Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Heroic Belfast





I love Americana stitching. I especially love the Americana patterns by Little House Needleworks. They work up quickly and look so cute and cozy.

I recently discovered Heroic Belfast by Picture This Plus and fell in love with it instantly. Patriotic pieces look amazing on it. I want to add more to my stash because it's one of those fabrics I don't ever want to be without, you know what I mean? I'd like to see how non-Americana patterns look on it, too. I bet something primitive would be nice on it, or maybe something floral. I don't know. I need to look into this. 😊


Thursday, June 14, 2018

Never Too Early

Noel Jingles Flip-it by Lizzie*Kate

It's never too early to get started on Christmas stitching, right? 

It took me a mere day, day-and-a-half to stitch this cute Lizzie*Kate piece. I love it! I don't quite know how I will finish it, though. I might make it into an ornament. A tiny frame would be cute, too. I probably won't make a decision until December. Let's just hope it's this December....

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Teeny Tiny Gingerbread Gal


My love affair with 40-ct linen continues.

Pattern by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Teeny Tiny Turkey


I can't believe how much I love stitching on 40-ct linen. 

"Give Thanks" by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
                                         

Look at how tiny that turkey is! How cute is he, seriously?!?



He is so tiny and sweet. Pictures can't convey just how small he is. And how sweet he is. :) 


If you follow me on Instagram (stitchystitcherson), then you've perhaps seen this teeny tiny turkey's progression. I loved stitching him. He was a quick, fun stitch, and is a great addition to my woefully small collection of Thanksgiving finishes.

Gobble gobble! 


Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Bee Keeper



I stitched a little something recently.

The Bee Keeper by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery




Stitched on 40-ct Summer Khaki linen, one-over-two

Emphasis on "little."

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Recent Finishes

TINGLES October 31-Jack O Lantern Double Flip by Lizzie*Kate

Sweet Tooth (Limited Edition pattern) by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Mysterious Halloween Town (Part One) by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Thursday, May 8, 2014

A Stitchy Gift


Like many stitchers, I love giving handmade gifts. I have made more cross stitched, embroidered, and, even though I am relatively new to it, crocheted gifts for friends and family than I can count. I love making things for loved ones. I love the planning process. I love thinking of how the recipient will feel upon getting the gift, and how he or she will feel when looking at or using the gift for years to come.

Like many stitchers, I love receiving handmade gifts. Because I stitch, I understand what goes into handmade gifts. And because of that understanding, receiving something that was made for me, specifically for me, is truly special. So when I received this in the mail earlier this week, I knew I had something spectacular in my hands.




My good friend Glenda made me this for my birthday, and it's so perfect I could just cry. I love everything about this, from the sassy saying to the turquoise color scheme. And oh my gosh, the stitching is amazing. Glenda knows what she is doing, for sure! Even her finishing skills blow me away.

Perfection

If you want to read about the details of this piece, hop on over the Glenda's blog, Wren and Stitchy. And then settle in for a while because you'll find all sorts of goodies over there, such as hand embroidery, Zentangles, and, of course, more cross stitch.

Thank you so much, Glenda!

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

These Days


These days, I have been putting some stitches in this WIP




and dreaming about what to make with this glorious stack of fat quarters.



I think I need to make a Halloween quilt. I've always wanted to do that. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Happy Spring


I recently took a break from my list of stitching goals to do this sweet little piece.

"Happy Spring" by The Snowflower Diaries
The colors look a bit off, as it was an overcast day when I snapped the photos. They are more muted than what you see here. And the fabric, 28-ct Ray of Light Lugana, is actually a pale, sunshiny yellow, not the off-white hue seen in the pics.


I had to make a couple changes to the recommended floss to make the patten work on the yellow Lugana. I am pleased with the outcome.


Isn't that butterfly lovely? I used to limited edition shade of GAST to stitch her. She might be my favorite part. 

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Goals Update #2


I've spent the last couple months trying to tackle some more items on my stitchy goals list

I started a project on 40-ct linen. Oh my, talk about tiny fabric! I chose to stitch The Queen Bee by JBW Designs. It's such a sweet little pattern. 


I don't know exactly what linen this is, but I think it's Sand Newcastle by Zweigart. It's just a bitty little piece, I do know that. What I know for sure, though, is that I am using Black Coral silk floss by Dinky Dyes. I am actually crossing two things off my list with this project: stitch on 40-ct linen and stitch something entirely in silk. 

(I wish I'd put a quarter or something next to that bee to give you an idea about how small she is. From crown to stinger, she is less that two inches! Same thing from wing to wing.)

Also on my list is trying new crochet stitches. I dabbled in granny squares, even buying a pamphlet at the craft store. The pamphlet makes them look pretty easy, and everything I've read online about granny squares is that they're pretty easy. But for me, something isn't quite clicking--yet. I know it will someday. *Fingers crossed*. 


It's not horrible, it's not great. It is what it is and I am okay with that. 

