This is a design by Sue Bakker, and I think the folksy look is marvelous. She called it Arts & Crafts Wallhanging, but I like Birds on a Branch better. This is from a 1998 issue of International Dolls House News magazine, but I am not sure which month.
Sue charted the pattern using the same symbols for different parts – such as the X is blue for one area and then the X is pink in another. That was too hard for me to follow, and I had been told by others who stitched the pattern that the colors were wrong in places. So, I redid the chart in Pattern Maker Pro by HobbyWare (as of 2024, it seems the company website is defunct). I converted the Anchor colors Sue used to all DMC colors since I have only DMC in my stash of floss. I corrected what I thought were errors and chose new colors for some parts. I also redesigned the border since my brain prefers symmetrical patterns.
While I loved the wide border of the original, it made the rug larger than I wanted (low ink here in my printer). I’ve narrowed the border, which means saved needlework time as well.
I decided to go the way of the Persian and printed the color photo from the pattern onto cotton to stitch the pattern. Here’s the print after rinsing, before ironing and setting in the hoop.
You can see the tiny squares.
This is two hours of work, and I love it already. I’m still referencing the pattern and symbol chart for the colors, but I am not counting the knots. I use the printed areas as a guide and get the general feel of the pattern using the colors I charted. Much easier this way – working on the details and filling in after.
I like seeing the whole design at once, watching the various parts come to life as I complete the knots. As you can see, it doesn’t keep the boxy shape of the original pattern as the knots are made.
Update: I later changed the border for this pattern.
