Project a Month: Wrap up - SeptemberHouse Calendar

And I'm finished! I'm quite happy with my stitching and the colors and stitches I chose for the SeptemberHouse 2019 Calendar Kit. I gave a brief overview of the kit contents in my first post here and an update of my stitching progress in my second post here.

When I last checked in, I was busy filling in the flowers, bemoaning my satin stitch, and enjoying the bright colors I'd chosen.

Then, quite suddenly, I hit a wall - does this happen to you when you're stitching a project over multiple days? First, I became bored with the colors I thought I loved, then, after looking at my calendar in different light I started feeling like I didn't even like my choices anymore!

Challenge: Choosing Colors

As luck would have it, I've been taking an online Color Theory class by Karen Barbé on a Spanish-language site called Domestika, which gave me the inspiration I needed to keep going!

I pulled out the little color cards I'd made for Karen's class, to "measure the temperature" of the colors I'd chosen:

Pink was really calling out to me, and I loved how it looked against the colors I'd already stitched. It was was a cool tone that I thought would contrast well with the comparatively warm colors I'd chosen for the rest of the stitching.

So I added a bright cotton candy pink as an accent:

And suddenly, I loved my calendar a lot more.

I used DMC 504 to chain stitch the inner border:

I had my stitching in my favorite hoop, stretched tight, which made chain stitching very uncomfortable!

Helpful Items

One thing I found very helpful was this Clover Coin Thimble I'd purchased some time ago...

Just so you know, the link above is an Amazon Affiliate link - clicking through the link and buying does not cost any more for you and is one way to support our volunteer reviews.

That coin tip on the Clover thimble bore the brunt of the pokes my needle gave me - it's a nice sturdy leather, a tad bulky, but really helpful if you're working on something large like this.

I again used DMC 504 and a leaf stitch on the little leaves framing the 2019. I always forget how much I love that stitch - it gives such a lovely texture.

And here she is, in all her finished glory:

DMC floss colors I used:
150, 605, 834, 832, 504, 3809 (2 skeins included with kit), 943, 926

I knew all along I'd hit a wall when it came to finishing the edges of the calendar - I'm no sewist - for some reason I have zero inclination to use a sewing machine. I've gotten some great easy finishing suggestions on Instagram, and I'll probably do one of those.

For now, I'm just beyond pleased to have finished my first Project a Month for Feeling Stitchy!

More about SeptemberHouse

As I mentioned in my last post, the 2019 Calendar Kit is sold out, but you should definitely check out Corinne's shop for more of her beautiful patterns. If you love this calendar, get on her mailing list to find out when the 2020 calendar is in her store!

For more on SeptemberHouse visit:
Her Instagram: @septemberhouseoninstagram
Her Blog: https://soseptember.blogspot.com/
Her Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/septemberhouse

ALL SEPTEMBERHOUSE CALENDAR POSTS

#1 - Calendar Kit Started

#2 - Calendar Kit In Progress

Project a Month: SeptemberHouse Calendar WIP

Hello all! I'm here to report my progress on the SeptemberHouse Calendar...

As I mentioned in my update last week, the calendar kit has sold out. If you like this design I recommend a browse through Corinne's shop - she has many lovely patterns for sale! My personal favorites are her Solar Flare kit, Circus designs, Butterfly patterns and Modern Monograms. She has a beautiful sense of color, and unique color palettes in her designs, which I believe set her apart from other designers.

Up above, you'll see I added 2 new colors to the calendar, DMC 504 and DMC 832, in addition the the two I began with. I chose colors that would echo what Corinne had done in her example photo. I'm not reproducing all of her elements, but I did want to include some, as they are stitched so beautifully.

So, I used chain stitch and satin stitch where she did on this flower, and here I did buttonhole stitch as she did:

One thing I love about this project is the chance to try out stitches and colors I might not have chosen on my own, and see how it looks.

Next, I added a lovely cherry red shade, DMC 150 which called out to me from my pile of threads. I like the contrast, and I decided I was enjoying incorporating more satin stitch into this piece...

Next I tried the Circular Rhodes stitch, in the same spot Corinne did hers - but I'm sure I didn't get it quite right (although I started off well). No matter, I just kept going!

Then I added this bright teal, DMC 943 to the leaves, and loved how it looked (although my satin stitch is FAR from exemplary here).

I love that bright pop of color and the contrast with the other colors I've used!

I used a buttonhole stitch on the bigger leaves in the same DMC 943...

Really enjoying how that looks! So, there is my progress so far, hope you are enjoying it, if you're on Instagram, feel free to follow my (somewhat) daily progress at @nyfloresita.

ALL SEPTEMBERHOUSE CALENDAR POSTS

#1 - Calendar Kit Started

#3 - Calendar Kit Finished

Project a Month: SeptemberHouse 2019 Fabric Calendar

Hello stitchers! I'm excited to be beginning a new year, and a new series on Feeling Stitchy called Project a Month! In it, my goal is to to stitch one embroidery project a month, and share my progress here on the blog (and on Instagram).

With the Project a Month feature I would like to highlight small businesses on Etsy or elsewhere, my goal is to think SMALL and focus on small businesses this year!

First up, is this beautiful 2019 Calendar Embroidery Kit by SeptemberHouse! At last look, it was still available for purchase in her store, but I have a feeling they may sell out soon... Edit 1/18/19 - The kit does appear to have sold out. I hope you'll enjoy following along with my progress nevertheless, and explore her patterns and get very excited about next year's calendar!

I have long admired Corinne's beautiful patterns and fabric calendars, but this is the first one I have ever attempted.

My first impressions of the kit:
The kit came with preprinted fabic, basic directions, and two skeins of matching floss, in this case DMC 3809. There were 4 colorways to choose from: Midnight, Juniper, Lemongrass, and Smoke, but I settled on Juniper because I'm a sucker for teal.

I love the fabric - it's a perfect weight for stitching, in my opinion. The edges are unfinished, so you will need to finish the edges with either machine or hand stitching. I also love that the kit includes 2 skeins of floss - for the price, I think it's a great deal. The bag the kit comes in is resealable - something I love since I usually keep my WIPs in plastic baggies - perfect size to tuck in my tiny pink scissors and threads, as you see here.

You can stitch this design as simply or as in depth as you like - either use the 2 skeins to stitch up just the outlines, or fill in the lines however you see fit! Corinne provides a list of suggested colors to inspire you.

I decided I wanted to stitch something like the example photo - which looks so lovely, but I was curious about the colors Corinne used and the stitches:

When I wrote to her to ask about her colors and stitches Corinne was kind enough to send me a PDF including all the DMC colors she used in her example photo, and the stitches! She also included suggested DMC shades for all of the calendars.

My stitching progress so far:

I used the included floss for most of the outlines and a nice greyish blue - DMC 926 for some contrast. I would like to stitch something like the example photo, we'll see which colors I choose!

I'm loving this calendar so far!

What are you stitching this month?

Have you stitched a SeptemberHouse calendar?

All Septemberhouse  Calendar Posts

#2 - Calendar Kit In Progress

#3 - Calendar Kit Finished