The holidays have shrunk my stitch time and expanded my waistline.

But now I’m back to work rethinking this step-out from the Yellow House project in Joyful Stitching.

As I waddle over to my chair (cookie in hand) to stitch, I long for the sights and smells of my summer garden.

And suddenly, a basket of flowers appears on the shore to cheer me up!

The flower basket is stitched with size 8 Sunflowers and Sunrise threads using tight rows of chain stitches and stem stitches. And the joyfully variegated Asters thread creates dozens of lazy daisy petals around a simple French knot to make the flowers.

You’ll note that the basket has replaced the boat in my re-make of the Yellow House from Joyful Stitching. It’s my theory that 3 elements make a pleasing design. So along with the house and tree, the basket draws the viewer’s eye around the piece.

Soon I’ll reveal the final version of my new Yellow House design. But first, another cookie!

The famous blue trees stitched along the horizon line are complete.

What’s the next adventure in rethinking this step-out from the Yellow House project in Joyful Stitching? Maybe a pond to dip your toes into?

A refreshing pond is made with curved lines of Stem Stitches using a size 12 Aquamarine thread. Along the bank of the pond, I’ve spent many happy hours creating plants using a variety of stitches and size 8 and 12 threads. Not sure what these plants are called but I sure enjoyed stitching them!

Now that the rooftop garden is growing nicely, its time for more landscaping.

Planting trees is beneficial for the environment and a way to add more color and texture to your landscape. So this next step calls for, you guessed it, blue trees.

I love a blue tree! And fitting blue trees snuggly between the green bullion knot trees, adds even more zip to the tree line. The blue trees are stitched with a variegated size 12 thread called Degas Blue. Using a Stem Stitch, the tree’s center is embroidered first. Then the centerline is surrounded by French Knots. It’s the variegation of the thread that makes an attractive blue tree. Thank you Degas Blue!