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May 4, 2012

Reader's Choice Stitchalong!

rc

Earlier this week, John showed you this month's stichalong pattern - A Little Curtsy by Isewcute - if you haven't yet, be sure to check that out and get stitching!

But we're already planning next month's stitchalong, which is going to be extra special because... you're gonna pick the pattern! The wonderfully talented Tala (or Corvus Tristis, as we know her on Flickr) has volunteered to create a special pattern for our June Stitchalong. She designed the wonderful March Stitchalong pattern last year (including the cute watery alphabet above), to give you an idea of her awesomeness...

Here's how it works - leave a comment on this post with whatever you want Tala to draw. It can be as simple as "puppy," or "kitten" or as elaborate as "skateboarding ninja cat stitching whilst playing the harpsichord." Ok, maybe not that elaborate. But Tala's so awesome, I bet she could draw it. :)

Anyhoo, Tala will look at all the comments on this post and select her top 5 favorites. On Monday I will post a poll with the top 5 choices and you'll get to pick next month's custom stitchalong pattern! Sound fun and awesome? I thought so! I mean, really, how often do you find a talented artist with pen in hand, willing to create the embroidery pattern of your choice? We are so lucky, you guys!

As a thank you for all the love you've shown our new Feeling Stitchy bloggers, the contributor of the winning suggestion will receive a very special prize! It was a mystery, but....

Untitled

It arrived at my doorstep this afternoon, and I can't keep it to myself any longer! :)

The commenter with the winning suggestion will receive 100 skeins of Anchor floss! This, in case you're curious, is what 100 skeins of floss looks like - awful pretty! :)

a whole lot of floss

I've always been curious about Anchor floss, which is not readily available in the US, so I ordered up this batch to inspect it myself. It looks pretty gorgeous to me!

side view

And it's all yours if you leave the winning comment! I will pack them up and ship them anywhere, so just a reminder that international entries are welcome, too.

Comments are open until 9 PM, US Central time on Sunday, May 6 when I will close them and Tala will choose her 5 favorites. Want a chance to win a whole lotta beautiful floss? It's as easy as leaving a comment here! Can't wait to hear your ideas! :)

104 comments:

  1. I'd love anything with a penguin and a polar bear - a penguin and polar bear snowboarding would make my year! Thanks for listening to our ideas!

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  2. I am not sure if this is anything she would be interested in doing, but I am really into Dr.Who at the moment so I am thinking a Big elephant with a tardis up to it's ear (yea, see what I did there) or a Tardis witht he phrase "You'll never forget your first doctor" (mine was #10) or shoot just a Tardis would be awesome.

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  3. I'm thinking a group of kid friendly monsters doing something innocent like eating ice cream or going for a bike ride.

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  4. A Jane Austen themed animal, like a badger in a severe top hat, or a pretty title stoat in an empire dress, reading a book of poetry while trying not to think of a certain, infuriating yet sexy man. Or something!

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  5. I'm probably really boring but I'd like something that refelected crafting like knitting/cotton reels etc.

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  6. I have been on the hunt for a cute pattern that would depict how much I adore my iPhone and Macbook Air : )

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  7. A Nessie or a Yeti with a mustache! 

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  8. I have an eight year old (almost nine) son and it's horribly hard to find any kind of cool embroidered art for his room. He's all about fishing and any sort of outdoorsy science stuff. Some sort of cool boy fishing off a pier or the edge of the water or just a cool looking fish would be fun. (think of those trout fish people stuff and hang on their walls)

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  9. something for the bicycling girls out there! road bike!! girl on road bike! with panniers and a long braid...it's summer! bikes, bikes, bikes!!! please ;) also, this reader's choice is an awesome idea! love corvus!

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  10. I'm an oldie but goodie and I'd love to see am emboidery pattern of Raggedy Ann and Andy,  Thanks for listening.

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  11. I think a dancing bear would be fun :)

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  12. Well I'm loving the lettering and I've just started stitching so how about an alphabet sampler, with each letter representating the other commenter's suggestions e.g. a = Andy, b = bike, c = cotton reels, d = dancing bear

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  13. I have been trying to find Spanish-themed patterns that aren't condescending or play off stereotypes. Something exotic and colorful and respectful.

