Back to stitching

I felt a sudden urge to stitch after all that crochet I've been doing. So the tansy fairy is back...

I suppose I've been working on it for nearly 15 years now !

But it's close to the end now...

Stormtrooper stitch

I made this Star Wars Stormtrooper keyring for DBF. Stitched on 16 count aida and using pva white glue to prevent fraying and stick the felt at the back.

 This method is a good alternative to plastic canvas that I can't find over here. And it offers more flexibility for backstitching and fractionals...

Animal Crossing Stitch

As I have a whole folder of medium and big stitched pieces, I want to stitch something more portable. Like charms or keyfobs.

So here is Marie from the Animal Crossing game (3DS). I used 16 count aida. I found the pattern in the numerous Hama beads patterns on Pinterest.

Originally I wanted to make a mini cushion, but I'm not really satisfied of the little Totoro I made a year ago, the character gets all out of shape.

So I cut the fabric around very close to the stitches like plastic canvas, and put some glue all around so it doesn't fray.

Now I need to add a back. I think I will put some felt, but will I stitch or glue it on?

Forever Friends Nightmare

Second freebie stitched this month. But different story. This is an Anchor kit, instead of DMC. And two (ok, three) problems occured.

First, just looking at the pattern, I could only brace myself for an arduous backstitching, out of the holes with a pointy needle. It reminded me of the old days when that lady from Anchor got mad at me for warning people of this difficulty in Anchor kits I reviewed. At least I knew what I was getting into.

Second, error in the colour chart calling for a brown backstitching on the flowers instead of pink, but never mind.

Then this is where we uncounter the real big problem : not enough threads. This NEVER EVER happened with a freebie, from any UK magazine. They usually provide more than enough. Here, at first I was stitching the teddy, and I was having just enough. Just enough is already rare. But it became desperate when I had to make the pink background. I ran out. And I had to use DMC threads to finish the project. And we stitchers know that the colours equivalence is never exact.

 So what happened ? Was it yet another mistake int he colour chart? Should have it been "stitch in one strand" instead of two?

It didn't discourage me, I started another Forever Friends freebie...

Edwina Hedgehog

At the moment I feel like stitching in the mornings, but I don't want to tackle big projects. I have a folder full of frame sized finished projects and no place to hang them on the walls without overloading them. And I would rather make cards and mini cushions and such.

I have a little collection of freebie coming from UK magazines I haven't stitched yet, so I decided to make those. Starting with this little Edwina Hedgehog with flowers. Not too complicated, except for the number of colours, and the tweaking (stitching with two strands of different colours together).

A little bit of stitching

I didn't craft much since the beginning of the year, but it's mostly the "January effect". Nice little depression every year. But I managed to get into the Easter/Spring/Stitching mood and made these mini projects.

First a little Flower fairy. It was an old freebie from a UK stitching magazine. Stitched in one thread on 16 count aida, with a few fractionals. The backstitch is quite intricate and gives the whole dimension to the picture.

Then I made a little chicken for Easter, I still need to turn it into a cushion.

Finally an Elisabeth Design for a pin cushion. The pattern calls for a 40 count evenweave (or linen), but I used 28 count by mistake. Well, I thought the fabric colour (cloudy brown) was perfect for it. So it's just a little bigger than expected, and the leaves look a bit sprse, but never mind.

Now and then when I feel like stitching, I'm doing yet another freebie from an old magazine, a hedgehog with flowers from DMC. 16 colours and tweaking, freebie kits weren't for the newbie faint hearted in those times !

Winter Fairy Progress 4

Looks like every year I add a few stitches to this project. It's big, it's long, but I don't have to produce a lot of projects, so... Never mind. I worked on this before stitching Archie Santa, but didn't take a picture, and it's too big for the scanner.

Now we will have a hiatus for Christmas projects; but I wanted to document where I was with this.

Previous update and history of project here.

Coming soon: beaded animals

When you stitch a big project, frog a bit of it, don't stitch much anyway, there isn't much to show or tell. Remember how enthousiastic I was about stitching at the beginning of the month, with so many projects to make, etc.... That was until I looked at the file where I archived the stitched pieces I didn't hang on the walls or gave away. So many stitched fabrics just put in an album... for nothing ! And if you count the 288 something stitched things I made in my life, you understand my discouragement : why bother?

