Designing patterns

I guess every stitcher also is an aspiring designer. Fair enough, I admit I am too, but I lack two of the most essential criteria for this - inspiration and artistic skill.

I have had limited success, but only for my own pleasure. Using Jane Greenhofs PC design programme I have converted a number of photographs, though have only as yet had the time to stitch a couple of them.
My in-laws dote on their two dogs, and for my mum-in-laws birthday I thought I would try and stitch a picture of her big dog, Ros.


Having imported a good photograph I tidied it up a bit, removing the background and trying to eliminate too many single stitches.  I can't remember now how many colours I used, but it is always more than you think it will be. There are some unusual and unexpected colours in there too to help the shading.


I'm not quite as happy with how the Jack Russell, Cally, turned out, but they were a well received gift and are certainly a talking point at the in-laws house.

On my list to do is a picture for my sister with her and the two children, but as yet, that remains on the list.

Progress

I have been making good progress on the Rune Sampler. The end is in sight but I am really fighting to resist starting something new. I recently bought a kit called Travel Memories, and I'm finding it hard to resist picking it up. The lure of the blank canvas and all the fresh flosses is hard to ignore. It is relatively small and much of the stitching is done in half cross stitch so it should be quite quick to do. Will push however to get this finished first and can reward myself by doing my new one then.

I know all the instructions in kits and magazine say to finish all the cross stitch before strarting on the back stitch, but what I tend to do is backstitch as I complete a section. That way I have the satisfaction of completeing individulal bits as I go and am not left with a mass of outlining and highlighting to do when I have finished the cross stitching. There is always more to do than you expect.

I have managed to get a bit more done on Frederick too. I started stitching the book spines and some of the gold backstitching, but changed my mind in this case and decided to leave it to the end. I'm worried that moving the hoop round frequently over them will pull and damage the gold thread. So in this case I'll leave that to the end. I'm pleased with the way this is turning out too. Pity I have to go to work!

Finished

 

Delighted to have finished this wedding sampler in less than a week, I had less time than I anticipated to do it. Was able to pass the gift over before the couple went away. I was not entirely happy with the size of the frame used, but the colour complemented the sepia image nicely.

 

 

 

These two designs by Joan Elliott were 5"x7" so it was easy to find off the shelf frames for them. Thinking about it, as there are another two in the series I really should get another couple of the matching frames so that I have them in case i stitch the other two pieces. They have turned out rather nicely for using cheap frames I think.

 

 

 

Having plenty of floss left over from the first stitching I decided to try something different with the Unicorn design and have stitched it on black Aida. I used some metallic threads in the star bursts and rather than beads, used silver threads. I like it, but don't think it is quite as effective as the original. It is however getting used, I have made it up into a cover for my kindle. 

Recently completed

OK, I can poke fun at my eleven year old niece for her current gecko fixation, but it's not as though I haven't been there already. I saw this wee fellow in a magazine years ago and had an impulse one weekend to stitch him. The only problem was, knowing that I had the design, actually finding it! So many magazines to hunt through.  Quite a nice, Aztec style design and easy to do, I've stitched it on a natural Aida fabric and then attached to a lightweight jute bag. I don't often finish my stitched pieces as things other than pictures and cushions, so this is a nice change for me. And something that I should make a habit of doing more.

This snakes and ladders board was done following a complaint from my niece that all the games we had were grown up ones. Yes, I know the easy thing to do would be go and buy a cheap board game. I remembered seeing this in an issues of New Stitches and liking it at the time. I haven't yet decided how to finish it off. I'm thinking I'll back it with fabric and do it so it rolls up so it is easily portable. I'm pretty sure there was a ludo board as well so might look that out to do too.

Like many of the things I do, this was stitched simply because I wanted to do it. I guess there are a couple of young boys that I could give it to, but I don't know whether I want to part with it. There are some really nice bits of detail. The chef in the middle threatening a pair of mice that have pinched some cheese for example. But my favourite is the crocodile waiting with his knife and fork for the knight to fall into the water.

Bears

A lot of the things I sew are done simply because I like them, such as the Lickle Ted here, he was just so cute I couldn't resist. There are some nice little bits of detail, such as gold in his paw, blending filament in the stars to give a little bit of sparkle and satin threads are used in the jar lid to make it look shiny. I've really no idea what I'm going to do with him. I've got quite a few pieces the same, at the moment store in an acid free album, to keep them flat and clean until i decide what to do with them.





Lickle Ted

I like to make a stitched gift for friends to commemorate important events and this is a sampler I did for a friend a few years ago on the birth of their daughter. The familiar Forever friends bear, but they brought out a range in more pastel (not quite sepia) tones which i thought was rather nice for a baby.