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  14. Old school tattoo style birds. Sailor Jerry sparrows in bright colors.

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  15. Maybe it's because May is my birthday month and birthdays are on my mind, but I think a birthday themed pattern would be something everyone would make use of all year long! A heavily frosted cake creature or some party balloons would make for endless color and stitch combinations.

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  16. How about an old-fashioned sewing machine and pin cushion?

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  17. Jennifer CrowleyMay 4, 2012 at 6:35 PM

    I will second the bicycles request.  Maybe a tandem bicycle with some cute animals on it?

    On an entirely different note, I'd love to see an assortment of dragons (chinese, water, sea dragon, dinosaur-like dragon, flying dragons).

    DINOSAURS!  And not just the standard T-Rex, Tricerotops, and long-necked ones.  Let's see some Utahraptors and and some of the cooler looking flying ones.

    Turtles, tortises and terrapins.

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  18. I would love to see something fairy tale themed! Specifically Beauty and the Beast, because that's one of my favorites. :) But I could also go for Cinderella or The Frog Prince or Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. :)

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  19. I can't stop looking through the Zakka Style book I just got. Plus I've been drooling over Pictures of Japanese embroidery books (which I don't own.....yet). Maybe something along those lines....little houses, trees, maybe put a bird on it (ha!). What a cool stitch along idea!

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  20. Oh my this is so much fun! How about two little girls holding hands skipping. Showing the back of them and underneath the words "Best Friends"

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  21. Lily of the valley plants.

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  22. Little garden signs with the names and maybe pictures of veggies and herbs, ones you would actually use in the garden. Is there such a thing as weatherproof embroidery?

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  23. Well, this is election year.  How about something patriotic?

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  24. I would love to stitch a design of a little boy (about 4 yrs old) and a little girl (same age but a little smaller) facing each other and holding hands. They bend forward and give each other a little smooch - right on the lips! This happened with my grandson and his little friend who he calls his "little princess". He had loved her for 2 years and they had a little marriage ceremony one day. Their idea! He dressed up in his best suit and she always wore pretty dresses. Very girly girl! They got "married" and after the kiss they held hands and danced around in a circle singing "merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream". Marry - merrily - made sense to them. He is 7 now and she is still his little princess. And they still hold hands during school programs. I think its love.

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  25. A funky...Peace Love and Embroidery Design

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  26. Well as its the Queens jubilee here in England in June I'm thinking something British, Jubilee inspired in red white and blue. Think pomp, ceremony and a fancy crown or two - and maybe bunting. Dont get more british than that. I recently knitted a jubilee inspired rug in the same colours do would love an embroidery pattern to match!

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  27. not that i'm a stalker, tara, but what about like a scenery shot? something that you'd come across in colorado, like a mountain range, or like a rendering of the waterfall you posted the other day? something with different perspectives that could be framed/hooped and hung like a photograph. of course, i'll stitch anything you draw!

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  28. Tala! I love your patterns and since you already made so many cool octopus patterns I'm not going to request that (even though you can't have enough of them) ;)
    I would love to see an #1 ARMADILLO pattern!!! #2 SLOTH (even though wild olive just made one, but it is little too sweet for my taste), or  #3 a CHAMELEON!

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  29. An athlete or a diver with a crown to cover both the Olympics and the Jubilee!

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  30. Dinosaur drinking a cup of tea!

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  31. A Narwhal! The coolest whale ever! maybe with a tattoo-ey scroll/legend to go with?

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  32. If you don't get this, I could draw one for you. My email is mrswaxler(at)yahoo(d0t)com. Good luck!

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  33. We are a very outdoorsy family and spend lots of time camping and at the beach. Any kind of outdoor scene would be great :)

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  34. How about a Portugese Man of War with "Feeling Stitchy" incorporated in its sail?

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  35. Would love to see some trillium flowers!!

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  36. A manatee whipping up a gourmet salad.

