Hello Carolyn! I've just discovered your tutorials and it has been 12 years since I've stitched and my kids are getting older and Im getting myself back into the stitching world. Your tutorials are bringing me up to date on this new technological world of stitching. My last piece I finished in 2003 was Mirabella's "Angels Dwell Here" It took me a ridiculously long time to do. But I adore the beads and I did the wings in a fuzzy thread so the wings look furry. I love my angels! At the time I didn't know anything about parking and was just figuring everything out on my own. I'm so grateful to have found your page and I will be binge watching them all in a row. I think your amazing and talented Thanks for all your video's! Happy Stitching!
+Chris Crossiness Thank you so much Chris, that is a lovely thing to say :) I also have that chart, and I look forward to stitching it one day. I think it would make a very nice piece for a child's nursery (will be a Grandma project for me one day!). I love the idea of doing the wings in whisper thread - I haven't used that as yet. Thank you so much for watching, and taking the time to leave a lovely comment. Happy stitching :) x
Love working on my 99 Bottles! :) Can't wait to get back to it....Love the cloudsfactory wip. HAED pattern is gorgeous,great progress! Man I can't believe how HUGE that dragon is! Absolutely beautiful! Nice haul. :)
Thanks Chelsea. I'm starting to get nervous about the framing costs for the dragon - not sure that I want to attempt it myself on such a special piece. Thanks for watching :) x
Wow. That dragon is amazing. I would be too chicken to try something so daunting. Much appreciation to those of you who tackle those huge projects and succeed. I am in awe.
Thanks Toni! I know it looks really daunting, but I promise you it's not. The best thing about HAEDs is they only contain full cross stitches - no quarter, three quarter or backstitching! That makes the design really easy to complete. The hardest part is the sheer size of the project. I would recommend stitching maybe a Mini design first, or even one of their Storykeeps (which is a large bookmark) to get the hang of it, before tackling such a large project. I encourage you to give it a go one day, as the joy of finishing one of these pieces is unbelievable! Happy stitching :) x
Stitching Mae Thank you! Holidays are great, but it's always nice to be back home (especially because that's where my cross stitch supplies are LOL). I'm looking forward to picking 99 bottles back up in January when I start my rotation. Merry Christmas to you and your family ;) x
Great progress on your WIPs. Nice haul! I have now bought a stitching gauge. It will help me a lot with my cards. I LOVE the blue butterfly. Butterflies have a special meaning to me too. I even gave a butterfly tattoo! xxx
You won't regret the gauge Kerry - probably one of the best tools I've purchased! It's far to easy to make mistakes with a tape measure! I've always said if I was to ever get a tattoo, it would be a butterfly. A psychic even told me once that I would, but it hasn't happened yet LOL. Merry Christmas and Happy stitching :) x
Thank you Jan - it was AMAZING, and just what we both needed!! Secretly, I will shed a few tears when I finish him. He's a symbolic piece for a traumatic event that both my son and I suffered a few years back. I may share the story when he's done (as long as I don't tear up!). We will always look at him and remember what we went through and gain strength from his presence. As well as remembering he represented an entire year of my stitching life. I think he is a perfect piece for a teenage boy and he's been a delight to stitch. Merry Christmas and Happy stitching :) x
I'm amazed how speedy you are with your HAED! It puts me to shame. But no matter what our stitching speed, we'll all get there in the end. :) Great progress on your other WIPs too, and great haul too! Glad you had a good time on your holiday! :) xx
Emily Chadwick Thanks Emily! I've been like a possessed woman trying to get it done - I promise I've not always been like that. The parking technique has definitely helped because it feels like I'm a newbie again, with a whole new passion! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family :) x
I swear that dragon piece has some sort of mystical stitchical energy in it; I think I could stare at it for hours and even though the time investment would be daunting, I can't wait to work on that or something similarly awesome. :)
I've been keeping track of the time it's taken to stitch, so when it's finished I'll let you know the final figures...... it's already mind blowing!! I think most of the HAED designs I've seen have that unique appeal to them - there's so much detail, it's incredible. The piece has special significance for my son and I - which, again, I'll share when it's finished :)
Next time yo head to the spa, swing by and pick me up. Sounds like it was pure heaven!! WOW, when you held up that dragon, my jaw fell to the ground. What a fantastic piece. I do hope you share the story as I love to hear the meaning behind stitched pieces. Happy Holidays!
