Dreaming of Spring.....
I have Finally Embarked on one of the Tiny petit-point pillow kits I bought years ago, Dear Readers, and I am determined to actually Learn the correct stitching methods for these tiny projects! This is a kit I bought from Janet Granger and it comes with everything you need to make the pillow (except Time and Patience!). I thought it would be easier if I started with something quite small so that finishing it would not take forever! Well, in spite of the very good instructions and diagrams that came with the kit, once I had placed the first ten stitches in dark red, I panicked! I had no idea how to move from one direction to another, up, down or over or diagonally, or how far you could "jump" without starting a new knotted thread! So I put it aside because I knew I really needed to master the basic stitches first! So I pulled out a scrap of needlepoint canvas, and just started Sewing! I practiced the tent stitch and the basket stitch until I felt comfortable with them. Then I added in a piece of pattern, just to try working around different colors, and after a while I felt that I understood the basic stitching techniques well enough to try the pillow again! As you can see from the above picture, I am figuring it out!
Here you can see I have added the leaves and the border too...
All it needs now is the background filled in!
And the best part is that I am Enjoying it So much!
I have always loved to sew....
But I am loving this More than I thought I would!!!
But that is not All I have been doing Dear Readers,
I have also been making Great Progress with the painted murals
in the bedroom of Hardwick Hall!
Here you can see I have added two Blue Jays
to the trees on the front and side walls.
You might recall that I have not yet glued
the outer or inside wall in place,
just so I can still paint these small details on the front wall!
(I apologize for the blurry picture, It is really difficult to get the focus just right!)
I thought that if I can just get All the birds painted,
I can at least glue the inner wall in place.
Here I have added the American Goldfinch
as well as a Red Breasted Nuthatch...
(The one climbing head down on the trunk....)
Their mates are on the opposite tree with the Blue Jays.
Then I painted a pair of tiny Wrens on the big tree beside the fireplace....
And a pair of Tree Sparrows in the lilac shrubs.....
Can you see them there... just under the sconce?
Then I added a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks.....
the female is quite plain...
Here is a larger view of this wall.... the hearth fills the empty spot.
And you can just see the Sparrows when the hearth is in place!
(Yes, it was very dark and late by now....)
But I continued painting more birds the following day!
I added a pair of Baltimore Orioles to the outside wall....
And since I decided that the inner wall was ready.....
I GLUED it in place!!
Hooray!
The front wall was a little bit warped,
so I had to turn the house on its side
and add the weight (a paint can)
to ensure a good glue connection.
But meanwhile I continued to paint birds
on the outside, unattached wall...
I added a pair of Chickadees and a pair of Indigo Buntings.....
(The female Indigo Bunting is a plain drab brown.)
Here I have added a pair of Mockingbirds.....
He is on the tree top at right,
while she is in the Quince shrub at lower left.
And once the Glue had dried sufficiently,
I righted the house and glued the baseboards
along the inner wall and the front wall!
But I still was not done adding birds....
A pair of Barn Swallows swooped in.....
And a pair of Hermit Thrushes joined the choir.....
He is in the lilac at lower left while
She is scratching in the dandelions down below....
(Yes, it is a trifle hard to see them... it is getting late again!)
I am nearly done adding the Birds!
And as for the needlepoint....
I got started on the background.....
I am really so pleased with my progress, Dear Readers!
It didn't take me long at all to finish the background!
(And there were only one or two mistakes!)
It might still be Wild Winter
in my RL World, Dear Readers,
But in my Mini World,
it is all Birds and Blossoms
And I am Dreaming of Spring!
