Pat's Cross-Stitch Corner

January Ornament Finish

January 11, 2014 By patgeary

“Peppermint Twist“
Ornament #9

Stitched on 16 ct Khaki Aida. Still needs the candy cane button added but will do that when I decide how to finish it. This is just one of the Little House Needlework Christmas Ornaments I purchased from 123Stitch.com (my favorite on-line site for ordering). Finished piece is much prettier than my picture shows and it is not crooked like the picture. If I could only get the pictures to look as good as the actual piece.

February 23, 2015 Back from the finishers!

Peppermint Twist by Little House Needleworks

Wolf Pack

January 8, 2014 By patgeary

Progress 1-9-2014

I received this chart as a freebie a number of years ago when I placed an order for Sunshine and Sunflowers from Janlynn. It has been languishing in my stash basket since then. I asked my youngest son, Michael if he would like me to stitch it for him. “Yes,” he says. With a stitch count of 100W x 295H I knew it might be a fairly large size. Rather than use 14 ct which was what was recommended, I decided to use 16 ct antique white Aida which I ordered from my favorite source 123Stitch.com. The finished size of just the design area would be 6 1/4” by 18 1/2”

Little did I realize how many shades of gray were used. Ten shades for just the top left part of his ear!! But it is going to be beautiful when finished.

Started stitching: Jan 6, 2014.

Wolf Pack 1-20-2014

I’ve gotten a lot more stitched since I last posted my progress.

Wolf Pack as of March 14, 2014

Progress as of April 11, 2014

Wolf Pack as of April 11, 2014.

Progress as of May 19, 2014

Wolf Pack Progress – May 19 2014

Progress as of June 27, 2014
Wolf #3 is now being stitched!

Wolf Pack Progress as of June 27, 2014

Progress as of August 8, 2014

Wolf Pack Progress as of Aug 8

Progress as of August 23 2014

The Wolf Pack

Progress September 26, 2014 – Working on the 4th and final wolf. Thank Goodness there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I put the final stitches in last night. Or at least I thought they were the final stitches. After taking the picture, I realized that I forgot the back stitching on the last wolf’s ear. Once it dries, I’ll do that then it will be ready for framing. My son will be very happy to have it hanging in his room.

The Wolf Pack finished 11/18/2014

February 10, 2015 – Finished and framed. Right now it is only pinned to the foam core. I still need to lace it and add the spacers and glass.

The Wolf Pack framed

The frame I used is from Graphic Dimensions – EWC8 Black Frame EconoWood Classics Collection.

Poppies & Polka Dots

December 31, 2013 By Patricia Geary

poppies-and-polkadots

Poppies & Polka Dots by Ursula Michael is one of the design booklets by Jeanette Crews Designs. The various charts feature realistic poppies in shades of red complemented by soft yellow polka-dots. I am stitching the one that shows on the bottom left at the tip of the V but as a framed picture or pillow rather than the table runner that is shown. I am using 14ct antique white Aida.

Update: Finished on December 31, 2013!! Now to decide on how to finish it. Frame it as a picture or make a pillow out of it?

Poppies and Polka Dots.

Christmas Ornament Finishing Techniques

December 19, 2013 By patgeary

Many of us love stitching Christmas ornaments for our own trees or to give as gifts. I am always on the lookout for new and creative ways to finish them off. For those of you who might be interested, here are two sites I found that have excellent tutorials on the various ways you might want to finish off those ornaments:

Special Shaped Ornament Finishing and Tips from The Twisted Stitcher

Illustrated Index to Finishing Tutorials from Pinwheel Ponders

Below are just a couple of my own finished ornaments.

Hearts and Holly Sampler

November 3, 2013 By patgeary

The Hearts and Holly Sampler is from the Pat Rogers’ Counted Collection of cross stitch charts. It was published in 1994 and is, I imagine, out of print. You may be able to find copies of the chart of eBay or Amazon. The design is stitched in shades of red and green with gold highlights. I framed the finished piece in a brushed gold frame with green mat.

Hearts & Holly Sampler

Traveling Stitcher

April 8, 2013 By patgeary

This arrived in today’s mail. I can’t wait to begin stitching it. Maybe this will be my "beach project." The chart for the two pieces is from Little House Needleworks and the finished set is from Impie, Hattie & Bea. Both pieces can be ordered from Handcrafts Online.

Traveling Stitcher Kit

Traveling Stitcher Chart

Traveling Stitcher Kit Pack

NOTE: I am adding this because I want to be able to find the instructions when I am ready to stitch this. For adding a scissors fob to the project. Take the letters for "scissors" off the larger piece (the capital ‘S’ from the personalization alphabet included) and chart all the letters on graph paper. Use the border from the needlebook making it smaller across and longer lengthwise. Inside, graph the left side house and the stitcher, along with some grass for the house to sit on. The back side simply has the same border and the blackbird from the fence.

Instructions for attaching the stitched pieces to the needlekeeper and Project Keeper.

Latest from Little House Needleworks

March 4, 2013 By patgeary

These arrived in today’s mail just waiting for me to begin stitching:

Orchard Valley Quilting Bee from Little House Needleworks

The recommended fabric is 28 count Vintage Buttercream linen, BUT since I really do not like stitching on linen, I will need to find something else to use. Where I will put it when finished is another question.

Arriving in the same package, is

My House by Little House Needleworks

This I am planning to stitch as Christmas gifts and finish using the instructions provided in the Hometown Holiday Cube Tutorial

You do realize that if I stitched for the next 20 or 30 years, I would never finish Projects to Stitch.

Christmas Is Forever

January 9, 2013 By Patricia Geary

Christmas Is Forever

Christmas if Forever is the 2008 Special Edition from Lizzie Kate. I’m not a big fan of kits. The main reason being is that normally the fabric piece is not large enough for my taste AND I already have all of the DMC colors. The charts by Lizzie Kate are some of my favorites to stitch and this particular one was available only as a kit. This kit came complete with the chart, 28ct Cashel linen fabric, 5 skeins of Crescent Colours floss, and the 2 DMC colors. I ordered extra of the Crescent Colours floss and two pieces of Laguana fabric in the same color as the linen. I prefer Laguana to linen for stitching. The piece is stitched in traditional Christmas colors with a few punches of pink and chartreuse for extra holiday spirit! The finished size of the stitched piece is 4 1/2″ x 7″. Now, who to give it to for Christmas.

UPDATE: The bellpull hardware finally arrived so this is finished and ready to give to my friend Beryl.

Sunshine Sunflowers Progress 1.6.2013

January 6, 2013 By patgeary

I am actually beginning to see the light at the end of a long tunnel in the progress on Sunshine Sunflowers which I started in November 2010. I think this piece of stitching has taken me longer to finish than many others. The shades of yellow, orange and green are so similar it is hard to tell them apart and I had so much going in my life over the past year. All I have left to stitch is the lower right leaf and to finish the yellow sunflower and some of the center of the orange one. Then washing, stretching and framing. Biggest decision will be where in the world to hang it.

The first picture is of the piece on the scroll frame and the 2nd one if the full piece. After I finish this, it is back to work on some of the other unfinished pieces I have.

October 14, 2019 – I cannot believe it has been nine years ago when I first started working on this project. I realized today that I had never posted a picture of the finished piece so here it is. I decided to forego the backstitching.

Christmas Ornaments by Little House Needleworks

December 30, 2010 By patgeary

As if I really needed any more stitching projects BUT I could not resist these. They are from the 2010 Little House Needleworks Christmas Ornament of the month collection. I just order them from my favorite online shop 123Stitch.

“Pear Tree“
Ornament #2