Thank you so much Khristine. I will do a video one day of my stash. Some people collect fabric, others threads - my obsessive habit is collecting charts and kits. It's really getting ridiculous! And my taste has changed so much over the years. I have some charts that I know I will never stitch, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them :) I have a video coming up of my finishes which will also be very long. Sadly most haven't been framed, but I still regularly get them out and enjoy them. Happy stitching :) x
I do the same. I don't feel creative enough to finish things and framing is so expensive. I did recently join a stitching guild and some of the ladies do their own framing so I am hoping to learn from them. And I would love to see all your finishes!!!
Khristine Doiron Have you seen Tara's video on Framing? She inspired me to give it a go on my Daughter's Bless The Graduate piece. It's a 2 part video and it's completely achievable. Here's the links: Part 1: ua-cam.com/video/G50OtQp06F0/v-deo.html Part 2: ua-cam.com/video/Uot72ZWxoa8/v-deo.html I think I last counted about 50 finishes, so I might have to do 2 videos. Anyway that's an idea for the new year. Thanks again for watching, and Happy Stitching :) x
Thank you! I can't believe I kept mispronouncing them as "Seltic" haha The panic is on to finish the dragon - I need more stitching time aarrgghh! Happy stitching :) x
Wow your dragon is beautiful! And huge lol! I loved the video and can't wait to see your next one. I've been trying to catch up on all the videos too. It's so good to see so many people making them:)
Thank you! Yes, he's gigantic.... should be interesting to see how much the framer will charge to complete him. I might have to stop buying stash so I can afford it LOL. My husband thinks it great because now he has total control of the tv at night, because I'm watching my UA-cam videos :) Merry Christmas to you and your family :) x
Yayyy, I love your videos!! Your blue dragon is so gorgeous, I can't wait to see him done. Great haul, too! The tool to make your stitches lay flat looks interesting. I might have to invest in one, because ever now and then my thread will twist and I'll have a crazy looking stitch.
Thank you Kaitlin! I can't wait either. I'm sure the framer will be surprised when he sees how big it is ;) Yes the crazy stitch always used to bug me too (I'm a bit of a perfectionist), and the tool definitely helps with that, but it does take a little bit of getting used to. Merry Christmas to you and your family ;) x
I love those stitch counters/gauges! I am the same about measuring - I measure about a half-dozen times before I cut, after I cut ... I still measure when I've started stitching just in case. I might have to look in to getting one of those. I was impressed with that grab bag too, I've looked at those but never purchased. I can't remember if you mentioned what the price of it was but it seemed like a good value. As always, that dragon piece is stunning and your hair is glorious. I am off to watch your metallics video :) McKenzie
Thanks McKenzie :) I wasn't exactly sure what the gauges did until I purchased them, now I'm glad I did. The HAEDs are particularly scary because it never looks like you have enough material :/ The grab bag was $3.99, but it looks like they're out of stock. I guess they sold in the lead up to Christmas. Thanks for your lovely comments, as always :) x
Great video. It was nice to see another cross stitch that uses the Needle needs Necessaire frames & assuming the size of your work you also use the floor frame too. The best frames & stand I have ever had. I have the entire kit. The little wizrards, different sizes in side stretchers, and bars. I am new to starting stitching by griding etc. Do you stitch with griding on smaller projects too?? Found your videos very helpful & very inspiring. I am also a Lavender & Lace fan, particularly the Celtic range. I have 3 out of the set completed. I am also very keen to start my first Heaven & Earth design. After watching your videos i definitely have the stitching bug!! LOL Thank you so much, I have subcribed to you.
