vintage crewel kit: hummingbird 1

and it begins again.

before i had even finished the last crewel kit, "new" ones were purchased. a quick reminder of why this is a craft i can get behind:

• it's like paint by numbers with yarn
• it requires minimal thought and energy
• it keeps me off the streets
• there are a ton of cute kits from the 60s and 70s on the internets
• they're relatively cheap

but honestly, how many throw pillows does one person need? after toying with the notion of turning the last one into a handbag, i've decided to hold on to it- and all the rest until i've amassed enough to make a quilt. 5, 10 years from now at the earliest. in the meantime, i'm going to enjoy stitching all the amazing vintage crewel kits i can find with animals, birds, and woodland scenes. starting with this awesome hummingbird:

this kit makes the last one look like amateur hour. of course it came with the printed fabric and all the yarn and trims to make a pillow, but it also included a great color photo and key for the stitches and... an instruction book for every stitch! now this is civilized. the results already put the previous attempt to shame. there were 4 stitches used in the first flower:

satin stitch:

stem stitch:

french knots:

laidwork stitch:

the stems and outlines were done with the stem stitch again. it felt so good to have a guide this time. it requires even less attention than before. i had to force myself to put it down, so i think it will be finished pretty quick. good thing i have 3 more waiting in the wings.