Dark, dreary February is the perfect time to stitch something in warm colors - like deep rich REDS! And I was actually craving some puffy red hearts..... so I took an old favorite quilt design of mine (Arizona Star) and revamped it a bit. I added some metallic red hearts that would brighten the grey days of February --- and came up with a new quilt I've decided to call "WESTERN HEARTS":
It combines a more complex quilt design with a rather limited color palette, plus I've included some small padded hearts as well as the larger Rhodes Hearts, done in metallic Ribbon Floss. (They are very fun to stitch and add a bit of whimsy to the traditional quilt!) The photo below gives you an up-close look at those shimmery hearts:
I wanted a old-fashioned, vintage look to my piece, so I worked a two-tone background in cream and tan, which you can see in the above photo. But if you want a brighter, more contemporary look, I recommend working the whole background in just the lighter cream color.
As I was stitching this piece in reds and browns, I also thought it would look great in a more masculine blue and brown palette, so the pattern gives thread lists for a RED or BLUE colorway.
I didn't stitch up a blue model, but the Watercolours thread used is 018 - Peacock (one of my favorites) with the solid color blue being #5 DMC 825. Equally yummy!!
So if you too are craving to stitch a sweet western valentine, please mosey on over to my website and check out all the particulars for my new "WESTERN HEARTS" pattern....
Stay warm and cozy and stitching, Everyone!
