Table of contents for March 2018 in CrossStitcher

Stitch count: 30 high x 30 wide Design size: 5.5x5.5cm (2¼x2¼in) Stitch time: 3 hours If you’d like to add a sentiment to your brooch, backstitch a greeting onto evenweave and attach with two cross stitches Make a… vintage brooch Step 1 TAKE your aida fabric and stitch the design. The cross stitch is in two strands, the backstitch and French knots in one strand, and the lazy daisy stitches in two strands. Leave the grey running stitch outline until you are assembling the brooch. Follow the diagram below when making a lazy daisy stitch – take your needle down through the fabric at the base of the stitch, run the needle under the fabric and then bring it out at the top. Lasso the loop of thread around the…

Karen Carter talks about her recent kit for Heritage Crafts, ‘Night Owls’. “This image came about on the back of several previous owl designs I’d done for Heritage Crafts. These owls are such fun to do – though obviously not anatomically correct! “The process usually starts with a vague idea rattling around in the back of my head – although sometimes I do wake up in the middle of the night with a fully formed image in my mind which I have to scribble down on paper in case I’ve forgotten it by the morning! “But back to the vague idea – I’ll do a number of rough sketches trying out variations on the theme – sometimes literally on the back of an envelope – then I scan these into…

THE SEWING BOOK: OVER 300 STEP-BY-STEP TECHNIQUES ALISON SMITH [DK Crafts] A new edition of this essential reference guide to sewing, with 250 step-by-step techniques covered. This book will help you in all your projects, from sewing clothes to making soft furnishings – making it an ideal companion if you’re making cushions or clothes to show off your stitching. There are also 15 projects inside, so you can practise your new-found skills. 1000 MINI CROSS STITCH MOTIFS SHARON WELCH [Search Press] Previously published as a paperback, this new edition of 1000 mini motifs has been produced in a larger format with a special, lie-flat binding, so you can read the charts more easily. Inside you’ll find a wide range of subjects are covered including flowers, animals, teatime treats, travel, houses,…

Londoner Elvira has always been passionate about prints. She studied at The Royal College of Art, leaving with an MA in Printed Textile Design. “As soon as I left I set up a print studio selling mine and other designers’ work worldwide,” she told us. “In 2016 I decided it was time to have a change of direction. Instead of selling my work to other designers I wanted to produce my own products to adorn my prints with and so my Etsy shop Elviravvdesigns was born. I really wanted to take my time and so I decided to start with one card ‘Love card’ still selling on my Etsy shop. I then began work on my ‘Bird’ collection.” Elvira’s stunning patterns adorn cards, notecards, gift wrap, prints, scarves – and…

Knitting & Stitching Show tickets The Knitting & Stitching Show comes to Olympia, London, on 1-4 March 2018. There are over 200 workshops and demonstrations covering every textile craft imaginable. We have 10 pairs of tickets to give away, and a special discount of £2 off each advance ticket (worth £13.50 each) for CrossStitcher readers. Go to www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com, using the code CROSSSTITCHER. Enter the giveaway by post to the address below, labelling your entry ‘SPRING TICKETS GIVEAWAY XST328’ by the early closing date of 10 FEBRUARY 2018. Friendly Collie kits This charming design from Hannah Dale of Wrendale Designs is a lovely portrait of a faithful friend. One of a delightful range worked on speckled 14 count aida, its finished size is 26x26cm (10¼x10¼in). It’s available to order from www.bothythreads.com…

CHARLOTTE MCFALL I like the modern take on old naughty postcard style. Funny but they still show how much work is involved in them x CHRYSA ZACHAROPOULOU My mum absolutely loves gardening, so flowers with bright colours are just her cup of tea. MHAIRI MCCALLUM Modern and quirky or failing that floral. BETHAN WHEELER I like cards with a vintage look. B x PETER THOMAS I’ll choose cute and funny every time. Bright colours and whole stitches. DEBBIE SEWTER Floral and hedgehogs. My mum’s favourites! JACKIE MORGAN Cute. HEGE BERG I stitched these two designs for my mum last year GABY VAN BAAL Floral! ‘Like’ our page on Facebook; facebook.com/CrossStitcherMag and join the conversation!…

