A Peony or Two ~ a project for Homespun Magazine

Earlier this year, I was invited by Homespun Magazine to contribute to their "Romance Issue".
Well, who can resist the romance of the peony?
With an abundance of large, soft petals I thought they would be the perfect bloom for a romantic project.
A long time ago, I was honoured to have a project in one of the very first Homespun issues. The theme was "Australia" and I decided on a cross-stitch design featuring a verse of the national anthem (Our land abounds in nature's gift of beauty, rich and rare.) The project also used a range of Australian animal, porcelain buttons, which I designed. It was called "Natures Gift"…
Well here we are at Issue No.100 of Homespun and I'm thrilled to be contributing again.
Introducing "A Peony or Two" ~ a One Day In May project, featured in the current issue, Vol 12. No. 9.

I was so excited this morning, to discover my project on the cover! And what a pretty cover it is.

As always, the Homespun designers have created a beautiful backdrop for our projects.
I always look forward to seeing the lovely settings they choose for photography and the lovely editorials they write.



Here are some close-ups that I took a few months ago.
I have fallen in love with hand-quilting this year, and couldn't resist repeating the leaf design in each corner.

Scalloped fabric winds its way into the peony centre, where you'll find a cluster of glass beads to catch the light.
I've also added threaded back-stitch to the leaves as an additional feature.

If you would like to create "A Peony or Two", be sure to pop down to your local newsagents or patchwork store for a copy.
You can subscribe to Homespun Magazine here, if you would like it delivered straight to your door.

Today I received a very exciting email from the editor, announcing that Homespun is now also available as a digital subscription… which is wonderful news for stitchers and quilters overseas.
You can find details about subscribing digitally here.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, filled to the top with creativity.
Until next time,
Melissa  x