The mini Pluto charm is always on my phone, so it's no problem for it, but a big project that can only be framed (I already havetoo many cushions)... I don't think I need to stitch it as fast as a sewing machine ;)

I wonder what are you thoughs about it, especially the long time stitchers out there with walls filled with framed stitches....

Needless to say I spent more time reading and playing video games (Farmville 2 Country Escape, Hungry cat picross on Android, and Fantasy Life on 3DS)

Then yesterday I came across this great book about making beaded animals. If you follow my blog you know I made quite a few already. I had the first book a few years ago, and this one is even better !!!
I hesitated between buying it straight away or buying on Amazon, and ended up buying in the shop at the editor's price of 10 euros. After all, it couldn't be much cheaper on the web, and I didn't want to wait for the delivery. I had to check afterwards, and I realised how lucky my move was : only second hand available at 23 euros minimum !

Now I have to start beading....

Sapin biscornu

Ah, the first finish of the year ! Of course it was started last year ;)

And yes, I start the new year with stitching a winter biscornu. I counted the fabric a bit short (only2 aida squares extra in some places, but sewing the 2 pieces wasn't so complicated. In my memory biscornus were harder than that ;)

I also took a picture of it flat, so you can see the pattern bet;ter. I used this pattern, but added stars.

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Premier truc fini de l'année, un biscornu d'hiver.... J"ai aussi pris la photo à plat pour voir le dessin. Le modèle est ici.

Back to cross stitch?

It's been nearly 5 years since I've done any stitching. My last project was the little Margaret Sherry cats in coffee mugs. In 5 years I crocheted, knitted, tatted, etc.... but no stitching. Recently I made things out of Hama beads, then out of seed beads. It's all the same principle : make a picture using dots. Pixels on the computer.

And this is how I found this cute baby Pluto via Pinterest (I love it this website so much, I spend a lot of time on it, don't hesitate to follow me !). It's actually from Kandi Patterns, a great site with loads of beads pattern, for fuse beads, peyote, square stitch etc....

I intend to use this baby Pluto as a charm for my phone. So it's on plastic canvas size 14. Luckily the pattern is small, because this reminded me how much I hate stitching on plastic canvas. Not the best "back to stitching" ;) But I succeeded in the end.

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Ca fait 5 ans que je n'ai plus brodé, la dernière chose était des chats de Margaret Sherry. Mais récemment j'ai fait des trucs en perles Hama, et en perles de rocaille tissées, et c'est toujours le même principe : faire une image avec des points, ou pixels.

C'est ainsi que j'ai trouvé ce modèle de bébé Pluto très mignon via Pinterest (je suis toujours sur ce site, n'hésitez pas à me rejoindre et à vous abonner à mes tableaux !) sur le site Kandi patterns. Je ne peux que recommander ce site qui est bourré de modèles pour les perles à repasser, ou le tissage peyote ou carré.

Ce bébé Pluto va devenir un gris gris pour mon téléphone. C'est brodé sur du canvas 14 en plastique, et cela m'a rappelé combien je déteste broder là dessus. Ce n'était pas le meilleur redépart pour le point de croix, mais bon, le modèle est petit, j'y suis arrivée à la fin.

The stitching fairy is back !

Thank you all for the comments ! I have an idea for the bunny: I have a round crocheted purse I use to put my night stuff when I travel, but it's a bit plain... So it could do with a little bunny on it !

Now, the fairy... Why ressusitate this project? It's a long process...

Originally I wanted to stitch something DMC style, with loads of backstitch. So I took a flower fairy I started ages ago. But all the different creams, and the non coloured pattern weren't that fun. Then I wanted to start one of Joan Elliott's ladies. And while looking for the patterns I found this fairy in my stuff...

So there you go: coloured pattern and loads of backstitching ! Unfortunatly it's also loads of colour changes, but... I will manage ;)

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Merci pour tous vos commentaires !!! J'ai une idée pour mon lapin: j'ai une trousse ronde en crochet que je trimballe partout quand je voyage, où je mets mes affaires de nuit. Le lapin serait parfait la dessus !

Maintenant, le projet actuel a sa propre petite histoire... pourquoi ressuciter justement celui-là?

