A Brand New Panel!!

Are you looking for a fun new winter project that has lots of happy colors and patterns and just plain boosts your spirits during these dreary winter months?  Why not consider my newest panel design, called SNOWMAN PANEL:

I wanted to create something fun and colorful; something that evokes the chill of a winter's day, but also has lots of happy colors -- in this case, I chose the variegated Watercolours 236 - "Appalachia" with its vibrant blues, greens and purples for my foundation thread, then found the #5 pearl cottons and metallic ribbons to match.  It's happy, happy, happy stitchin', I tell ya....

I had so much fun thinking up the different snowflake-like patterns to stitch in the main boxes, and then I definitely wanted the picture box to have a snowman.... and wait, I also had to add two cute bunnies!  Plus a few small pine trees give the vignette an extra wintery feel.  A smattering of crystal beads add a bit of sparkle as well.  Here's a peek up-close:

Working on the leventeen blue canvas was another perk for this project. (Or you could also use the slightly darker antique blue canvas, if that's available to you instead.)

So if you love snowmen.... or bunnies.... or anything with snowflakes.... you might want to add this cheerful pattern to your winter stash.  Please ski on over to my website to see all the other ordering information for this fun, new SNOWMAN PANEL!

Guess What's Available Now?!?

It's the very fun, very festive NORDIC PANEL that I designed several years ago for Nordic Needle's first Canvaswork Club.  The pattern (in the original red/blue/green palette) is now available on my website:

Are you as crazy about colors and patterns as I am?  Then this long panel piece might just be the perfect project for you to stitch in the New Year!

The stitches aren't difficult -- straight, diagonal, smyrnas, rhodes, and french knots -- but they're used in clever combinations that are a pleasure to work up.  Here's a peek at one of the patterns:

And here's a look at the central bargello band, plus the blackwork band below it done in a variegated Watercolours thread:

All done in fun red, blue, green and gold threads that replicate happy Nordic sweater patterns.  So if you're looking for a project that will give you a jolt of color and boost your spirits during the long, cold winter months, you might want to add NORDIC PANEL to your wintertime stash!  Please ski on over to my website, for all the thread types and ordering info...

Stitch Some PRAIRIE FLOWERS!

 

  

Earlier this year, Nordic Needle in Fargo, North Dakota asked if I would be interested in designing another panel piece they could use for their new canvaswork club.  Their previous club project was the very popular NORDIC PANEL I designed for them using bright primary colors and geometric Nordic patterns.   This time around, I wanted to stitch something with summery colors and happy floral patterns.  Here's what I designed for them, called PRAIRIE FLOWERS PANEL:

Oh, boy, it was so very fun to stitch, with all the different flower patterns!  I was inspired by the pinks, yellows and golds of prairie wildflowers and tried to keep that in mind as I created different stitched flowers in each section.  Here's a look at it up close, with the "fantasy flower" section highlighted for you:

Doesn't that look like fun?!?  Each floral section is so colorful and fun to stitch - nothing too hard or too complex - honest!  And you even have the choice between two colorways: PINK or BLUE, as the handful of threads show below.... and yes, the kit includes the cute little bee button, too!

This new club project will be starting in October and run for six months, so you have plenty of time to stitch and enjoy it, especially during the dreary winter months.   If this piece appeals to your gardening fancy, please buzz on over to the NORDIC NEEDLE website: www.nordicneedle.com to find out more about joining the club....( you can also see what the blue colorway looks like, since Jessica, one of their employees, stitched up that model!)

Happy Stitch-Filled Weekend!!

Deck Those Halls!!

I'm guessing that all you stitchers have started decorating your homes for the holiday seasons.
And getting out all your favorite holiday stitched pieces, too.

Well, I've got a new one for you to add to your collection -- it's called the CHRISTMAS PANEL.  Yes, you guessed it, it's a panel filled with all thing Christmasy!  I've been working on this piece for the last month and TA DA, just last week finished the pattern so I could release it to you now:

 

 
It's a beautiful heirloom piece (if I do say so myself!) and something I'm going to enjoy hanging in my home every year.  I had lots of fun thinking up Christmas things that could fit in the tiny spaces of the panel patterns -- itty bitty stockings, candles, ornaments, garlands, and packages.