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  37. Just went to Tala's blog and saw that bear in the top hat ~ love it!
    Like Kim D's idea of an animal in clothing with a hat and cane or something along those lines.

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  38. goldendoodle - cutest dogs ever

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  39. Kristina JohanssonMay 5, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    So far I haven't participated in a stitch along yet and may/june being busy I'm not sure when I'll get the time to join in the fun. But I have a couple of ideas of what I'd like to see even so:

    I'll second dragon as I'm a huge dragonlover. Make that dragon and cat and I just have to stitch it no matter what!

    Just a kitty is nice too. Why not a maneki neko (japanese lucky cat) of some sort?

    Otherwise a plant like bamboo or fern is never wrong. Beautiful shapes.

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  40. Please make a pattern of a penguin...doing something.  Stitching, having tea with a narwhal, surfing...whatever.   This is fun!

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  41. A pinup girl would be good as we havent had one of those yet...
    Or a Narwhale which I have been seeing a lot of lately
    Or a word outlined entirely in french knots.
    Or a little girl holding a dolly

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  42. A flag with a cup of tea in the middle to celebrate the jubilee!
    Or a hen with big multicoloured spots all over it!
    Or a person working at a sewing machine, maybe a traditional seamstress?
    Or...
    Or...

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  43. In these days of rapid fire e-mail, tweets, and IMs, I would love to
    have something reminiscent of more leisurely times. Something to
    celebrate the anticipation of the daily plopping sound of the mail on
    the mat, or the clank of the closing of the mailbox. A tribute to “snail
    mail,” so to speak. A letter carrier snail would be just make me smile
    every day (even if there were bills in the mail bag :) ).

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  44. A bicycle with wildflowers in a basket or around on the ground or both. 

    This may be too big but I'll throw it out there anyway.  I have been looking for a sampler type pattern, but not very "samplery"...as in not using every sititch.  Just a cute emboirdery pattern that may be just a straight alphabet with or without numbers or an alphabet with simple pictures that go with each letter.

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  45. Images from Alice in Wonderland come to my mind - the mad hatter, the tardy rabbit, Cheshire cat .
    To riff on the election year idea by Carol - each of your parties has an animal associated with it.
    Or what about the 'word' awesumfantabulous (as opposed to 'supercali ...'

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  46. Cowboy boots with mountain scenery on them! Or an old, dilapidated barn.

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  47. A cute robot surfing down a rainbow!

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  48. An airy, jellyfish scene.. something dream like

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  49. A narwhal, a unicorn, and a triceratops having a proper British tea while wearing top hats and monocles. 

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  50. A Monster Dance Party!

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  51. Must post again because my son is begging for a pirate ship :D

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  52. Past President Zombies, just in time for the 4th of July!  George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Howard Taft...

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  53. A Zombie Betsy Ross sewing the flag with a bowl of brains next to her as a snack.

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  54. I know it's so cliche and it's supposed to be a June design, but I'd love for you to draw a "Super Mom" kinda in the Wonder Woman like genre.  I'd love to stitch something like that for myself and all my friends that are feeling particularly perky these days :)

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  55. I would love a little Daruma doll figurine. Maybe sitting on the rail cars of the little engine that could. I love the idea of a goal made manifest with all the encouragement you need to get there!

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  56. I love Corvus Tristis drawings! 
    I think she would do a fabulous badger.  (Which means I second the Jane Austen badger idea)

    I would like a creepy deep sea fish, like the ones with the gnarly jaws and the lantern over his head.  I guess he could be all cute and stuff for the general public, with a bow tie or a nice cummerbund on his way to the fish prom or something. 

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  57. I'd love to see some May flowers.... most of the country has had blah weather & with all the beautiful colors of floss, this should be interesting!

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  58. How about a June sun.

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  59. Flowers in a circle-- I'd sew something like that if I could find a pattern that had modern looking flowers.

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  60. OoOoh, great prize! I think it'd be neat to use lots of colors since the winner will be getting so many, so how about a June picnic with various critters in attendance! Lots of room for interpretations and color, color, color!

