European Stash Expedition!

Happy Spring! I think the snow we got last Wednesday may have been winter's last hurrah. I certainly hope so! Today was so sunny that I took a break from my WIPs and stitched this funny chicken to use on a card. I changed the colors so it was more spring-like! And I used one little corner of the huge piece of pink Aida I got for $1.50 at Sudberry House back in January...

We just got back from a trip to Munich, where we had a great time visiting with friends and seeing some of our old favorite places. I met up with Renee and we went stash shopping! We hit just about all the stitching shops in town (all the ones we know about, anyway!) and I sure spent a bundle. But I really only bought things I can't get in the US, so I don't feel too bad about it!

I got a bunch of stuff, including six Rico tea towels in assorted colors, on sale (some of them match the Rico tablecloths I already have), and three or four Rico pattern books (Janosch, Pünktchen, Milka Kuh and a spring/summer garden book). I also picked up several Anchor leaflets with spring patterns, very cheap. They have lots of bunnies and chickens -- that's where the silly chicken up above came from.

Most of my favorite things came from Kolmsperger Handarbeiten, a great little specialty shop in Munich. That's where I found a really cool double chart of two Bavarian May Poles (Maibäume) as well as the blue-and-white-bordered band to stitch it on! I was so tickled to find something so traditionally Bavarian. I also bought some little patterns of Bavarian houses, castles, and traditional costumes!

In addition to all that, at a couple of other shops I found some kits that I liked. All of them had frames included, which seems a little more common over there than in the US. Two of the kits are by Vervaco and show country landscapes with cute little houses, one in spring and one in summer. They were also selling fall and winter, of course, but I liked the two that I got the best.

The other two kits I got were both by Rico, and feature a little ladybug with some daisies. I've already stitched one of them, since they're small and easy, and here it is (not framed yet):



I started it while we were still in Germany, and finished it up today. This is what it'll look like when it's framed. Cute!

I've started to notice some differences between German patterns and American ones. Most of my German pattern books and kits only use whole stitches, and there's often not much backstitching. I realize this isn't always the case -- I know Martina Weber's designs (Chatelaine) are very complex, for example. But I don't think those Chatelaine designs are all that well-known in Germany. I've never seen them for sale in any shop, at least. I think most people who are interested in them are in the US or other countries.

That's not to say that the usual German designs aren't attractive, though. I like them very much. Check out these mushrooms from a Rico book I got... they are really cute! And since I enjoy doing smaller and medium sized designs, I really like the German style.

There's more to tell -- I am about 3/4 done with the current round of the International Round Robin so I will post a picture of that when I get it ready. It is taking me a while to finish up. I'm also working on a few other things and going a little crazy trying to figure out what I want to stitch first from all my new patterns. I think the May Pole pattern is high on my list, but I still need to pick up the flosses for that. Renee and I may do the Stieffmütterchen pattern from Der Feine Faden as a Stitch-Along, too, so I need to see about getting the materials for that as well. (Yet another pattern that doesn't appear to have any backstitching.)

Anyway there has been a whole lot of stitching going on -- but not much blogging! So I thought I'd drop in and say hello. Happy Spring, everyone!