May your blessings be many

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I wish you blessings today and always.

Catherine's Window

Click here for Pattern

Doily

Hello, my dears! Just dropping in to share a new pattern: Doily.  Enjoy!

Doily is a fun pattern that can be made more dramatic with fill stitches.

Click here for the pattern.

I see colors: Peacock Feathers

I started out with a forest in mind: very dark mahogany (DMC 300) with very dark turquoise (DMC3809). But once it was stitched, rather than leaves, I saw peacock feathers. So I added a flourish with royal blue (DMC 797) and French knots of very dark shell pink (DMC 208). I am very happy with the results.

I intended to make a diamond ornament, but stitched the margin too close to the design. Thus the ragged edge.

I think it will look amazing in reds, oranges and yellows. Next time.

Imaginesque

I took to surfing the internet not long ago and came across a most amazing blog: Imaginesque. Jack London once said, "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." And C.J., the mysterious author of this amazing blog does just that.

Using simple motifs as building blocks, C.J. shows us step-by-step ways we can create our own blackwork and embroidery masterpieces. Biscornus, fill patterns, and border patterns have opened my mind to a new world of possibilities. 

More than 280 posts fascinate and inspire. One of my favorites is "Blackwork Floral Biscornu Pincushion Pattern Variation" (May 20, 2012): 

I love the shape of the leaves in this floral motif.

C.J. also offers friendship bracelet patterns and there's a nifty little blog on bookbinding.

Oh yeah! And all the patterns are free!

So go take a look, get inspired, and start stitching at Imaginesque

Motif Fun

I love stitching well into the night. I turn on Netflix, find a show, and stitch the night away to the flickering light of the television. My newest Netflix guilty pleasure is the television show, "Merlin." It's a horrible departure from the Camelot legends, but it's fun, the people are pretty, and I get to see some nice settings. I particularly enjoy the castle windows, which are lovely leaded glass with a quatrefoil (four petal flower) motif. Those windows became the ideal inspiration for a nice exercise in blackwork fill.

The large pattern on the left is the actual pattern of the windows shown in "Merlin." The upper right portion is that pattern expanded to create a fill. I think the diagonal quatrefoil motif would look lovely in green or red, giving the effect of a vine on a trellis.

I got looking at the quatrefoil motif and started thinking about how it would look arranged differently. The bottom two are the result. 

For these patterns, plus two bonus patterns, click here.

Snowflake Fill

Snowflakes are a great motif for repeating patterns. This snowflake is a nice size for ornaments or borders.  Click here for pattern

Happy Stitching!

And Happy New Year!

My mother died last week. It was not unexpected nor was it unwelcome. Just weeks shy of 89 years, my mother's body and mind were both worn out. I had the profound honor of holding her hand as she passed, and I rejoice in knowing that she is in the hands of the Light.

My Mother

Today, to honor her memory, I give you, "Peavine"

Peavine

It's a simple chain design with lots of potential. In a single line, it's a delicate accent. Stitched in rows, side-by-side, it becomes positively lush. The possibilities are almost endless!

Enjoy. When you stitch it, I hope you think of your own mother and your unique and special relationship with her. And smile.

Be blessed~

Jeanne

Hatching something fun

Looking for a little Easter fun? You'll find it with Easter Chicks. Simple blackwork arches pay a whimsical salute to the awakening of spring.

Bright yellow beaks are just cross stitches with a long vertical
stitch down the center.
French knots or seed beads for the eyes.

Click here for the pattern

MJ did it with DMC variegated thread:

So bright and cheerful!