Au départ, je voulais un projet avec beaucoup de backstitch. Donc j'ai repris un vieux Flower fairy en cours, mais comme la grille n'est pas en couleur, c'était bof. Et en regardant la Renaissance Lady sur le mur, j'ai eu envie de faire une des dames de Joan Elliott. Et c'est en cherchant les grilles que je suis tombée sur la fée brodeuse, que j'avais un peu oubliée !

Donc elle était toute désignée: plein de backstitch, grille en couleur, et bon, un peu trop de changements de couleur à mon gout, mais bon... on fera avec !!!

A stitched finish? impossible...

Well, the backstitching took only a little time, and so... Somebunny is finnished ! No idea what I will turn it into, but... I love it !!!

As for the rest, read the previous post....

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Donc, les points arrières ont pris moins de temps que prévu, du coup, c'est fini !!!

Je ne sais pas ce que je vais en faire, mais j'adore ce modèle !!!

What to do in the hot weather?

Hot, very hot weather struck us and left us in a sweaty lethargy... We are not used to that in Belgium, which has a reputation for rain and grey clouds !!! ;)

So I'm not really motivated to created yarn creatures at the moment (yarn!!!), but I got bitten by the stitching bug (and mosquitos, but that's another story), and I'm progressing on the bunny. Just the butterflies left before the long backstitching. And after so long without stitching I'm looking forward to that "drawing in thread" !

Of course, sandugurumis should come back shortly, as DBF is here to motivate me ! I'm on Etsy for one month now, and I sold all my patterns but the Christmas boy (who wants winter in this hot weather?), some several times, so I'm glad of the achievement, it was quicker than expected ! Some people say it's a slow period for Etsy, and there is something wrong with the google referencing, but I've enjoyed the experience so far.

Now I'm home for the week end, which is rare, so I'm enjoying the fresh air of early morning, and DBF thinks I'm a bit mad I guess...

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Il fait si chaud ici, dans cette Belgique à la réputation de pluie et de grisaille, que l'idée même de manipuler de la laine donne chaud ! Alors forcément, mes petits bonshommes sont au point mort.

Par contre j'ai été mordue par la broderie (et les moustiques, mais c'est autre chose), et le lapin progresse. Plus que les papillons et je m'attaque au "dessin au fil". Et ca fait tellement longtemps que je ne l'ai plus fait que j'ai hate en fait.

Sinon, il est évident que mes sandougurumis vont revenir en force, surtout que DBF est là pour me motiver ! Je dois dire que après un mois sur Etsy, j'ai vendu tous mes modèles (sauf celui de Noel, mais il y a une logique la dedans par cette canicule ;), bien plus vite que je ne le pensais ! certains disent que c'est une période creuse (forcément, loin des fêtes !), et qu'il y a des problèmes entre Etsy et le référencement Google, mais j'apprécie cette expérience.

Pour une fois je suis à la maison pour le week end, et je profite de la fraicheur du matin, même si DBF me dit que je vais m'écrouler l'après midi, pas grave...

Stitching? really?

Yes, my tweet from yesterday evening was correct, I had a stitching evening!!!!

I simply continued the little Somebunny I started ages ago. But it wasn't all simple, as I looked everywhere for my box of threads, only to find it on my working table in front of me !!!

So I did all the whites, the boring stuff... so now on to the fun bit !

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Oui, vous aviez bien lu mon tweet d'hier soir: j'ai passé la soirée hier à broder.

Quoi donc, demandait Chiloe? Le petit Somebunny commencé il y a si longtemps...

Evidemment, j'ai passé un temps fou à chercher ma boite de fils qui se trouvait pile devant moi, mais après, j'ai fait tout le blanc, qui est le plus ennuyeux à faire, alors c'est cool ;)

Stitching? Really?

Yes, a little bit of stitching... but who could resist this cute bunny? It's from a recent World of Crossstitching my mom brought from England last month.

So I now do stitching, crochet and knitting...

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Hé oui, un peu de broderie, qui l'eut cru? Mais qui peut résister ce petit lapin? Cela vient du récent World of CrossStitching que ma maman m'a rapporté d'Angleterre le mois dernier.

Et donc ces jours-ci, je fais broderie, crochet et tricot...