Table of contents for September 2021 in CrossStitcher

Designed by: Susan Penny Stitch count: 39 high x 32 wide Design size: 7x6cm (2¾x2¼in) Stitch time: 8 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Make an… elephant needlecase Step 1 STITCH the design onto the centre of 7x7cm (2¾x 2¾in)white 14 count aida. Use two strands for the cross stitch and one for the decorative backstitch, worked in one strand on top of the cross stitch. Trim once finished, leaving two blank aida squares at the sides and bottom, but leaving the top edge uncut. Step 2 USE the template to cut two elephant shapes from two 16x10.5cm (6⅓x4¼in) pieces of beige felt. Place the stitched flap on top of one shape and mark the eye position with a pin. With one strand of black stranded…

“I turned my bedroom's cupboard into a craft room which is great because when I’m done crafting I can just shut the doors and hide all the mess! I made sure it had lots of shelves and drawers to keep everything organised and labelled my threads and aida so they are easy to find. I love my pegboard which has all the main bits and bobs I need, both for stitching and also packing up orders, within easy reach. I always make sure to have a stash of kits ready so I can get them out to customers as quickly as possible.” hanniebeedesigns.etsy.com Drop us a line to crosssstitcher@warnersgroup.co.uk with images of your craft space and a few words about it and our favourites could be featured in a future…

Take advantage of our exclusive offers to UK readers* and receive special discount prices… SEWING GIFT SET This issue we have a pretty sewing set in an Antique Silver colour on offer. This superior quality set is made by Hemline and contains all the items needed to fill your sewing basket. A great gift for a sewing friend or why not treat yourself? Each set contains ✿ pair of ornate 9.5cm (3¾in) sharp tip embroidery scissors with scrolling floral handles ✿ 150cm (60in) magnetic back retractable tape measure ✿ heart pendant thread cutter ✿ non-slip metal thimble ✿ three sewing needles in a glass tube, all packed in an attractive gift box. So why not get rid of that broken tape measure and blunt scissors and treat yourself to this fantastic…

Designed by: Durene Jones Stitch count: 53 high x 38 wide Design size: 10x7.5cm (4x3in) Stitch time: 3½ hours each These designs were stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Make an… aperture card Step 1 WORK using two strands of stranded cotton for the cross stitch. Step 2 TRIM the stitched fabric to fit your card, with the design centrally placed behind the card’s aperture. Step 3 ATTACH double-sided tape to the inside of the card around the edge of the aperture. Step 4 PLACE the stitching on the table right-side up, and then place the card on top, pressing down firmly on the tape. Step 5 CHECK which flap will fold onto the back of the stitching, then add strips of double-sided tape and press firmly down to secure.…

Designed by: Maria Diaz Stitch count: 180 high x 118 wide Design size: 33x22.5cm (13x8¾in) Stitch time: 40 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Why not work the berries and toadstool spots using seed beads for a rich 3D finish! *See ‘The Key’ on page 80. CrossStitcher PROJECT PACK If you would like to stitch Autumn Arrival, we have a materials pack with everything you need to get you stitching right away, and have it delivered straight to your door! Your materials pack contains: • Sampedro 14 count aida in Cream• Skeins of DMC stranded cotton• Two gold-plated tapestry needles; size 24 and size 26 How to order: Fill in the form on page 15 or go to www.willowfabrics.com to order your project pack at the…

Designed by: Susan Bates Stitch count: 118 high x 126 wide Design size: 21.5x23.5cm (8¾x9¼in) Stitch time: 54 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. *See ‘The Key’ on page 80. There are a lot of subtle colour changes in the leaves – cross off each completed stitch on your chart as you go to help keep track How to… frame a picture Step 1 CUT a piece of white mount board to fit inside your frame. Place your design centrally over the mount board and pin the fabric around the board to secure, starting at the centre of each side and working outwards. Step 2 PIN around the entire perimeter and check you are happy with the positioning of your design, then turn over to the…

Fancy stitching by the sea, not just on holiday, but all year round? That’s what Emma Horan gets to do! With a range of cross stitch kits based on the Cornish coastal landscapes and seascapes, she’s happiest being creative in her adopted county, launching her new St Austell studio and shop this year. Emma, who didn’t get hooked on stitching until her mid thirties, re-located to Cornwall a few years ago. There she was inspired to create acrylic paintings of the coast. “As I had also just started stitching I was on the hunt for colourful modern cross stitch and thought I would try and combine the two,” she recalls. “I purchased some graph paper but then by chance stumbled upon some cross stitch design software in a second-hand bookshop…