Forever Friends

Given that I have stitched something for all my friends when they get married I wasn't going to let my wedding pass by without having a sampler done. Knowing that none of my friend would be planning to do anything I got on to the case myself. I have a love/hate relationship (no not with DH) with Tatty Teddy. He's so cute I can't resist, but every time I succumb I say never again, no more. The backstitch detail that give the fuzzy furry appearance is a nightmare to do, it is just so seemly random, yet intricate. I'm bound to do more though in spite of my protest.

Tatty Teddy

It's not all cross stitch - this is a chap I knitted for a friend at work, she was heading off on maternity leave and I wanted to add something in addition to the group gift. I still think this is one of the best knitted bear patterns I've done.



WIP Progress

The Rune Sampler is coming on. I'm glad I had doubts about the colour blend I was using for the background. The stone now looks like stone rather than an odd blue. There was nothing wrong with the conversion chart, just user error - I had written down the wrong thing. Doh! Much happier now that this has been recified (and a similar error averted with a couple of other blends) Lesson learned - double check things and get it right in the first place. Already thinking about how I can use these rune stones for things as individual motifs. I'm seeing gifts, but haven't quite worked out the details yet.

I've made it back to Frederick. Needed a break from the fine detail of the border in the rune sampler. There are a lot of half and quarter stitches in the border and it makes for rather a strain on the eyes. And a lot of concentration needed, so not the best if trying to multi task as I do and watch television at the same time.

The difficulty with Frederick is different, easy enough pattern, but the black canvas makes things tricky. I've now got (or rather pinched from DH) a small clip on day light lamp. It as a flexible neck so I can clip it on to my frame and angle to light where I need it. It really does make life a lot easier when working on the black background.

Both of these have been put aside for the moment though as I have moved on to a wedding picture for a friend at work. I thought I had plenty of time, but then she mentioned that her last day in the office is ten days before the wedding, so I thought I'd better get cracking on this. I started it four days ago, and should manage to get it completed this evening. I don't measure how long things have taken me, but at a guess I'd say maybe 12 hours to compete it in total. Seeing it in the picture I'm pleased with how it is looking. Working on it right up close you don't appreciate effective the shading is.

Had a great idea. The "Imagine" design that I so liked and stitched a couple of months ago would be the perfect size for a kindle cover. I'm sewing it again, but on black Aida, and rather than using beads as embellishments am using metallic thread. For the back I might just use some of the stars again and do some swirls in metallic again. Haven't yet decided how to finish it off, maybe a zip, or i might just do a pouch. See how I feel nearer the time.

Charity stitching

Here's the most recent piece that I have completed for Love Quilts. The brief for this one was simply "Disney Characters" These tend to be fairly easy to stitch, the nature of the pictures means that there is very little shading involved so there are not to many changes of colour. This does also have it's downside too though, if it is a large area, as in the Simba I completed a couple of months ago, it can get quite boring to do. I did cheat a little bit on this one. The pattern had the table cloth stitched in white thread on white fabric, I just stitched the backstitch without doing the white underneath. I don't think you would know if I didn't tell!

I think my next one for them will be one for the Any Child pot. There are a number of themes here, one of which is hearts. I have a design programme for my PC, so am going to try my hand at designing something myself. We'll have to see how that goes.

Recently completed

I was browsing through some back issues of World of Cross Stitch when I saw this design by Joan Elliot on one of the letters pages and had one of those"I must do that" moments.

There was reference made to a book, but I was unable to find the one that I thought might contain it so I went to my usual first port of call, Sew and So (more of them later), to see about buying the kit. My order duly arrived and that weekend I settled down in front of the cricket and spent the best part of the day working on it. I would like to say that I had it finished within the day, but didn't quite. I was left with the backstitch and beading to complete on the Sunday.

I am absolutely delighted with it, and am now in a quandary. I think it is lovely (will fit nicely in a 5x7" frame) and don't want to part with it, but don't really have anywhere to put it. I can also think of three young girls for whom it would be a perfect gift. I'm quite frugal with my threads and have double checked - I have sufficient left over to stitch a second one, so I can feel that happening in time for birthdays to come.

There are actually four in this series. Having done Imagine, I couldn't then resist doing another.

This one was done on the train journeys, there and back, during a recent trip to London. It takes a steady hand to stitch on the train (can't do the same as a car passenger, unlike my niece) but it certainly makes the trip pass a lot faster. I was left with the second bird and the beading to do once I got back to the comfort of my own home.

