Four of a Kind and Other Threads

Hello there! Want to see what I'm up to?

This pattern is going to be made into a Welcome banner of sorts for our new home. It's taken from my Grandmother's collection of cross stitch magazines, namely 'The Nestlings' by Carolyn Shores Wright. (To see the booklet I'm talking about click here. You'll see the four birds in the upper left corner, and under the picture of the children.)



My Aunts had done other pieces from the collection, which I also found unframed in the forgotten drawers of crafts in the basement. Never fear birdies! I've come to save you!

There will be one more bird added to the right, so there will be two and two facing each other. The fabric is one of the largest....holed?.....fabrics I've ever used. Just putting the needle through the fabric and it'll fall right back out again immediately if you aren't holding tight. You can see the holes distinctly without even having to hold it up. It's a little uncomfortable to work with (and means I definitely have to use three strands instead of two), but it's a quick stitch so not so terrible. If this was a bigger, more intricate project, I'd definitely be finding a different count size.

Other threads I've got in the works will be this stunning piece from Mirabilia:

'Autumn' and 'Winter' from Maidens of the Seasons series, to be stitched on grey linen. I've got the pattern, the linen, and I recently acquired the colours. All that's left is to stitch! But never having stitched on linen before I'm not sure where to start. I was a little disappointed with Spring and Summer. Spring and Summer are really pale in colour and don't seem to have the 'awe factor' I got when I first spotted the Autumn/Winter set. I saw that pattern, and I immediately knew what I was going to be getting. Lovely, rich colours, explosion of detail; something that just catches your eye. Spring/Summer just don't do that. I purposely sought out the previous seasons, so I could get the set and do them all together, but it was really anticlimactic to see the paler pair. But maybe it is just me?

~x~