Hello all!
It's the first Saturday of the month so time for the People's Choice SAL run by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching. Continued thanks to Jo for hosting this unique SAL which has a different theme each month.
This month's theme is Birds.
I don't have a 'thing' for birds as such, but it appears I have stitched quite a few over the years. I haven't included all of them, leaving out owls and the really tiny ones in the hope that both may be themes in future months.
So here goes my showcase for the month:
Hobikolik (etsy) does a fairly simple chart of a bird which I have stitched with four different variegated threads to represent the four seasons:
FuzzyFoxDesigns (etsy) has charted a range of Cute Little Birds. I have stitched five so far and plan to stitch at least one each year for the Smalls SAL. Here are the Cockatiel, Eastern Rosella, Gouldian Finch, Kakapo and Kookaburra. They are charted facing both directions so, after having stitched four facing right, I decided the next four would face left:
Then there is Mr Scruffy aka Parrot On Parade by Bothy Threads. I absolutely love this one, although he has yet to be framed. I'll probably frame him with Walter Rabbit once he's finished.
Finally here are the four birds in Valerie Pfeiffer's Solos range by Heritage Crafts. I have recently finished three - Chick Berry, Humming Along and Lady In Red - and hope to finish Simply Wren very soon. Unlike all the others, these are actual 'birds' as opposed to characterisations!
As for stash, well, Janet Morningstar's Fantasy birds (patternsonline.com) have been kitted up with hand dyed-fabric and variegated threads for a few years but keep getting pushed down my to-start list. When I bought these I remember reading that there were going to be twelve in the series, but these are the only four I've ever found. Maybe they'll make their way onto my 2023 stitching list?!
And I can't go without showing the gorgeous Scarlet Macaw Preening by Shinysun's Cross Stitching. My long-term readers may remember I have had a few attempts at starting this on various hand-dyed fabrics but have never been happy with them. I'm still on the lookout for the 'perfect' background fabric and am sure it will appear one day.
To end with, here are my own pet birds. The darker cockatiel is Pepper, the lighter one Snoopy. We thought they were brothers... until we discovered Snoopy laying eggs! Pepper can't fly anymore, and Snoopy struggles to get lift, so both are usually quite happy siting on the back of the settee or my shoulders. Females don't make much noise but Pepper certainly makes up for it with all the tunes he whistles and phrases he says. His favourite at the moment is 'What ya doing?' Nosey boy!
Next month's theme is Spring. I feel there might be an abundance of lambs and chicks!
Take care,
Rachel x
I love your pet birds. We had birds years ago and I do miss them but not the messes they made. Love all of your bird pieces. I'm not really into stitching birds.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Thanks for taking part in The People's Choice this month. What a wonderful aviary of birds! I like those fantasy silhouettes, have to look them up now.
ReplyDeleteI do remember the parrot, I have one of the unwanted fabrics! I stitched a Spooky mandala on it and may stitch another one. Or maybe the Ink Circles Earth Elemental Dragons!
You have a very nice collection of stitched birds. I really like the varigated seasons at the beginning of your post.
ReplyDeleteI love the Valerie ones. Need to look into those. All great though. I love your pet birds. We got a parrot when I was in high school. It was a conure and it was SOOO annoying. It screamed all the time. Unfortunately we had to find it another home.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great collection of bird designs. I agree with Katie, whilst all the designs are gorgeous, I love the Valerie ones.
ReplyDeleteI love the bright colours on Mr Scruffy. I also love the real looking four birds by Valerie Pfeiffer. I don't remember you starting the Scarlet Macaw. It must have been before I started reading your blog. My parents had cockatiels and budgies when I was a teen and living at home. It is nice when you can train them not to bite.
ReplyDeleteI really like the first set of 4 pillows but everything is beautiful! As a child, I had a cockatiel growing up that was all white with the yellow plume. His name was Zander and he was the sweetest thing in the world!
ReplyDeleteLovely collection of stitched birds Rachel. I really like the simpleness of the Hobikolik bird charts, how pretty they are with the variegated threads and the gorgeous bright colours of the Cute Little Birds. My favourites must be the Valerie Pfeiffer´s solos as I like the added twigs and branches.
ReplyDeleteMy you have stitched lots of birds! I think Mr. Scruffy is my favorite of the flock. Love your pet birds too. We have one cockatiel but he doesn't talk but he does love to whistle and "talk" to the birds outside his window. We used to let him out of the cage but he is scared of the dogs so he has to stay put. ☹
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful birds, my favourite has to be Mr. Scruffy. Although your real birds are adorable too!
ReplyDeleteYou really have stitch a lot of cute and gorgeous birds over the years (but also a lot of them lately)! I was wondering if the Macaw would make an appearance in this post. Hope you'll find that perfect fabric soon - I still vote Sparklies, if only they could get their page up and running again!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful birds! I love the Valerie Pfeiffer birds, those are super sweet, as well as the Fuzzy Fox series! And your own birds too! Cocktiels are such darlings!
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