It doesn’t seem three weeks since I last showed you my Tall Year Square etui, it’s a design by Betsy Morgan which was published in Classic Inspirations last year. Each side represents a season so I am choosing my threads according to how I picture the season.
Three weeks ago I had just finished autumn…
It’s quite exciting to start winter as it is the last of the four sides I need to embroider, though I have just realised there’s more embroidery to do on the inside as well as the lid!
Winter is stitched on a beautiful Permin linen called rain, it’s a lovely soft duck egg blue. I’m using the variegated DMC threads so my next job was to choose a selection of colours. When I thought of winter I imagined snow and frost, evergreens and red berries, midnight blue skies on a frosty night, soft greens and browns of decaying foliage…so I’ve gone for a mixture of red and green, silvery grey/ivory, dark blue and brown, I’ve included a soft beige/green one too which I didn’t originally choose but it’s actually fairly similar to one of the ‘proper’ colours and it looks really pretty. 
I’ve stitched nearly four of the bands. I love the coral red and green of the ‘flying geese’ border! The twining ribbons need one more colour adding, I want to include a red, but when I first stitched it it looked too much, so I thought I’d wait to see how the stitch colours balance out before I make a decision. The little bird is meant to be a cardinal. I do think they are beautiful birds and I would love to see one, however here in the UK the robin is seen as our Christmas / winter bird with his cheerful red breast, so I changed the cardinal into a robin, not quite so bright, but more like home!
So this is where I am now…
This stitch-a-long is organised by Avis, everyone stitches their own project and shares every three weeks, it’s a great motivator! Please follow the links to see what everyone else has been stitching;
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Tony, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Connie
Also linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, follow the link for even more hand stitching!
thecraftycreek 
That’s a really pretty selection of variegated thread colours – it’s going to be spectacular when it’s done.
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Thanks Kate, I hope so!
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Very pretty
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Thank you
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Lovely colour selection – I can’t wait to see this little box etui finished!
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Thanks, I think I’ve got a bit to go before I get to the construction stage!
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Gorgeous colour selection and I love the robin 🙂
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Thanks Carole
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good idea to stitch a Robin and not a Cardinal
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Thanks Claire, luckily they were easily changed!
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lovely, I am impressed your stitching is very smooth and even
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Thank you 🙂
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Looking pretty.
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Thanks Cathy
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This is delightful! I love the robin…very appropriate for where you live. This explains why many of the Christmas cards I receive from my family in Scotland and England have robins on them…
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Thanks Gail, robins are very popular and traditional on Christmas cards 🙂
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A beautiful start on your winter panel, it’s going to be lovely. I am looking forward to watching how you out this together!
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Thanks Kathy, I’m hoping the instructions are good for putting it together!
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Yikes! Me too!
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Good idea to swap the cardinal for a robin. He looks perfect! Autumn turned out beautiful too.
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Thanks Avis, I do like the cardinal, but the robin is a national favourite 🙂
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Your stitchery is just beautiful! It’s so much fun to look at all the details and color for each season!
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Thanks Diann, it’s been fun to stitch so far!
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This etui is a work of art ! I’m loving the colours you chose for winter and the small change from cardinal to robin. I also really like Cardinals its just a shame we don’t have them here !
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Very nice one
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Autumn turned out beautifully. And you have another luscious palette of colors for winter! We had cardinals where I grew up but not where I live now. I applaud your decision to change the bird to reflect your home. 🙂
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Lovely colors as always! In Sweden our Christmas bird is the Bullfinch. He also has a very red chest!
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Of course it has to be a robin!
I love seeing them in the garden x Your box is coming on a treat x
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I’ve really enjoyed watching you stitch this up, and I love how you’ve made it so individual to you with your colour choices. And a lovely Robin too!
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So beautiful! I love the way Autumn turned out, and the way Winter is progressing. I really look forward to seeing the constructed piece, too! My British husband always marvels that I never associated robins with Christmas, as for us robins = Spring. Of course, they’re totally different birds! One Christmas my mother-in-law sent us a full set of Christmas robin-themed kitchen linens (apron, oven mitts, tea towels), just to reinforce the idea!
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Great choice to switch to a Robin. It’s still exciting to start the last side even if there is more to do!
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Next time the sides will all be completed, then the lid to stitch so it sounds so simple but having made something like this many years I go I know getting the stitching done is only half the task. I cannot wait to see this one complete though as its so pretty and colourful.
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