In honor of World Cross Stitch Day yesterday I decided I needed to start a new project (any excuse to start a new project really). As I was working on Stitchin’ Witches I remembered a couple other projects in my want to stitch “sooner rather than later” list. That list is quite long but of the smaller projects on the list, there were several I’ve been eyeing up lately so was trying to decide which of them to start. This is the one I really wanted to start.
This is Autumn Alphabet by Willow Hill Samplings. It will be a small project – less than 5″ x 7″ with the fabric I think I might use but as I was pulling the floss, there is a decided issue. I love the chart and most of it is because of the colors used in it. Love hat bluish pumpkin. However look at the called for flosses I pulled – no blues, no whitish ones, The color for the cat is the only blackish/gray color (which is also used in the border and for some of the darkest looking letters). All those alphabet letters look likes shades of gray/blackish in the chart but other than the one dark color everything called for is shades of green (the two colors I’m missing are lighter shades of green which are used in what I would call the “white” pumpkins. I know hand dyed flosses can change over time but wow these are big changes – the chart was published in 2019. Oh well I love the chart so it’s just going to take some time for me to find the colors that I want to substitute so mine looks closer to the chart cover. So, needless to say that one was not the one I started last night.
This chart I consider in the “Fallish” look category. I had it the stash and have looked at it several times lately but each time couldn’t decide on a fabric to use – I just didn’t see to have a fabric that said use me, I will be perfect for this stitch. I also had most of the floss colors stored in the chart packet – a mix of two Weeks, one Gentle Arts and the rest DMC. I went to my newly organized ed floss rack to see if I had the two colors I was missing – one I did and I’m still missing one DMC but haven’t looked at the floss card to see what I it is and if I have a good substitute. But, I DO have the perfect fabric – it was one I had gotten not too long ago and set aside thinking it might work for this chart and when I pulled it out last night, yes, indeed, it will be perfect. Some make think the color palette sort of boring for this piece – mostly shades of brown/tan – but I really like it. My top favorite colors – green is first and then golds and browns are tied for second.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how it looks on this Forbidden Fiber 18ct in Woodland. I think it’s a fantastic pairing of chart and fabric.
So what did I start on? I Love Fall Most of All. I’m missing two colors – I think the acorn colors – which I will find a substitute for when I get to stitching them. Tho you can see it from the chart photo, the row
of flying geese is at the very bottom and then I’m working on the bird tail. I forgot to grab the floss ring for the photo but the colors in this one are muted and a nice change from bright orange pumpkins. The bird’s wing is done in smyrna crosses which give the wing a great look.
One final fall chart from the stash to share – this one I really wanted to start but I’m waiting for the piece I want to finish this this stitch on to arrive in order to figure out what count aida I need to use for it to fit. It’s called On Pins & Pumpkins by Brenda Gervais and is charted as a 6″ pumpkin-shaped pinkeep. My sister I think planted pumpkins and gourds this year so I may need to see if she has any unattached stems she can set aside for me since real stems are used in many finishes.
Anyway, remember the little wooden pumpkin I got last year to mount a stitched piece on?
And if you don’t remember, here’s what I’m talking about. the smallest pumpkin from luckyladydecor on Etsy. Well I saw the chart above, I instantly thought of those wooden pumpkins so I ordered three different sizes, each in a different color. At least one will be used as a gift (without any stitching on it) but I need to measure the center sections of the pumpkins to decide what count aida to stitch the On Pins & Pumpkins chart on. I think it will be the perfect chart for one of those pumpkins.
Enough rambling about fall charts – there’s a muchness of things to do around here and I’d better get at them.
Justquiltin with Denise Russart 