A Singing Bird

I was so excited to receive e-mails from several of my faraway friends this morning telling me that they received the latest issue of the World of Cross Stitching magazine (WOXS 216) and they can't wait to stitch my latest designs featured in the issue. I'm still waiting on my copy and haven't seen the magazine just yet, but a dear friend was kind enough to send me a couple images and I was just tickled. Ruth, the editor, asked me months ago to design a pair of ornaments with a saying or verse and trees...well, right away one of my very favorite Chinese proverbs came to mind...

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.

This was such a fun design to work on...and I LOVE working with this particular publication - Ruth had asked I use hand-dyed threads and two different colors of  28-count evenweave fabric (one for each ornament) - so I used Weeks Dye Works cotton floss and Zweigart Cashel in Summer Khaki and Antique Ivory...but the charts include a DMC color conversion and the designs would look lovely on a hand-dyed linen.

A here's little tidbit that will shock many of you...I personally stitched the designs, but the magazine finished them into the ornaments. We all know that I adore the finishing process and I thoroughly enjoy putting things together...but the magazine had an idea in mind and wanted to do the finishing, so this control freak designer had give the reigns to someone else for a change...and I am very happy with simplistic/folky finishing I see in the photo!

Image from The World of Cross Stitching Magazine (WOXS 216)

Those who subscribe to this magazine are currently receiving their issues...for those looking for it on newsstands - it is The World Of Cross Stitching (WOXS 216) on sale today (April 24, 2014) in the UK...those in the United States will need to be patient, as it usually takes a month or two for this magazine to arrive at shops and booksellers...