From top left: May 2021 Swatch of the Month; Textile Paint color studies for swatch development; Stem Stitch detail from The Geometry of Hand-Sewing by Natalie Chanin; “If Jesus came from Missisippi, if tears began to rhyme, I’ll have to start at the beginning, it’s a world of strange design” from Bird on a Blade by Rosanne Cash and Dan Rizzie (pages 78–79); Bird on a Branch T-Shirt Top Kit; Left: “Mon Péché perfume bottle”, 1925 by Jeanne Lanvin; Right: “Evening gown”, 1929 by Jeanne Lanvin from Paris Haute Couture, 2012 by Olivier Saillard and Anne Zazzo (pages 52–53).

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May 2021’s Swatch of the Month features the Bird on a Branch stencil, designed in collaboration with Grammy award-winning songwriter and friend Rosanne Cash and internationally acclaimed artist Dan Rizzie from their book, Bird on a Blade. 

From left: Bird on a Branch T-Shirt Top Kit; Fabric Swatch in Magdalena Camel; The Studio Bundles; Needles.

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As part of our inspiration for May 2021’s Swatch of the Month, we introduce three new kits that feature the Bird on a Branch placement stencil: the Swing Skirt, T-Shirt Top, and Poncho.  

From top left: “it’s a hard road but it fits your shoes” from Bird on a Blade by Rosanne Cash and Dan Rizzie (pages 26–27); Bird on a Branch Poncho Kit; “Bird of Glory and Praise”, 2016 by Sheila Berger; Embroidery Floss.

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Explore these kits alongside inspirations and maker materials.  

Subscribe to our 2022 and 2021 Swatch of the Month programs at any time and receive backdated swatches, materials, and exclusive newsletters.  

Look back on the Journal for a closer look at Bird on a Branch DIY Kits and design inspiration, to learn more about Rosanne, Dan, and their collaborative book, and for more inspiring works from Rosanne. 

From top left: Bird on a Branch Swing Skirt Kit; Gold-Handled Embroidery Scissors; Brown Bugle Beads; “This is our great migration, our mountain and our stone”, from Bird on a Blade by Rosanne Cash and Dan Rizzie.

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