The fully decorated Christmas tree with loads of packages underneath was the last thing I stitched, and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out:

I stitched this piece on 18 ct. canvas in the Santa Fe Sage Green color, although the brightness of the photo doesn't really show that, but the soft green canvas allows all the white and metallic threads to pop a bit better than if it had been stitched on eggshell.... but you certainly could use eggshell if you want a warmer look to your version!

And this is one of the few pieces I've stitched that DOESN'T have any variegated Watercolours in it. Shocking, huh?  It's all done in DMC #5 pearl cottons and assorted metallics in red, green, and white. (And just a bit of variegated ThreadworX #5 Pearl for the evergreen tree!)

Anyway, if you're looking for a fun project to get you in the holiday spirit, this may be the one for you!  Jump in your sleigh and jingle on over to my website to see all the ordering info on this new CHRISTMAS PANEL pattern. Ho, Ho, Ho, Stitchers!!

A Vacation Retreat

Hey, Counted Canvas Stitchers:

Do you need a secret summer hideout?

 A vacation retreat in the mountains or by the water?

A sweet little cabin you can relax in,

 reading and stitching and watching the clouds roll by?

Well, why not STITCH UP you own little country cabin, with my brand new

COUNTRY CABIN PANEL?!?

I've been itching to create another panel project for some time now (using the same format

as the long NORDIC PANEL I did last year as an exclusive Nordic Needle project),

because it really was a lot of fun to stitch, with interesting patterns divided by

a handful of cheerful borders.  And I wanted to add a cute little cabin surrounded

by tall trees, just to give it a summertime feel. 

 I also mixed in some of my favorite design elements from 

American quilts, Indian blankets, and country style to give it a real rustic feel.

 Here's a close-up look at the middle cabin section:

This 7.25" x 18.5" piece was stitched on 18 ct. canvas in eggshell,

 but sandstone could also work for a more woodsy look.... 

I stitched my model in greens and browns (the Mountain Cabin version), but

the pattern also includes an alternate thread palette with blues and browns

 (the Lakeside Cabin version).

Either way, it's a darn fun piece to stitch up, let me tell ya!!

So if you'd like to stitch up your own country retreat,

 please mosey on over to my website and

 check out the thread lists and ordering information....

Join the Club!

I've been meaning to tell you about a special project I designed for NORDIC NEEDLE, in Fargo, North Dakota.  You all know about Nordic Needle, right?  About their fan-tas-tic  store, website, and catalog??   If you haven't visited them, go hop, jump, skip over to see their amazing range of stitching merchandise -- virtually everything that the stitcher or embroiderer could ever wish for!!

Well, a few months ago, they asked me to design something really special: an exclusive project that they could use for their first-ever CANVASWORK CLUB!  They've got a Hardanger Club and a Cross Stitch Club, and they wanted to start a canvaswork club too.   So I did some super-marathon stitching and worked up a really fun 10-month project that uses fresh, festive "Nordic" colors of red, blue and green.  Here it is, and it's called NORDIC PANEL:

It's a long piece, about 7" wide by 18" long, and each section has a different and very fun stitch pattern to work up.  I specifically used different canvaswork techniques, such as bargello and blackwork, so the stitcher would get a taste of lots of interesting stitch patterns, and have the fun of trying new techniques in small sections.  Additionally, each separating border pattern uses different stitch elements, so there's a nice variety of unusual stitches to experience within this panel piece.  Here's an up-close look at part of the bargello section and below it, the blackwork section:

I focused on using traditional Nordic elements, like the classic star and floral motifs, combined with a happy checked border.  And the colors I chose remind me of those bright Nordic sweaters you see in the winter months... Happy, happy, happy, don't you agree??   (Although I think this project can be displayed equally well in spring, summer, fall and winter!)

 Because I wanted to create a project that would appeal to beginning stitchers as well as intermediate stitchers, I kept the stitches simple.... Really, it's just the way that they are combined (and with the use of a variegated thread and a handful of metallics) that makes this piece LOOK complex!

When you sign up for the Nordic Needle Canvaswork Club, you'll initially get the full thread kit (it's only available in this one red/blue/green colorway), which also includes the first lesson. (You'll be using scroll bars on this long piece, so if you don't have a set, you can purchase those from Nordic Needle as well.)  After that, you'll need to sign up for the monthly lessons, so you can work on your panel month by month.  In addition, as a special club bonus you'll receive four small ornament designs that will come throughout the remainder of the stitching year.  The ornaments can be stitched up as separate pieces with threads from your stash, so you have the added pleasure of a few more fun projects to enjoy throughout the year. 
 
What more can I say, except: This is fun, fun, fun to stitch, I gotta tell you!  So if you're looking for a fantastic new project to inspire you in 2014, please visit Nordic Needle's website and find out all about their new Canvaswork Club.

First New Pattern of 2013!

Here it is, the start of a New Year.  And you know what that means?  MORE NEW DESIGNS to share with you!  Woo Hoo!!

I'm hoping you're gonna love this one, because it's something some of you stitchers have requested over the past year - another season in the Long Panel series.   So, TA DA, here it is:  the LONG WINTER PANEL.....

I had fun stitching this one up, since it's very monochromatic (using the french blue family of DMC 930/931/932) with LOTS of shimmer and sparkle with two metallic ribbon threads, plus lots of silver and blue beads. Here's a close-up of the middle section; the blue arrow is pointing to the sky blue metallic ribbon, the purple arrow is pointing out the snowflake (there are three of them on the panel) made with really cool twisted bugle beads, and the pink arrow is pointing to the ice blue metallic ribbon:

 When I was designing this piece, I was thinking about the colors and shapes of SNOW: snow-covered mountain peaks (see the jagged mountain peaks that divide the sections?) .... different composite stitch patterns that suggest snowflakes or falling snow..... and of course blues and teals and silvers.... all built around  variegated Watercolours 157, "Polar Ice".  I stitched this 4.5" by 16" design on the pale "french blue" mono canvas, but it could also be done on pewter.... or hey, how about the white with silver metallic canvas?!?  Veeeeerrry Wintery.  Brrrrrrr.....

And ahem... I even received a surprise Christmas gift from a friend that matched this project PERFECTLY!

Talk about a beautiful, blingy blue scissor fob!! Whew, this one takes the prize, and I loved using it as I stitched this icy blue piece.  (Thanks, Laurel... how did you know I needed a blue one, huh??)

So if you're in the mood to work another long panel with a decidedly wintery palette, please visit my website (www.laurajperindesigns.net) and get the rest of the information.
Happy Friday Stitching!

New March Pattern

I've been in a joyfully productive springtime mood these last few weeks and am happy to show you my newest spring design called LONG SPRING PANEL:

This happy springtime piece uses little bits of stitched ribbons to divide the four different floral patterns that make up this new long panel. I couldn't decide which pastel variegated thread to use, so I've included two different colorways on the pattern  (plus I list the thread types used, for stitchers who want to create their own color palettes).

One colorway is a "cool pink" palette (the model shown above) that is stitched on sage green 18 ct. canvas. It features Watercolours 064 "Pale Lilac" and weaves a touch of lavender throughout the piece. The other colorway is a "warm pink/coral" palette that can be stitched on eggshell canvas and uses Watercolours 053 "Coral Blush" as its inspiration. Here's a snippet of the warmer pink version for you to see up close:

It's such a fun and easy piece to stitch up (I finished the first model in a week) that as soon as I completed the first version, I started to work on the second one... and am enjoying stitching it just as much as the first!

When I got the first model finished, I had planned to just add beads, but in a burst of springy inspiration, I realized that the tiny ribbon flowers are exactly the right size to hold a few small buttons. I went looking through my old button bag and came up with a few good buttons, but I also visited the local fabric store and found these adorable shell flower buttons that were perfect for the piece:

They add a very charming vintage springtime touch, don't you think? 

