Let them be small made into cushion

On Monday evening I made the Lizzie Kate design Let Them be Small into a cushion.   Just a simple envelope back with plain borders on the front using some brown with cream circles fabric from my stash.   And it looks so much better pressed.   I had to be very careful with the iron.  The linen needed steam but as the threads are hand dyed I know from bitter experience that they can bleed.

The wording is particularly poignant as I spent a lovely day with my grandchildren and now won't see them for 5 weeks while they spend their summer holiday in Spain.

Cross Stitcher magazine August 2014, number 282

I have a soft spot for Cross Stitcher magazine.  My interest in cross stitching was rekindled in 1991 by a new magazine called Needlecraft which covered lots of different types of needlework. Croos Stitcher was launched shortly afterwards as a magazine dedicated to cross stitching and I still have every copy.   It was a great success so of course other magazines were launched, many of which have since closed as interest in cross stitching peaked and started to wane.    A couple of years ago Cross Sticher relaunched with a new look and approach which wasn't popular with everyone.   The designs changed, they included more ways of using cross stitch and it became generally less cute.   I loved the changes and it is still my favourite UK magazine.   I believe that World of Cross Stitching sells more copies so mine isn't the view of the majority.

There are some issues which don't have much that appeals but the latest issue, August 2014, was a classic for me with its of designs I would love to stitch.  If only the free gift was more time ......

I even like the cat cushion which is on the front cover though I'm not a cat person and I haven't actually added it to my to do list 

Thigh

This set of designs by Emma Congdon are exactly the type of design I love.  Emma specialises in designs using lots of different and interesting fonts.   This set has a cake baking theme with a piece stitched onto an apron, a happy birthday cake band and a fabulous bake a cake picture.

Love the idea of stitching in other shades of a diiferent colour.  Chocolate browns and beiges would be scrummy, or shades of lemon......   My needle is starting to twitch.

The next design to catch my eye is very differ   A floral heart in bright colours which reminded me of canalware painting.   Love the finish in the box frame.   And no backstitch which is always a deciding factor for me.

Although the next set of small designs I picked out have lots of backstitch because they are black work designs using coloured threads.  Again I really liked the finish in the hoops..  My favourite is the umbrella 

Then anothe Emma Congdon design using words.   This time it's a wine bottle to stitch onto a bootle bag.  Fabulous and what a brillianr gift 

Then a pair of cushions.  I love making cushions and these designs by Durene Jones really appeal.  They are simple but striking  and I love the shades chosen.  Makes me wish I had a beach hut just to display them.

And finally I loved the article and designs for Broderie Suisse (also called Amish embroidery, depression lace and chicken scratch).   Instructions on how to make the book cover and  pencil holder are included.

All in all a great issue for me.

Cross Stitch Card Shop 96 and 97

Looking through the most recent issues of Cross Stitch Card Shop which I have on a trial subscription I picked out a few designs which I really like and might stitch "one day"

From issue 96

Stunning colourful square designs which I would love to make into coasters 

Love these Love Hearts designs.   Could see them as scissor fobs or coasters.

From issue 97:

These would be great for stitching with the grandchildren as they are colourful, simple and fun.

More designs that would be ideal for coasters

Let them be Small finished

Yesterday I finished the cross stitch on Let them be Small by Lizzie Kate.   Here it is before pressing

   I changed "children"to "grandchildren" and used a mix of the called for threads and some from my stash where needed.   My plan is to make a cushion which I did with another Lizzie Kate piece

Then in the evening I started a lovely free design by Jardin Prive called The Way to Happiness.   I already had it kitted with some white linen and overdyed threads by Nina which I bought from Jardin Prive.   

Beautiful colours with subtle colour variation 

The sampler comes in different languages: French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese.  My A level French from many moons ago allows me to cope with the French version and it would be great to stitch the English and French versions and frame them side by side

Jane Austen SAL piece finished

Finished the border on the Jane Austen SAL piece yesterday evening.

The quote is from Emma

So where did the weekend go?

So where did the weekend go?

On Saturday I called into our local hospice charity shop with some items I had de-cluttered and was leaving when I spotted a cute white wooden photo box which I just couldn't leave behind. I am thinking that instead of photos I may use it to store small charts like Lizzie Kate snippets. I also found a nice frame for the photo we bought last week of my GD's dance class.

Sunday was a lovely day with my parents, brother and sister in law coming over for a traditional Sunday roast lunch - roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, 5 different veg and 4 different puddings. All washed down with lots of chat and "putting the world to rights". So not much time for stitching.

I did manage some more work on my Jane Austen piece - I only have 2 sides of the border to do and it's finished. I have loved stitching this piece as it combines 2 of my passions - stitching and reading. I have in mind that I would like to stitch some other Jane Austen themed pieces and then make them into a quilt. Just an idea at the moment.... I do have some other patterns including some I bought from an Etsy store called WestWindCrossStitch. I think this may be the next one I stitch

The Business of Her Life

Designer: WestWindCrossStitch

Cross Stitch Crazy magazine 193

I love Friday evenings when the whole weekend is still to come.    Of course I always have far more that I plan and hope to achieve in 2 days but on a Friday evening it all seems possible.

