First Pumpkins of the Season

Say hello to C'est l'automne:

 This is a sweet little free design that I found (through Pinterest) on the blog, Gazette94.  It features beautiful stylized pumpkins, leaves, and vines all in shades of orange and green.

I stitched it up on 32ct Lambswool linen from Wichelt.  I wanted raw linen, but I didn't have any in my stash and I didn't want to wait to stitch this.  The design worked up at 5 1/8" by 4 7/8" including my signature and date at the bottom.  (Remember, folks, sign your work!)

The designer offered suggested floss colors, but I substituted DMC floss from stash.  My greens are a little bit lighter and my oranges are a bit deeper than the model.

The designer also shows it on the blog charted up in one color.  You could stitch this all in one shade, with a hand-dyed thread and it would be gorgeous, but totally different.

This stitched up pretty quickly in just a few nights in front of the TV.  (Season 8 of Criminal Minds is out on DVD and I've been catching up before the season premier!)  Even though it's almost completely cross stitch, there is a bit of backstitching to liven things up.  I love the effect that it gives with the vine that completely borders the design weaving in and out of the tiny leaves.

I'm not sure yet how I'm going to finish this up.  Maybe a small pillow?  A door-hanger?  I'm waiting for inspiration to strike.

Still no garment sewing.  I'm still working on getting the new sewing room together.  I'm itching to get back to it, though.  I want some new knit dresses for fall.  And the Princess wants some things, too.

How about you?  Any sewing or crafting projects on the table for fall?

Jumpstart on Autumn

There hasn't been any sewing around here for a month and a half.  It's not that I don't want to sew, it's just that I don't have anywhere to do it right now.  My current sewing space is out of commission and my new, dedicated sewing room is not quite usable yet.  There is a lot of work to be done on it and not a lot of time to do it.

In the meantime, my stitching urge has hit early this year.  I usually turn to needlework in the fall.  Something about autumn colors and designs just gets me going every year.  I don't know if it's the mild summer we've had or what, but I pulled out my needlework stash in August.

 

The first piece I worked on was this, Summer Scene, by Cynthia Zittel of The Drawn Thread.  This little house was featured in the August 2000 issue of Just Cross Stitch.  I had saved it in a notebook of things I thought I might want to stitch one day, and now here it is.

This design stitched up just a little bit over 3 inches square on 28ct Glass Blue Monaco.  I'm not crazy about Monaco- it feels kind of stiff and scratchy, very "cottony."  As well it should, since it's 100% cotton.  I really wanted a blue fabric like the model, and I didn't have anything in my stash.  I found this at Hobby Lobby and decided to try it.  The color is okay.  Maybe  a bit "grayer" than I'd like, but I can live with it.  I actually think it will be great for stitching some snowy winter scenes later on, but that will have to wait.

I used the suggested DMC flosses.  The model was stitched in silk and I'm sure it's gorgeous, but I figured cotton would work.  Check out the Woven leaves, Double Leviathan Stitch on the front door, and Reversed Cushion Stitch for the walkway.  The pink flower petals are actually tiny Smyrna Cross Stitches.

Cynthia Zittel is one of my all-time favorite designers.  Even if you are not into cross stitch and needlework, check out her designs at The Drawn Thread.  I promise you'll be amazed by her gorgeous gardens, delicate flowers and, whimsical seasonal designs.

After stitching the Summer Scene, I started on this Halloween design called Pumpkin Hollow Sampler by Nancy Woodson of Liberty Primitives & Needlework.  I have a way to go on this one.  It's going to have a big pumpkin behind the black bird, colorful leaves on the tree, and some grass.  There is also a border on this design.  I'm using DMC floss on 28ct raw linen.  Stay tuned for an update soon.

And in other stitching news, I picked up some more linen and floss in these wonderful fall colors:

I have a lot more autumn stitching planned...