Block #6 of our BOM is our “Summer Beginnings” block. I know spring has just arrived, but here in Southern California we have been having sunny days in the 80 degree range. I call that summer weather.

This design is fairly simple, but I’ve added a few more decorative stitches to mix it up. Some of you may want to embellish more, but for me, I like the fabrics to play a starring role with just a little bit of spice from the decorative stitching.

If you are just joining the BOM you will find general information about block size, and supplies needed on the blog post for block #1. The information that follows is for block #6 only.

Let’s begin.

Supplies

Fabric Requirements - 9” x 9” linen/cotton blend or quilter’s cotton

Felted Wool Requirements - Suggested colors

Bird Body - 3” x 5” grey/blue herringbone
Bird wing - 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” light blue and olive plaid
Flower stem - 3” x 6 1/2” dark yellow green
Leaves - 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” medium yellow green
Flower - 3” x 3” golden yellow
Flower center - 2” x 2” golden brown
House - 3 1/2” x 3 1/2” dark red heather
House front - 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” Christmas red
Roof - 1 1/2” x 3” dark brown herringbone
Heart - 2” x 2” blue and white

Thread Requirements - Suggested colors

Embroidery floss or perle cotton, size 12 in colors that match your wool colors.
- I used these colors to whip stitch the wools and embroidered embellishments
  - Valdani #O1901 Lichen moss - flower stem and leaves
  - Valdani #152 Gold - flower, flower center embellishment, house cross stitch
  - Valani #H202, perle cotton, size 8 Withered green - leaf veins
  - Valdani #871 Dusty blue light - heart, bird and flower embellishment
  - Vadani #P12, perle cotton, size 8 Brown vintage hues - leaf veins
  - Cosmo #655 Dark Mauve - beak
  - Cosmo #895 Dark Shadow - eye
  - Cosmo #312 Dark Brown - legs, roof, and flower center

Block #6 Layout and Pattern

Instructions

Trace the reversed image of the patterns onto fusible web.
Cut out the pattern pieces leaving a small (1/8”) border around each.
Fuse pattern pieces to designated wools, and then cut out along traced lines.

4. Using your light box and layout, position the bird, stem, leaves, flower and house onto the background.

5. Fuse in place using steam.

6. Position the flower center, roof, house front, and bird’s wing using the layout as your guide. Fuse in place using steam.

Note: the roof and house front do not overlap. They butt up against each other.

7. Position the heart on the house front using the layout as a guide. Fuse in place using steam.

8. Whip stitch everything except the joint between the roof and house front with 2 strands of matching colored floss or 1 strand of perle cotton, size 12.

9. Use 1 strand of gold perle cotton, size 12 or 2 strands of floss to stitch a row of cross stitches over the joint between the roof and house front.

10. Use a chalk pencil or air erasable fabric marker to draw the veins of the leaves.

11. Use 1 strand of light green perle cotton, size 8 or 3 strands of floss to back stitch over the drawn lines.

12. Use a contrasting colored perle cotton, size 8 or 3 strands of floss to make a double threaded back stitch. We did this stitch on the shamrock stems in block #3.

13. Draw the legs of the bird using the layout as a guide.

14. Use dark brown perle cotton, size 12 or 2 strands of floss to stem stitch over the lines.

15. Draw a guide line for the beak.

16. Use 3 strands of dark antique mauve floss to satin stitch the beak.

17. Draw the guide lines for the tail feathers.

18. Use 1 strand of gold perle cotton, size 12 or 2 strands of floss to stitch 3 pairs of fly stitches over the guide lines.

19. Use the same thread to stitch 4 randomly placed fly stitches on the bird’s breast. Use the layout as your placement guide.

19. Use 3 strands of dark grey floss to stitch a colonial/French knot eye.

20. Draw the guidelines for the flower center embellishment. Hint: Divide it in half vertically and horizontally. Then add one line on each side of the horizontal and vertical lines creating a 4-square grid. This is called a lattice stitch grid. This will be one of the many variations of a lattice stitch.

20. Use the same gold used for the tail, breast, and house to stitch 3 horizontal straight stitches. Note: The stitches should extend beyond the square by about 1/8”.

21. Use the same thread to stitch 3 vertical straight stitches.

22. Use a blue perle cotton, size 12 or 2 strands of floss to make little cross stitches over each intersection created by the horizontal and vertical lines.

23. Use the gold perle cotton or floss to make little lazy daisy flowers in each of the four squares (see below).

Bring your needle and thread up in the center of one of the squares.
Slide the needle under the leg of the cross stitch on the upper right side of the square, and then pull the thread through.
Insert the needle back into the center of the square and pull the thread through to the back.
Bring the needle and thread up just to the left of where you inserted the last stitch, and then slide the needle under the leg of the cross stitch on the left side of the square, pulling the thread through. Repeat the steps above for the bottom left and right corners. The result should be a 4-petal flower.
Repeat for the three remaining squares.

Your block is complete!

Here is Peggy’s (another Wooly Gal member) block. She has clearly made it her own! I love it!