Sunset Mountain August ATC Swap

These colours make me very happy. I love how the Stitchscape Swap themes all have their own overall colour scheme and these ones just work so well as a collection. There's such a lot of variety in the images presented too, traditional dark mountains with a sunset behind, silhouetted trees, a silhouette of a hot air balloon, a shadowy Stag at dusk, desert sunsets or more abstract shapes hinting at sunsets. 

Interestingly, this is the eighth theme and I really feel like I'm beginning to recognise the styles of those joining in. I challenge myself to guess who has made each card before turning it over to confirm and I was about 50% right with correct answers for this swap. I feel like confidence has grown in everyone as well, which I may have said before, but every month is just so impressive with the creations that come through the door.  

There are a lot of embroidery stitches for this month too. I realise that one of the requirements for the swap is to include stitching of some sort but, sometimes, there is less hand stitching coming in and more impact stitching (if you know what I mean?). This time round there is lots of wonderful needlework, from the card which is entirely long stitched, to metallic chain stitch sun rays, blanket stitched edges and fabulous rows of running stitch to build texture in a sunset sky. I love the stitched detailing in the hot air balloon basket too and the different stitches in each layer. 

Photos truly don't do these cards justice. I've tried my best with the lighting and camera angles to present the truest colours and textures but it just isn't the same as being able to see and touch them in real life. The piece above is black velvet, which feels amazing, and there is a sparkly thread that has been couched down with metallic blanket stitch so it catches the light and sparkles. The stitching on this is so simple yet so brilliant in its suggestion of intricate detail. 

I love the layering and bright colours in the above piece by Linda too - it reminds me of Kaffe Fassett with the use of bright colours; lots of shades of pink with bright pops of yellow in a mish mash of different patterns - it's charming. 

I'm amazed at how quickly we are whizzing through this first Stitchscape Swap year. There are plans afoot for more swapping in 2023 which I am very excited about. I am hoping to put together a kit as well to try and encourage more people to join in the fun but I don't know how quickly/easily I can put that together whilst also looking after little F as his schedule is getting more hectic now he's interested in the world around him and we can go to baby sensory classes or rhyme time at the library. 

I did find time, between naps (him, not me!), to re-jig my ATC page on my Dotty Textiles website and make it look slightly prettier as it was getting out of hand with the photo albums. All details for 2023 swaps will be published there so please do consider signing up to join us, you don't have to be an experienced stitcher, just someone willing to have a go and have fun!