Anyone who has a pup at home, or those of you who’ve longed to have a dog of your own, are going to find it very hard to resist this adorable design! Our Yorkshire Terrier puppy has been busy attacking the upholstery – oops! Caught in the act, he’s using those puppy eyes to try and avert a telling off! Use blended threads to bring his fur coat and innocent expression to life in beautiful detail. Designed by: Amanda Butler Stitch count: 179 high x 120 wide Design size: 33x23cm (13x9in) Stitch time: 96 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. HOW TO… TAKE YOURS STITCHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL We have included some more advanced stitching techniques in this project to help you to develop your…

SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE Chicken Scratch became popular in the 1930’s to 1950’s in the USA when it was used to decorate aprons. Chicken Scratch is known by different names around the world, including Amish Embroidery, Snowflake Embroidery, Depression Lace, Australian Cross Stitch and Dentelle Vichy in France. The simplicity of Chicken Scratch is what I enjoy most about it. There are just three basic stitches, and originally to make it look like lace, it was stitched in one colour. I like to mix it up a bit and so I have used several colours and even made up a stitch to fill a space. The order of stitching is important, and you must complete all the Double Cross Stitch (Smyrna Cross Stitch) before adding the decorative stitches. These double cross…

Inside this month ♥ Can you resist our sweet sleeping squirrel design? ♥ Hello sunshine! Gorgeous sunflowers vase picture ♥ Head to the woods with our set of adorable animal cards ♥ Halloween is here! Celebrate with our brand-new sampler ISSUE 375 OCTOBER 2021 On sale 7 September YOUR CHRISTMAS BUMPER PACK! ♥ Tinsel tree beaded brooch kit ♥ Your first kit for our exclusive Christmas Stitch-A-Long Contents subject to change. Overseas gifts may vary.…

Hullo! The last year and a half has been a quiet time for us all. But one person you’ve been able to talk to through even the harshest lockdown is yourself. Sometimes we forget to pay attention to what that inner monologue is saying, but this month’s flower can remind us to listen more closely. We’re stitching the beautiful iris, flower of wisdom and of eloquence. Sometimes if I’m having a bad day, I catch myself saying some crappy things inside my own head; “that was so stupid!”, “what a dumb thing to say!”, “you’re a bit useless!”. I would never say these things to other people, and yet here I am beating myself up. If I don’t catch myself thinking these things, those words end up colouring my day…

Designed by: Emma Congdon Stitch count: 140 high x 140 wide Design size: 26x26cm (10¼x10¼in) Stitch time: 27 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. (2) indicates more than one skein is required Make a… cushion Step 1 COMPLETE the stitching, then cut the fabric to 28x28cm(11x11in), with the design in the centre. Step 2 POSITION the edging strips around the central stitched panel, so that they meet at the corners. When you are happy, cut the corners to 45 degrees, then join the corners with a 1.25cm (½in) seam allowance. Place the stitched panel behind the assembled corners so that the design shows through the window. Turn under the edges of the assembled corner section around the window, so that they just touch the design. Pin,…

Forever summer As summer fades and autumn arrives, stitching provides a great way to capture the magic of summer flowers all year round. Rico’s latest chart booklet – No. 174 Transformation – Dried, Pressed & Loved Flowers contains fab ideas for using cross stitch to ‘preserve a piece of summer’ and takes inspirations from pressed flower blooms, all worked in a soft colour palette. Use the pretty motifs to make gorgeous floral napkins, table cloths, wall hangings, cushions and embroidery pictures. For details of your local stockist, visit www.rico-design.com. MEET MRS PRICKLES NEVER LOSE a needle again while cross stitching, with the adorable new Mrs Prickles hedgehog needleminder from Caterpillar Cross Stitch! She attaches to the front of your fabric with one magnet and the other magnet secures behind your…

RSN ESSENTIAL STITCH GUIDES: BLACKWORK BECKY HOGG [Search Press] Learn techniques and tips from the best with the RSN’s very own tutors in their Essential Stitch Guides series. Out in large format paperback, this title on blackwork is written by graduate apprentice and tutor, Becky Hogg. Follow the detailed instructions and enjoy photos of traditional and contemporary embroideries – there’s even a look at the history of blackwork. Learn the stitches and how to create different shading techniques, too. CROSS-STITCH LIKE A QUEEN Described as a celebration of the mantra ‘love is love’, we think that crafty queens and drag enthusiasts alike will love this book with 25 designs inside. There’s also an alphabet template and extra elements so you can make your own custom cross stitch patterns and crafted…

Designed by: Zoë Patching Stitch count: 52 high x 62 wide Design size: 9.5x11cm (3¾x4¼in) Stitch time: 6 hours This design was stitched on 28 count linen over two threads of fabric. How to… display your stitching WE used a house shaped wooden box frame, which we painted with a grey emulsion match pot and then made a cardboard triangle to fill in the front. The roof and front were then covered in tile paper, normally used for train modelling – both the box and paper are available from online craft and modelling shops. Choose your own thread colour scheme for this design if you prefer! Materials • Zweigart Antique White 28 count Cashel, ref: 3281/0101; 20x20cm (8x8in)• Stranded cotton as listed in the key• Size 26 tapestry needle• Frame…

