Swan Stitch-a-Long, part 15

Hi everyone -- let's cut to the chase... it's happy dance time!

I finished the stitching on the swans piece I started in September 2018!!!

Here's the even better part ... I made it up into a pillow!

This was a bigger challenge than expected, because I had a hard time finding the fringe. Which was only a problem because I found just enough of the fabric I used to finish the raven, fox, and hare cushions, so I wanted to use the same fringe. The fabric store I bought it at -- over a year ago -- had closed. This local "chain" is down to 3 stores, sadly, but they're all treasure troves! I went to another location hoping to find the same fringe, and discovered all the upholstery trims loaded into shopping carts awaiting transfer to a distant location. I asked it it was okay if I looked through them, and the staffer said, "umm, well, okay...."

And after twenty minutes of digging through 5 shopping carts worth of trims -- I FOUND THE FRINGE!!!

I made up the pillow -- discovering that I had sewn in the invisible zipper inside out, but, hey, it's "invisible" so who cares! And I'm so so so happy with the result!

Completing this stitching and this cushion checks off a whole bunch of things from my 101 Things in 1001 Days project, too:

☑	63.	pillows – make up raven, fox, hare, and swan cushions!
☑	70.	swan needlepoint, part 1 - wings
☑	71.	swan needlepoint, part 2 – necks and heads
☑	72.	swan needlepoint, part 3 - bodies
☑	73.	swan needlepoint, part 4 - plants
☑	74.	swan needlepoint, part 5 - background

Now, I know what you're thinking ... what's next???

I thought I had a project ready to go... I picked up an inexpensive little kit when we were on a road trip so I could have something small and compact to work on when we were traveling. And, well, it was perhaps a little too small:

I did like finding a "My 1st Stitch" kit that wasn't a childish pattern, but something that an adult (okay, maybe a teenager) would want to pick up and try. Still, a bonus happy dance!

So, now, really, what's next?

I have a small "rescue project" -- a partially completed embroidery kit rescued from my local charity shop, but I have decided to wait on that and stitch a small free pattern from DMC: a Lucky Maneki Cat cross stitch:

It's a perfect project for summer: small (4x4), relatively simple (no confetti stitching!), and it will be fun to work on while we get ready for our trip to Japan in September. 

I love this stitch-a-long -- it's a lovely mix of motivation and inspiration! If you fancy joining in, visit Avis's blog (first on the list below) for more info. And if you just want to look and feel inspired by a wonderful range of projects, check out what my fellow stitchers are working on!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Hayley, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Clare, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, and Sharon.

See you on August 11th for our next check-in!