Jane Louise Reeves Hello Jane and welcome to my channel - it's great to have you onboard :) I adore my Millennium frame & stand. Easily the best stitching purchase I have ever made, and also the largest LOL. I have never gridded my fabric and after stitching for 20+ years now, I don't feel the need to ever do so. Besides, I'm a very impatient person when it comes to stitching and time gridding would take away from my stitching time. Oh which 3 Lavender & Lace ladies have you done? I'm currently working on Autumn, with the colour conversions and I absolutely adore how she is turning out. I've noticed there is a lot more metallics and beading than in the Mirabilia design I completed. Heaven & Earth designs are gorgeous and incredibly addictive. I no longer browse their webpage because I have no self control. If their designs were smaller it wouldn't be so bad, but they are monstrous in size and can take years to complete. My plan is to have 1 HAED on the go at all times, so I can slowly get it completed. I'm glad to have inspired you - happy stitching :) x
Hi Carolyn So please to wait to your reply. When I mention gridding I refer to stitching in the square grids rather than drawing the grid on the fabric. I'm not sure what u call the actual stitching block by block as ur video showed. I have celtic autumn in both colours to stitch plus celtic winter. Think in both colours. I've stitch spring, noel, summer. Laid out together they look great. Yes the metallics & beading was a lot. I ended up setting myself a target to complete a session. As thinking I had a massive load to do put me off picking it up. Wasn't sure if you would get my first message he so searched in Google for you on facebook & too sent a message. Do you have the entire needle needs floor, frames, side stretchers etc. They are solid!! Forgot to ask with the stitching by blocks, carrying g thread if needed over 2 blocks as you video talked about don't you use up load's more thread?? Found the tools u talked about in ur video. Bought off amazon from USA. My thread always twist I have to untwist it. I'm a massive tiger fan so Stitching a large orange/black on black aida & another very large roaring tiger standing up in orange/black. How often do you get stitching time in?? Plus you talk about rotating ur wips, how many do u have on the go and what's the time scale for each wip before rotating them. I try to do this! Anyway hope to give block stitching a go tomorrow when I have pm off!! Thanks again! Jane
Jane Louise Reeves Oh sorry about that - I just call it working in columns. So in answer to your original question.... no, I don't stitch using columns in smaller projects. I only use that method for full coverage designs. I can't see myself stitching the Celtic Ladies in all the conversions, I'll just be happy to be able to complete the full set once :) No, I don't have the entire Needle Needs set (I tend to avoid buying from the UK at all because it's quite expensive with the exchange rate). I have the Necessaire stand and 3 frames, 2 side stretchers and the longer support arms (as well as the regular ones). By far the best purchase I have made. I love them. By carrying the thread over 2 blocks - yes you do use a bit more thread but you save in time. The one I'm currently doing shouldn't use more thread though because they recommended 25ct fabric full crosses, and I'm doing 28ct fabric half crosses - so it will probably even out in the end. I'm making notes of how much I use this time so at the end I'll be able to compare it. Wow the tigers sound amazing! I have done a leopard but not a tiger as yet. I stitch every evening, for around 4-5 hours. Sometimes I can sneak in an hour in the afternoon, before dinner, but not lately. I have 4 medium-large wips on the go, plus my cottage of the month and a card or two. The wips I swap each week, working from Monday to Sunday. The cottage of the month and the card/s are worked on in the afternoon or if I get spare time on the weekend during the day. Rotations don't work for everyone, but it's definitely working for me. So far this year I have completed 21 designs which I've never done before. Good luck with the column stitching. Just beware that some stitchers have found that they get noticeable lines on the front of their work when stitching in solid blocks. You can avoid this by staggering the blocks slightly. i.e. first row 10 stitches, 2nd row 11 stitches, 3rd row 12 stitches, 4th row 11 stitches, 5th row 10 stitches etc etc.... can you see the pattern forming? I didn't notice any grid lines in my dragon (probably because there weren't any large blocks of solid colour - just confetti), but I have noticed it with my new HAED. Take care and happy stitching :) x
