Today I am so honored and thrilled to share with you the cutest little project I made for the Retro Stitchery Book Tour!!!
Bev McCullough, also known as Flamingo Toes, is a Riley Blake Designer, Blogger, Author, Pattern Creator and an amazing friend!!! Her vintage style is so addictive and her bubbly personality and energy is wonderfully contagious! When she asked me to be a part of her Retro Stitchery Book Tour, I of course, JUMPED at the chance to stitch up one of her designs!
Her tagline on the cover of the book sums up the designs perfectly! "Oh-So-Cute Embroideries with a Wink to the Past!" True to Bev's style, she gives her readers so many options and ideas to really inspire creativity! From embroidery on jewelry, to hoop art, picture frames, pillows clothing and more! She even gives options for applique and kitchen and home decor! What I love the BEST about this book is how clearly it is laid out and all the beautiful inspiration she shares with us! It really is a MUST HAVE book if you love embroidery!
I actually had a hard time choosing which project I wanted to make. I LOVE all her amazing florals and great quotes... but decided to go with the whimsical Taco Trio!!! These 3 friends are simply adorable and I had so much fun bringing them to life! I used wool blend felt for the applique and Bev has great tips inside the book for fusing on your felt (from the back). I embroidered with the DMC threads I have on hand, and got such a kick out of each of her little details. Like these french knots to represent the characters holding hands!
I stitched these cuties on a Riley Blake Designs Linen an used Benzie Wool Blend Felt for the three friends. What a pleasure! I decided to make this project into a mini quilt and so when I was finished the stitching, I cut this fabric into a 9 1/2" square. I used a few fun salsa colors from Lori Holt's new Bee Cross Stitch Fabric to make an easy frame for the mini quilt.
Next, I cut those fabrics into 2" squares (so they finish at 1 1/2") and framed them all the way around the mini quilt - two rows deep. I decided to embellish the inner frame with some rows of running stitches in red, orange and green and finished it off by sewing 3 wooden floral buttons. I stitched each button down with a different salsa color thread! So much fun!!!
I am so excited to add these happy fiesta friends to my quilt wall! They make me smile and remind me of how important and wonderful our friendships are!!! Just looking at their carefree faces makes me want to a giggle!
You can preorder Bev's Retro Stitchery Book on Amazon, or Barnes and Noble and it is printed through Martingale. Don't forget to follow Flamingo Toes on social media as well!!!
This afternoon Bev will also be LIVE on Inspired Quilting Facebook Group with me as we chat about Retro Stitchery and her upcoming fabric collection - Stardust for Riley Blake Designs! You can also catch a LIVE tutorial with Bev and I on Inspired Doll Making on April 13th at 2pm CST. She will be teaching us a floral stitch from her book on this LIVE video that you can use to embellish your dolls, mini quilts or projects!
Head over to Flamingo Toes for the complete book tour schedule and blog hop and to see all the wonderful inspiration from Retro Stitchery!!!
"We love the Retro Stitchery book!" - Lime applique
Pattern: Taco Trio from the Retro Stitchery Book by Beverly McCullough
Fabric: Linen and Bee Cross Stitch by Riley Blake Designs
Wool Felt and Felt Ball Garland: Benzie Designs