I've also been working on what I think is called the V-stitch.


I've taken to this stitch better than the granny squares, for sure. But I figure I'll be able to conquer grannies eventually, so I am not worried about it. 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Goals Update #1

I have been working toward some of the stitching goals I set for myself, and so far, so good. Here is just one of them.

1/24/14

1/24/14

1/31/14

2/3/14
I picked out a fabulous Nora Corbett pattern, "Gardenia."  I am so smitten with this design! I opted for something from Corbett's smaller Pixie Couture line rather than one her larger Mirabilia patterns (like I had originally planned) because I thought I had a better chance of completing the smaller Pixie pattern. 

I've also been poking around the internet in search of a good granny square tutorial, and I found one that clicked with me. I will share my very first granny square with you soon. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Penguin Ornament


My sweet friend Glenda sent me some cross stitch patterns a couple months ago, so I thought it would be nice to make her a Christmas ornament as a little thank you. 

"Snow Globe Cutie:Penguin" by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
This cutie was stitched on Misty Blue Belfast by Zweigart. The floss is DMC, but not all the colors were the recommended ones. I needed to change the scarf to Christmas-y colors, and I needed to change the body of the penguin so it would stand out more against the blue of the linen. I chose the blue linen so I could skip filling in the background of the snow globe (huge time saver!). I took a cue from a picture I saw on Flickr and outlined the snow globe with metallic floss. I used a Kreinik #4 braid that I had in my stash. I love that stuff!


This little cutie really is little--that's a 4-inch hoop in the first picture. He was a quick, fun stitch. Isn't he adorable?

Monday, December 23, 2013

Snowflake Ornament


I have been collecting Just Cross Stitch's annual Christmas ornament magazines off and on since 2001, and I hadn't made one single thing from those magazines until this year. Now I am wondering why I waited so long!

"Snowflake 2001" from the Just Cross Stitch 2001 Special Issue--Christmas Ornaments

Isn't it sweet? I didn't use the fabric or the fibers (or even the specific beads) that designer Margot Cook of Heritage Series used, but I love love love how it turned out.


I loved stitching this. I used Crystal Monet Cashel by Picture this Plus (I think that is what this is stitched on, but don't quote me on it because I am not 100% positive about what I used) and Needles Necessities floss. That company is now Threadworx, and while the dye lots are the same, the names of the colors are not. I have no clue what this was called originally (did it even have a name, or was it just a number?), as I lost the wrapper long ago, and I have no clue what it's called now. I think it's this one, though. Or maybe this one. Anywho...I also used some variety of Mill Hill's petite seed beads, but your guess is as good as mine as to which ones. ;)



I sent this ornament to my dear friend Julie, my #1 blogging buddy and favorite stitching pal. I hope you like it, J!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Silent Night


Here is a small finish from last month. 

Silent Night Flip -it (Jingles) by Lizzie*Kate 
I wasn't able to take the kind of close-up, detailed pictures that I usually do. My handy little point and shoot, the camera I use for 99.9% of my needlework pics, is on the fritz. It won't focus, even with fresh batteries. Boo. I love my Nikon, but I don't have a macro lens for it. 



But I guess these pics are better than none, right? :)


About the project: I stitched little cutie on Summer Khaki Belfast using most of the recommended floss colors. I love the button and beads that came with the pattern. They add a sweet touch to the design. Each pattern in the Jingles series (there are twelve total) comes with some sort of embellishment.

Now, let's just hope I can actually turn this into a cute ornament. My finishing skills are sadly lacking! I think I should resolve to improve them in the new year. 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Autumn Samplers and Candy Corn Crochet



Hello! It certainly has been a while since my last post. I've been super busy with kids, life, and, of course, stitching!

As you may remember, I was one of the pattern testers for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Autumn Sampler. That kept me super busy, and boy, was it worth the time I spent stitching it. SO CUTE. 




I also decided that, after both admiring and being intimidated by them for longer than I can recall, I would take the plunge and buy my first Quaker sampler pattern. I LOVE IT. Oh my gosh, I love it so much! I haven't gotten very far yet, but it is wonderful. Words cannot convey how much I love this thing.

Quaker Season Autumn by ByGone Stitches
I am stitching this on the suggested fabric (PTP's Mello Cashel) with the suggested floss (GAST). The linen is dreamy and the colors are gorgeous, and the pattern is easy to follow. I love it. I can't believe I waited this long to stitch a Quaker sampler. (Also, how cute is that scissors needle minder?!?)

In addition to stitching, I decided it was high time to get serious about learning how to crochet. A friend tried to teach me many years ago, but I couldn't get the hang of it back then. With the help of the internet (Crochet School and YouTube, in particular), I was able to finally make it "click" in my head. I can't do anything fancy, but I have mastered the double crochet stitch and can make a washcloth in just a couple hours.



By the way, washing dishes is far more fun when using a candy corn-colored dishcloth. Trust me on this one.