So if you have a collection of small buttons you'd like to add to a stitched project or if you're just in the mood for something new and springy  to stitch right about now, please visit my website to see more information on this design. 

A Little Repanelling Project

Over the past few weeks I've had some nice chats with several stitchery store owners about their having classes for my ONE LONG PANEL design in particular. It's been very satisfying to know that stitchers are having fun stitching up these panel projects.... and even more satisfying to know that stitchers are expanding their own creative knowledge and confidence by changing colors and making the panel design their OWN through their color picks!

Recently I received a call from TWO THE POINT in Overland Park, Kansas. They're planning to hold a class in a few weeks and were ordering a few more patterns, since they've had more people sign up. The stitchers there are all choosing their own color combinations, so each one will be a unique surprise for the stitcher when it's done. How fun is that?

And a while ago, THREAD & EYE in London, Ontario sent me a link to see the photos from the group of stitchers who were also taking a ONE LONG PANEL class in the store. Go check out www.threadneye.com and then click on the "One Long Panel Class" listed on the right side of the website. You'll see all sorts of color combinations for this design. And each one looks totally different than the next!

Hearing from stores and stitchers about how much they are enjoying stitching my projects really gives me a boost of creative energy. I'm so glad stitchers are having fun with my pieces ... and let me tell you: it inspires me to keep on stitching and designing fun projects to share with all of you! So Thank You, Stitchers for all your interest and support for my designs. I truly, truly appreciate hearing from you all!!

Red, White & Blue - I Am For You!

Gosh, time flies when you have your head down over scroll bars and are crazily stitching on one piece after the other! That's what I've been doing these past few weeks, so please forgive my blogging absence. I've been so focused on developing lots of new ideas, plus finishing up a few projects that I just couldn't stop to chat. Instead I've been flitting from project to project in sort of a stitching frenzy (can you relate?!?)....

Anyway, it's time to reveal my first finished summer project to you. TA DA! it's a RED, WHITE & BLUE PANEL.


I can't believe I didn't think of doing this earlier, but when I was leafing thru my notebooks for more long panel ideas, it suddenly occured to me that a red, white and blue one would be so fun to stitch up that I had to drop everything, cut a piece of canvas, pull some threads, and start stitching.

I chose three big, easy patterns that stitched up really quick and also were fun to work. (I got this piece finished inside of a week). My thinking was to get the pattern all done and released before the Fourth of July, so I'm pleased to say I've met my self-imposed deadline with time to spare!

Here's the red section up-close:


The zig zag foundation is done with a variegated red - Watercolours 219,"Cardinal" - with Rhodes Ovals done in a soft metallic Ribbon Floss and Eyelet Ovals done with a red DMc #5 pearl cotton.

Here's the white section up-close:


I chose a simple bargello wave that uses three different soft metallic Ribbon Floss colors that alternate with plain white DMC #5 pearl cotton.

And here's the blue section up-close:


There's a variegated blue star foundation that uses a new Watercolours thread - 281, "Hudson Bay" (from which I cut out about an inch of the brightest blue of the thread, to stitch with the beautiful flag blues in the rest of the threads.)

I wish you could see the actual piece, because it just sparkles all over, what with all the red, white, blue, and gold metallics used in the piece.

And what I like about having it hanging on my office wall is that it really looks good from a distance; even though there isn't any real focal point in the piece, it's interesting to realize that those red, white & blue colors ARE the focal point, and they are so emotional and evocative in and of themselves that it becomes a simple but very powerful piece to display. (Although it has occured to me that this piece would also provide a great background to embellish with American charms - maybe some large gold stars, perhaps? Another stitching friend of mine suggested to would make a great banner project as well...)

So.... if you're in the mood to do a little flag waving this Fourth of July, this RED, WHITE & BLUE PANEL might be a fun project to get you in the right spirit.... Check out my website for full pattern and ordering details.