Project a Month: Jenny Blair Owl Kit

I've had my eye on this Jenny Blair Owl Kit ever since I first saw it on Jenny's Instagram account - it is just lovely! I am quite behind on my monthly projects - this should have been October's - so I am hoping for a quick stitch on this one.

There are two versions of this kit, one with black fabric, and one with gray fabric (as above). After much deliberation, I chose the black, as it looked quite dramatic and unique compared to anything I'd done yet this year...

There is something so lovely about this design, isn't there? My reason for choosing this pattern was a wonderful, vivid memory of joy I had from last year, in October when I was on chemotherapy. It was a cold night, and I was having trouble sleeping - I heard a strange barking sound high up in a nearby tree - I stepped out into the cool night air to see the large, mysterious shape of an owl, hooting back at me! It was truly magical, and such a comforting moment of beauty in a difficult time, so I chose this pattern to remember that moment forever. :)

About the kit

This is a lovely, well-designed kit - the hoop is nice and sturdy, and the screen printed fabric is very nice to work with, as it is so difficult to do a good transfer on dark fabric. The included needle is small and very sharp - I'll be using it for my stitching!

The directions are very thorough - with suggestions for stitches to use in each area, and a nice, clear photo of the finished project. If you stitch the kit as Jenny suggests, you'll have a nice sampler of stitches done by the end.

As for myself, I am still on a stem stitching high after finishing my Gimena Romero class pattern, so I chose to do all the branches and leaves in stem stitch...

I love that the threads are already cut in perfect lengths for stitching, so you don't have to fuss with tangling skeins or winding them onto bobbins - this would be a good, small travel project for a plane.

Here is my stitching so far!

If you would like to stitch along (or get this wonderful kit for a friend), this is the Owl Kit by Jenny Blair. More progress soon!