Fall Trees Wrap Up

I put the last stitches in the Fall Trees this morning. What a fun project this has been - full of bright, fun colors and interesting stitch and thread combinations. What more can you ask for in a project?

I must thank Ada Haydon for sharing her creativity with us in these festive tree canvases and for allowing the stitch guides to be published in Needlepoint Now. Ada has done a great job with her Tree series and I look forward to stitching the Winter Trees sometime soon. She has also been a great cheerleader for me as I have stitched the Fall Trees. Thanks, Ada!

So, what comes next? Maybe this - Vintage Pears by Melissa Shirley. I started it early last year and put it away when the Halloweenies arrived. I think it might be time to work on it again.

The stitch guide is by Beverly Churchfield of Aristeia. I was just looking through the thread kit for this piece and the colors are just beautiful. Varying shades of greens, coppers, rusts, and browns. Beads and metallics will add subtle sparkle to the pears as well.

But, while I was looking through the project stash, I came across a canvas in Melissa Shirley's Wild Women series - Queen Elizabeth I. I think this was my first purchase from Amy's Golden Strand - way back in December 2008. This project has been languishing in the stash for a long time and, with my visit to Amy's in a few weeks, now might be a good time to get this canvas on to the stretchers and get it started. I think it probably overwhelmed me in December of 2008 but now, as a seasoned veteran of the Halloweenie series, it doesn't seem so daunting. There are lots of threads but the Elizabeth stitch guide is not as lengthy as one of the Halloweenie stitch guides. And, with the royal wedding fast approaching, it seems like an appropriate canvas to be stitching.

It's a dark, thundery afternoon, but thank heavens for the rain! The pollen has been horrendous this year and this is the first hard rain we have had that might wash most of it away. I considered a stop at the car wash this morning but now I'm glad I waited. The azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom, my climbing rose is full of buds, and the perennials in the flower bed are showing themselves after a cold winter. Spring has definitely arrived!


Have a great weekend and get lots of stitching done!