Designed by: Cheryl McKinnon Stitch count: 49 high x 37 wide – gable ends; 31 high x 51 wide – sides; 28 high x 51 wide – roofs Design size: 9x6.7cm (3½x2⅝in); 5.6x9.6cm (2¼x3¾in); 5x9.6cm (2x3¾in) Stitch time: 30 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. You can recycle old cereal packets to gather the cardboard needed for this project All the materials we used to make our greenhouse are available from www.willowfabrics.com Make a… greenhouse Step 1 STITCH the two greenhouse sides, two gable ends and two roof pieces. Leave at least 4cm (1½in) between each section. Use two strands of stranded cotton for the cross stitch and one for the backstitch. Step 2 COMPLETE the stitching. Trim each section, leaving about 2cm (3/4in) of unstitched…

SARAH LUCERO I have to finish the project! I will only put one on hold to work on a gift for someone or to do some Christmas ornaments. AMANDA LEIGH MCBRIDE I prefer to start and finish one at a time. A couple of years ago while trying to do a very large project I thought I would try multiples like other admired stitching friends do. I became frustrated as nothing is ever completed in that state. I am now picking one at a time and completing them to get caught up and feel accomplished. JOANNA COLESHILL I have seven projects on the go – I work on a different one each day of the week. Some are big and some are small – it may take longer to finish…

Better late than never – that’s been the motto of several of our readers who have featured in ‘In My Hoop’ as they shared with us their completed WIPs. But none so far has held on to a covergift from our first issue, only to complete it almost 30 years later, as did Sue Day… Sue, who lives in Cambridge, began cross stitching after she bought the first issue of CrossStitcher. Before our first issue came out she had focussed on embroidery. “Oddly enough, what attracted me to the first issue of CrossStitcher was not cross stitch at all,” she recalls. “It was the article on stitching nostalgia inside. I love the social history of the early 20th century and I am fascinated by all things vintage. After reading the…

Designed by: Durene Jones Stitch count: 56 high x 45 wide (beehive); 28 high x 28 wide (scissor fob) Design size: 10x8.5cm (4½x3⅜in); 5x5cm (2x2in) Stitch time: 20 hours; 3 hours These designs were stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Make a… beehive pincushion Step 1 STITCH the two beehive sides using two strands for the cross stitch, one and two for the backstitch and one for the French knots – the background is filled with alternate sloping panels of backstitch using two strands. Step 2 PIN the cross stitched front and back right-sides together, and then machine or hand stitch around the curved edge following the outer row of cross stitches, and joining the two layers together. Reduce the seam allowance to 1.25cm (½in) on the curved edge and at…

Designed by: Emma Congdon Stitch count: 65 high x 66 wide Design size: 12x12cm (4¾x4¾in) Stitch time: 9 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Make sure that your backing fabric is a stiff fabric such as velvet This tray would also be ideal for storing buttons from your stash! Make a… trinket tray Step 1 IRON Vilene onto the back of your finished stitching. Repeat with the backing fabric – it will help to give the tray strength if you use a stiff fabric like velvet or upholstery fabric. Place the backing fabric, right sides facing out, on the back of the design. Pin the layers together. Step 2 COUNT on one edge of the stitching, 21 squares from the outer stitch, and mark the aida…

Welcome to this month’s designer challenge! As autumn is just around the corner, we’ve asked our three designers this month to create a coin purse design inspired by nature. They were asked to make sure it fitted into a design that considered the shape of the coin purse clasp they had to use. They were also limited to seven shades of stranded cotton, as shown on the left. Read on to see our designers’ clever results! If you’d like to take on our next challenge, turn to page 75 for details of the challenge for our November issue! CHERYL McKINNON… WOODLAND FOX MARIA DIAZ…NATURE’S WONDERS DURENE JONES… PERFECT POSY The materials our designers used to make their purses are all available from www.willowfabrics.com Make a… coin purse Step 1 START…

GRIMMS’ FAIRY TALES SAL This is the ninth part of this year’s stitch-a-long design. Over the year we will be bringing you 12 Fairy Tales. In this issue we give you Puss In Boots. We have greyed out the border from the first part of the design in the February issue. The grid lines are correct for the complete design, but the centre marks indicate the centre of just this motif. Designed by: Amanda Butler Stitch count: 36 high x 26 wide (character only) Design size: 6.5x4.5cm (2⅝x1¾in) Stitch time: 3 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. THE KEY ALL THE symbols that appear on the chart are listed in the key with their corresponding thread codes beside them. The key also tells you the different…