A Bowl Full of Bunnies

Hello everyone! And here I am, finally, on the very last day of April with my bowl full of smalls. I'll bet you thought I wouldn't make it, didn't you? Well, I just went a "little bit" crazy stitching so many bunnies this month. I couldn't stop myself--it was like I was possessed or something! Luckily, my husband was away for a few days last week so I had plenty of time to finish them all up. I'll tell you, it looked like an explosion of pastels in my family room while he was gone: fabrics and trims and buttons and ribbons were scattered everywhere! But, I'm very pleased with the collection that I've created this month... Here are the six newest additions to my April bowl of bunnies...

This Prairie Schooler bunny (from PS Book No. 163 "Signs of Spring") looks so handsome, doesn't he? He's the perfect gentleman rabbit in his little blue vest with gold buttons. I stitched him "over one" on 28 ct. Lambswool Jobelan using the suggested DMC colors (but changed the carrot to DMC 3776). For the finish, I used pieces of a beige and white checked napkin (unused, of course!) and some pale blue ric-rac that perfectly matched the shade of blue in his vest.


What would an April bowl full of finishes be without something that spelled out the name of the month? I chose this cute Lizzie Kate "Bit of April Flip-It" for that honor. This bunny is stitched on 35 ct. natural Northern cross linen using an assortment of threads (DMC, CC, WDW, and Nina's Hand Dyed Threads). The purple is Nina's Eggplant color which was so wonderful to work with. The finishing combined two fabrics (the purple and white seersucker was from an old pair of shorts that must have shrunk in the wash--I couldn't possibly have outgrown them, could I?!) and some bright pink ric-rac. Doesn't it remind you of an Easter egg?


This little bunny was a freebie from Windy Willows which you can find by
clicking here (click on "free chart" at the top of the page). I wish I had chosen a different fabric for this because some of the pretty blue shades don't show up very well, but...too late now! It is stitched on 28 count country mocha Cashel linen using the suggested DMC threads. I chose a very simple finish with some blue floral fabric, a bit of rope-like trim, and a wooden button. Isn't that the cutest teapot that I have it sitting next to? I collect Potting Shed reproduction Dedham pottery and my kitchen is filled with various blue and white bunny themed pieces. I'll have to take a photo of it some time to show you. The little bunnies always manage to make me smile when I'm working in the kitchen!


I love the way stitching just pops on black fabric--it often gives a simple design a much more dramatic look. This is one of my favorite finishes of the month. It is also a freebie which can be found right here at Kissy-Cross. I used 28 ct. black Monaco and DMC threads to stitch this one "over one" and just love the result. It is backed with this pink and white seersucker fabric rescued from an old skirt of mine (that also surely "shrank" in the washing machine). The color isn't true in my photo--it really is more of a pinkish color not a salmon color as it looks (on my monitor, at least). Handmade cording and a tiny pink bow finish off this little oval ornament perfectly, don't you think?












I fell in love with German designer Christiane Dahlbeck's "Mit Kreuzstichen Durchs Jahr." This was my favorite design from it, although I changed it a bit from the original (which had the male bunny with three female bunnies lined up to exchange gifts with him). I chose to just stitch these two and I'm very happy with the final result. Don't they look like they are courting? She has just presented him with a juicy orange carrot and he has given his sweetheart a lovely yellow tulip. Ahh...young love! Not everyone in my family thinks they are so cute--my middle son says they look like aliens... In this case, I knew I wanted to use the green and white polka dot fabric to finish it before I even began stitching so I chose my thread colors (all DMC) based on the fabric. I even added polka dots to Miss Bunny's shirt to coordinate with the fabric! This is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen and finished very simply with just a hint of soft yellow ric-rac.


And last, but certainly not least, is another freebie from Sub Rosa which can be found right here. "Welcome Spring" is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco with the same DMC threads that I used on the previous Kissy-Cross freebie. I call them my "Prairie Schooler" color palette because they are so often used in those designs. In this case the colors I chose were DMC 223, 224, 3053, and 611. I finished this as a flat mounted piece with some dusty pink handmade cording and a tiny sage green bow to hide the point where the cording ends meet. Aren't the Columbine flowers in front of it beautiful this spring--sure wish they would last into the summer!

So, that's it! Whew--I'm never going to stitch that many ornaments in one month again, that's for sure. Here is a photo of all of them along with the two I showed you in my last post. Which is your favorite? I think I still love "Slicker Bunny" the most...

April bunny finishes ~ 2012

And here is the group all settled into my April bowl (which will surely be on display well into May!) What a cheery looking group!

April Bowl of Bunnies

Oh look, a few of their friends from last year's stitching have come to welcome them. If I keep up this bunny addiction of mine, I think I'll need a bigger bowl!

So, now, it's on to May stitching. Does anyone have any themes or small charts to suggest for me? I know flowers will abound; after all what is May without flowers? But, I'd love to hear your ideas, too...

THANK YOU TO:
I was treated to a couple of unexpected gifts last week that I'd love to share with you. First was a belated birthday gift from my dear friend, Mary. Just look at this darling bird that she stitched and framed for me. Isn't it beautiful? I love it, Mary, and the other goodies that you included are so special. The Chessie & Me chart was one I had had my eye on and the blue and yellow threads are perfect--my favorite color combination! She also included a sweet little tin and a magnetic bookmark, along with the cutest little polka-dot scissors. Oh, Mary--you really spoiled me, my friend... Thank you again for each and every gift, but also for your special friendship! Your beautifully stitched piece will have a place of honor in my home.






And from a new friend, Beth, (no blog) who lives on the other side of Pennsylvania, I received this lovely project pouch as a thank you gift. I had sent a small chart to Beth wanting nothing in return, but she thanked me by making me this lovely blue and yellow sunflower-adorned pouch. I wish you could see the tiny zipper pull on it better; it is so cute. She used plastic canvas and stitched my initial into it making a nice sturdy zipper pull. I'm so happy to have "met" you recently, Beth, and I look forward to getting to know you better... I truly love your special gift and know it will be put to good use.

Yesterday, my husband spotted a new mother robin sitting on her nest in the holly bush just outside his den window. And just look at the sweet eggs we spied when she flew away... I never get tired of seeing those beautiful blue eggs each spring. It has to be one of the prettiest colors in the world, don't you think? Thanks to my middle son for snapping the photo--I am just too short to be able to get a good shot. I guess he's good for something even if he does think my rabbit couple resemble aliens!!

So, April is over...on to May and, hopefully, more sunshine and warmer days. I hope you all have a very special week ahead. I'll be heading up to New York again to visit and help out my parents so I may be a bit out of touch, but I'll catch up with everyone when I return. As always, I want you to know just how much I appreciate each and every one of you. You are a great bunch of friends! Bye for now...