Hi, Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Right I'm going to give a weekly rotation a go!! I've got the 2 tigers on the go. And I've dug out celtic autumn both colours & celtic winter. Going to get started & back into stitching evenweave. Lol Its like a stitching bug. Rushed home from work to sort my craft room, swop how my wips were rolled on frame etc & order tools! I've learnt loads from you. I enjoyed watching other videos on u getting ur frame, using metallics, ur craft room etc & progress of wips. I have composed now my HAED wish list!! Favourite being 'Mini fortune teller' by Lisa Parker. I love tabby cats. I may come back to you for help with fabric etc. Thanks again for chatting. Jane
Jane Louise Reeves Hi Jane, that sounds great. Don't forget to enter my giveaway (if you haven't already) and you may be lucky enough to use the vouchers to kit up some projects :) x
Hi Chris, Stitch A Long's (or SALs as they're otherwise known as) are organised within different groups.... on Facebook etc. You just need to request to become a member of a group and they put all the information on their wall about the upcoming SALs. Cross Stitch It's Fun and Cross Stitch and Discuss #2 have regular SALs organised. There should be an "Events" tab on their Facebook wall which will have the calendar you're looking for. Hope this helps :) x
wow the dragon is so amazing you have inspired me to stitch more complex projects. te only thing i find hard is how to figure out how much thread you need to buy of each colour for the blue dragon the heaven and earth chart is confusing how did you work it out?
Matt Critchley Hi there! OK so assuming you got the regular sized chart like me (and not the enlarged one).... the thread amounts will start on page 4 and continue until page 6. The last column at the end of each thread colour will read 'Skein Est.', which is short for Skein Estimation I think. It will read either 1.000 or 2.000 etc. This just means 1 skein or 2 skeins. Most threads only require 1 or 2 skeins, except for 317, 318 & 414, which need 3 skeins. Another column to take note of is the first one next to the thread colour - 'Full'. This will tell you how many individual stitches there are of that particular colour.... so that will also give you an estimation of how much of each skein you will use. However please remember these amounts are only estimations and are based on using fabric which is 25 count. If you use a smaller count fabric (i.e. 18ct) you will need more skeins, and if you use a parking technique like me, you will also need more skeins. I only purchased the suggested amount, and I did run out of some colours. Unfortunately I didn't keep a record of how many skeins I used, but I wished I did. I hope that helps. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. Happy stitching :) x
Just happen to come across your videos which I love. How did u get into cross stitching and where is a good place to start? Did you start with stamped cross stitch first or right to counter cross stitch? Thanks I am a newbie. What do u do with all your projects?
I have gotten many ideas and added many items to my wishlist at 123stitch. Thank you so much so glad I found your videos on UA-cam. Patty Smith BC Canada
Hello Carolyn! I've just discovered your tutorials and it has been 12 years since I've stitched and my kids are getting older and Im getting myself back into the stitching world. Your tutorials are bringing me up to date on this new technological world of stitching. My last piece I finished in 2003 was Mirabella's "Angels Dwell Here" It took me a ridiculously long time to do. But I adore the beads and I did the wings in a fuzzy thread so the wings look furry. I love my angels! At the time I didn't know anything about parking and was just figuring everything out on my own. I'm so grateful to have found your page and I will be binge watching them all in a row. I think your amazing and talented Thanks for all your video's! Happy Stitching!
+Chris Crossiness Thank you so much Chris, that is a lovely thing to say :) I also have that chart, and I look forward to stitching it one day. I think it would make a very nice piece for a child's nursery (will be a Grandma project for me one day!). I love the idea of doing the wings in whisper thread - I haven't used that as yet.
Thank you so much for watching, and taking the time to leave a lovely comment. Happy stitching :) x
Love working on my 99 Bottles! :) Can't wait to get back to it....Love the cloudsfactory wip. HAED pattern is gorgeous,great progress! Man I can't believe how HUGE that dragon is! Absolutely beautiful! Nice haul. :)
Thanks Chelsea. I'm starting to get nervous about the framing costs for the dragon - not sure that I want to attempt it myself on such a special piece.
