Picnic Stitch Along

It had been nearly three months since I finished my last Dropcloth Sampler when I saw their creator, Rebecca Ringquist, post that not only was there a new sampler coming, but a stitch along to boot. I confess I wasn't 100% sure about the Picnic sampler having a painted background, but I was game to try.

To top things off, Rebecca offered a specially curated collection of Wonderfil Specialty Threads, that at first I resisted. But when I went shopping for a few new threads to round out my stash of perle cotton, I had trouble finding what I wanted available in the timeframe I hoped for. So I splurged on my first 
collection ever.

For my own future reference, I'm going to list the threads included in the collection:

EZM1059-Citrus  ~  EZM1021-Meditation  ~  EZM1039-Space Station

EZM1061-Rose Bush  ~  EZM1083-Banksia  ~  EZM1099-Deep Jungle

EZM1022-City Lights  ~  EZM1034-Canopy  ~  EZM1055-Ball Pit

So I'm just getting started stitching on my Picnic Sampler, trying that "Ball Pit" thread first. Rebecca offered a suggestion of threading several needles with different colors of thread before starting to stitch. I've always just threaded my needle as I've chosen my next color, but I'm considering trying that. I'm also going to try some needles that she suggested. Not that the size 7 Bohin embroidery needles I've been using haven't been working just fine, but it's always worth checking out a recommendation, right? And the stitching on this sampler is going to get pretty dense, so I figured they're worth a try. I'm kind of excited to sit down to stitch!