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.