I haven't yet got the other two, Dream and Believe. These have Butterflies and Fairies and introduce other colours so I am undecided whether to do them. Though I guess I probably will, again, they would make perfect gifts and if I'm not quite as attached to them they will be easier to part with.

But back to Sew and So. I can't speak highly enough of them. Providing you order during the working day, you are pretty much guaranteed to get your order the following day, order at the weekend and you will have your things on Tuesday. It is a real surprise to have to wait more than 48 hours. On top of that, the standard postal charge is £1. This is a real driver for me. You can place a small order and not feel that you really need to factor that into the equation. I'd be put off placing a £6 order if the charge was £2.95 p&p, but at a pound, I barely even think of it. (I'm not going to say how often I buy from them (just in case DH is reading :-) )

On top of that their customer service is great. I've had a couple of causes to speak to them, neither their fault. Once about a faulty product - they replaced it virtually by return of post, no questions asked, and a second about a failed next day delivery, the delivery charge was refunded. Brilliantly handled on both occasions

And that's before you even start to talk about the great range that they stock...

WIPS and UFOs

WIPs and UFOs we all have them, though what is the difference? All for me will get finished in the end, it's just timescale.

A WIP (work in progress) is the one mainly on the go, that I keep coming back to after having been lured away by other shiny new projects, the "I must do that" things that appear in magazines or on the many websites (Facebook is the worst - Sew and So keep putting up lovely kits, my wish list on their site has more than doubled in size since I "Liked" them).

My current WIP is a design called Frederick the Literate - a tabby cat sprawled over a bookcase. It's a design I looked at for years before finally giving in and purchasing. Stitched on black aida, it's not the easiest to do, though the pattern is relatively simple. I'm going to need to get a small daylight lamp I can attach to my lap frame I think, if I am going to avoid him moving into the category of UFO.

Unfortunately I've been tempted by another and have just started this one now too:


It's a design by Dracolair Creations, called Rune Sampler. It features a Norse style ship in the centre and then an alphabet of rune tiles across the top, with quite an elaborate border. It's fairly tricky, with a lot of half crosses, but stitching on evenweave makes these a lot easier to do.

One problem with this one, apart from many of the flosses are blends of two shades, is that the pattern is DMC and the threads I have are Anchor. It just means that I have to convert between the two, and somethines the shades don't match. (DMC has a larger range) My last hour of sewing last night was spent unpicking the work of the previous half hour. The colour blend that I was stitching the background of the border in just didn't look right. So it's back to the floss box this afternoon to do a bit of experimenting and see if I can find something else I'm happy with instead.


The UFOs (Unfinished Objects) however, sit there, taunting me. Occasionally they are things I have grown out of or gone off, I'm thinking in particular here of a hardanger table runner that I could probably have finished in a couple of weeks if I set my mind to it, but it's been sitting at the bottom of a box for so long it has discoloured, and I have no idea where the right copy of New Stitches would be. Other UFOs are ones that are too complex and involved to be able to pick up on for a couple of hours an evening.

I am in the middle of a lovely sampler by Teresa Wenzler, and I know I will get it finished, but it won't be this year - or next. It has been on the go for about 5 years now.

It's on my floor standing frame, so until it is done I'm not allowing myself to start another biggie. The main reason for stalling on this is there are so many colours and then most of them are a blend of two threads as well. It is worked on evenweave over two threads in the main, but there are places where it uses a single floss over one thread. It is not an easy pick up project. I'm looking forward to a peaceful few days over Christmas where I can settle down in front of movies (and pretend to watch) while i engross myself in the work.

Recently completed

I know it is early August, but as a stitcher it is never to early to be thinking about Christmas. I even know of people who start the year's Christmas cards in January to get ahead of the game. Rest assured, I'm not that bad. However, while tidying out the last of the boxes from the house move (yes, I know that was six years ago) I came across this tablecloth in a back issue of Cross Stitcher magazine. Once again I was seized by the "must do". I felt that with this I could make it for myself, a lot of the cute things feel like they should be made for youngsters, but a tablecloth! That's a fun project I can do for myself.


I was worried that 8 years down the line I wouldn't be able to find the tablecloth on which to stitch this, but I shouldn't have worried. Another of my favourite stores, Willow Fabrics, were able to supply it for me and I was able to get stuck into the sewing the following weekend.

The pattern suggested that as the stitch count was roughly 10hpi to use 3 strand, but I used 4. Firstly to give better coverage, but also because I prefer to use the loop method to start my threads, this makes for a much neater reverse, and I felt this to be imperative where the back of the item was going to be visible.

