Redwork Birdie Stitches for June - Only Eight Months Late!

This block is part of the Birdie Stitches Block of the Month by Little Miss Shabby available free online here.  When I saw it, I knew it was the perfect project for me.  Instead of using several colors of embroidery thread, I chose to use just No. 8 perle cotton in red.  I have done redwork on a single layer of fabric, and the knots show through from the back. I've tried backing the fabric with very lightweight iron-on interfacing, but the interfacing wrinkled. This time I used a double layer of the Kona cotton. I ironed the layers together and used an embroidery hoop. I didn't baste the two layers together, but it has not been a problem. I've been very pleased with the results.

I finally finished all the blocks of this quilt!  I kept up with each month except for this one.  I left the June block to last because its design was very different than the other months' designs.  I found this June Birdie Stitches block designed by Vikki Bowles and really loved it.  (Hers had a sun, and I substituted a moon and the stars.)  I had a bonus Snow Day off from school, so I traced the design and got it stitched!  

The view outside my sewing room window

Now I need to decide on how to put the blocks together and what fabric to use for the sashing and border.  These are whimsical designs, so I don't know whether I need to choose a whimsical fabric like this:

      

or a fun polka dot:

or maybe use a color other than red

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post Hole in the Barn Door Quilt Block and What's on Your Nightstand?