of gold and dark rainbow seed beads, that you can use interchangeably around the borders.  Oh, and for an optional thread, I used a bit of black Fuzzy Stuff for the black cat's tail!!  Here's a close- up look:

And honestly, they were all a blast to stitch - especially since I used four different colorful borders and ribbon edges to keep the stitching interesting.  Actually, they are ALL fun to stitch, and they offer so many opportunities for extra fun embellishments -- such as adding Halloween ceramic beads, charms, or buttons.... What a fun way to show off those cute little Halloween buttons so everyone can enjoy them!  (Or if you're a real Halloween enthusiast, you can stitch them on black canvas with glow-in-the-dark threads!!)

So if you're itchin' to get started on some Halloween stitchin', mosey on over to my website and check out my new HALLOWEEN ORNAMENTS pattern.  And I hope you all enjoy the long last weekend of Summer with good friends, good food, and good stitching!