Category Archives: Cross Stitch

New Project Bag

I am determined to turn my stitched pieces into something useful – rather than framing them. Hence the needle book and now a project bag.

The cross stitch is cinnamon stars by Plum Street Samplers. I quilted around the cross stitch, lined the bag with mushroom fabric and added a zip.

This bag is enormous 56cm by 50cm, which means my largest Q Snap should fit.

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Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Embroidery, Fabric Stash, Quilting, Sewing

Record, Map and Capture – Jordan Cunliffe

My embroidery teacher brought this book to class, and clearly, I had to find a copy. This is like the intersection of two of my great loves; stitching and maths. Not to mention story telling with stitching and maths.

Here’s a bit of a book description …

This stylish and fascinating book from up-and-coming textile art star Jordan Cunliffe shows how raw data, maps and personal experience can be distilled into textile art, producing mesmerising works with deep meaning, whether obvious or hidden, and concentrating on the smaller, quieter moments that make up our lives.

Jordan explores the use of stitched data to tell stories, pinpoint special places on maps, convey secret messages, and record personal detail, for example daily walks or nightly sleep patterns. Her finished work is beautifully precise, including a long strip of fabric containing a stitch for every day of her life, a reimagination of a favourite childhood book in unreadable code, and pleasing beaded representations of secretly important documents.

Almost any aspect of your life can be represented in graph or map form, and here are many practical ways to achieve this, whether it’s recording the colours of flowers on a favourite path to create your own unique palette, or encoding your most private thoughts in beaded morse code. This visually stunning book explores a new way of working and will help you explore a fresh new angle in your embroidery and textile work.

Illustrated with a wealth of examples of the author’s own work as well as pieces from other data focused artists from around the world, Record, Map and Capture in Textile Art proves beyond all doubt that data can be beautiful, and can inspire stunning works of stitched art.

I have so many ideas for my memory/special things project. I can incorporate special pieces of fabric, use evenweave fabric (my preferred choice) maybe even put in a secret code.

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Filed under Book Review, Canvas Work, Cross Stitch, Embroidery, Inspiration

Testing Reds

Au ver a soie reds (the spools are 100/3 and the skein soie d’alger

After all my other embroidery projects (Cinnamon Stars and the RSN crewel work), I want to make the Home Sweet Home sampler from Modern Folk Embroidery. So I have bought a few different reds from Stitchers’ Corner to test. I am going to use this linen (Sand 40 count)

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Gingerbread House Finish

My Gingerbread House is finished!
Side view with the Christmas Tree

I finished the Gingerbread House! First mentioned in December 2018. I stopped working on it for a number of years, but in the last six or so months I was determined to get it finished.

The pattern was from the 2016 Family Circle Christmas Special and for a while you could get the charts online, but I don’t think they available anymore.

I used a plastic canvas I bought from Spotlight (kind of like this one), one sheet is probably enough for two houses.

I used the called for DMC floss (six strands). I needed multiple skeins of the white and the gingerbread colour, but a single skein of the other colours is enough.

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Cinnamon Stars Progress

Cinnamon Stars (by Plum Street Samplers) progress

This is my year of finishes. I want to finish projects that I have started. Like my Cinnamon Stars project. This is what I work on at home, at my two stitching groups, I have been working on my Gingerbread House. It’s looking a bit ramshackle because I have sewn it altogether yet.

Below is my previous progress photo – I have now finished the top half and just have to work on the bottom left and right.

I think I finally have a set-up that works well. My Lowery frame, magnifier and working at a table.

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Filed under Canvas Work, Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Embroidery

Crafty Purchases

Stitcher’s Corner Purchases

Stitchers’ corner re-opened in its new location with a new owner, so, of course, I had to go and be supportive. The store is fabulous, so much beautiful stuff (and finally some modern patterns).

I want to try a higher count linen, so I only have to use one strand. The linen above is Newcastle (40 count) in colourway sand. I am also keen to try Au ver à soie 100/3

My plan is to stitch Modern Folk Embroidery’s Home Sweet Home, in a rich shade of red. I like the DMC 321 in the photo above, so I might choose that.

The other things is the LA D Da Needlebook. I saw this on Brenda and the Serial Starter’s flosstube.

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My Kit has Arrived

Dame Nature du Printemps

My kit from Jardin Privé has arrived – it was very quick. I am super keen to get started, there is a sheep and a chook!

I do have to finish my Gingerbread House, and my Cinnamon Stars first.

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Project Update

I have been working on some of my projects.

  • Gingerbread House (Top Left) – I have almost finished one section of the roof and then its just the other roof section. I am only working on this at my stitching group, so it’s months from completion.
  • Cinnamon Stars (Top right) – I have worked on this for a few hours this week. While watching the movie version of Brideshead Revisited and a new SBS series Vigil. I was watching Vonna’s floss tube yesterday and she mentioned that she only ever uses size 22 needles (regardless of the linen count), so I thought I would give that a go.
  • I have joined A Bee in the Bonnet’s Golden Honey Sock club, so the yarn (bottom left) is for the first pattern. I have since made it into a ball and started knitting the swatch.
  • More progress on covering the joins of Miss A’s quilt. It’s physical hard to man-handle the quilt through the machine.

There will be no new projects until some of these are finished.

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Filed under Canvas Work, Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Foundation Blocks, Knitting, Machine Embroidery, Movies, Quilting, Sock Knitting

Lowery – Table Clamp

Lowery Table Clamp

I have added the table clamp to my lowery purchases. I wanted the extender bar for the stand and decided to combine postage. My plan is to use it for my stitching classes. It’s very sturdy, holds everything very still and doesn’t sag under the weight of my magnifier.

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New workstand – Lowery

I have splurged and bought myself a new embroidery workstand – it’s a Lowery in stainless steel. I had considered them in the past, but thought they were too expensive and I made do with different table stands (but none of those were ideal). This is great. It’s so sturdy, my clip on magnifier doesn’t make it sag and I can sit on the couch and watch TV while stitching.

I am very happy with my purchase (which I got from JK’s cross stitching supplies – brilliant service). Now I am considering the table clamp for my friday morning stitching class.

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Filed under Canvas Work, Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Embroidery