From her cosy studio in the garden of her Yorkshire home, Cathy Emmott creates spellbinding stitches inspired by the wild outdoors. From nests and insects to garden birds, she turns her nature finds and sketches into intricate, embellished artworks, lampshades and unique stitched pieces. Now one of the familiar names on the makers’ scene, she tells us her creative story… Hi Cathy! Tell us a bit about yourself I live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park – on one side farmer’s fields and on the other, a Grade II-listed railway station. Some days I can see roe deer out of one window and a steam train out of the other. I am mum to two children, Sam and Beth, and wife to Jamie who also is called…

THE CHALLENGE • Two Kraft paper tags • Six shades of stranded cotton (shown above) • One mystery ingredient of your own choice THE RULES • Create two tags, to go with a present, one for a girl and one for a boy • Only the materials above can be used • The design must be no larger than 20x15 stitches • Be creative as possible! Oh baby! Our challenge this month is a super-cute one. We’ve asked three top designers to come up with some simple, yet effective, Kraft tag designs suitable for a new baby’s present. Each designer had to design a tag for both a boy and a girl and they were only allowed to use the materials we gave them, as listed on the left. We…

Yourprojects For all the basic supplies you need to make the projects in this issue… WILLOW FABRICS www.willowfabrics.com For Zweigart evenweave, aida, linen, Cashel, wooden embroidery hoops and all kinds of stitching fabrics COTTON PATCH www.cottonpatch.co.uk 0121 702 2840 For stuffing, wadding, interfacing, Bondaweb, scissors and a range of haberdashery supplies FRED ALDOUS www.fredaldous.co.uk 0161 236 4224 For general craft and haberdashery supplies as well as mount board for framing your work JOHN JAMES NEEDLES www.jjneedles.com 0152 783 0941 For all kinds of needles and needle packs JOHN LEWIS www.johnlewis.com 03456 049 049 For a wide range of stitching and sewing supplies, including cotton printed fabrics SIESTA FRAMES www.siestaframes.com 0120 281 3363 For stitching frames, hoops and lamps CLOUD CRAFT www.cloudcraft.co.uk For 100% wool felt in lots of colours CRAFT…

WHEN WE ASK WHAT you like to do with your finished projects, it turns out that you are a very generous bunch. Most of you tell us that you enjoy giving away your hard work. This could be due to years of stitching and subsequent lack of wall space but we like to think it says something more about the spirit of the cross stitch community. So with the need to give gifts in mind, we have brought together a selection of designs that should set you up for a number of special occasions. For our mums, there’s some pretty cards on page 43. For new arrivals, there’s a teeny pair of shoes on page 22 and for car fans (or just fans of stripes), we have an intense cushion…

SEWSIMPLYAPPLIQUED Download this instant PDF to make this super-cute chick appliqué design –a great idea for decorating kids’gifts this spring. JULESDORRINGTON 10 gorgeous wooden rabbit buttons, each with a different pattern –they're perfect for spring greeting scards. CHALINNS Make some hanging heartloops with this sweet grosgrain sheep ribbon, ideal to use with our alphabet this month.…

TURN TO PAGE 20 TO LEARN HOW TO FRAME YOUR PICTURE Use coordinating thread to attach the buttons – we used pink as it features in the colour scheme of the design Stitch count: 52 high x 56 wide Design size: 9.5x10cm (3¾x4in) Stitch time: 10 hours This design was stitched on 28 count evenweave over two threads of fabric. Materials • Zweigart Antique White 28 count Brittney, ref: 3270/0101; 30.5x28cm (12x11in) • Stranded cotton as listed in the key • Size 26 tapestry needle • Buttons x 2 • Frame with a 15x11.5cm (6x4½in) aperture • Mount board to fit frame For stockist details see page 89…

