A New Quilt Design

I recently finished this new quilt design, called IDAHO STAR:


I wanted to stitch something using Watercolours 245 - "Savannah" and thought this quilt would be perfect for that thread, since the colors evoke a high mountain landscape, with green-gold meadows and ice-cold streams under bright blue skies. Here's the thread palette I used for IDAHO STAR (plus a turquoise and gold ribbon thread not shown here):


Although I must admit, as I was half-way through stitching this model, I realized this design would also look terrific in other colorways - blues and purples, for instance... or maybe a more southwestern palette of adobe and turquoise....

The actual IDAHO STAR block looks like this:


The variegated chevrons, or "arrows" are fun to stitch with 1 ply of Watercolors, and then all the other colors revolve around them. The "stars" alternate colors in each block - I used turquoise and green, for a more monochromatic look, but you could be a lot more daring with colors for a totally different look.

And the border is a little bit different too:


I've continued stitching the variegated arrows along the border edges, and then, instead of stitching the background in just one color, I decided to work the background a gradation of golden tans - which is fun to stitch, and then fun to look at after you're done.

So, if you're interested in stitching up a new quilt design (and maybe even changing the colors) you can find this new IDAHO STAR design on my website.

I'm Back!

Sorry I've been gone so long. I was sidelined by an unexpected medical problem, but now I'm (slowly) getting back into shape....

I defintely know I'm on the mend because I'm suddenly eager to pick up all my recently ignored and sadly abandoned projects and start stitching on them again. HOORAY!!

And lots of new designs that have been bubbling away for months on the back burner of my creative stove are eager to make an appearance RIGHT NOW.... So I've been cutting canvas, pulling threads, and sketching new ideas like crazy. WOO HOO! It sure feels GOOD to get back in the stitchin' mode!

High Summer

This is a small Rebecca Wood canvas I started stitching last summer, but set it down at some point, and forgot about it.

This year, I remembered it, pulled it out of my stash and decided to get it finished for this Fourth of July.

Cute, huh?

It's actually part of a set of characters that make up an Independence Day collection -- don't know if it's still available, but it's really, really cute and I just fell in love with this little boy and his dog in particular....

And I certainly had fun stitching him up - nothing fancy, mostly basketweave stitch. I decided NOT to put in a background, as you can see. I'm going to just frame it in a simple silver frame, then enjoy looking at it the rest of the summer!

Check out many more of Rebecca Wood's wonderful canvases at www.RebeccaWoodDesigns.com

Healdsburg Celebrates

As I've walked around Healdsburg this week, I've taken some pictures of how some houses are decorated for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, and thought you'd enjoy seeing them.....









I hope wherever you are, you have a Grand and Glorious Independence Day!

Pure Americana!

Here's a little seasonal color to get you in the mood for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.....

Here's the first red, white and blue quilt I designed, called STARS & BARS (and yeah, it has a bit of gold in it, too). Let's face it, these stars are just plain fun to stitch in ANY color combination:


Then a few years later, I came up with another red, white and blue quilt I called STAR SPANGLED QUILT, which has a good bit of gold - but it's metallic this time:


This is LIBERTY STAR, one of my all-time favorites, with a quilty version of bunting.I think this is a great design because not only does it have lots of fun stitch patterns in it, but it also manages to look traditional AND contemporary at the same time:


And hey, let's not forget this traditional favorite, the good ol' CLASSIC LOG CABIN:


And do you love firework displays? I do. And I wanted to try and create some fireworks - stitchery style - so I designed my INDEPENDENCE DAY:


And WOO HOO!...for a real firecracker, sparkler effect, you gotta love this PINWHEEL SPARKLER pattern. It reminds me of kids sitting on the curb, waving pinwheels and flags as they watch a parade pass by. This design just sings out with lots of colors, movement and razz matazz:


And last, but certainly not least, is my INDEPENDENCE INN, which says it all:


Hope this gets you in the Spirit for stitching - as well as celebrating our freedom and independence!

Duel in the Sun

Every morning Katie looks out the window hoping to see the squirrels playing on my lawn or up in the trees. She positively quivers if she smells squirrels and nothing will do but I let her out to sniff around. (I always wait until the squirrels are up in the tree, however...) She beelines it to the tree, sniffing furiously and sometimes barking and howling with frustration that the squirrels have eluded her yet again.

Here's the big cedar tree on my front lawn (i.e.: the battleground) with Katie
at its foot, looking up for her nemesis - THE SQUIRREL.


In the background you can see a big oak tree that the squirrels also like to play in, as well as an assortment of other redwood, fir and walnut trees in the neighborhood.

This morning, there was the usual standoff between Squirrel and Katie.
Here's Squirrel, high above and safely watching Katie doing her crazy dog dance around the yard:


And here's Katie, waiting for Squirrel to make a move, any move....


Alas... today, like every other day, Squirrel has wisely scampered away to scold and play another day. But Katie will be waiting and dreaming of squirrels in the meantime.....

Ocean Waves

This is one of my earlier quilt designs called OCEAN WAVES. Originally, I stitched this model with Rainbow Gallery's Overture V61 - "Ocean Blues" and a palette of blue #5 pearl cotton threads.

Last year, Caron Collection came out with some yummy new thread colors, including one called "Appalachia" (236). I thought it would be a good thread to use in a quilt, so I asked my mother if she'd like to stitch up another model of OCEAN WAVES, but this time using the new "Appalachia".

Before I show you my mother's completed piece, I want to show you the individual Ocean Wave block:


You can see here how the block is made up of various sizes of triangles, and how there are two alternating color sections, with one of the sections using the variegated thread. A very easy way to stitch this design would be to just use a variegated thread and alternate it with one solid color....

Now here's what four Ocean Wave blocks look like together:


Pretty sweet little quilt, huh? And if you want, try picking out the variegated color - plus the five other solid colors that are used as accent colors. Can you find them all?

And TA DA! Here's the complete version of my Mom's OCEAN WAVES, which has nine full blocks, plus a lovely wavy border:


I think this version has a warm, summery feel to it - which is rather different from the cool blues of the original. So if you're heading to the beach this summer, you might want to consider this project for catchin' some waves!