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  61. A surfer's shack or tiki hut. Fun for the summer!

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  62. I'd love to see some simple line drawings of birds: a crow, or an owl, a sparrow. Something like that.

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  63. Tabitha KluckingMay 5, 2012 at 9:45 PM

    I think a alphabet sampler would be great  A growling alphabet sampler.

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  64. A hedgehog or two or three!

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  65. Since it's for June, I think something reminiscent of summer would be cute, how about cute animals playing a game of baseball or relaxing on the beach? :)

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  66. I think a little forest scene with an owl, raccoon, squirrel, and birds would be really cute, and appropriate for one of my little boys rooms.

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  67. I love a good pin up girl! Maybe doing something like holding a hoop with a qiurky saying next to it :-)

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  68. Kids catching fireflies at dusk. It's a classic summer scene that I'm sure lots of people will be nostalgic about.

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  69. Hi. My idea is slightly different but not defined in my mind yet. I am the daughter of a wonderful mother. However, we have only just this year met after 40 years after being adopted. I would love a design that shows the love and respect that we share but would not be disrespectful to my adoptive mother. A difficult task but one I would appreciate to no end. Thankyou.

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  70. A virus doing parkour.

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  71. An octopus entwined around a pin-up lady pirate!   A fight?  Best pals?  Who knows! ?!?!

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  72. Two hands embroidering each other (like the Escher drawing: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/DrawingHands.jpg/300px-DrawingHands.jpg) with room for text in the middle. 

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  73. With a mystery prize like that, I'm tempted to enter myself. :D

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  74. Venus will pass in front of the sun June 6 2012. This is rare and will not happen again until the year 2117. I think that would make a very unique project!

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  75. How about a cricket holding a violin. Reminds me of my childhood summers in the Catskills, NY. I would always wonder how they made those sounds. :) 

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  76. Wow what great ideas! I loved all the boy- friendly ones: dragons, non-standard dinos, outdoorsy images... But not too cute.

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  77. I'd like an alphabet sampler.  Something that's random and not in straight lines.  With an occasional design here and there in silhouette.

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  78. A scene involving a supermoon! (I leave the creative details up to the artist!) 

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  79. A girl and a dragon cuddled up reading a book and toasting marshmallows with fire from the dragons nose. Like a fantsy/medieval campout.  :)

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  80. I'd like to see a cairn terrier (you know, a Toto dog) pulling a little red wagon that has a bunny in it.  :-)

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  81. some friendly looking kind of carnivorous plant... though I am glad that I am not the one tasked with having to draw it!

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  82. I would love to see a flying pig!

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  83. I also love the Top Hat idea but would love to see it on either a pug, panda, or unicorn's head.
    I also don't know why, but I feel like Tala would nail a i) koala, ii)eating eucalyptus leaves, iii) and looking straight towards the viewer/stitcher. I find koalas quite intriguing and entertaining.

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  84. Heather DreisbachMay 6, 2012 at 5:36 PM

    I would love to see a forest animals having a tea party. Ooo, or Monsters having a tea party!

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  85. How about some "unusual" flowers? For example I have only seen one design (and I have been looking for years) for bottlebrush. Or perhaps some "historical" designs like a crinoline lady or give us an easy way to stitch Stonehenge or the moai on Easter island.

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  86. Two people under an umbrella, with hearts "raining" down on them.  :)

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  87. A camping font or some camping icons, pretty please?

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  88. I would like a big maple tree with a tire swing hanging from one of the branches and a stream running along side it. I spent my summers swinging across the stream to see how high I could go. A great childhood memory.

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  89. Buddha meditating

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  90. I'm fascinated by old-fashioned circus train cars, with all their bright colors and decorations. Maybe one with a tiger inside? Or an Indian painted truck (like these www.arttrucks.com)? I like the mix of mechanical and whimsical themes.

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  91. I would love something that is patriotic with July 4 coming up following this month. Maybe a parade of children carrying flags, riding bikes decked out in red, white and blue with their dogs dressed up and following along. 

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  92. A wombat would be nice.

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