My mom used to cross stitch? I have several pieces that she’s made before she had given it up. This is one of my favorites. I need to redo it’s framing, it’s starting to yellow a bit as it was put onto cardboard so I think if I put it on some acid free foam core, it should help it not continue to discolor. I think I bigger frame too and a light green mat? Maybe it could go in my bedroom?
Pattern from the Book “Cross Stitch for the Earth” February 2023.
One of my good friends is having a baby and she is doing a Woodland Themed nursery. I knew I needed to make her a decoration for the nursery that would fit and I had just received a book called “Cross Stitch for the Earth” that would have a perfect pattern for it!
This was done on an 18ct Linen that is more of an off white cream color. I also have been learning how to frame my finished cross stitches, so I mounted it on foam core with stainless steel flat head pins, found the frame at my local small business frame store (shop small, shop local!) and then finished it off with craft paper, wire and hooks for hanging, and foam padded corners to make it lay straight.
I’m so excited for my friend’s upcoming bundle of excitement. She is gonna be the best mom.
Pop’s House, Nov. 2022
This is my first fully self-drafted piece. This house has great importance to many people who are special to me, so I made this in honor of that. I’ve blocked off the name of the city and the state for privacy reasons.
I purchased cross stitch software (I’m not saying which one yet, I‘m not sure if I like it yet) and used a photo reference and then picked all the colors. I chose a lot of different greens because the area is so lush. In the OG pattern there are a lot of thins I had to fix as I went but I have a much better idea how to do these things for the next time now.
I learned a few new embroidery techniques in order to make this really pop. French knots for bushes, satin stitches for grass and hedges, and bullion knots for vines. I think I’m going to need a cross stitch stand to help hold my hoops if I want to continue to learn different embroidery for my projects. It’s hard to balance it and pull tight enough for these techniques.
I really am proud of this, it worked out so well. I’ll probably do my own house and my parent’s house too.
Las Vegas, Dec. 2022
Pattern is from XStitchByTA on etsy.
Another Christmas gift! This will be the 2nd Vegas pattern done for my mom. I chose this one because this Had Cesar’s Palace on it and that’s where she loves to go the most when she does get to go to Vegas. So I’m happy to find a pattern that included it.
I’m very happy about having enough of this Aida to do the previous project and this one, I love the look of it for this style of Cross Stitch.
Hand Matted and Hand Framed by me, again not perfect but I’m going to get better and better as I go on. I think I need a new blade for my mat cutter, so we’ll see how it goes.
London, Dec. 2022
Pattern is from XstitchByTA from Etsy.
I love these City Patterns! I had this Burlap-esque Aida fabric that I thought would go really nice with these simple outline designs and there was a learning curve with the fabric but I was right, I love the look of it.
Hand cut mat and hand framed. I made a little mistake with the mat but it is what it is. It happens. It’s not that noticable in real life.
Made as a Gift for Christmas!
Jurassic Park, Nov. 2022
Pattern is from PatchyAtBestCo from Etsy.
This I had to really make my mark on. Mr. DNA was removed from the pattern (They were probably hit with some sort of copyright, so no hate to the pattern maker) so I redesigned Mr. DNA to be in the cross stitch again.
The pattern was also only in black and white, so all the colors were chosen and added by me. This was inspired by someone else who had also made this pattern and the added color to theirs but I chose a lot more colors and different ones.
On the egg block, I left one cracked open to show that the dinosaurs had “Um, found a way” and I also moved some of the blocks around to make the design more balanced with the colors that I chose.
Lucked out with the frame, perfect size and the perfect wood grain I feel like. I love it so much.
Sailor Pluto Galaxy Gameboy on Yellow Aida
I thought I would start writing on the blog when I update the artwork in the various galleries! I can talk a little more about each piece and it’ll be nice to look back and read some of the thoughts I had!
Cross Stitch Pattern is from NeedleMinderLair on etsy. Done on some yellow Aida that I had leftover from another cross stitch project.
I love the colors of this cross stitch but I have one critique, which is Pluto’s Garnet Rod, I added some gray back stitching to add some extra pop to it, but I feel in the original pattern that the rod blends in too much to the design. Other than that, A+.
The Wood frame was premade. I found a local frame store that you can buy these really nice premade frames from the leftovers of other framing jobs on the cheap. I’ve purchased several items to let me frame my own items, so I have framers points and the gun used to shoot them in the frame. The cross stitch is pinned to some foam core, and I have craft paper on the back and screwed in my own hangers and wire.
I’m very excited to be learning new skills to really create my own pieces of art.
This has nothing to do with anything, I just like how it looks. I took this back in July.
I am done with four cross stitch projects all together and am furiously working on a fifth because apparently I like to wait until the last minute to make Christmas present decisions. I have to finish the fifth in order to complete the present that is the fourth because I’m doing them on the same fabric and it holds better in the Q-snap with extra fabric. Those fourth and fifth projects will have to be matted and framed first before I can even touch the personal ones because I might not make it to Christmas in time. Aggghh.
I did buy some beautiful frames for two of the earlier projects, no matting neccessary but I will need to mount them on the foamcore. I could do that at the same time I’m doing the mounting and matting on the other two. The last one is getting framed in an embroidery hoop and that is all different materials so that will be last one done.
I really have found joy in cross stitching. I love not looking at a screen all the time and having an object to hold and to touch when I’m finished. Even though I give most of my work to my loved ones. It’s a two for one hobby, I spend hours doing something I enjoy and then I don’t have to go shopping for presents. It’s perfect.