The colors of Spring are bursting on this canvas.  The next stop on our journey is the sky.

The color is a lovely shade of Aquamarine.  I chose a big circular stitch originally designed by Brenda Hart.  It’s curly and quirky and plays off the whimsey of the flowers.  The stitch is worked in two parts.  This is one of those times where I tell you you really should finish at least the first part of the background before moving on to the next lesson.  Counting over these big expanses is not a huge challenge but if the flowers are stitched first, YIKES!

This is my completed lesson #2 with both parts of the sky stitch completed and the leaves.

I have included in the instructions two alternate stitch choices for the sky;  one for those of you who are stitching this as a pillow that might actually be touched – smaller circles.

The third option has a little less compensation needed and will provide you with greater coverage once completed.  Thanks to the ladies in class today I am able to show you images of the 2 alternate stitches started.

Once the sky is complete it’s time to move onto the leaves.  These are mostly in the background so I wanted pretty colors and threads but not necessarily anything that would distract from the upcoming flower blooms.

My favorite leaves are the ones on the left worked in a modified leaf stitch.  The modified leaf stitch is one of those stitches that should be in your arsenal of go-to stitches.  It is worked in the same manner as the leaf stitches in the body of the bird but you adjust the length, angle and position of the stitches to match what is painted on the canvas. It is basically embroidery so no counting just follow the angle needed to make the leaf pretty.

Since these leaves are painted one color on one side and a different color on the opposite side I stitched the sides one at a time.  The light green side is gorgeous Duchess Silk from Gloriana.  It is only available in a few colors so far but it is a dream to stitch with.  It glows from the canvas.

The opposite side of the leaf is Gloriana Lorikeet.  The combination of the 2 threads is magical.

The other nice thing about using a modified leaf stitch here is that we really aren’t busying up the canvas with more stitches.  There is a continuity between the stitch choices.  Two leaf stitches on the bird and one in the leaf, they are all related.  The circles in the background play off the design of the flowers painted on the canvas.

Have fun with the sky and the leaves until next time.  With Easter and Kelly Clark coming to teach at the shop we won’t have another class for 3 weeks.  Lots of time to get that sky done.

P.S.  Always feel free to make your canvas completely your own.  Lisa chose not to use the fuzzy stuff on the bird’s wing but instead decided to give our little friend a fuzzy top knot.  How cute is that? By next time my bird may grow a little fluff too.