Thanks for watching :) x
Wow. That dragon is amazing. I would be too chicken to try something so daunting. Much appreciation to those of you who tackle those huge projects and succeed. I am in awe.
Thanks Toni! I know it looks really daunting, but I promise you it's not. The best thing about HAEDs is they only contain full cross stitches - no quarter, three quarter or backstitching! That makes the design really easy to complete. The hardest part is the sheer size of the project. I would recommend stitching maybe a Mini design first, or even one of their Storykeeps (which is a large bookmark) to get the hang of it, before tackling such a large project.
I encourage you to give it a go one day, as the joy of finishing one of these pieces is unbelievable!
Happy stitching :) x
The dragon s breath taking! Glad you had fun on your trip! Yay another 99 bottles! !
Stitching Mae
Thank you! Holidays are great, but it's always nice to be back home (especially because that's where my cross stitch supplies are LOL).
I'm looking forward to picking 99 bottles back up in January when I start my rotation.
Merry Christmas to you and your family ;) x
Great video, your dragon cross stitch is one of the most stunning pieces I have ever seen!! Beautiful work x
Thank you! I must admit, it has turned out way better than I expected.
Thanks for watching and happy stitching :) x
Great progress on your WIPs. Nice haul! I have now bought a stitching gauge. It will help me a lot with my cards. I LOVE the blue butterfly. Butterflies have a special meaning to me too. I even gave a butterfly tattoo! xxx
You won't regret the gauge Kerry - probably one of the best tools I've purchased! It's far to easy to make mistakes with a tape measure!
I've always said if I was to ever get a tattoo, it would be a butterfly. A psychic even told me once that I would, but it hasn't happened yet LOL.
Merry Christmas and Happy stitching :) x
Sounds like a fabulous holiday! I adore blue dragon and hope you finish it very soon. I would love to stitch this for my teenage son
Thank you Jan - it was AMAZING, and just what we both needed!!
Secretly, I will shed a few tears when I finish him. He's a symbolic piece for a traumatic event that both my son and I suffered a few years back. I may share the story when he's done (as long as I don't tear up!). We will always look at him and remember what we went through and gain strength from his presence. As well as remembering he represented an entire year of my stitching life.
I think he is a perfect piece for a teenage boy and he's been a delight to stitch.
Merry Christmas and Happy stitching :) x
I'm amazed how speedy you are with your HAED! It puts me to shame. But no matter what our stitching speed, we'll all get there in the end. :) Great progress on your other WIPs too, and great haul too! Glad you had a good time on your holiday! :) xx
Emily Chadwick
Thanks Emily! I've been like a possessed woman trying to get it done - I promise I've not always been like that. The parking technique has definitely helped because it feels like I'm a newbie again, with a whole new passion!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family :) x
I want to try parking some time. Maybe when I start a new HAED at some point I'll give it a go! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! :) xx
Love your dragon, nice haul happy stitching xx
Thank you so much!
Merry Christmas and happy stitching to you too :) x
You're just so sweet!!! Happy New Year!!! I will be watching for all your stitchy updates!
Happy New Year to you too Michelle :) x
I swear that dragon piece has some sort of mystical stitchical energy in it; I think I could stare at it for hours and even though the time investment would be daunting, I can't wait to work on that or something similarly awesome. :)
I've been keeping track of the time it's taken to stitch, so when it's finished I'll let you know the final figures...... it's already mind blowing!!
I think most of the HAED designs I've seen have that unique appeal to them - there's so much detail, it's incredible. The piece has special significance for my son and I - which, again, I'll share when it's finished :)
Next time yo head to the spa, swing by and pick me up. Sounds like it was pure heaven!! WOW, when you held up that dragon, my jaw fell to the ground. What a fantastic piece. I do hope you share the story as I love to hear the meaning behind stitched pieces. Happy Holidays!
Haha - it was a hard choice only picking one person to take with me!
Thank you of your kind words, and Happy Holidays to you too :) x
I love all your projects!! Great haul as well!!
