Innehållsförteckning för December 2021 från CrossStitcher

Our Christmas campervan would also make a cute keyring to use over the festive season! Simply thread a split ring through the ribbon before attaching the ribbon as a loop to the top of your stitched piece, adding the ring’s clip to finish Designed by: Susan Penny Stitch count: 40 high x 31 wide Design size: 7.5x5.5cm (3x21⁄4in) Stitch time: 6 hours This design was stitched on 14 count plastic aida. DOUBLE PROJECT SPECIAL Make a… Christmas decoration Step 1 START stitching in the centre of an 8x8cm (3¼x3¼in) piece of 14 count white or cream plastic aida. Step 2 TRIM the plastic aida, leaving one blank aida square around the design. Cut off the square corners into slopes. Step 3 USING the cut plastic aida as a guide, cut some…

Light up Christmas! For bold, bright designs that are both colourful and Christmassy, check out the latest selection of festive kits from The Make Arcade. There’s a new range of mini kits which each fit a 3in mini wooden hoop – every kit includes aida, felt for the back, DMC threads and needle, full colour stitch pattern and ‘How to Cross Stitch’ leaflet. From sausage dogs to fairy lights, they all come in a colourful box – so make great stocking fillers too. We also love the look of their large Christmas Cross Stitch kit which is designed so you can ‘Cross Stitch your way to Christmas Day’. This time the kit comes with a large 8in hoop. For more information, visit www.themakearcade.co.uk. FINE PINES SPRUCE UP your festive stitching with…

THE BOOK OF CROSS STITCH: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE DURENE JONES [Tuva Publishing] Our very own Durene Jones takes you through all the basics on how to start cross stitching for the first time, which is also handy for more experienced stitchers looking to expand their knowledge. Durene covers a brief history of cross stitch, then explains the materials and tools available and techniques used to creating your own charts. You also get a selection of projects for various abilities, that grow in complexity as they cover the various techniques outlined in the book. EMBROIDERY [Ginko Press] If you’ve yet to branch out into general embroidery, this book makes for a slightly different way to whet your appetite. Acting as both a showcase of 20 contemporary embroidery artists’ work, together with in-depth…

Materials DMC Morning Dew 14 count aida; 46x46cm (18x18in) Stranded cotton as listed in the key Size 24 tapestry needle Cardboard Materials available from www.willowfabrics.com Designed by: Cheryl McKinnon Stitch count: 51 high x 351 wide – gable ends; 34 high x 34 wide – sides; 34 high x 38 wide – roof Design size: 9.5x9.5.7cm (33⁄4x33⁄4in); 6x6cm (21⁄4x21⁄4in); 6x6.5cm (2 ⁄4x31⁄2in) Stitch time: 31 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Once used, store carefully ready to put on display again in Christmas 2022 – we recommend keeping your stable in a box, packed with tissue paper surrounding it and also inside it, so it retains its shape Make a… Nativity stable Step 1 STITCH the two stable sides, two gable ends and two roof pieces. Leave…

Heather Kaye, from Leeds, has been stitching for over 21 years. It was only recently, however, that her love of stitching and her passion for letter writing and penpals were able to be joined together for one special project – when she discovered Geography Cat! “Geography Cat is a cat who collects postcards to teach children about Geography and I knew just the right recipient for this postcard from an old issue of CrossStitcher,” enthuses Heather. “I was sure he would like to have a hand-stitched postcard, so I wanted to make him this beautiful and unusual postcard, to add to his collection.” THE RIGHT CATTITUDE Geography Cat, who can be found on Facebook, has 4,620 postcards from around the world, sent in by his fans, to the PO Box…

CrossStitcher PROJECT PACK If you would like to stitch Pole to Pole, 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: DMC 14 count aida in Iridescent Blue Skeins of DMC stranded cotton Two gold-plated tapestry needles; size 24 and size 26 How to order: Fill in the form on page 17 or go to www.willowfabrics.com to order your project pack at the CrossStitcher reader price of £36, and £51.40 with the 35cm (14in) hoop. Please mark your coupon with which you would like to order, both plus P&P. Designed by: Susan Bates Stitch count: 174 high x 177 wide Design size: 33x33cm (13x13in) Stitch time: 69 hours This design was stitched…

“I created a studio office in my garden in North Yorkshire. I wanted it to look comfortable and lived in, so I used lots of reclaimed wood for the shelves and my desk. I bought an old mill cabinet that has loads of pigeon holes the right size for sample pieces of fabric, and holds my thread holders and cards perfectly. I’ve also got magnetic white boards to hold all the needleminders as I make them, so I can easily see what stock I have, and it keeps them from snapping together and being damaged.” www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SarahWatkinsDesign 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 issue!…

CrossStitcher PROJECT PACK If you would like to stitch Your Cosiest Christmas, 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 White Skeins of DMC stranded cotton Two gold-plated tapestry needles; size 24 and size 26 PLEASE NOTE: the pack is for the sampler only. How to order: Fill in the form on page 17 or go to www.willowfabrics.com to order your project pack at the CrossStitcher reader price of £19, plus P&P. Designed by: Emma Congdon Stitch count: 118 high x 120 wide Design size: 22x22cm (81⁄2x81⁄2in) Stitch time: 46 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. (2) indicates more than one skein is…