There are four penguin motifs repeated twice round the border, and a limited palette of colours. I wasn't paying too much detail to how long each one took, but at a guess I'd say about four hours each.

Margaret Sherry's animals are so charismatic, I have so many designs on my "want to do" list. I'm even tempted to keep these guys out and stitch them on 14hpi for use on cards. One of the nice things about doing small designs such as this is it doesn't really matter if you don't have the exact shade the pattern has. If you don't have green 265, there is no harm in using 256

Summer Holiday

I have just spent a lovely few days with my 11 year old niece visiting. She has history of being a craft bug. The first summer she stayed with us on her own I had a nice girly day out planned, lunch, cinema and swimming, but she announced that she didn't want to do that, she wanted to learn how to cross stitch. Fine by me, little did I expect that 12 hours later we would still be sewing...! cheaper than the day out I had planned too.

Among the projects we had for this weekend was soft toy making. I had bought what looked like a simple pattern for a duck billed platypus from the Funky Friend Factory (don't ask why the Platypus, he just looked cute) and I figured I would teach her how to use a sewing machine and make one. She wasn't however interested in Platypuses (platypi?) and after having seen something I had already made, wanted to make a gecko instead.

She did pretty much all the work herself, happily using the old Singer sewing machine, needing little after the initial instructions, and seems to be delighted with the end result.

I lost my gecko too into the bargain!

Stitching for Charity

Having been a serious stitcher for over 20 years I have more cushions than I know what to do with, have run out of space on my walls and have celebrated every wedding, birth and Christmas by stitching for others. People have asked me why I don't sell some of my pictures, but if I have done something for myself because I like it, I can't then bear to part with it.

So I'm always looking for alternatives and people who will appreciate my sewing. Last year I came across a fantastic organisation called Love Quilts UK, its a group of volunteer stitchers who cross stitch squares for British children under the age of 19 years, who have life threatening or life-long illnesses. The cross stitch square are then patchworked into stunning quilts. Sadly there are always more children requesting the quilts than there is time to make them. Thanks to publicity in some of the cross stitching magazines over the last six months however, the ranks of stitchers and quilters has grown. In 2011 Love Quilts were able to send 46 quilts out to sick children, so far this year they have already completed 40. Gaynor and Katherine who run it are a fantasically hard working pair of ladies to whom we are exceedingly grateful.

I have two squares washed and ready to go into the post to them this weekend. You can sign up to do a specific design for a designated child - their parents are able to suggest colours or themes that they would like best.

Simba here was chosen specifically, this is for a quilt for a young boy. I think the theme here was male Disney characters.

Or if you want to stitch something without signing up you can sew a square for any child - I just liked this picture but had no one in my circle I thought it suitable for.

I find now that when I'm browsing magazines, I have Love Quilts added to my automatic list of people to sew for. There is always the thought of would that be a suitable size?

Wedding Sampler

When my sister announced that they were finally going to get married I knew that I needed to stitch something to commemorate the occasion. Though what? was the question. I couldn't see her fellow appreciating something cute or too romantic. She has always felt a strong connection to Glasgow so I decided on a Rennie MacIntosh inspired design.

Getting a new kit through the post is always a pleasure and I can rarely resist breaking it open and getting started. In this case it was fortunate as we had only been given about 6 weeks warning of the wedding.

Having only a few weeks to get it finished I cracked on with it at a good rate of knots.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

I think I might have had one night off over the fortnight I worked on this, but other than that it was a good two - three hours a night. The nature of the design meant that it grew quickly and was very easy to see progress.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

I have recently started to do my own framing too and as speed was of the essence on this one was able to have the frame ordered and prepared before I had stitching finished. Much more efficent that going into town and getting it done professionally - and cheaper too

Finished and Framed

I hope they like it. It was certainly a pleasure to do, and my sister knows me well enough that she must have expected something of this sort - the only question would be what sort of design I would choose.

Knot a Cross Stitcher

Nearly every month when my CrossStitcher comes through the door DH makes some quip about cross stitchers and happy stitchers.

I'm very much a happy stitcher - provided I am able to do some. I have been sewing, mainly cross stitch for over 20 years now and it is very much my way of relaxing. I actually do get stressed if I am prevented from doing so, I liken it to an addiction, I need to get my fix of stitches for the day!

I do flirt with knitting, patchwork and so on, but invariably come back to the cross stitching. I find it restful and therapeutic, when I'm not pushing myself to meet my (self-imposed) deadlines.

I like little better than to settle down with my sewing in front of the TV with something to (half) watch and get on with one of my latest projects, can't just have one on the go... you know what I mean?