Wash Day

This past weekend I started the cross-stitch design Wash Day by Kathy Barrick of Carriage House Samplings. Such a sweet design and I get such joy at watching the birds at my own birdbath.

I'm stitching it on 32-count Zweigart Belfast, 2 over 2, colorway Ray of Light. I modified the colors: instead of DMC black 310 for the birds, I went with Gentle Arts Ginger Cake. We mostly get brown-colored birds at our bird bath: robins, wrens, and sparrows. I also softened the oranges; instead of DMC dark coral 626 and DMC dark pumpkin 355, I went with DMC 3778 and 3830. I stayed with the green DMCs in the pattern and the DMC 640 for the birdbath, though I'm not sure I like the green undertone in the 640, and wondering if enough difference between it and the darker green; may substitute, we'll see. The pattern didn't specify french knots for the birds' eyes, but I added them.

Valentine's Day Cross-Stitching

I love romantic decorations, and Valentine's Day is a lovely opportunity to enjoy them. I spent the past weeks stitching some lovely Valentine designs. The first design is Love by Hands On Design. I stitched it on 32-count Belfast linen in a pink shade. I used Victorian Motto threads: Claret, Rose Plum, and Olde White. I hand-finished it into a small pillow/pin keep. 

The second cross-stitch design is called ABC I Love Thee by C Street Samplerworks. I stitched it with over-dyed threads, Gentle Arts Poinsettia and Week's Dye Works Sophie's Pink. The even-weave fabric was hand-dyed by a lovely Instagram friend, diaryofacrossstitcher, which she so kindly gifted me. I hand-sewed it into a small pillow:

The third set of Valentine decorations was inspired by a Pinterest post and my love of candy hearts. I stitched the designs on lavender and pink linens (28- and 32-count) and used a heart-shaped template I found on the Internet. I backed the stitching with fusible interfacing, filled them with Polyfil, and sewed them to a felt heart (wool felt from sweetemmajean on Etsy). The lace trims are from the mid-1990's, the tiny roses from Michael's. 

The last design is Always from SubRosa Design which I found on Pinterest. I coffee- and tea-dyed a 32-count cream linen to age it. I stitched it with my first silk threads, Dinky Dyes, in the Dusty Pink colorway, purchased at my local needlework shop, Traditional Stitches. I used only one strand as, again, I liked the antiqued look. The lace trim is from my stash from the late 80's. I hand-sewed it into a small pillow with the pink fabric it is shown on (purchased at My Sewing Room in Calgary). The second fabric in the photo is a piece of Liberty fabric which I absolutely adore and am now collecting, thanks to finding another lovely local fabric shop, Out of Hand. I also collected floral teacups in the early 2000's, and you'll likely see them pop up in my photos. 

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day, being with or thinking about those you love. xoxo