20 EXCLUSIVE XMAS DESIGNS! Make a… tag Step 1 MAKE a frayed tag by first checking your design will fit onto your tag then cut around the design so that the fabric is slightly smaller than the tag. Fray the outer edge of the fabric, removing one aida square on all sides. Step 2 PLACE strips of double-sided tape on the back of the fabric, and then press firmly onto the centre of the tag. Thread baker’s twine, stranded cotton or sparkly thread through the hole in the tag to finish. Designed by: Maria Diaz Max. stitch count: 24 high x 20 wide Design size: 4.5x3.5cm (1¾x13⁄8in) Stitch time: 2 hours each These designs were stitched on 14 count aida fabric. IRIDESCENT AIDA OFFER You can buy a FQ 50x55cm…

Make a… bear PLACE your bear right-sides together with the cotton fabric backing. Stitch around the edge, just outside the outer cross stitch row, leaving a gap on one side for turning. Reduce the seam allowance, and turn to the right side. Stuff with toy stuffing, and sew up the gap. Place your bear in the pocket. Materials Sampedro White 14 count aida; 15x15cm (6x6in) pocket; 10x10cm (4x4in) x 2 cuffs; 16.5x10cm (61⁄2x4in) bear Red cotton backing fabric; 43x33cm (17x13cm) stocking; 16.5x10cm (61⁄2x4in) bear Stranded cotton as listed in the key Toy stuffing Size 24 tapestry needle Materials available from www.willowfabrics.com Designed by: Durene Jones Stitch count: 56 high x 56 wide pocket; 20 high x 100 wide cuff; 68 high x 38 wide bear Design size: 10.5x10.5cm(41⁄4x41⁄4in); 4x19cm (11⁄2x71⁄2in); 12.5x7cm (5x23⁄4in)…

With Christmas getting closer now, we all tend to fall into our favourite stitching habits before the big day. Do you always like to stitch a new stocking or Advent calendar, or perhaps cards and gifts are more your thing? We spoke to four well-known personalities in the cross stitch community about what Christmas means to them and how they like to celebrate it in stitches… DURENE JONES Cross stitch designer www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DureneJCrossStitch How early in the year are you usually coming up with Christmas designs? Sometimes it’s as early as January – there have been times in the past when I’ve had the first commission of a new year be a Christmas related one. More often it’s the summer time, so I’ll be sat thinking about snowmen and Santa in…

GRIMMS’ FAIRY TALES SAL This is the twelfth 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 The Frog Princess. 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: 34 high x 32 wide (character only)  Design size: 6.5x5.5cm (25⁄8x2¼in) 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 stitches…

WE ARE FULL-ON FESTIVE this issue! We can’t wait to get out all our favourite decorations (if we can find them after our house move with so many boxes still not unpacked!). Most of all, we’d like to add just a few new things. First on our wish-list is the 3D Nativity on page 36. You can enjoy stitching a different image on each side and the finishing is easy, we promise! If you have time to think bigger, our cover star is a real treat (page 20). Blending filament and beads add magic to a stunning scene of Santa Claus. Plus, with a stocking little ones will adore, a wreath of snowy animals and a tribute to cosy Christmas jumpers, you are truly spoiled for choice! As you’ll have seen…

Hullo! Pat yourself on the back, dear reader – we’ve made it on another cycle of our local star! Sure, gravity did most of the work there, but it’s still worthy of celebration. As this year slips away, many people start planning those new year’s resolutions. Sure, we can make a resolution to change our worlds at any point in the year, but new beginnings are always a great time to create new habits and goals! This month’s floriology display embodies both end-of-year foresight and festivities – the holly. Foresight includes being able to predict what will happen or be needed in the future and providing for that future. If you’re looking to change something up in the coming year, foresight is just the type of skill you need! Now,…

A DIFFERENT ROOM FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR! 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. Designed by: Zoë Patching Stitch count: 56 high x 65 wide Design size: 10x11.5cm (4x4½in) Stitch time: 6 hours This design was stitched on 28 count linen over two threads of fabric. Materials Zweigart Antique White 28 countCashel, ref: 3281/0101; 20x20cm (8x8in) Stranded cotton as listed in the key Size 26 tapestry needle Frame with an 11.5x11.5cm (4½x4½in) aperture Materials available…

Welcome to the second part of our latest three-part project – a companion piece to our Cinderella scene from last Christmas. This month you’ll be focussing on the central section of the design. As with all of the parts, the central section features metallics, beading, French knots and even green leaf sequins for a truly sumptious finish, worked on navy aida for a striking effect! PART 2 YOUR FINISHED CINDERELLA SCENE The final, right-hand section of this three-part design will be in our January issue (378), on sale 30 November. If you missed last issue, with part 1, simply visit www.hobbies-and-crafts.co.uk to order a back issue, or pocketmags.com to buy a digital issue. Designed by: Maria Diaz Stitch count: 137 high x 300 wide (complete design – 3 parts) Design…