There is nothing nicer than a new piece of equipment, and if it’s hand stitched like our pretty pansy biscornu pincushion, that makes it even more special! Our needle roll pincushion is quick to stitch and the French seam inside gives a neat look and makes it easy to assemble. Plus, our teacup pincushion makes a great gift. Search antique shops and flea markets for an unusual teacup, add some pretty pins and it will be the perfect present for a stitchy friend or something that’s ideal for the village handicraft stall! MAKE A… BISCORNU The biscornu shape makes it perfect for making as a pincushion. Step 1 COMPLETE all the stitching for the top of the biscornu following the chart. Cut a second piece of fabric the same size…

COLOUR WITH THREADS If you like colouring then you will love our Love Grows picture. We have given you the outlines of this modern floral picture and now all you need to do is create your own colour palette to fill it in. Imagine your needle is a brush, and then just paint in the flowers and leaves to complete your picture. TURN TO PAGE 20 TO LEARN HOW TO FRAME YOUR PICTURE Stitch count: 160 high x 120 wide Design size: 29.5x22cm (11½x8½in) Stitch time: 56 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Materials Zweigar t White 14 count aida, ref: 3706/0100; 50x36cm (20x14in) Stranded cotton as listed in the key Size 24 tapestry needle Frame with a 34x24cm (13½x9½in) aper ture Mount board to fit…

Spring is the air! Do you know someone with a birthay in March or have you some projects you’d like to make ahead for Easter? Whatever your spring celebration, our alphabet of animals, complete with numbers, means you’ll never be short of a motif that’s perfect for the job. You can even extract the animals, as we have done, to create more cute makes – have fun stitching them! Our Spring cake band was stitched on Zweigar t White 3 in aida band with a yellow edge, ref: 7008/0012, and each letter is approximatel y 28 high x 28 wide. The design size for each letter is approximately 5x5cm (2x2in), and it took our stitcher 1½ hour s to stitch each letter. The cake toppers are stitched on perforated paper…

Cross Stitcher PROJECT PACK If you would like to stitch the Fiat cushion, we have a materials pack with everything you need to get you stitching straight away, and have it delivered straight to your door! Your materials pack contains: • Zweigart 14 count aida in Pale Lemon • Skeins of DMC stranded cotton • Two gold-plated tapestry needles; size 24 and size 26 PLEASE NOTE: your pack does not contain backing fabric or stuffing How to order: Go to www.willowfabrics.com to order your project pack at the CrossStitcher reader price of £26, plus P&P. Stitch count: 120 high x 224 wide Design size: 22x40.5cm (8½x15¾in) Stitch time: 110 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Materials Cushion • Zweigart Pale Lemon 14 count aida, ref: 3706/2030;…

THE ESSENTIAL KIT YOU’LL NEED TO START STITCHING NEEDLES For basic stitching you’ll need a tapestry needle that has a blunt tip and large eye. Use a size 24 needle for most aidas, and a size 26 for evenweaves and linens. Use a sharp embroidery needle for finer details such as backstitch and French knots. EMBROIDERY SCISSORS Embroidery scissors are an absolute must-have. Keep yours sharp by only using them to cut threads. STRANDED COTTON Embroidery thread is also called stranded cotton. Each thread length is made up of six strands of cotton twisted together. The chart key will tell you how many strands you’ll need to stitch with. HOOPS AND FRAMES Though not absolutely essential, we do recommend using an embroidery hoop or frame to keep an even stitching…

Blast from the past Take a step back in time with a new stitch book out in March which focuses on vintage style. If you’re a fan of retro designs you’ll love choosing from its 500 nostalgic patterns. Retro Cross Stitch includes 1800s and 1900s fashion house designs and milliners’ catalogues, plus travelling motifs like trunk labels of exotic destinations and railroad advertising posters. There are also motifs from daily life – the mood boards throughout the book won’t fail to inspire you as you decide on how to use your motifs in projects. www.schifferbooks.com BEST MUM EVER… PERFECT AS a Mother’s Day gift, this oh-so-cute design from The Geeky Stitching Company is sure to raise a smile. The kit includes a full-colour pattern and instructions, a 5in wooden embroidery…

