A fabulous summer of stitching

I can't believe how beautiful our summer has been so far. I've been in such a good mood. I have, inevitably, spent more time outside and ergo less time stitching, but I have been making great progress regardess. Plus the gorgeous weather means I could take some shots outside.

A few weeks ago I spent Sunday doing some actual finishing. I think I've shared all of the pieces on here in their happy dance but not yet finished state.  I've just realised they are all Blackbird Designs. First up is a group of pillows, the larger one is Summer Stars from A Stitcher's Journey, but stitched with floss I had to hand. The three smaller pillows are Small Tokens from My Heart is True. Really fun quick stitches :)

Next up is a piece - Bird in Hand - I finished ages ago, but wanted to finish as a flat fold. Having looked it up via the tags on here I've realised I finished it in July 2011! It took me ages to find the right backing fabric, and even longer to find the desire to actually finish it, but it has turned out just how it wanted, and I found the perfect braid in my stash to complete the project. I took several photos of it hanging off my rose arch, so please indulge me in a few photos...

I've also got two happy dances to share. First up is Raven's Roost and Curse of the Raven by The Gude Huswife and Carriage House Samplings respectively. It was a bit windy out, so I had to find some props to stop it blowing away (the Lille such ions were less fortunate).

Finally, this is Celtic Wreath by The Sunflower Seed, from the 2009 JCS ornaments magazine. I used 28ct fabric, and ran out of the Crescent Colours Bandana - which I bought ages ago and had little hope of matching a dye lot. Knowing I only needed three lengths of thread to finish I dug put the suggested DMC, used it in three different places, and I honestly cannot spot it. I was so delighted!

Since finishing these two pieces I've been working on Peacock Majesty again - I'll post a photo once I've completed the peacock, which is getting ever closer ;)

I hope everyone else is having a lovely summer, and finding some stitching time.  

Happy stitching folks x