A NEW QUILT: Sagebrush Stars!

Are you feeling the arrival of Autumn where you live?  Are you enjoying the cooler weather and getting out your flannels and sweaters?   Is it also time to start some fun Autumn Stitching Projects??

I'm so happy to share my latest quilt design, SAGEBRUSH STARS, as a fabulous new fall piece:

 
Woo Hoo, was this a fun stitch! I deliberately chose to use the same thread/color palette as my popular INDIAN SUMMER and INDIAN AUTUMN patterns show below:

           

This counted canvaswork piece is done on sandstone 18 ct. canvas (you can also use eggshell, since you fully cover the canvas with your stitching), and the finished size is 10" x 10".  There's just something about that Watercolours 168, "Rainforest" in combination with the muted blue, green, lavender and terra cotta colors that makes me happy.  And while the colored elements are done in #5 pearl cottons, the background is stitched with 4 ply DMC floss, which is a nice change and easy on your hands - I love that, too! 

And then there are the stars.... don't you love stitching stars?  I had fun making different star centers in each of the smaller stars, which added a bit of surprise "scrappiness" to the overall look of this piece.  Here's a close-up look at the stars, plus the various triangles (or flying geese motifs, as I like to think of them):

 So, if you're itchin' to do some Autumn Stitchin', please saddle up your pony and trot on over to my website and check out the rest of the information on this new SAGEBRUSH STARS pattern!  And Happy Weekend Stitching, Everyone....

October's Here

 The days are shorter, the nights are colder.... Leaves are falling, and it's time to put out the pumpkins!
As far as seasonal decorating goes, I like having autumn pieces around my house that can be enjoyed before and after the Halloween holiday, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite with you....

PUMPKIN HARVEST, which is a small piece (about 4" x 10") of plain ol' Tent Stitch done on 18 ct. brown canvas.  You also get to choose from several stitched sayings (Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and  Celebrate the Bounty of the Season).  You can find this in my "Secret Garden Collection".

RUSTY O'TOOLE is basically a sampler piece with LOTS of different fall elements.  Besides stitching a happy scarecrow, you get to make pumpkins, Indian corn, sunflowers and crows!  You can find Rusty in the "Sampler Collection".

And then there's HARVEST MOON HOUSE, which I have hanging in my entryway, so I can see it coming and going around the house!  Love, love, love the bright spill of pumpkins that glow across this rustic cabin's porch.... You can find this piece in the "Secret Garden Collection" if you scroll down on the left sidebar.

And I can't forget the Sandra Gilmore painted canvas I stitched last year, and created a stitch guide for, called FALL SPLENDOR.   This is a BIG piece, and fortunately, I didn't have to stitch the whole background area - just the muted gold leaf pattern, while leaving the brown canvas unstitched.  And boy, am I glad I can hang it in my house and enjoy it now!

Anyway, I hope this has inspired you to get out stitched projects for fall decorations... and maybe try a new project or two.... HAPPY FALL STITCHING, EVERYONE!

Gathering Pumpkins

 Now that it's October, it's time to start collecting pumpkins and leaves and sunflowers to decorate the house.  And this year, I've been busy stitching some new seasonal decor.... I've just finished a lovely new design called FALL HARVEST PANEL:

Oh, boy... it's got LOTS of glowing pumpkins, leaves, sunflowers, acorns, crows, and even some Indian corn!  Here's a look at it up close (although the model is actually darker and deeper, and the scanned image doesn't really do it justice):

It's stitched on 18 ct. canvas in the brown color, which really makes those pumpkins and autumn leaves POP.  There is so much color in this piece that I couldn't find anywhere to add any variegated thread - except for the outer border area, where I used the gold/orange mix of Watercolours 280, "Calabasa" to add a golden glow to the fun checked and wavy borders. 

