For the seventh piece of my 2019 daily stitch journal, I chose the theme of “winged.” I began it on May 5 (Day 125 of the project) and completed it on May 21 (Day 141).
Beginning at the bottom of the fabric and working my way upwards, I stitched colors of the birds I observed in my backyard. I kept the stitches simple — straight stitches worked in columns, either horizontal or vertical — to keep the focus on color. This was the brightest, most colorful piece yet in the series. I wanted it to convey the exuberance and joy of the month of May.
The birds stitched into this piece were cardinals (male and female, feathers and beaks), house finches, catbirds, goldfinches, sparrows, and mourning doves.
Looking at this piece, I not only see the birds in my mind, I hear their songs — the “purdy purdy purdy” of the cardinals, the haunting coo of the mourning doves, the sweet “perchickory” of the goldfinches. I don’t have favorites — I love any bird that graces my backyard. But when it comes to color, I do have a soft spot for the bright cardinals, and they became the theme of the final piece in this project (Daily Thread Piece No. 18, completed in December).
My next post will be about the eighth piece, with the theme of “sky.”
Exhibition update: I had planned to show Daily Thread this month in my show at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. But since the library is closed due to the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to April 2021. I’ll also be exhibiting in September of this year at Easthampton City Arts and Daily Thread will be part of that show.
LINKS
About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram