Bunnies & Eggs For Your Easter Basket

Are you looking forward to celebrating Easter this weekend?

Do you have plenty of springtime projects to help you enjoy the season?

Here are some of my favorite Easter pieces that feature eggs and bunnies:

 SPRINGTIME QUILT

BARGELLO EGG

 EASTER EGG ORNAMENTS

 

my most recent SPRING SURPRISES

 

 DAISY O'HARE

 SPRINGTIME WREATH

 

 and last, but not least, HAPPY EASTER, HAPPY SPRING!

Enjoy your weekend, Stitchers!

Fresh Eggs!

 

Is there anything more satisfying that stitching on a springy project in the depths of winter?
Not much.... except maybe FINISHING a new project, so you can start another -- am I right, Stitchers?!?

Anyway, I've been happily stitching on a fun new quilt design that is a springtime companion to the HOLIDAY GIFTS quilt design I did around Christmas time.
  
 I've finally finished it, and it's called SPRING SURPRISES:

Oh, Yum!!  This was just plain fun to stitch, especially working with perky Watercolours 145 - "Carnival" - which I don't think I've ever used before. And then there are the four happy eggs.... they were lots of fun to design and stitch, using the simplest stitch patterns I could think of (there's not a lot of room on these eggs to use complicated stitches!)   Here's one of them up-close and personal:

Happy, happy stitching, I gotta tell you....
So if you're in need of a springy new project to boost your spirits in the midst of this rainy snowy season, please grab your flower basket and hop on over to my website to gather up some fresh eggs to create your own SPRING SURPRISES!

Egg-cell-ent New Wreath!

Oh, all you Springtime Lovers.... have I got a new pattern for you!

It's my new SPRINGTIME WREATH, that is filled with all the happiest things of Spring --

pastel flowers, decorated eggs, and a soft chick and bunny.

There's so much going on with this wreath, that it's hard to take it all in, isn't it?  

When I started stitching it up, I began counting out from the center point,

working the velvet ribbons and bow first; then adding all the eggs, doing them one by one. 

 The bunny and chick came next (done in touchable-softBella Lusso merino wool);

 then I wove the small basket and filled it with plump eggs.  

Adding lots of pastel flowers came next - 

daffodils, pansies, open tulips, and tiny pink blossoms were fitted between all the larger items

 on the wreath.  I selected a variegated ThreadworX #5 pearl thread for the wreath foliage, 

that is worked in an easy Pavilion Diamond variation to fill the background 

behind all the wreath items.  

After everything was stitched, I finished my wreath by adding a handful of beads (included with the pattern).  I also went back and outlined each egg with a simple Stem Stitch, using the softly variegated ThreadworX, to make each egg stand out a bit from the wreath greenery.

Like any stitchery project,

 if you break down this SPRINGTIME WREATH into manageable steps, and 

focus on each step at a time, it really isn't so difficult.... and as the piece begins to take shape

right before your eyes, you can celebrate the process (as well as the joys of spring) -- 

and take pride in creating something that you'll enjoy displaying every year!  

So if you're up for a new wreath to display in your house, please hop on over 

to my website and see the thread list and other information for ordering

this new SPRINGTIME WREATH.

Egging You On...

Are you getting into that springtime Eastery mood yet?
I think springy stitching projects are the best mood-lifters after a long grey winter,
and I'm always in the mood to work on something with soft spring colors,
 like this LONG SPRING PANEL:

  
But around Easter it's really fun to stitch up some eggs, like these 4.5" x 5.25"
 EASTER EGG ORNAMENTS:

And if you REALLY like Easter eggs, how about this large BARGELLO EGG:

Go visit my website and take your pick....
 then get to work stitching some Eastery surprises for your friends and family!
Happy Friday!

An Elegant Egg

I've always been fascinated by Faberge eggs, with their incredible craftsmanship, elaborate detail and luscious colors. And I've always wanted to try creating them with stitches (since the chances of ever owning a REAL one are totally non-existent!) 

So here's one I've stitched for this season, called IMPERIAL EGG I:

I wanted to try replicating the enamel patterns used by Faberge on his eggs, but instead of using precious jewels, I would use my needle and thread with easy stitch patterns (this egg has a simple bargello pattern), and subtle variegated silk threads (for the egg and ecru ribbon border).  Add a elegantly pale background pattern and some discrete vintage gold sparkle, and you have a very fun project to stitch up for the Spring season.

I've worked this egg on 24 ct Congress Cloth, and the finished size of the whole design is 6.5" wide by 8" tall.... Not too small - not too large -- just right!  I chose to create a mauvey-pink egg (with Waterlilies 249 - "Geranium"), but it can certainly be worked in any favorite color. To change the colors, you just need to pick out 2 skeins of a Waterlilies silk thread, a matching solid-color silk, and a matching metallic ribbon thread.

