A Springy New Cyber Class!

Have I got a treat for all you stitchers that have taken my cyber classes in the past: 

a brand new, Springy cyber class piece that make you smile every time you look at it.... 

And it's called DAFFODIL TIME:

The idea for this fun design came as a surprise to me.  For all the years I've been teaching

FLEUR-DE-LIS with it's bright blue iris, it never occurred to me to design a companion

piece - until I was posting the iris photo on Instagram, and something about

the angle of the photo made me do a double-take and say to myself, "Hey, wouldn't

it be fun to create a daffodil design in the same layout?"

So I did!  And I had a lot of fun figuring out four different floral patterns 

that I could highlight around the center daffodil, creating little flowers

that sorta had a daffodil look to them.  And working with the bright Springtime colors

was definitely another perk - and much appreciated during the cold grey winter months!

Here's a close-up look at a few of the stitch patterns used in this piece:

DAFFODIL TIME is worked on my fav Santa Fe Sage Green 18 ct. canvas,

and it's finished size is a managable 8" x 8".  The thread palette is built around

Watercolours 297 - " Goldenrod" which has a cheerful mix of yellows, greens,

and a dash of blue.

 

So, if you LOVE daffodils (and honestly, who doesn't?),

  you might want to try your hand at stitching up this new Springtime piece.

(And I promise you that this is one daffodil that WON'T wilt, fall over in the rain,

or get eaten by bugs - and you'll enjoy looking at it all year long...)

Skip on over to my website and check out all the cyber class information....

Registration runs from now until April 30th, and the class starts in late May.

Friday Flowers

Signs of spring are everywhere, here in Northern California.  All over town, tulip trees are a mass of rich pink blooms, while my tiny tree in the front yard is just starting to unsheathe its petals

and even my small azalea is starting to blossom

as cyclamen in valentine colors burst from their pots...

 In the backyard, forgotten bulbs are rising up from the mounds of dirt

They bring the promise of Spring with all its warmth and color and hope for longer, sunny days.

For those of you still buried in the depths of winter, perhaps you'd like to create your own spring garden with my DAFFODIL COLLAGE.  This sunny piece always makes me smile when I look at it, and I've added it to my current wall of stitchery, so I can enjoy its joyful sunshine...

Stitched on the sage green 18 ct. canvas, those bright yellow and greens really glow, don't they?
Here's a look up close:

If you'd like to stitch up your own patch of never-fading daffodils, please visit my website: www.laurajperindesigns.net and then click on the SECRET GARDEN COLLECTION to find the DAFFODIL COLLAGE, along with lots of other spring flower designs....
HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Flowers

Here in Northern California Spring is in full swing!

Our daffodils and tulips bloomed way back in February and March, so we're moving on to lots of other flowers now.  But daffodils have always been the flower that everyone thinks of when they think of Spring.
These are the ones I had blooming in my garden this year:

One of the very first flower collages I designed was the DAFFODIL COLLAGE (you can find it in my Secret Garden Collection on my website), and it's still a fresh, bright favorite of mine:

Every time I look at this piece I'm reminded of how much I love using that pale Santa Fe Sage Green canvas. Personally, I think of this sage green as a "neutral" color, since it's slightly cool and slightly warm at the same time, and practically every other color looks good on it.  And in the case of these yellow daffodils, these stitch patterns really POP against the soft and coolish green background.

So as a stitcher, I just love to stitch my flowers, no matter what the season is, or what is (or isn't) growning in my garden.  It's just my way of having all my favorite flowers around me throughout the year.....
Happy Friday, everyone!

A Bit of Brightness

A bit of brightness is always welcome after a long winter, so I thought of course of daffodils. I planted a row of bulbs last year and have been enjoying them dancing in the garden...


Which made me pull out my cheerful DAFFODIL COLLAGE, one of the very first flower collages I stitched, lo, these many years past:


I'm always pleasantly surprised to re-view the stitch "swatches" I chose for my flowers and I am reminded again of how fun they were to think up and stitch. Here's one of my favorites, which is a basic box grid (stitched with a variegated thread) then you fill it with whatever fun motifs you want:


And as I was picking out patterns, I tried to use ones that looked like daffodils, with stiff outer petals with a concentrated center. Here's a favorite floral pattern that surprised me how much it looked like a patch of daffodils standing stiffly at attention:


For my other daffodil swatches, I also experimented with two blackwork patterns, and then added a bit more color within the open areas. Here's one of them, as well as the lower right block photo further down:



So, having shared my stitched DAFFODIL COLLAGE with you, I'll leave you with a real bouquet of daffodils....



HAPPY FRIDAY!