This time around, I wanted to design something other than Halloween Jack-o-lanterns, witches, and ghosts, so I stayed with a natural theme, so I could enjoy hanging this piece in the house from September to November.  I included as many fall items as I could think of, including acorns, sunflowers, crows, and even itty bitty ears of Indian corn.  Here's another peek at the fun stuff you get to stitch:

 So if you're in the mood to stitch up a pile of pumpkins, please visit my website to see all the ordering info for this new FALL HARVEST PANEL.   And, HAPPY WEEKEND STITCHING!!

A Little Friday Fun

Are you happy to see Fall creeping into your neighborhood?

I sure am!

Bring on the colored leaves, the crisp cool days, and 

those fat bright pumpkins!!

And to celebrate the changing of the seasons, I've designed

a cute little autumn ornament for you to whip up....

 

   

You can use whatever fall colors you have in your thread stash - 

solid colors or try mixing in some variegated threads

for a dash of excitement!

Have fun playing around with this little project...

and

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

A New Autumn Cyber Class

Here in Northern California, the skies are very hazy with smoke from fires raging further up north.  Added to the hot temperatures we've been having this week, it's feeling more and more like fall is on its way.  I've even found some small acorns on the ground under the oak trees lining the (pathetically dry) creek we walk along each day. 

Which got me to thinking, then designing, and finally stitching a new fall cyber class project that I'm calling AUTUMN LEAVES:

It's 8" x 8" on sandstone 18 ct. canvas, done as a companion to my earlier CORSAGE and FLEUR-DE-LIS pieces that many of you have stitched.  I stitched the model with greens and golds - using Watercolours 285 "Sherwood Forest"  with DMC #5 pearls 934 & 936 for my green version....

But for those of you who aren't as crazy in love with green as I am, you may prefer the teal version, which uses Watercolours 010 - "Fiesta" and uses DMC #5 pearls 500 & 501.  Below are the basic threads used for both versions:

I had a really fun time creating four different leaf patterns, with four different itty bitty leaf stitches in each of the stitch boxes.  Then there's a large central leaf that is easily stitched with irregular diagonal stitches.  Pretty easy stitching overall, with LOTS of fall colors woven throughout the design...

So if you're starting to crave those bright fall colors, you might like to sign up now for my new cyber class, that won't start until late fall - November 2015.  For more information on this new AUTUMN LEAVES cyber class, please jog on over to my website and see all the additional information.

Celebrate the Bounty

Here are more of my designs that share the colors and feel of the Autumn season. 

(They are all available at my website,  in the Sampler Collection and Impressionist Collection,

if you are interested.)

 Anway, I love designing things that can be displayed for longer times during the year; so 

I've amassed quite a collection by now....

Rusty O'Toole

Prairie Star

 Long Autumn Panel

 Red Poppy Collage

 Turning Leaves

My latest stitched painted canvas, Fall Splendor

and last but not least, Pumpkin Harvest 

 

Have a lovely Thankgiving weekend, and I hope you manage to sneak in a bit of stitching, too!

Fall Splendor

Well, here it is.... my largest finished painted canvas piece to date, FALL SPLENDOR by Sandra Gilmore.

It's been painted on the darker sandstone canvas, so it has a lovely aged parchment look to it; and with the "zig zag" border I designed for this piece, it measures 15" x 15".  Here's a peek at the variegated outer border:

What the photo doesn't really show you is that the entire floral pattern in the background is worked in simple Tent Stitch, using a glitzy Kreinik #8 Braid (6 spools, to be exact!), while the rest of the sandstone canvas is left unstitched.  Then for the leaves, I wanted something very simple (to show off all the colors) and decided to use long Straight Stitches.  Surprisingly fast, fun and non-stressful (well, if you don't count concentrating on keeping the long stitches flat, smooth and untwisted), it really was a joy to stitch all the different types of leaves in 5 ply of Splendor silks.

As this big leaf photo shows, just by changing the stitch directions in certain areas of the leaves, you can create surprising color changes, because the light hits the stitches in different ways....

