Stitch Assist

My little birdie project has lots of hand stitching, especially for a baby quilt - something I don't normally do. My inspiration came from my visit to Boston a few weeks ago to hang out with my daughter Meredith, a student at BU. We visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts - it's just undergone a massive renovation / expansion and has an entire building dedicated to American Art. They had a beautiful collection of American samplers - I am forever fascinated that pre-adolescent / adolescent girls created these works of art - they are magnificent. Don't you just love the fig leaves protecting Adam and Eve? And the stitches are perfect!
Time to practice m stitching, and the birdie quilt provided the perfect canvas for embellishment. When I got home I pulled out my handy-dandy Pocket Guide for Crazy Quilt Stitches - - - I've had this for forever.
It's great - a laminated fold out reference for commonly used stitches. I decided to practice the fern stitch and stem stitch on the birdie. I had already appliqued the birdies in place and finished their edge with a blanket stitch.
My friend Jackie gave me this Fons and Porter Marking Pencil - she told me I'd love it - - - she, as always was right! This pencil is great. It makes a thin chalky line that stays put until you scratch it off. It was perfect for marking where I wanted to create my embroidery lines on the birdie.
See - - -