Snow and Stitching

The topic of the week around this Magpie's Nest has been the weather. We had our share of the winter storm before it ravaged the rest of the country. Fortunately we only had snow, no power outages or ice (at our house). I think it was Monday morning when the top of our evergreen hedge was the same color as the sky.

The rose bush in the barrel was thoroughly tucked in with a blanket of snow. There were two brave little violas blooming in the barrel before the snow came. Not sure we'll ever see them again. I was surprised that they had shown their faces in the first place! 

At this point the snow on the railing of the deck measured about six inches deep. 

It got deeper, then toppled over under its' own weight. It was fascinating to watch the melting pattern over the next couple of days. I monitored the progression from inside and did some needlework. The amazing thing is that in spite of temperatures above freezing we still have snow on the ground in sheltered places. 

Before the snow came I finished up this little heart ornament. 

Basically I just stitched over the pattern that was already on the fabric. Then I seed stitched the background. 

This is what I did on the back:

A few lazy daisies and straight stitches, then some feather stitching. 

While it was snowing I stitched up a blue heart. I cut a piece of wool for the focal point of the front, then fly stitched it to the cotton ground. I used a variegated Perle cotton to seed stitch the area left visible. I really like the difference between the texture of the wool and the stitched cotton. There's a scrap of batting behind each half of the hearts which makes them even more tactile. Not puffy exactly, but soft and squishy - like a quilt, oddly enough. 😉

I try to use a lighter print for the backs of these hearts so I can sign and date them more easily. This time the back could be taken for the front. 

I couldn't figure out what to do for what seemed like a long time and then I sort of got carried away! These little hearts are fun and satisfying to make. They're proving to be a great way to avoid doing other things that are more intimidating or less pleasant. 😁