i’ve been devouring the shetland island mystery books lately, and so when i started doodling these little houses, they quickly began to resemble the setting of the books: a quaint little island village, enveloped in fog, the landscape dotted with clumps of moss and the pale yellow flowers of early spring. (if you’re looking for your next read, may i suggest raven black, by ann cleeves?)

i also just really love little houses. i find them to be so charming and irresistible.
what‘s cuter than a little house? a whole row of little houses.

so this months’ design is sweet and simple, but i see a deeper level there too....because a village is more than a group of houses; it’s a group of people sharing the experiences and the stories of their lives. helping each other, learning from one another, and connecting in meaningful ways.

i know that’s kinda deep for a little embroidery pattern, but it’s true! thanks for being part of my village.
i am so glad you're with me!

so here's what i'm doing with mine so far:

i really wanted the houses to keep their light sketchy quality, so i'm using a single strand of floss and simple straight stitches.
for the roofs, i'm looking for a little texture but nothing bulky. chain stitch (or reverse chain if you like) gives the roof a thicker, shingle-ish line, but still keeps the stitching light and sketchy.

for the darker green plants, i'm using 2 strands and fern stitch, which is basically three straight stitches that all converge at the bottom point.

as always, you can do your own thing with this! want thicker lines? go for it? want to use different colors or different stitches? go for it!