Woodland Treasures Nursery

Sewing for a grandchild’s nursery is pure joy.  When Sue Box’s embroidery design collection, Woodland Treasures, was released, I ordered it almost immediately.  I knew these designs would be just what my daughter-in-law would want for her baby.

When Shelly, with her overwhelming interest in nature and her environmental science degree, was months away from delivering our first grandchild, I was on a New Grannie High.  I began major projects with new enthusiasm.

Shelly had also volunteered as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for years before her pregnancy.  She spent countless hours preparing  Mother Nature’s orphans for independent life in Florida’s woodlands.

Shelly agreed that these fantasy woodland creatures were perfect nursery companions  for her baby.

Soon, I was embroidering hedgehogs, squirrels, bunnies, beavers, mice and raccoons on the bumper pads, which turned out to be one of the most time consuming projects I had done in a long while.

With a variety of fabrics in the chosen color palette of red, green and yellow, the pads included a scene at either end and individual character embroidery alternating with sunflowers on the sides.

The different designs and fabrics were separated accented with red rick rack.

Red and ivory ticking stripe bordered the embroidered squares and a plaid ruffle, finished with woolly nylon, softened the edges.

My biggest challenge for this project was finding a way to create a scene for the head and foot boards.  As I fiddled with printed design templates, these sweet figures and landscape elements just looked “plunked” in place.

Finally, I decided that a path would connect the different features and create some unity to the scene.  With a blue washaway marker, I sketched a rough outline of the stone walkway on the fabric.

Then pieces of ultrasuede were cut and placed, just as a real stone path would be made.   Held in place with a glue stick, the ultrasuede “stones” were stitched over and over in a stippling pattern with black thread, using free motion technique.  The effect, to me, was that of gravel and stone.  I was satisfied that many embroideries now had some visual stability and were not just floating.

S

hortly after this photo was taken and long before the baby arrived, the bumper pads were installed and neckroll pillows were covered with the red plaid. Nestled into each side of the window seat, the circular ends of the neckroll pillows were embroidered with the same sunflower as on the bumper pads.

As soon as it was determined that our grandchild was a girl, Shelly began readying the nursery.  Ryan painted the walls and they had a local artist come in to paint a woodland environment.

In one corner, a towering tree sheltered a squirrel.  On the opposite corner, huge sunflowers swayed.

Our son is a pilot as well as a certified flight instructor for both “fixed wing” (that’s what they call airplanes now) and helicopters.  The artist even included a rendering of Ryan’s own Twin Comanche  pulling a banner with Laurel’s name.

Other items were added, including a dust ruffle in the same decorator fabric plaid as was used for the window valance and the window seat cushion.  Bunches of sunflowers were tied at each corner of the crib, at mattress level.

Time and time again, I have wondered why I did not take pictures of these early baby projects.  I was just reminded that shortly after Laurel’s birth, our home was severely damaged by Hurricane Charley.  That awful 2004 hurricane season brought three storms to central Florida, Charley, Frances and Jean, each of which damaged us in one way or another.  Our repairs, including the roof, were not completed until July, 2006.  So that is why so many photo opportunities were missed.  Living with swarms of workmen and a tarp over one end of the house for almost two years, I had other things on my mind.  Having forgotten some of that inconvenience and aggravation is a blessing.

From her earliest collection, Sue Box has been one of my favorite embroidery designers.  Every design is spectacular, with flawless digitizing and charming detail.  I have  a huge embroidery design library, many unused.  But I suspect the designs from Sue Box have been stitched more than any others.

If you have not used or checked out her designs, I would encourage you to do so at www.suebox.com  I have never met her and have no connection, other than a mutual love of sewing and machine embroidery.

Happy sewing to each of you!