Category: cross stitch

cross stitch · finishing

Gifts for my great-nieces

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Kids-Ornaments-2013Finished all three ornaments for my great-nieces on Monday night and took them to the post office on Tuesday morning. I was only one day behind schedule, so I am feeling pretty pleased with myself.

The kids already get tons of great toys and gifts from their family at holiday time, so this year I decided to do something handmade and personalized for their Christmas tree instead. In that sense, these are really more like gifts for their parents, I suppose! These were a lot of fun to stitch, and even though there were a few moments when I was afraid my hands would give out before I could get them done in time, it all worked out just fine.

Each ornament is a Lizzie Kate Monthly Stamp Flip-It design and was stitched in 18-count Aida Oatmeal using DMC floss as indicated in each chart. I substituted my own buttons for the ones indicated, and changed the names of the months to the childrens’ names by playing around in MacStitch. The designs were finished as little stuffed hanging pillows, with cotton print backs and cloth ribbon from my fabric stash.

cross stitch · WIP

For the kids

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IMG_6838This year I decided to stitch personalized Christmas tree ornaments for my great-nieces. I chose a few cute Lizzie Kate Christmas Club Flip-Its designs from 2006 and had a lot of fun charting out the girls’ names using MacStitch. Here’s a WIP picture of the first design mid-name in my hoop. I am actually working on the third one right now and hope to finish it tonight so that I can assemble all three of them this weekend and (fingers crossed) mail them next week.

cross stitch · finishing

Woof & Meow finished

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Woof-Meow-Lizzie-KateHere are Lizzie Kate’s “Woof” and “Meow” finished as Christmas ornaments. I tried several different finishing techniques before deciding on this one. Sometimes simple is best! I hope my niece and soon-to-be nephew-in-law will like them as much as I enjoyed stitching them. Both stitched on 28-count evenweave in Mushroom from Michael’s Crafts, using DMC floss as charted.

cross stitch

A friend is a gift

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IMG_6562I’ve stitched this little Prairie Schooler mini-card so many times as a gift to give away that I decided maybe I’d like one for myself. I tried it out on some 28-count linen bought on sale at Michael’s Crafts. I also picked up a pair of clip-on magnifiers there that let me see intricate details and still have my hands free for needlework. These work very well, but what a sight I look with then attached to my strongest reading glasses!

cross stitch

Woof!

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woofAlmost done with this little Lizzie Kate Block Flip-It called “Woof.” I found some matching wide green rick rack for the trim when the piece is done. If I have the time, I plan to start “Meow,” its sister piece, later tonight.

Once again I’ve resorted to using ibuprofen gel on my hands during the day and soaking them in Epsom salts at night to help alleviate the discomfort. Along with stitching for only relatively brief periods of time and take plenty of breaks, this seems to be working out pretty well, and is allowing me to get more stitching done than I have been able to do in a long time.

cross stitch · events

Looks like a good day to stitch

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pumpkinfestYesterday I visited our local pumpkin festival which really got me into the mood for fall. Today dawned bright and a little cooler, for Florida anyway, and made me want to begin a project destined to be a Christmas present.

I’ve been taking another break from stitching for past month and a half. My work has me constantly on the computer, so when my CTS/arthritis combo kicks in,  giving my hands a rest at night is essential to my being able to type all day long. When grasping a needle becomes impossible,  stitching is unfortunately out for awhile.

Taking a break from actual stitching doesn’t mean that I forget about it entirely, though. I sort through my charts and select fabric from my stash for fun designs I have yet to try, or think about all the pretty new charts now available and dream about which ones I’d love to tackle.

Today I think I’m finally ready to start stitching again with something small.

cross stitch · WIP

With My Needle

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berriesThe photo shows the very beginnings of my newest stitch, but this small progress is all my hands would allow for one sitting. At this rate it will take forever, so it’s a good thing I have lots of time for this one.

I stopped at Michael’s Crafts earlier today and picked up a new DMC variegated floss for a different project I’ve long wanted to try, Blackbird Designs’ little freebie sampler chart Petites Lettres Rouges.

I’m looking forward to personalizing the Petites Lettres Rouges design, even though I haven’t quite decided how I want to do that yet. I’ve been collecting little motifs and variations to consider on my Pinterest page, and add interesting ideas whenever I come across them.