If you want to try creating your own Faberge egg, please visit my website to see more of information on this new IMPERIAL EGG I.

Need a Little Spring??

"Spring has sprung,

The grass has riz;

I wonder where

Them bunnies is?"

Ooooooh, I've got bunnies.... and chicks.... decorated eggs... spring flowers....

and just in time for Easter, too!

It's my brand new pattern, called SPRINGTIME RIBBONS:

 Boy, is this a fun one to stitch!

Lots of fuzzy little bunnies and chicks.. I mean, how cute is that?

  

I stitched the bunnies and checks with the very soft Bella Lusso merino wool (but you could also use pearl cotton or floss).  And check out those cute little eggs!   Two different styles, but very easy to stitch...

I had a hard time deciding on which spring colors to use in this piece, especially since I used Watercolours 270, "Easter Egg" as the foundation for my palette.  Should I use mostly pinks? blues? lavenders?  Tough to pick a favorite.... so I decided to mix them all into the design for a very colorful spring basket!

Same with the choice of canvas: I could have done it on the pink canvas, the light blue canvas, the lavender canvas, or the sage green canvas, but frankly, I was curious to see what it would look like as a "white-on-white" color scheme, so I went with the eggshell canvas with gold flecks.  This finished model looks just like a yummy Easter cake.  Or like the cover of a big box of Easter chocolates.  In any event, you can choose your favorite color of canvas for this piece and it will look totally YUMMY, whichever color you pick!

And if you like stitching ribbons, like I do, you've got three different ribbons to work up, with three different floral treatments - not hard,at all, just plain fun!  I chose to use a different color on each ribbon, but if you have a favorite springy color, you could certainly do all the ribbons in the same color family.  Just something to consider....

Anyway, if you are craving a pastel treat for a springtime project, please check out my sweet new SPRINGTIME RIBBONS on my website!

Time To Hop To It!

We're almost at the weekend, which is the time to celebrate the end of Winter, and the

 joyous beginning of Spring.

Time to share more flower shots, and a few more springtime pieces with you....

 

Here's a deliciously fun quilt to stitch, FLOWER SAMPLER:

Those coral colors go well with the coral version of my EASTER EGG ORNAMENTS:

 

For pure spring flowers, there's my TULIPS, stitched on Congress Cloth:

 

Oh, Yum!  Isn't Spring wonderful?!?

Bunnies or Eggs?

So, what's your favorite Easter theme -- bunnies or eggs? 

It's hard to pick just one, isn't it? 

I love everything springy, so I think you can never have too many bunnies or eggs or flowers or baskets filled with candy!!

Here's an old quilt design that has a little bit of everything in it, SPRINGTIME QUILT, from my American Quilt Collection:

And here's a favorite piece of mine, BLACKWORK BUNNY:

And in closing, here's one of my new EASTER EGG ORNAMENTS:

Happy Mid-Week (only a few more days until the weekend)!!

An Egg-cellent New Design!

I've been busy working on a special Easter design, and now it's ready to share with you: EASTER EGG ORNAMENTS!  

Here are what the four egg ornaments look like:

I've designed FOUR different eggs.... with FOUR different borders.... and the pattern lists FOUR different colorways: pink, aqua, coral and lilac.  I really couldn't decide which color I liked best, so I stitched up one of each, to show them all.   And I also wanted you to see that they can be worked on any pastel color of canvas you want as well.  So let me tell you, this is one versatile pattern!!

They were very fun to stitch up, working small areas of different stitches kept things interesting and moved along very quickly.

Here's a close-up of the coral version:

.
 the aqua version:

the pink version:

 and the lilac version:

Again, there are sooooo many different ways you can stitch these eggs up.... You can work all the eggs in one colorway; or stitch all the eggs with the same border pattern.  You can do them individually, or work them in a long panel for a bellpull.  You can set them side by side, in a foursome, for a lovely pillow top.  I think I might finish one of them as a square "stand up" so I can put it on my mantle!  

So if you're getting into the mood for some springy stitching, check out these egg ornaments on my website!

Stitching Miss Daisy

To celebrate the arrival of Spring, I thought I'd share some past spring projects of mine. The first that comes to mind is DAISY O'HARE. I was inspired to create a complex bunny figure that had LOTS of different stuff to stitch, in many different types of threads. (And sometimes, I just have to find a reason to stitch on pink canvas!)

Here's a look at her sweet face:


Her dress was fun to stitch, with lots of different threads and stitches to play with:



And the borders are filled with lots of springy stuff -- flowers of course, plus a gingham ribbon border, where you get a glimpse of the variegated silk thread in the bordering little checkers (I used Waterlilies 028, "Confetti"):


And the top and bottom borders have more Eastery stuff - more flowers, long tied bundles instead of gingham, plus little Easter eggs in each corner!


