patgeary

Sing a Sampler by Silver Creek Samplers

May 23, 2014 By patgeary

I knew as soon as I saw this series of charts by Silver Creek Samplers that it was something I HAD to stitch. Each of the four charts can be stitched individually or horizontally as one long picture.

The four charts are:

Sing a Sampler 1 – Part 1 of a 4 part series. "Do a deer, a female deer." "Re, a drop of golden sun."
Sing a Sampler 2 – Part 2 of a 4 part series. "Mi A name I call myself, Diane. Fa A long long way to run."
Sing a Sampler 3 – Part 3 of a 4 part series. "SO a needle pulling thread, LA a note to follow SO."
Sing a Sampler 4 – Part 4 of a 4 part sampler – "TI a drink with jam and bread, that will bring you back to Do.."

I am going to stitch them horizontally. The finished piece will look like the picture shown below.

Stitched on 16ct Lambswool Aida with with Gentle Art Sampler threads and Weeks Dye Works floss. Will add photos of my progress once I start stitching.

Neighborhood Friends

April 26, 2014 By patgeary

Neighborhood Friends by Little House Needleworks is one of two charts offered as part of a fundraiser for animal care organizations.

Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks and Theresa Venette of Shakespeare’s Peddler wanted to help this country’s homeless animals and have created two designs, the proceeds from which will benefit dogs and cats looking for their fur-ever homes.

You can read about the project and purchase one or both of the charts from LettersGreatandSmall. The second chart is for Cat Lovers and is called Cats in the Garden. Since we are a dog family, I purchased the Neighborhood Friends chart.

I am stitching this project on a piece of hand-dyed 28ct Chocolate Milk Jobelan from Hand Dyed fabrics by Stephanie.

In the picture below, you can see my progress as of April 26, 2014

And as of Jun 13 2014 – almost there.

Neighborhood Friends by Little House Needleworks as of 6/13/2014

March 31, 2021

After seeing Neighborhood Friends posted in a couple of groups and knowing I had purchased it and started stitching it when it first came out (2014), I went in search to see what had happened to it. I found it stuffed in a plastic page protector with the working copy of the chart. The white dog had no head, the bench had no left leg and the two left bones were missing. You can do this says I. The fabric is 28ct Jobelan Milk Chocolate from Fabrics by Stephanie and it has NOT been gridded. My eyes feel they they are going to pop out of my head and I have a headache BUT it is now finished. Or at least I hope nothing else is missing. I will frame it or make a wall hanging and give it to our vet which was my original intent. The chart was a fundraiser by Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks and Theresa Venette of Shakespeare’s Peddler and is no longer available. I am happy to have actually finished it now.

And here it is framed in a simple blue 9×12 frame from Michaels.

March 2022 – Little House Needleworks announced they will be re-releasing this chart as Neighborhood Dog Show.

Neighborhood Dog Show by Little House Needleworks

Frostys Tree Trimmers

April 11, 2014 By patgeary

Frostys Tree Trimmers from By the Bay Needleart is a family of four snowman ornaments. They can be stitched individually, in a grouping of four or in a horizontal or vertical row. I’m stitching mine individually for the first set.

Frosty Tree Trimmers from By the Bay Needleart.

This is Mrs. Frosty stitched on 14ct Pale Blue Aida.

Mrs. Frosty as of April 11, 2014.

Frogging

April 1, 2014 By patgeary

I had never heard the term “frogging” before joining the 123Stitch Message Board. Of course I have done a lot of it in the years I have been cross stitching! Frogging is what a lot of needle workers call removing stitches because they say "rip it, rip it" and sound like a frog! Most times when I have to do some ripping out of stitches it is only a few stitches. But on one occasion, while stitching this cardinal, I had to take out all the stitches for one wing because I had used the wrong color for a symbol. It was not an easy task and I did not really have the proper tools for doing it. But I had too much time invested in stitching the red bird to throw it out and start again. Below are some suggestions for tools you might find helpful if you have a visit from the frog!

Tools

Stitch Fixer

A Stitch Fixer has a tapestry needle in one end and a bent point on the other end. Use both ends to remove stitches, anchor thread ends, repair finished works, adjust stitch tension, tidy backs of stitching, repair snags, weave ribbons, and lay silk fibers. See Needlework Tool: Thread-Tucker-Tweaker-Fixer-Thingy

Snip A Stitch scissors

I bought a pair of Snip A Stitch scissors for my Mom one time and they have been a big help. Not sure what brand mine are. The hooked blade easily picks up stitches for clipping without danger of damaging fabric. Others recommend Gingher scissors.

Stitch Blade

The Stitch Blade has a razor sharp surgical steel blade cuts threads or yarns without pulling. Tip slides easily under a single stitch while blunt outer edges protect fabric or canvas.

Judy’s Boo Boo Stick

Judy’s Boo Boo Stick is linen and even-weave friendly – By dragging clipped floss out the back of the fabric, the positioning of the fabric threads are not dislodged and the delicate fibers are not frayed. For a demonstration of how to use it view Judy’s Boo Stick Video Tutorial.

One of the ladies on the MB today said she had made a "Frog Box" for herself.