I found a few minutes to read the latest issue of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine (193)  which arrived 2 weeks ago!

The main design on the cover is by a designer I really love, Joan Elliott.   This one is a mermaid in some of my favourite colours so us definitely one for the "must stitch" list.    As with a lot of her designs it is stitched on hand dyed fabric by Polstiches.   It's a very subtle choice for this design   I would choose evenweave   instead of aida 

I love to stitch coasters as little gifts and this design by Diane Machin would be perfect for a coffee loving friend

Cushions are another passion and I am very taken by this design by Jody Rice of Satsuma Street

I had already discovered her quirky and colourful cityscape charts on Etsy and pinned lots of them.

This design is all whole stitches so would be a quick stitch 

Finally there are some lovely cute designs by Durene Jones which are shown as cards but which I would use for coasters or scissors fobs 

My favourite is probably The Bees Knees but then I do love stitching bees and especially since I discovered honeycomb fabric at Sewitall

http://www.sewitall.com/webshop/evenweave-fabric/133-28ct-11pts-cm/ffe28-929-honeycomb-evenweave-28

So one magazine with lots of things I would love to stitch 

Reverse stitching blues

Last night I was happily working on a Jane Austen Sampler SAL piece and was just about to start stitching the Z in the alphabet line when I realised that there was going to be a gap at the end of the row.  With trepidation I looked back and saw that I had missed the V.  So nothing for it but to "reverse stitch" which always seems to take longer than the original stitching.

I was not a happy bunny.

Here is the piece I was stitching on before I made the mistake

I didn't take a photo of the mistake but hope to be able to post an updated photo with all the letters soon.

The pattern was kindly provided on this blog where you can various versions

http://janeaustensal.blogspot.co.uk/

Heritage Crafts

Just browsing the Heritage Crafts site and there is a new John Clayton Elegant Lady "Abbi" on a chaise longue.   Just love this but I haven't yet stitched "Vanessa" which is similar so I ought to resist..........

http://www.hcrafts.com/johnclaytonelegance.html

I also noticed that they have some coaster kits and one of them is a baby bird.  I stitched one of their baby bird designs a few years ago and mounted it into a coaster.  Is this a case of great minds thinking alike or just a coincidence?

I'm sure this pattern was a pair of baby birds and having seen the one on the Heritage Crafts site makes me think I should consider stitching the other one.  Now where did I put those spare hours in the day????

Coaster finished

Last night I finished stitching a small design to make into a coaster for a friend

I used some 32 count linen which I tea dyed plus Gentle Arts threads from my stash.  The pumpkin design is from a Lizzie Kate Flip It chart and the lettering is also inspired by her typography

Front of coaster

Reverse of coaster with label

I also added a Just Nan needle slide and a Count Your Blessings scissor (also a Lizzie Kate design - a freebie)

I'll be looking for some scissors to add and I'm done.  I think she will like them.  Hope so.

World of Cross Stitching magazine issue 219

I am a self confessed stitching magazine addict with a huge collection of magazines from UK, USA, Australia and France dating back to 1991 when I bought an early issue  of a new UK magazine called Needlecraft.  It featured all kinds of needlework and had a cross stitch as a cover mount.  I was hooked.  I had done some cross stitch and some needlepoint In the 80s but lost interest and concentrated on dressmaking.  This magaIne reignited my interest in decorative stitching and I haven't looked back since

I have reduced the number of magazine subscriptions I have but they still pop through the letter box regularly and I love the anticipation of opening a new issue and finding that "must stitch" design - which can sometimes be in the ads or the articles or in the reader letters 

WOCS isn't my favourite but I still enjoy reading it.   The issue which arrived today has a nice free gift of a stitch chart magnifier with a length of ribbon so that you can wear it round your neck

There aren't really many of the designs which are the sort of thing I would stitch    The Forever Friends bears on the cover are cute and I gave stitched some of them.  

The only design I've bookmarked for consideration is a set of rose designs which are shown as cards but which I might use as coasters. 

If anyone is reading this -  Hello and welcome. 

I am a complete novice at actively blogging although I have been reading other blogs for years as well as being an active Pinner.

I have decided now is a good time to join in and collect my thoughts, pictures and links about my passion for all things needlework related into one place.

I've made a start by adding some lists and link lists.  Perhaps one day I will be brave enough to add a list of my UFOs.

In spite of the fact that I am and have been for many years a fully paid up member of SABLE (Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy), I add to my stash most months and would like to share what I've acquired this month.

Lizzie Kate is one of my all time favourite designers - I have stitched many of her designs both large and small and am currently stitching "Let them be Small".

I have just purchased Busy Bees which is 3 designs, all of which I love.  I bought some honeycomb design evenweave from www.sewitall.co.uk and have already stitched one bee related piece on it.  I plan to use it for at least one of these LK designs.



Another favourite designer, though one I have only discovered recently is Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks (AAN).   Beautiful designs which are crying out to be stitched on hand dyed fabric (which is one my great loves).   This stunning design has been added to my stash this month - stitching a dress like this is the nearest I will get to such gorgeousness these days.



And speaking of hand dyed fabric........one of my favourite fabric sites has a sale offer this week of a grab bag of 3 pieces of hand dyed fabric for a great price.  I just couldn't resist and here they are