Those red berries and fat acorns are padded and stitched with a shiny rayon ribbon, just to provide additional texture and surprise to the piece. (The padded elements are a bit smushed in the photos, since they're smack up against the scanner bed, but trust me, they are nice and poofy in real life.)

This canvas was an absolute joy to stitch, and I plan to enjoy looking at it all autumn long.

If you are hankering for an elegant fall piece, please contact your favorite stitchery store so they can order you both the FALL SPLENDOR painted canvas and stitch guide from my friends at FLEUR DE PARIS.  The stitch guide is also available on my website. 

HAPPY FALL FRIDAY!

My Current Fall Project

After finishing Sandra Gilmore's OLIVER last month, I was eager to get back to work on this very large piece (another Sandra Gilmore beauty) called FALL SPLENDOR.  It is such an elegant piece that I have been enjoying working on it every night while I watch (ahem, listen) to tv....

Whew!  It's a large piece - 15" x 15" with my added border work - but the sandstone background isn't solidly stitched, so only the gold floral work needs to be done, which I'm doing in plain old Tent Stitch with a Kreinik #8 Braid. I'm making progress, one leaf at a time...

It's rather restful, doing lots of tent stitching with metallic thread; then switching over to long Straight Stitches for the leaves. I've never done any of those old "longpoint" kits that Dimensions used to sell, but I've certainly enjoyed creating my long-stitched leaves, using 5 ply of Splendor silks. It's a simple but effective way to showcase all the luscious fall colors in this piece.

I've already padded the acorns, but still have to finish the red berries at the bottom -- they'll be padded too, with a shiny rayon ribbon, I think.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have this finished shortly (one leaf and five berries to go, woo hoo!), and then I should have the FALL SPLENDOR stitch guide done and mailed off to Fleur de Paris in the next week or so.  Stay tuned for further stitching adventures!
HAPPY FALL FRIDAY!!

More Fall Favorites

After I stitched a few fall quilt designs, I decided to broaden my approach and do some sampler-type designs that would be appropriate for displaying for a longer time in the fall,  and didn't depend on Halloween elements for their continued enjoyment.  They range from traditional designs to more

abstract or impressionistic pieces....

Here are some of my all-time favorites:   PUMPKIN HARVEST (which is basically a cross-stitch graph that is stitched on the plain brown 18 ct. canvas -- simple but elegant) 

RUSTY O'TOOLE 

 

 

AMBER WAVES

        

PRAIRIE STAR

 

and TURNING LEAVES

As the days and nights get cooler, it's delicious to stitch with these warm, rich colors, plus working lots of elegant patterns is another fun way to transition into the season of long dark nights -- now we'll have lots more time for stitching at the end of the day!

Fall Color

Over the years I've designed many pieces for the autumn season. 

 The first ones were quilts, such as FALLING LEAVES,

  

 CHEROKEE STAR,

 

MAPLE LEAF,

  

INDIAN AUTUMN, 

   

 and FOUR WINDS

 They are all built around traditional quilt blocks that stitch up fairly quickly and easily, and provide an excuse to play with lots of rich reds and golds and greens in a satisfying geometric design.  So if you're looking for an autumn design that is fun to work while sitting in the evenings watching tv, 

these fall quilts are just the thing!!

Changing Colors

 Are the trees in your area changing colors?

Do the leaves look like they are being hand-painted by nightime elves?

Does this time of year inspire you to work on projects with autumn colors of red & gold? 

 If so, here are a few of my favorite fall designs:

 FALLING LEAVES, from my American Quilt Collection

 

and CHEROKEE STAR, which has the same red and gold colors 

(also from the American Quilt Collection)

  a more elaborate TURNING LEAVES, from my Impressionist Collection

and a blackwork version of AUTUMN LEAVES, from my Sampler Collection

As the weather gets cooler, don't you think it's nice to work on a project that reflects 

the colors of the season?  I certainly do...

so Happy Friday, Stitchers....and enjoy your lovely long Veterans Day Weekend!