I got one of those little pink Sew-lutions boxes by Art Bin from Joann’s (with a coupon–the cost is outrageous). In this (labeled, of course) box are my thread plucking tweezers, a "stitch blade", some "stitch fixers" in several sizes, a Star DeTailor, a Boo-Boo Stick, a toothbrush (had to saw 3/4" off the handle so it’d fit in the box), and a pair of stitch remover scissors.

It seemed like every time the Frog came to visit, I’d have to locate all this stuff for my ripping session. So, in the interest of efficiency and organization, I made the Frog Box. Works for me. At first I called it "Repair Tools", but that wasn’t as cool as "Frog Box".

This is the article that inspired me to write this post – Needle Delights Originals Tips on Frogging. I hope the frog does not come to visit while you are stitching.

Love you to the Moon and Back

March 14, 2014 By patgeary

When I first saw this chart, I Love You to the Moon and Back by Waxing Moon Designs, it made me think of my oldest son, Frank and his wife, Alana and what they always said to each other. Frank lost his battle with cancer on December 28, 2011. He had just turned fifty. I decided to stitch it for Alana in his memory and in appreciation of the care she gave him during that final year. The suggested fabric was a hand-dyed linen that was a dark blue. Aida fabric was also offered in that same color. I ordered a piece and tried to stitch but had such difficult seeing the holes, I had to change to a lighter shade of blue. I also chose to use DMC floss rather than the Crescent Colors suggested. I also ordered the button that goes in the upper left hand corner.

Again someone on the 123Stitch Message Board loaned me the chart. While the lighter shade of blue was easier to stitch, my old eyes still had a difficult time.

As you can see by the picture shown above, I decided to personalize the finished piece with Alana and Frank’s names stitched below the verse. I tried various frames with the piece but could not really make up my mind and was not real happy with how any of them looked. I had seen some of the finishing techniques on the message board done by ClaudiaB and decided to give her a try. I sent her the piece and told her I wanted it finished as a cube. This style of finishing was entirely new to me but I loved the finished piece. See what you think.

I have mailed it to my daughter-in-law and hope she is as happy with it as I am.

A Little Love by Lizzie Kate

March 14, 2014 By patgeary

When I first saw a photo of A Little Love by Lizzie Kate, I knew it was the perfect project to stitch for my husband’s 100th birthday. I did not want to order the kit because I do not like stitching on linen so posted to the 123Stitch Message Board. Someone on the Board had just finished stitching it and was willing to sell me just the chart for $5 which included postage. Rather than use the recommended floss, I chose to use DMC because I already had all the colors on hand. I ordered the small flower button that had been a part of the kit and I already had some small rose colored beads. For the fabric I chose a piece of 28 ct antique white probably lugana but not sure since it came from another kit. It was a fairly quick stitch but I had to work on it at night after Jim was in bed so he would not see it.

Pictured below the background is actually white although it does not look like it. I normally stretch and frame my own work but since this is for a very special man on a very special occasion, I am sending it off to Jill Rensel to work her magic on. I’ll post a picture once I get it back.

The finished piece framed by Rensel Studios I will give it to Jim as soon as it is delivered rather than wait for his birthday.

A Little Love framed by Jill Rensel

Loose Feathers – Summer, Autumn, and Winter

March 7, 2014 By patgeary

Someone on the 123Stitch Message Board recently posted the Loose Feathers Summer, Autumn, and Winter by Blackbird Designs as a WIP’s. I saw it and wanted to stitch it so went looking for the charts. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase the three separate charts from another board member. You can see the completed piece on the back of the Winter chart. It is the one pictured at the bottom left of the chart.

I choose a piece of 28 count cream Monaco that was large enough and that I already had as my fabric and thought about using DMC floss for the project since that is what I have on hand. After some discussion, I decided to go ahead and purchase the recommended Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and Crescent Colors thread. Crescent Colors is now known as Classic Colorworks.

Stitch Count: 222w x137h
Design Size: 15 7/8 x 9 3/4 (28/14ct)
Fabric Size: 22 1/2 x 16 1/2 (28/14ct)

I decided to grid my fabric for this project but found it was much harder doing this on 28 count fabric versus 14 count Aida which I had previously done for the Wolf Pack I was stitching for my son. The holes are so much smaller!

The fabric is ready, the charts have arrived so now I am waiting for the floss so that I can add this project to my rotation. This is what the finished project should look like when completed.

The project is actually three separate pieces stitched horizontally as one piece. I am looking forward to working with this new floss. You can read more about working with the Sampler thread.

I’ll be posting pictures as the project progresses so come back to visit often.

March 15, 2014 – The last of the floss for this project just arrived so it is now time to begin. I’m going to check with folks on the 123Stitch Message Board wants to join me in a SAL.

NOTE: Besides the recommended floss, you will need one additional skein each of Manor Red, Piney Woods, Endive, Maple Syrup.

Loose Feathers – Summer – Progress as of 3/28/2014

Loose Feathers Progress 4-18-2014

Progress as of May 2, 2914

Blackbird Designs – Loose Feathers 5-2-2014

Progress as of May 24, 2014

Blackbird Designs – Loose Feathers – Progress May 24 2014

Progress on May 30 2014

Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers as of May 30 2014.

