OhSewCrafty Blog

Bella Filipina, aka Aldrin Jay Parilla, is my designer of choice to focus on this year. 

On January 11, I started Bellatrix on Dusk Belfast by Steel City Stitchers, and did 700 stitches.  I’m absolutely loving it, the fabric is perfect IMO, and it will be wonderful to make more progress next week.  She was started for a new Bella Filipina SAL with my friend Becca, also the 2022 Calendar SAL with Semisane Stitchers (FB).  The minimum for the SAL is 40 x 40, which works out to 1600 stitches (if full coverage) and that sounds like a good monthly goal to me.  Maybe I can do more as I finish older WIPs, but if not, 17,200 stitches by the end of the year would be nothing to sneeze at.

Mr. Parilla designs the most incredibly beautiful, detailed ladies, fairies, mermaids, goddesses, etc… even a regal mer-man.  His designs are large but not huge, most fit comfortably on a fat quarter. He also often markets his designs on gorgeous hand dyed fabrics, which I think surely enhances the patterns. 

Here are a few Bella Filipina designs from my stash with fabrics.  King Triton on Sweet Stash Tidal Wave Belfast, Queen Amphrite on Under the Sea Mermaid’s Sea Belfast, and Gaia on Silkweaver Rock Quarry Belfast.  Plus I ordered a few things recently to enhance my Bella stash.  Most of his new releases, intrigue me at the very least, and he is quite prolific with new designs published most months.  His first of the new year is Lakapati, Deity of Fertility and patroness of agriculture.   I think her colors are amazing and I love the grain detail. Picture copyright Bella Filipina designs.

The People’s Choice SAL is hosted by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching .