When I was young, I used to like collecting caterpillars and mullion leaves and keeping them in old ice cream tubs with netting over the top until they turned into butterflies (cabbage whites, I think most of them were). I think I was trying to watch for the exact moment when the butterfly hatched from the chrysalis,… Continue reading Previous Projects: Butterflies and Rosebuds
Tag: cross-stitching
Card of the Week: The First Christmas Card
Back about Easter-time, I thought I’d be all prepared and start my Christmas cards, since the summer is sparse for birthdays. Of course, beyond a few demos, that never happened and instead I made the autumn birthday cards. Now, however, I have begun the Christmas cards, with this lovely freebie kit from The World of… Continue reading Card of the Week: The First Christmas Card
A Stitch in Time: The Peacock Cushion
With an imminent move coming up, I had thought to write about what I am calling my Capsule Craft Room. But that isn’t ready yet, so will have to keep for a later date. Instead, and like the Remembering Reads I’ve recently started, I thought it’d be good to share some previous crafty makes. I… Continue reading A Stitch in Time: The Peacock Cushion
Stitch By Stitch: Restarting the World Map
I can’t actually remember when I began my world map. Or which Christmas it was that M gave it to me. Probably eighteen months for the former, and two or three years for the latter. At the start of the first lockdown, it was the two circles. I picked it up for a couple of… Continue reading Stitch By Stitch: Restarting the World Map
Christmas Card Cross-Stitch Patches
Even though the last lot of mini cross-stitch kits I got from Hobbycraft involved lots of hideous fractional stitches, and even though I have a whole bag of mini kits still to be stitched, when I saw this year’s Christmas kits, I couldn’t resist. Imagine my surprise, and joy, therefore, when I got them home… Continue reading Christmas Card Cross-Stitch Patches
TWIC: Stitching the World
Sometimes, I manage to have a few days where I work solidly (or fairly solidly) on my map. And then I have a few weeks, or a month, away from it. When furlough started, right back at the beginning of April, my single aim for my time was to finish this map. I don’t think… Continue reading TWIC: Stitching the World
TWIC: The Celtic Hound
This is the second completed unfinished project this year – I still haven’t worked out an answer to the Paris problem, though. This isn’t a specifically Celtic design, though. Such patterns are common on Viking-age runestones in Scandinavia. It’s a good design. I’ve said before I quite like large blocks of one colour – it… Continue reading TWIC: The Celtic Hound
The Problem with Paris
I was feeling quite confident with my J'adore Paris sampler. I thought I’d get it finished by the end of April, and then move on to another unfinished project (probably the map). Naturally, perhaps, as with quite a few plans so far this year, that didn’t happen. I got nearly to the top of the… Continue reading The Problem with Paris
This Week In Crafts
Originally, I was just going to show stamps on Fridays. But then, last week I had my Easter page, and this week I have a Mouseloft cross-stitch. So I’ve had a rethink and it’s going to be a space for all the mini-crafts, not just stamping. Because, along with the bigger cross-stitch projects, I want… Continue reading This Week In Crafts
Crafting: Behind the Picture
The thing about cross-stitch as a form of embroidery is that it is very simple to do, ignoring, if you will for the moment, all the counting involved. Not only is it uncomplicated, but it is generally done on fabrics with holes already clearly marked. So simple, in fact, that even a child can do… Continue reading Crafting: Behind the Picture