Thank you!
Merry Christmas and Happy stitching :) x
Your Blue Dragon is so beautiful!! And I am super jealous of all your purchases, you have great taste! :)
Thank you so much Khristine. I will do a video one day of my stash. Some people collect fabric, others threads - my obsessive habit is collecting charts and kits. It's really getting ridiculous! And my taste has changed so much over the years. I have some charts that I know I will never stitch, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them :)
I have a video coming up of my finishes which will also be very long. Sadly most haven't been framed, but I still regularly get them out and enjoy them.
Happy stitching :) x
I do the same. I don't feel creative enough to finish things and framing is so expensive. I did recently join a stitching guild and some of the ladies do their own framing so I am hoping to learn from them. And I would love to see all your finishes!!!
Khristine Doiron
Have you seen Tara's video on Framing? She inspired me to give it a go on my Daughter's Bless The Graduate piece. It's a 2 part video and it's completely achievable. Here's the links:
Part 1: ua-cam.com/video/G50OtQp06F0/v-deo.html
Part 2: ua-cam.com/video/Uot72ZWxoa8/v-deo.html
I think I last counted about 50 finishes, so I might have to do 2 videos. Anyway that's an idea for the new year.
Thanks again for watching, and Happy Stitching :) x
No I haven't watched those yet. Thanks for letting me know :)
Khristine Doiron
You're very welcome. I'm sure you'll love them, and maybe even give it a go yourself :) x
Great haul, happy holidays.
Thank you - you too :)
Great video - I love the blue butterfly
Thanks Debbie :)
That dragon is amazing!
Thank you!
Merry Christmas to you and your family :) x
Great Haul! Love the Celtic ladies! :) You are making amazing progress on your Blue dragon!
Thank you! I can't believe I kept mispronouncing them as "Seltic" haha
The panic is on to finish the dragon - I need more stitching time aarrgghh!
Happy stitching :) x
Wow your dragon is beautiful! And huge lol! I loved the video and can't wait to see your next one. I've been trying to catch up on all the videos too. It's so good to see so many people making them:)
Thank you! Yes, he's gigantic.... should be interesting to see how much the framer will charge to complete him. I might have to stop buying stash so I can afford it LOL.
My husband thinks it great because now he has total control of the tv at night, because I'm watching my UA-cam videos :)
Merry Christmas to you and your family :) x
About cutting thread on planes, a dental floss works very well!
Yes I had heard that, and was intending on taking one.... but I forgot to keep an empty one!
Thanks for watching :) x
Yayyy, I love your videos!! Your blue dragon is so gorgeous, I can't wait to see him done. Great haul, too! The tool to make your stitches lay flat looks interesting. I might have to invest in one, because ever now and then my thread will twist and I'll have a crazy looking stitch.
Thank you Kaitlin! I can't wait either. I'm sure the framer will be surprised when he sees how big it is ;)
Yes the crazy stitch always used to bug me too (I'm a bit of a perfectionist), and the tool definitely helps with that, but it does take a little bit of getting used to.
Merry Christmas to you and your family ;) x
I love those stitch counters/gauges! I am the same about measuring - I measure about a half-dozen times before I cut, after I cut ... I still measure when I've started stitching just in case. I might have to look in to getting one of those. I was impressed with that grab bag too, I've looked at those but never purchased. I can't remember if you mentioned what the price of it was but it seemed like a good value. As always, that dragon piece is stunning and your hair is glorious. I am off to watch your metallics video :)
McKenzie
Thanks McKenzie :) I wasn't exactly sure what the gauges did until I purchased them, now I'm glad I did. The HAEDs are particularly scary because it never looks like you have enough material :/
The grab bag was $3.99, but it looks like they're out of stock. I guess they sold in the lead up to Christmas.
Thanks for your lovely comments, as always :) x
Great video. It was nice to see another cross stitch that uses the Needle needs Necessaire frames & assuming the size of your work you also use the floor frame too. The best frames & stand I have ever had. I have the entire kit. The little wizrards, different sizes in side stretchers, and bars. I am new to starting stitching by griding etc. Do you stitch with griding on smaller projects too??
