Temporary Detour!

Just a quick update on my misplaced website:

If you're having trouble getting to www.ljperindesigns.com
please try using this address:

http://laurajperindesigns.tripod.com

and it should get you there.

There seems to be some mysterious roadblock to my website...
(hmmmm....maybe it's lots and lots of snow)

Anyway, hopefully I'll get this issue resolved soon, and have things back to normal.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Need a Little Christmas??

I've been very busy this season stitching up gifts, working on new designs for the coming New Year, finishing and mailing off models for the TNNA trade show in Jan. 2009, etc., etc., etc. . . . So guess what? I haven't had any time for leisurely blogging lately. Sorry about that....

BUT... I did take time to post on my website another seasonal freebie pattern for all you seasonal stitchers out there. It's called HOLLY & IVY and it looks like this:


It's a small 4.25" x 4.25" square, stitched on 18 ct. mono canvas. I used an assortment of Rainbow Gallery threads, as well as #5 pearl cottons. The original variegated thread I used - Overture V63 - has been discontinued, BUT, you can still get Encore E63, which is the same elegant variegated color, but a slightly finer thread, so use 2 ply of that instead of the 1 ply of Overture.

Anyway, I stitched this cutie several years ago, and came across the model a few weeks ago, remembered how much I liked it...and thought I'd share it now with you.

And if you want to stitch up a matching companion piece for it, check this out:


It's called HOLIDAY SQUARE. For this freebie, please visit Rainbow Gallery's website: www.rainbowgallery.com and click on their FREE PATTERNS page. You can download this pattern, which I recently sent to Rainbow Gallery as a special seasonal treat.

HAPPY STITCH-FILLED HOLIDAYS!!!

T'is The Season

I have to admit that not only am I a "seasonal stitcher" (I prefer stitching bunnies and chicks in the springtime, Santas and reindeers in December), but I'm also a "seasonal designer." I really have no interest in creating Christmas designs in July. Instead, I love getting inspired for my designs in the proper seasons.

So now that the holiday season is upon us, guess what?? Yup. I'm busily stitching away on new Christmas designs.

Here's the very latest holiday pattern I've finished. I call it BOX OF ORNAMENTS, because the rounded blocks remind me of those old-fashioned ornaments with sparkly caverns exposed on one side:


I've taken a traditional quilt block and jazzed it up for the holidays. I've used red, green and gold ribbon metallics for the centers of all the "ornaments." Unfortunately, the photo just doesn't show all the sparkle and glitter of this design.... but it's really an eyeful of Christmas cheer!


Here's an up-close look at all the elements in the design - all very fun to stitch.You'll notice that there are lots of different ornaments to stitch: small, medium and large... And since I couldn't decide which outer border to use - the red/green/gold banner or a very fun peppermint stripe - I've graphed both and will let YOU decide which border you want to stitch!

So, if you're interested in my BOX OF ORNAMENTS, please check out my website (click on the LAURA J. PERIN DESIGNS link in the list on the right.) for more information.

It's That Time of Year

It's time to pull out the Christmas decorations. All those santas and trees, reindeers and snowmen. Every little thing that's red and green and twinkling bright.

Here's one of my holiday quilt patterns I call RED BIRDS AND WREATHS:


If you look at it carefully, you'll see the flying red birds in the corner sections (they remind me of cardinals, don't you know....not that we have cardinals here in Northern California, but I like to imagine them anyway).

And then the green motifs remind me of wreaths. Hence the quilt name.
Unfortunately, you can't see the sparkly red metallic diamonds in the center squares that are sprinkled thruout the quilt. Photos just don't show the metallics. sigh.... but trust me, the red sparkles add quite a festive touch to this pattern.

And I even stitched this design in two ways: one with nine blocks (above) and one with four blocks. Both graphs are included in the pattern. Here's the four-block version:


I've always thought these would make great pillows for Christmastime. (Not to mentions stitching them in other colorways: earth-tones, blues and golds, pastels, etc., etc., etc....)
Soooo....Are you in a holiday mood yet? Well, get out all those reds and greens and golds and GET STITCHING!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of you stitchers out there, here's an old pattern of mine called "Pumpkin Harvest" that I tent stitched on brown 18 ct. canvas (it could also be cross stitched on fabric):


May you enjoy the bounty of the season with your family and friends.

May you reflect on all the things for which you are truly grateful.

And of course, may you have time for stitching during this long holiday weekend!

Scotch on the Roof

The other day, my dog Katie and I were taking our daily walk around the neighborhood. It was a grey and gloomy day, so we scurrying along, eager to get back home. (At least I was...Katie was happy to stop and sniff at every little leaf, rock or tree.)

But as we climbed up the street, I noticed something strange on the garage roof of the house at the end of the hill:


It looked like a really life-like stuffed animal... It wasn't moving, just sitting there still as a statue. Was it a holiday decoration? It sure looked exactly like Scotch, the labradoodle dog that lived in that house.....

WAIT! IT WAS SCOTCH! Sitting absolutely still, watching the street. She wasn't even barking or moving as we approached - just sitting watching us. And the whole time, Katie never even saw her up there.


I was afraid to approach too closely, for fear Scotch would get excited or try to jump down. I walked back down the street to my neighbor's house, since she was friends with Scotch's family. We all walked back up the street again and my neighbor called Scotch down from the garage roof. She tried to put her back in the backyard, but Scotch escaped easily and so my neighbor decided to take Scotch home with her, until Scotch's owner returned.

Later in the day, Scotch's owner came to fetch her. I'm sure she couldn't believe her dog would climb onto the roof, but I was able to show her these photos I took with my cell phone camera (sorry for the poor photo quality, folks). Anyway, the house is further up the hill, and the garage roof is just a few feet away from the steep front steps of the house, but still, it's a pretty clever thing for a dog to do to await her owner's return, isn't it?

An Autumn Surprise!

I was rummaging thru my heap o' models the other day and came across an old favorite of mine, MINIATURE WILD GEESE. This was one of the very first patterns I designed using Watercolours variegated pearl cotton.


As you can see, I stitched it on the plain brown mono canvas (18 ct.) because that was all I could get in those days. And I used just one skein of the variegated thread, and a few skeins of ecru #5 pearl cotton. That's it -- no other colors or metallics -- because I was focused on highlighting the beauty of the thread with the classic simplicity of a traditional quilt pattern. I still love looking at this piece. And because it's such a simple, elegant design I decided to stitch it up again... but THIS time I wanted to try it on 24 ct. Congress Cloth and use Caron Collection's Impressions thread, which gives a much softer look to the piece.

And, oh yeah, I couldn't resist adding one solid color, one metallic accent color, and a few little acorns in the corners! It's the same pattern, just done in a totally different way:


Stitching this up on the smaller 24 ct. Congress Cloth made the little piece only 5" by 5" (unlike the larger version at the top, which was 6.5" by 6.5." on the larger 18 ct. canvas). Very cute, don't you think? (Would be perfect for a box top or pillow inset.) And if you really want to have a more contemporary look, you can omit the ivory background stitching and just leave the canvas unstitched - it looks totally fresh and modern that way, too.

Anyway, as a HAPPY THANKSGIVING TREAT FROM ME TO YOU: I'm sharing the "new, revised" pattern with you on my website. Check out the FREE PATTERNS page, and then print out the pages, if you want to try stitching this cutie up yourself! You can certainly stitch it up plain and simple - like the top photo - or you can choose the "jazzier" version....it's all up to you. Consider it a seasonal "THANK YOU" to all you stitchers out there who have been kind enough to buy my patterns all these years!