Pat's Cross-Stitch Corner

A Place to Share a Craft I Love

Pomegranate Santa by Plum Street Samplers

By

You really can never tell what you might find when you start going through drawers where you store cross stitch stuff. I stitched this one back in 2017. Pomegranate Santa by Plum Street Samplers stitched on 16ct Heritage by Picture This Plus with called for colors.

Started April 1, 2017
Failed to note when I finished.

I went looking for a frame for this one and picked out two red frames I liked. The thin profile was too red; the darkish red was too wide so settled on a dark brown one. Fits a standard size 8×10. It will now join the other residents of my Christmas wall.

Without a Mouse

By

Without a Mouse by Blackbird Designs is now Out of Print. Alma has indicated it will NOT be reprinted anytime soon.

Without a Mouse chart cover

Since some of the wording is over one, I decided to use using 25ct cream Jobelin (I think) and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Chimney Sweep, Autumn Range B (pumpkin) and Hot Chili Peppers. It is a BIG pumpkin.

I found a clearance frame that is the perfect size for the finished piece (8×10).

Summer Sweets

By

Summer Sweets is the 2nd release of The Early Bird Pinkeep Club by Scattered Seed Samplers. I do not belong to the club but someone on one of the Stash selling sites offered the kit at a good price, so I snapped it up. The kit comes with the chart, linen, floss and finishing supplies. Since this one was to be stitched on 36ct linen, I switched it out to a piece of 18ct aida I had in my stash. I normally prefer 16ct but I wanted to make sure I had enough of the finishing fabric so used 18ct. I also use two strands of floss when I stitch so will need to add some more but since it is DMC, I already have most of it. Missing two colors which I will pick up next time I go out.

Started Stitching July 30, 2022

Summer Sweets with finishing fabric and charm
Summer Sweets pillow
Bowl of Smalls

Union Forever

By

Union Forever was designed by Maggie Bonanomi for Blackbird Designs. In the past, I had never really had any desire to stitch this particular design. Then a number of stitchers shared their finished projects, and it grew on me. When the chart was donated as a giveaway, I decided to stitch it first.

Union Forever cover

I selected a piece of 16ct aida I had in my Stash. I’m not sure of the color but it is a mottled tan. I used mostly the recommended floss with a couple of changes.

  • WDW Havana
  • GA Gold Leaf
  • WDW Bark/DMC 3781
  • GA Tin Bucket
  • GA Raspberry Parfait/DMC 3721
  • GA Barn Gray/VMSS Bedazzled
  • GA Chamomile
  • WDW Swamp Water
  • GA Cidermill Brown

I started stitching on July 15, 2022

Finished Stitching: July 29, 2022

I decided to finish this one as a drum. Finally using all the crushed walnut shells, I bought a couple of years ago. I followed Vonna Epperson Pfeiffer’s drum making tutorial in the Summer 2022 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. Only thing I did different is to use a circle of foam core rather than all matboard so my pins would actually stick into something while I stitched the top and bottom to the drum tube. Vonna also has a video tutorial on finishing as a drum. I followed her tutorial for making the twisted cording. Next time I will use more strands to make it thicker. The little stuffed heart was from the Summer Sweets kit.

Union Forever by Blackbird Designs

Grandma’s Garden

By

Grandma’s Garden is a chartpak offered by Hands on Design. It’s dated 2014. It shows as Out of Stock right now. The chartpack includes two charts, buttons and trims. You supply the fabric and floss.

Grandma’s Garden chart cover

The pillow has a stitch count of 56 x 65. Recommended fabric was 32ct Weeks Dye Works Light Khaki. I chose to use a piece of 16ct aida I had in my stash and Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss Wild Coneflower. It was a really quick stitch. I still need to attach the buttons and decide if I am going to finish it as a small pillow OR frame it.

I’m thinking perhaps I will frame it in a cream-colored rustic frame.

Grandma’s Garden framed

I used a simple white 5×7 readymade frame for this.

Strawberry Urn

By

Strawberry Urn is offered as a free chart by Needlework Press. I saw it and decided to stitch it on a piece of 18ct white aida I had already gridded for another project. I had a full and partial skein of Glorianna silk floss in a beautiful variegated red (Poinsettia) that I planned on using.

It is a quick stitch and only took a couple of days. I plan on finishing it as a small pin pillow.

Strawberry Urn
Strawberry Urn pillow

The small strawberry charm came from the Summer Sweets pinkeep kit by Scattered Seed Samplers.