Found your videos very helpful & very inspiring. I am also a Lavender & Lace fan, particularly the Celtic range. I have 3 out of the set completed. I am also very keen to start my first Heaven & Earth design. After watching your videos i definitely have the stitching bug!! LOL
Thank you so much, I have subcribed to you.
Jane Louise Reeves Hello Jane and welcome to my channel - it's great to have you onboard :)
I adore my Millennium frame & stand. Easily the best stitching purchase I have ever made, and also the largest LOL. I have never gridded my fabric and after stitching for 20+ years now, I don't feel the need to ever do so. Besides, I'm a very impatient person when it comes to stitching and time gridding would take away from my stitching time.
Oh which 3 Lavender & Lace ladies have you done? I'm currently working on Autumn, with the colour conversions and I absolutely adore how she is turning out. I've noticed there is a lot more metallics and beading than in the Mirabilia design I completed.
Heaven & Earth designs are gorgeous and incredibly addictive. I no longer browse their webpage because I have no self control. If their designs were smaller it wouldn't be so bad, but they are monstrous in size and can take years to complete. My plan is to have 1 HAED on the go at all times, so I can slowly get it completed.
I'm glad to have inspired you - happy stitching :) x
Hi Carolyn
So please to wait to your reply.
When I mention gridding I refer to stitching in the square grids rather than drawing the grid on the fabric. I'm not sure what u call the actual stitching block by block as ur video showed.
I have celtic autumn in both colours to stitch plus celtic winter. Think in both colours. I've stitch spring, noel, summer. Laid out together they look great. Yes the metallics & beading was a lot. I ended up setting myself a target to complete a session. As thinking I had a massive load to do put me off picking it up.
Wasn't sure if you would get my first message he so searched in Google for you on facebook & too sent a message.
Do you have the entire needle needs floor, frames, side stretchers etc. They are solid!!
Forgot to ask with the stitching by blocks, carrying g thread if needed over 2 blocks as you video talked about don't you use up load's more thread??
Found the tools u talked about in ur video. Bought off amazon from USA. My thread always twist I have to untwist it. I'm a massive tiger fan so Stitching a large orange/black on black aida & another very large roaring tiger standing up in orange/black.
How often do you get stitching time in??
Plus you talk about rotating ur wips, how many do u have on the go and what's the time scale for each wip before rotating them. I try to do this!
Anyway hope to give block stitching a go tomorrow when I have pm off!!
Thanks again!
Jane
Jane Louise Reeves Oh sorry about that - I just call it working in columns. So in answer to your original question.... no, I don't stitch using columns in smaller projects. I only use that method for full coverage designs.
I can't see myself stitching the Celtic Ladies in all the conversions, I'll just be happy to be able to complete the full set once :)
No, I don't have the entire Needle Needs set (I tend to avoid buying from the UK at all because it's quite expensive with the exchange rate). I have the Necessaire stand and 3 frames, 2 side stretchers and the longer support arms (as well as the regular ones). By far the best purchase I have made. I love them.
By carrying the thread over 2 blocks - yes you do use a bit more thread but you save in time. The one I'm currently doing shouldn't use more thread though because they recommended 25ct fabric full crosses, and I'm doing 28ct fabric half crosses - so it will probably even out in the end. I'm making notes of how much I use this time so at the end I'll be able to compare it.
Wow the tigers sound amazing! I have done a leopard but not a tiger as yet.
I stitch every evening, for around 4-5 hours. Sometimes I can sneak in an hour in the afternoon, before dinner, but not lately.
I have 4 medium-large wips on the go, plus my cottage of the month and a card or two. The wips I swap each week, working from Monday to Sunday. The cottage of the month and the card/s are worked on in the afternoon or if I get spare time on the weekend during the day. Rotations don't work for everyone, but it's definitely working for me. So far this year I have completed 21 designs which I've never done before.
