Valentine Freebie Finishes

Good morning, my stitching friends! And how is February treating you so far? I know you'll all be envious when I tell you what my husband brought me back from his recent Florida trip. Why, he so generously gifted me with a lovely, lovely... C-O-L-D! Yes, after two years of being cold-free, I've been down for the count for the past five days. Luckily, from what I hear, it is on the mild side as colds have been going this winter, so I really can't complain. In the past 17 years, I have used only one sick day from work so I'm usually quite healthy, thank goodness. I am still hoping that nasty flu doesn't appear on our doorstep, though! Has anyone remained cold or flu-free this winter? It seems like almost every one of you has come down with one or the other!

I needed some bright colors after all the white and gray our winter has brought this season so I've been working on a few cheery little Valentine finishes--and guess what? All of them are freebies! I am always so grateful to the talented cross stitch designers out there who share their creativity with us in the form of freebies, aren't you? It is a wonderful way to introduce us to their larger designs, too.

When I first saw this love-letter carrying little bird, I fell in love with him! He is a freebie designed by the very creative Luli which you can find right here. He is part of a larger design of four birds, but you know me and my love of smalls--I decided to stitch him all by himself. He just looks so sweet flying his Valentine to someone's true love, doesn't he? This design is stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle with a variety of overdyeds and is finished with some white satin ruched ribbon and pearly white pins. I slightly changed the bird's body and then added the three little red hearts in the front. Every time I look at him, I just want to say--you are SO cute (well, actually, I do say that!).

 Luli's "Love" freebie

When I showed my husband my little bird carrying the love letter, he asked if it was for him and I was so surprised! I never dreamed that he would want anything stitched by me. But then I thought, well, why not? After all, if I gave him something stitched by me it would be a permanent Valentine rather than just an overly expensive greeting card that would eventually end up stashed in a drawer somewhere. So I set out to find the perfect thing and when I saw this little freebie by Cathy Habermann, I knew it was ideal. It stitched up fairly quickly and so I decided to embellish the finish and make it even more special.

"Love You More" freebie

The red and white fabric is definitely vintage--at least 40+ years old. If you wonder how I know that, it's because this is a scrap of fabric that I had saved from my sewing days in high school. Yes, I had made a top for myself (probably a peasant-style blouse which was very much "in-style" back then or it could have been a halter top--remember those anyone?!) Before you laugh--remember that this was back in the late '60s/early '70s when everything was about hearts and flowers, peace and love. That's what makes this so special;  it was something that was around when I first met my husband at the tender age of 19. I wish you could see (and feel!) the fabric in person because it is covered with red flocked hearts and flowers--so very cute! I jazzed it up with a bit of black fabric, brass heart charm, and black handmade cording. Do you think he will like it?

"Love You More" freebie

I've been asked many times how I come up with the combinations of fabrics and trims that I use in my little pillows... Well, the first step is to pull everything from drawers and cupboards in the colors used in a design and then begin eliminating things. Sometimes a print is too large or too small or the colors just aren't quite right so they are put away. Sometimes an idea I had in mind gets totally put aside when I hold up another fabric or trim and--wow--I know immediately, that that is the way I now want to go.  I found another very quick-to-stitch freebie at the Sub Rosa blog and after looking through my piles of fabrics and trims, I decided that these were the ones I wanted to use...

"True Love" freebie

Rather than stitching the design all in red as was charted, I added some color in the form of green leaves and gray birds. I also changed the four lower hearts to a checkerboard design and eliminated the words "True Love." The next step involves layering and configuring the fabrics differently to get a pleasing look. I just place them alongside my design in different combinations until I find a design that makes me smile. Would you like to see how this one ended up? Well, here it is--a bright, cheery spot of mid-winter color...

"True Love" freebie

So, now I have three quick, new smalls for my bowl of February finishes. None of them took more than a few hours to stitch and then a couple more hours to pull together for a finish.  I've also been working on a larger (for me!) piece which I hope to have finished or my next post.

I want to thank two very thoughtful blogging friends for their recent treats.  From my dear friend, Lois, came these wonderful birthday gifts. I just love the little blue scissor fob she made for me--it is so beautifully stitched and finished. And, of course, the delicious chocolate is already half-eaten. Lois also tucked in a pretty Brightneedle chart called "Something Blue," some flowery buttons, and a lovely calendar from Northern Ireland. Judging from the photos in the calendar, I've just added a new place to my "must-visit" list--the scenery from Northern Ireland looks spectacular! Thank you, Lois, for extending my birthday a bit longer and for your very special gifts and friendship...

Birthday gifts from Lois!

And from my sweet friend, Myra, came this adorable heart-shaped mug mat! I fear that it is much too pretty to use as a mug-mat, Myra, and I may use it as a candle mat in front of my February bowl of smalls. Myra's work is just wonderful and if you haven't visited her blog, run on over--you're in for a treat. Thanks so very much, my friend--your gift came on a day when I wasn't feeling my best and it certainly gave me a nice boost!

Valentine Gift from Myra!

Do you have any special plans for Valentine's Day? I'll be up in New York visiting my parents (my first two true loves!), but this time my dear husband will be making the five-hour drive with me, so that will make it special. (However, I'm still hoping for a nice box of chocolates from him--hint, hint!!). Anyway, I wish you all a happy week ahead--my thoughts are with all of you in the New England area--sure hope your power returns soon and that you can dig out from all of that snow that winter storm Nemo dropped on you.

Before I forget, here is one new honor for my city of Pittsburgh just in time for Valentine's Day... It was recently chosen by Forbes Magazine as one of the 10 Unexpectedly Romantic Cities in the entire world. Yes, the world--not just the United States!! Who knew? The link to the article and the list of the other nine cities is here. Is your city on it, too? Pittsburgh has come a long, long way from its old steel industry days--it has really blossomed as you can see in this photo.

 The city of Pittsburgh

Thanks so much for visiting me this week. Oh, one last thing--I noticed that my last post pushed my follower numbers up to (gulp!!) 1000+!!! Amazing and humbling that so many of you find my little blog interesting enough to read--truly. I think a giveaway is in order, don't you? Give me a few weeks to think of what to offer as I have a very busy two weeks coming up at work. Thank you all again for your wonderful comments, emails, and most of all--thank you for your friendships. Bye for now...

Happy Valentine's Day 

to my dear stitching friends!