Blue, blue, my heart loves blue!

Surprise! I'm back again after just one week... I am here today with a very special post--all about my favorite color and a truly lovely collection of threads. Those of you who are long-time readers know I love blue of any shade: aquamarine, turquoise, royal, navy, cornflower, robin's egg, periwinkle. You name a blue hue and the mere thought of it brings a smile. So when my Instagram friend (and quilt designer extraordinaire!), Wendy Sheppard, asked me if I would like to stitch a project with her wonderful Aurifil Indigo Collection, I couldn't stop with just one project--I made three! And guess what?! You have your chance to win your very own Indigo collection on the Aurifil blog. Simply click on this link and go to auribuzz.com to read my interview and enter this special giveaway. To read my interview, just scroll down until you come to the giant (yikes!!) photo of my Christmas tree and me :)

A trio of winter-themed finishes using Aurifil's "Indigo by Wendy Sheppard" collection

Oh, how I loved this floss from Aurifil! This was the first time I had used it and I truly adored everything about it--the wonderful coverage, the way it smoothly glides through the linen, the large amount you get on each of those long, wooden spools. Not to mention the luscious colors! Wendy's Indigo collection is truly stunning. 

Isn't the outside of the box gorgeous?

Inside, you'll find these colors included:
50wt: 4140, 2815, 5008, 2805, 2310
Aurifloss: 4644, 4140, 2815, 5008, 2805

So, what did I choose to stitch with this glorious blue Aurifloss? Well, first up is the "January Quaker" design by "From the Heart Needleart." This incorporates three colors from the Indigo Collection: 4644 for the darker blue, 5008 for the medium, and 2805 for the light blue. I love how it turned out on the 40 ct. white Newcastle linen that I chose. It just looks like a cold, frosty January morning, doesn't it? The simple 5" X 7" chippy, blue frame was one I had purchased at Marshall's last year and it was a perfect fit.

"January Quaker"

 

Of course I just had to stitch an ornament (or two!) with those pretty blues so I chose a design by Renato Parolin (a free chart on the Ric-amiamo Facebook page in the files section). This lovely design called "Inverno" is one I had stitched before for a gift for a stitching friend. This one will be just for me, though, and I'll count it as my June ornament. Once again, I used 40 ct. white Newcastle linen and chose Aurifloss in 5008. I also added a few Swarovski crystals to the snowflakes and tree top to add to the frosty look. The cording is made of the same thread and I finished it off with a gauzy double blue/gray bow and a silver snowflake charm.

"Inverno" by Renato Parolin

My third finish is a sweet  snowflake design from the book "A Rainbow of Stitches" by Agnès Delage-Calvet. Aurifloss 4140 was used on 40 ct. white Newcastle. Once again, I used the same thread to make the cording leaving a long tail at the bottom. The printed snowflake ribbon was a perfect match for the thread so I made a little bow of it and hung a snowflake charm underneath. This will, most likely, be a gift for a stitching friend at Christmas time.

A simple snowflake design by Agnès Delage-Calvet

I first bonded with Wendy when I found out she had a passion for blue and white like I do. I made a comment on one of her Instagram photos when I saw she had a couple of Dedham bunnies like those I collect. She doesn't actually collect the bunnies like I do, but she does have a wonderful collection of blue and white English Transferware. I thought you might like to see my Pottery Barn cubby this month--filled with my sweet blue and white Dedham bunny collection.

 

As I mentioned in the article on the Auribuzz blog, I also have a small collection of Delft pottery from The Netherlands passed on to me by my dear mother. She and my dad brought these home from a European holiday in the late 1960s.

Three treasures from my mom--she loved blue and white as much as I did!

This Delft candlestick was a gift from my mother-in-law. The pineapple was my mom's, and the cross-stitch piece is an older one by Marjolein Bastin that I stitched back in 2004. This little vignette sits on a round table in my living room (which, of course, has blue painted walls!).

My kitchen is mostly white with lots of blue accents including this old quilt found in my mother-in-law's linen closet. I don't know the history of it, but it is tattered and well-loved and made a perfect table covering in my kitchen this winter. 

Love the cozy feeling this blue and white quilt added to my kitchen table this past winter!

 

So, who is with me? I know there are other blue and white lovers out there and I hope you enjoyed my post today! I also hope you'll visit the Aurifil blog to read my interview and see a few more photos. You can do so by clicking right here. And while you're there, don't forget to enter to win the beautiful 10 spool Indigo collection by Wendy. I know you'll love Aurifloss as much as I do--why not give it a try? Thank you so much, Wendy, for asking me to join the very talented group of quilters and stitchers for your "Shades of Blue" thread hop--it was an honor. Bye for now...