Sunday, February 14, 2016

Bird Friends Valentine and Joyful World

One last Valentine on the real Valentine's Day!.  I saw this design first on the FB smalls group.  It's a freebie by Kirsi Huttunen and you can find it at the  Merry Cherry Designs blog.  I actually stitched it up when I thought I was sending out two stitched Valentines this year, but the intended recipient for this one turns out to be traveling for the month of February.  So this one will just hang around til next year I guess.  My free-form heart seemed like a good idea, but my hand paper-cutting skills need work.  I'll just consider it to be 'rustic'.  It's stitched on 35 ct linen.


Like many of you, I've been participating in the Snowflower Diaries Joyful World SAL.  I have no idea what I will do with these designs in the end or even if I will have the staying power to stitch them all.   I decided to do them on 28 ct tea Monaco, one-over-one, in DMC.  I'm doing each individually for more flexibility later. I considered leaving off the month names, but in the end I decided I liked them as is.   Even if I never finish-finish them, I'm enjoying the stitching so much that they will have definitely served their purpose anyway.  The designs are just so precious!  I have finished January and February with minimal color changes.  There were a few places that didn't have enough contrast for my fabric.  The two photos below make it appear that I used a different fabric for each, but that's just camera tricks.  The February photo is probably more true to the real life color.

Here's a shot next to a quarter so you can see how tiny and cute these are:

20 comments:

Vickie said...

Friendship Birds is so sweet. Thank you for the link Annie. I love your small SAL. I am also stitching over one, but on 25 ct.

KimM said...

Looks lovely.
xxx

Annette-California said...

Very pretty stitching! Happy Valentine's Day!
love Annette

Robin in Virginia said...

What lovely and fun projects you stitched! Thank you for providing the link for the Friendship Birds design. Enjoy your day!

Anonymous said...

Oh, those little monthly designs are the cutest ever - and made even more adorable by being over one. <3

Rachel S-H said...

I love the finishes! So cute! I really like the Joyful World stitchalong. It will be something that has to wait til I am off the Stash and Start Restraint Challenge. But any series with foxes and mallards is a good one@

Blu said...

Cute finishes! The birds are so adorable. I'm really being tempted by all the pictures of the SAL I'm seeing around.

Mini said...

Lovely Stitching

Hetti said...

Awesome those tiny little stitches Annie!!
The designs are so beautiful,
XXX Hetti

Mii Stitch said...

I am so impressed with your tiny little crosses.
I really like those designs & have seen a few around but yours have to be my favourite... they are so small, it's just really cute!!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Annie....love tiny cross-stitching. Those monthly ones truly are adorable designs. And your heart is lovely. Cutting special shapes is truly difficult. I can sympathize. I usually cut it from freezer paper first, then do the real thing. Hugs!

Margaret said...

I love the Valentine finish! So sweet! The SAL months look great too. Is Monaco easier to work with than linen for over one? I don't even know what it is! I love the look of over one.

Annette said...

Lovely V card!!
That small are the SAL parts... I thought they where very big.
Good luck with the next one.. you have half a month and your good one track!
Maybe make pinkeeps of them and put them every months on a painting thing ( Lost the Englisch name)

Sheryl said...

Lovely Valentine design and your work on the Snowflowers pieces. I am way behind but as you, I don´t know what I will make the patterns into.

Preeti said...

Beautiful stitching !! :) Love the heart greeting card. My cutting skills are not perfect as well but I guess some mistakes make things look like real handmade :)

Carol said...

Oh, those little SAL pieces are so sweet over one on the Monaco, Annie. If I ever break down and do them, I'm going to be copying your fabric choice :) I just love that duck couple in February--and the blue flowers, of course!

You are just way ahead now in your Valentine's card stitching :) What a cute design--hadn't seen that one before. You always manage to find the best freebies!

Hope you're staying warm and dry, Annie--don't know about you, but I'm longing for warmer weather!

ArchangelDecker said...

Love the free form heart. I think you did a bang up job! :)

I also have the Snowflower series to do. I haven't stitched any of them as of yet, but I might have to after seeing yours. :)

Penny said...

I think your Valentine's card turned out very nicely! And the SAL designs are cute - I may stitch January because I love foxes. :) I admire your over one stitching!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Love your heart design, thanks for the link!
I just adore the Joyful World SAL but am having to resist until I finish my Fairies which are a gift with a deadline!
Love the over one stitching, that's a "must" for me when I get to them!

Brigitte said...

This Valentine card is so lovely. Great design and great heart aperture that you cut for the card.I sometimes do that too when I don't have cards for my stitching that that I like.
This SAL that Maja offered is so popular, so many stitching bloggers stitch it. I have only downloaded the freebies so far, I don't know when I will start stitching them. Yours look so nice stitched over one. I may consider that too.