Bowl of smalls

I Love Fall Most of All

By

I Love Fall Most of All by Brenda Gervais was first released as a kit. I missed out on getting it but kept looking. Recently, someone in one of my Facebook groups posted that Country Sampler in Spring Green Wisconsin, had the charts available. I ordered one and it came quickly. While I LOVE the chart, it is printed in color which makes it difficult for me to distinguish the symbols.

I Love Fall Most of All Cover

The recommended fabric is 40ct Old Stationary linen by Seraphim. Even with my magnifying light, I cannot manage to stitch on 40ct so I selected a piece of 16ct aida by Mystic Fabrics called Everything Else. I will use the recommended floss for those colors I have. Otherwise, I will swap out for something in my stash.

  • DMC 831
  • WDW Putty
  • WDW Oscar/DMC 3011
  • GA Cornhusk/ DMC 834
  • GA Pumpkin Patch/ VMSS Salmon Ice Dahlia
  • GA Nutmeg/ DMC 435
  • GA Fragrant Cloves/DMC 920
  • GA Parchment
  • GA Mountain Mist
  • GA Wood Trail
  • CC Hickory Stick
  • CC Hazelnut

Started Stitching: July 7, 2022

Finished Stitching: July 13, 2022

Now to make it into a small pin pillow.

I Love Fall Most of All
I Love Fall Most of All Pin Pillow
Side View showing backing fabric and rick rack trim.

Ode to the Ort Basket

By

Ode to the Ort Basket by With Thy Needle and Thread was a kit offered at the Nashville Needlework Market. I’m not sure if the chart is still available or not.

Ode to the Ort Basket chart cover

I stitched the piece using a piece of 32ct evenweave I had in my stash and floss I had in my stash:

  • GA Mountain Mist (Bird’s WIngs)
  • CC Ye Old Gold (Eyelet Stitches)
  • Red Pear
  • Red Currant

Several years ago, I had purchased a couple of the Wood Playing Card Boxes from Hobby Lobby and it turned out this was the perfect size to use on finishing this project. The original idea came from Debra Burger with her Sewing Box finishes. I painted the box with Folk Art Uniform Blue inside and out.

I laced the stitched piece of a piece of matboard with matting and mounted it to the top of the box.

Box Top – Ode to the Ort Basket
Box Inside

The inside of the box has four sections, so I cut four pieces of matboard and added a layer of batting, then covered two of them with a contrasting fabric. To one, I added a ribbon and some pretty pins. To another I added a wooden strawberry heart that I had in my stash. No idea where it came from.

I selected two of the small designs from the book Casting a Spell by Blackbird Designs and stitched them on 18ct aida with Mo’s Murky Blue silk floss. Lacing them onto the piece of matboard was very fiddly. I am happy with how the entire project turned out. I have two more of the boxes so will have to find some more designs to use on the top and inside.

Swan Lake Bonus Chart

By

Swan Lake by Blackbird Designs is #7 in the Anniversaries of the Heart series. I recently saw the bonus chart stitched and decided it was a small sampler that was calling my name.

Swan Lake Bonus Chart

I had recently purchased five spools of Anchor floss in various shades of purple from dark to light. I decided to use three of the shades for the letters and numbers in the sampler.

Anchor 0873 – 0871- 0870

I chose two shades of green from my collection of Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss. I thought I was stitching this on 16ct cream but it appears to be 14ct.

  • Anchor 0873
  • Anchor 0871
  • Anchor 0870
  • VMSS Dried Ferns
  • VMSS Lamb’s Ears
  • VMSS Butter Pecan

Now to see if I can find a 6″x8″ frame and the perfect fabric to use on the bottom.

Swan Lake Framed.

I used a piece of Blackbird Design fabric with a bit of lace for the trim and framed it with a white frame that I may paint with cream paint at a later date.

Anniversary Happiness to you dear Friends

By

Anniversary Happiness to you dear Friends is one of the four heart shaped designs included in the book A Heart Remembers. It is pictured in the upper left corner of the cover shown below.

The recommended fabric is 36ct Heartland by Picture This Plus. I chose to use 16ct aida but not sure if it is Heartland or Regency by Picture This Plus.

I used the recommended floss:

  • WDW Brick
  • WDW Carolina Cecil
  • WDW Oilcloth – I used DMC 610 as I did not have enough of oilcloth and did not want to wait.
  • CC Pablano Pepper – I used Victorian Motto Dried Fern
  • CC Stormy Nights
  • GA Uniform Blue
  • DMC 3778

I personalized it with my husband’s and my initials and our birth years and the year we were married.

I will be sending this one off to Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher for finishing once I stitch the other two heart shaped ones.

I never got the other two stitched but decided to go ahead and send this one off for finishing. I love Vonna’s work.