Progress July 6, 2014
Unfortunately, I ran out of GAST Piney Woods so progress has stopped until my next order from 123Stitch arrives. Not much left to go.

Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers as of 7-6-2014

Finished: July 11, 2014

Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers finished stitching

The frame I ordered arrived today and I could not wait to see how it would look. The piece still needs to be stretched and laced and I need to order the glass but am very happy with it. And the best thing is the frame was on sale for $18.96 (60% off) with an additional 25% off for the weekend.

Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers Framed

Frame: EWC6 – Deep mahogany, eco-friendly frame with a classic profile. (19 3/4″ x 12 1/2″)

Hearts & Holly Mystery Sampler by Lizzie Kate

March 3, 2014 By patgeary

Recently, someone on the 123Stitch Message Board gave me the three charts that make up the Hearts and Holly Mystery Sampler by Lizzie Kate. The suggested fabric was a hand-dyed linen called Doubloon. I don’t particularly like stitching on linen and the fabric was also available as 14 ct Aida so I ordered a piece the required size of 22″ x 13″. I also decided to stitch the three charts using DMC floss since that is what I had. I finished the first chart which is on the far left of the sampler. The three pieces are stitched side by side rather than vertically aligned. The colors are soft and pretty and I am liking the piece.

Since I have a number of pieces that I am working on a rotation cycle, this will be put aside for a couple of weeks while I return to The Wolf Pack. If you are curious as to what the finished Hearts and Holly Sampler will look like when finished, you can see it pictured below or visit the Lizzie Kate website.

Since the chart was given to me, I will be giving it away free (PIF) to someone on the Board once I have finished stitching it. Come back in a couple of weeks to see my progress.

Progress as of March 22, 2014. Not much more to stitch and it will be finished.

Hearts & Holly Mystery Sampler by Lizzie Kate.

Last stitch taken on March 29, 2014. I still need to find a small gold heart charm to add and then decide on framing but the stitching is finished.

Hearts and Holly Mystery Sampler Finished

Heart and Holly Mystery Sampler Framed

Four Seasons by Little House Needleworks

February 13, 2014 By patgeary

I finally put the finishing touches on the bellpull I did using the Little House Needleworks Charts for:

Rather than stitching each of the charts separately as pillows, the four charts were stitched vertically on one piece of 16 count antique white Aida and finished with bellpull hardware. Now to find a place to hang it.

To stitch either horizontally or vertically as one continuous piece:

77×4 = 308 design

16×3 = 48 between each design

Total = 356 stitches

Design Area = 4 7/8 x 22 1/4 plus whatever you want for a border and finishing.

I probably bought the fabric (Charles Craft) in a tube which would be enough to stitch the four charts horizontally or vertically.

This was cut wide enough so I just turned the fabric as the backing since I needed it as narrow as possible since my wall space is already covered with large framed cross stitch pieces. When I stitch it again, it would probably be horizontally but since each design is 77×77 the fabric would work the same way.

Gridding your Fabric for Cross Stitch

January 13, 2014 By patgeary

I recently joined the Message Board offered by one of my favorite places for order cross stitch supplies and learned a trick that I wish I had known about many years ago. A bit of history first. I recently started stitching The Wolf Pack for my youngest son. The design uses many shades of grey, black, and blue and I kept getting confused as to where I was. I had read about gridding your fabric as part of a recent thread on the board and thought I might give it a try to see if it worked.

I always mark the center of both the design and fabric when I start stitching and work from the center either up or down. This time I decided to start stitching at the top left-hand corner because of the design itself. See Wolf Pack for more on this particular project. I then counted up 20 lines and added a line of running stitches horizontally every 20 lines just so I could count. Then counted over to where the first stitch would go. I used plain ole sewing thread (red) to mark the lines. Worked OK to start but still kept having difficulty so went back and marked every ten lines horizontally. This helped so decided I needed to know more about marking my fabric in this manner.

NOTE: This would have been much easier to do BEFORE I started stitching then afterwards!!!

Here are some of the links I found that helped:

An Rx for a Worldwide Epidemic | Just One More Stitch (jeanfarishneedleworks.com)

http://www.stitchingthenightaway.com/75/gridding-your-fabric-for-cross-stitch/

http://cross-stitch.livejournal.com/556458.html

http://pinwheelponders.blogspot.ca/2009/01/some-thought-on-stitching-cross-stitch.html (scroll down)

http://www.scarletquince.com/gridding.php

Most of the charts I work on have a darker line every ten stitches both horizontally and vertically. So, this is what I did:

1. Mark the center of the design on the chart and the fabric. Count up to the first darker horizontal line and stitch all the way across your fabric. Repeat in both directions for the entire width of the fabric.

2. Count over to the first dark vertical line and stitch a vertical line the entire height of the fabric.

The design so far with what I had stitched and the grids in place.

August 2022 – I have continued to grid my fabric over the years as my eyesight has gotten worse. I now use red fishing line 4 or 6lb test. I also now grid any project large or small.