When Spring has sprung, it’s no wonder that people love to plan weddings for this season. The air is thick. The flowers are blooming, bright, vibrant and fragrant. The grass is green. The moss is supple. I could go on and on! It makes for a phenomenally beautiful, romantic backdrop for a wedding. One of the top occasions for which Stitch People portraits are given is weddings. I think probably over half of Stitch People’s custom, hand-made portrait orders are wedding-related, celebrating engagements, weddings and anniversaries. I have to admit that I love stitching wedding portraits. The reason? The wedding dresses, of course! Wedding dresses these days are as unique as snowflakes – just like each of us. And I’m always excited by the challenge of accurately portraying a wedding…

Cross Stitcher PROJECT PACK If you would like to stitch Take Flight, we have a materials pack with everything you need to get you stitching straight away, and have it delivered straight to your door! Your materials pack contains: Zweigart 14 count aida in Pewter Skeins of DMC stranded cotton Two gold-plated tapestry needles; size 24 and size 26 How to order: Go to www.willowfabrics.com to order your project pack at the CrossStitcher reader price of £19, plus P&P. Stitch count: 168 high x 113 wide Design size: 31.5x21cm (12¼x8¼in) Stitch time: 50 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Materials Zweigart Pewter 14 count aida, ref: 3706/0713; 50x36cm (20x14in) Stranded cotton as listed in the key Size 24 tapestry needle Frame with a 33x21cm (13x8¼in) aperture…

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK We’ve gone for bright primary colours with these patchwork designs, but you could easily interchange any colour scheme you choose Make a… storage container Step 1 MEASURE the distance around your container – we used a cut-off plastic milk bottle. Cut your aida to fit, adding a 1.25cm (½in) overlap at both ends, and the same top and bottom for turnings. Stitch your design onto your aida, repeating it as many times as you need to fill the fabric. Step 2 COMPLETE the stitching, then turn over the top and bottom of the aida so that it will cover your container. Wrap the stitching around the container, holding it in place with fabric glue or double-sided tape. The fabric should overlap at the back, and be…

Stitch count: 53 high x 48 wide Design size: 10x8.5cm (4x3¼in) Stitch time: 5 hours each These designs were stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Write a message on a card to pop in your pocket or choose a lightweight gift such as a voucher that won’t bulk out your pocket too much Make an… aperture card Step 1 STITCH your designs, using two strands of stranded cotton for the cross stitch and one strand for the backstitch. Step 2 TRIM your aida fabric 1.25cm (½in) outside your stitching, creating a pocket shape. Fold the unstitched fabric over onto the back of the stitching, leaving just a couple of blank aida squares showing on the right side of the design. Press to hold the folded fabric in place. Step 3…

Stitch count: 42 high x 42 wide Design size: 7.5x7.5cm (3x3in) Stitch time: 7 hours (max) These designs were stitched using aida fabric, plastic aida and waste canvas. Make a… Boston Terrier keyring Step 1 STITCH your dog at one end of your plastic aida as shown on the chart. Once the stitching is complete, cut out your tag shape, leaving one blank square outside your stitching. Flip the tag shape horizontally, and then repeat again from the dotted line – you will have two tag shapes with a long strip between. Repeat the design on the other end of the tag, or add your dog’s name or other details using backstitch. Step 2 BEND the tag carefully, and then slide the split ring to the middle strip of the…

What a treat we have for you this month! Our kitchen shelves picture is not only packed to bursting with pots, pans and paraphernalia but with stitching details you’ll really enjoy getting your teeth into! From star stitch and French knots to clever use of backstitching, you’ll find this in-depth project a very enjoyable one indeed. Don’t forget to send us a picture of your finished work! Stitch count: 180 high x 120 wide Design size: 33x22cm (13x8½in) Stitch time: 66 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Materials • Zweigart White 14 count aida, ref: 3706/0100; 50x36cm (20x14in) • Stranded cotton as listed in the key • Size 24 tapestry needle • Frame with a 34x24cm (13½x9½in) aperture • Mount board to fit frame For stockist…