Good luck with the column stitching. Just beware that some stitchers have found that they get noticeable lines on the front of their work when stitching in solid blocks. You can avoid this by staggering the blocks slightly. i.e. first row 10 stitches, 2nd row 11 stitches, 3rd row 12 stitches, 4th row 11 stitches, 5th row 10 stitches etc etc.... can you see the pattern forming? I didn't notice any grid lines in my dragon (probably because there weren't any large blocks of solid colour - just confetti), but I have noticed it with my new HAED.
Take care and happy stitching :) x
Hi,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
Right I'm going to give a weekly rotation a go!! I've got the 2 tigers on the go. And I've dug out celtic autumn both colours & celtic winter. Going to get started & back into stitching evenweave. Lol
Its like a stitching bug. Rushed home from work to sort my craft room, swop how my wips were rolled on frame etc & order tools! I've learnt loads from you. I enjoyed watching other videos on u getting ur frame, using metallics, ur craft room etc & progress of wips.
I have composed now my HAED wish list!! Favourite being 'Mini fortune teller' by Lisa Parker. I love tabby cats.
I may come back to you for help with fabric etc.
Thanks again for chatting.
Jane
Jane Louise Reeves
Hi Jane, that sounds great. Don't forget to enter my giveaway (if you haven't already) and you may be lucky enough to use the vouchers to kit up some projects :) x
Love your videos, will you be doing any more, i haven't seen any new ones as of late
I would like to say THANKS because you give such useful advice. I've viewed lots of videos but yours are always the most helpful. =)
chris humphrey Thank you so much Chris - that is such a lovely thing to say :) x
May I ask you a question? Id like to do a stitch a long, but am new to this. Is there a calendar
of dates etc.
Thx,
Chris =)
Hi Chris, Stitch A Long's (or SALs as they're otherwise known as) are organised within different groups.... on Facebook etc. You just need to request to become a member of a group and they put all the information on their wall about the upcoming SALs. Cross Stitch It's Fun and Cross Stitch and Discuss #2 have regular SALs organised. There should be an "Events" tab on their Facebook wall which will have the calendar you're looking for. Hope this helps :) x
It does indeed and thanks! =)
chris humphrey You're very welcome :) x
wow the dragon is so amazing you have inspired me to stitch more complex projects. te only thing i find hard is how to figure out how much thread you need to buy of each colour for the blue dragon the heaven and earth chart is confusing how did you work it out?
sorry this is matt critchleys girlfriend lol that is asking
Matt Critchley Hi there! OK so assuming you got the regular sized chart like me (and not the enlarged one).... the thread amounts will start on page 4 and continue until page 6. The last column at the end of each thread colour will read 'Skein Est.', which is short for Skein Estimation I think. It will read either 1.000 or 2.000 etc. This just means 1 skein or 2 skeins. Most threads only require 1 or 2 skeins, except for 317, 318 & 414, which need 3 skeins.
Another column to take note of is the first one next to the thread colour - 'Full'. This will tell you how many individual stitches there are of that particular colour.... so that will also give you an estimation of how much of each skein you will use.
However please remember these amounts are only estimations and are based on using fabric which is 25 count. If you use a smaller count fabric (i.e. 18ct) you will need more skeins, and if you use a parking technique like me, you will also need more skeins. I only purchased the suggested amount, and I did run out of some colours. Unfortunately I didn't keep a record of how many skeins I used, but I wished I did.
I hope that helps. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.
Happy stitching :) x
Just happen to come across your videos which I love. How did u get into cross stitching and where is a good place to start? Did you start with stamped cross stitch first or right to counter cross stitch? Thanks I am a newbie. What do u do with all your projects?
hi can you share where you got those precut fabrics at?
I have gotten many ideas and added many items to my wishlist at 123stitch. Thank you so much so glad I found your videos on UA-cam. Patty Smith BC Canada
You're very welcome Patty, and I'm glad you enjoy watching them. It's great that we can share advice, tips and cheaper pricing ;)
Happy stitching :) x
Happy New Year