Someday I hope to stitch up a companion piece that has a boy bunny to keep Daisy company.... but until then I'll just keep stitching away at all my OTHER projects this spring...

My Egg-cellent Idea

You know the BARGELLO EGG I showed you a while ago? Well, today I thought I'd share with you how that design came about. I don't know if you're like me, but I'm always fascinated with HOW designs come into being. The creation of a new project always seems like such a delightful mystery, even when the step-by-step path of illumination seems obvious at times.

Anyway, a few years ago I decided to design my first bargello piece, which I called BARGELLO & ROSES:


I envisioned this design being made into a long, rectangular pillow that would show off the bullion-knot roses that run along the center of the piece. See?


I also thought that only a PART of the design could be stitched (there are notations on the pattern's main graph to that effect, if you want to try it yourself), and then inserted in a long pillow with two panels of tapestry fabric placed on either side. My Mom agreed to stitch up the bargello part of the model (while I did the bullion roses), and I thought it would be fun to see it done in yellows, like this:


(Have I sewn any of these projects into pillows yet? No. Maybe someday...)But I did hang the yellow BARGELLO & ROSES in my office and stare at it off and on for months.

Then one day, when I way looking at it from across the room, it struck me that it looked sorta like an Easter egg. Wow. Inspiration Struck. How fun would it be to make a bargello Easter egg and fill the center openings with favorite Easter treats like a bunny and flowers?

Well, I couldn't rest until I had the perfect egg shape (which, by the way, is devilishly hard to draw symmetrically by hand, but much easier to do using a computer!) and then I started filling it in with a softly rounded bargello pattern. And TA DA -- my springy BARGELLO EGG was born!

The Egg-xact List

For those stitchers who are ordering my latest BARGELLO EGG and would like to get stitching on it as soon as possible, here is the exact materials list so you can order the threads and have everything ready to go as soon as the pattern arrives:

13" x 16" 18 ct. mono canvas, in white (or any other color you want to try, and if you get a fancy type of canvas - like the ecru with gold bits or white with opal bits you wouldn't have to even stitch a background around the egg - just a time-saving thought...)

Caron Watercolours 270 - "Easter Egg"

DMC #5 pearl cottons (1 skein each): 209, 435, 605, 604, 744, 745, 989, 3348

YLI Ribbon Floss 148-048 (which is a very soft ecru and gold metallic)
[A similar Kreinik thread would be Kreinik 1/16th RIBBON in 5555 or 9100]
[Also, if you want to use a brighter, truer gold metallic ribbon, use Ribbon Floss 148-021 or Kreinik 1/16th Ribbon 210.]

And for the background, I used Rainbow Gallery's Hi-lights H623 (which is very fragile, I must admit, so for a sturdier thread, use Kreinik #4 or #8 Braid 9100 or 091 - both pale yellow)

Also, here are the different design dimensions, so you can be thinking about which finished design size you prefer:

Just the Egg design size is 9" high by 7.5" wide, so if you have a 3" border around the egg, you need a canvas at least 13" by 16".

Egg with a 1" background surround area has a design size of 11" high by 9" wide, so you need a canvas at least 13" by 16" all the same....

Okay, all you happy stitchers, let's get hoppin' on all those Springy projects!

Celebrate Spring!

Here in Northern California, we're being deluged by lots of rain. That hasn't stopped the daffodils and camellias from blooming though.




To celebrate Spring this year, I got stitching with pastel threads early and was able to finish a new pattern called BARGELLO EGG before Easter arrives! Woo Hoo! Here it is:


It's a LARGE egg -- 7.5" x 9" -- on 18 ct. mono canvas. I stitched it on plain white canvas (something I haven't done in a long while) but it could also be stitched on eggshell, any of the pastel colors, or even the white with opal sparkles canvas....

(Psst: The actual colors of this piece are slightly softer and more muted - true pastels. For some reason, my scanner insists on brightening pastel colors and I can't get it adjusted to match the original. But trust me, the real egg is softly pastel!)

It uses one skein of a new Caron Watercolours color - 270, "Easter Egg" (and how appropriate is that?!?) with a luscious handful of springtime pearl cottons, as well as a very soft metallic Ribbon Floss. I've included an optional background pattern (that looks like rows of little eggs) which I stitched in a soft Hi-lights thread. If you want to make a stand-up egg you wouldn't need to stitch the background... or if you wanted to make a pillow and add a real ribbon bow on the top of the egg, you might want to use another background thread that isn't so fragile.

In any event, here's an up-close look at the spring motifs that run along the center of the egg (they were very fun to stitch):


And as an added bonus, I've included a smaller Easter egg pattern (3.5" x 4.5")that could be whipped up as a matching ornament as well.

If you've had enough of winter and dark colors, you may be ready to hop into Spring with a new pattern.... so check out my website for more information on my new BARGELLO EGG.