CrossStitcher

make of the month

Designed by: Susan Penny Stitch count: 58 high x 56 wide Design size: 10x10cm (4x4in) Stitch time: 6 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Customise your pennant further by using your own left over threads to match the fur patterns of your own pets! Make a… pet pennant Step 1 START stitching on a 16x12cm (6¼x4¾in) piece of white 14 count aida. Ensure the lower green flag is at the bottom of the design, which should be centrally placed on the fabric, with the stitch at the point in the seventh hole up from the bottom of the fabric. Step 2 COMPLETE the stitching, then fold the sides of the aida fabric onto the reverse of the stitching, so that the ends of the stitched string, holding the lengths of flags, are just…

welcome

WE ARE HANGING OUT the flags this issue – literally! We are old enough (and hope you are too) to remember how you used to be able to buy a souvenir pennant from UK holiday resorts. It was a travelling game to spot the caravans with the most flags in their windows to see who was most well-travelled. A funny thought in these times of jumping on a plane so easily. Our little flags are more for home and to declare your allegiance as a cat or dog lover. Your ‘make of the month’ (page 2) features two charts so you will able to select the design for you – and join in an age old debate! We still can’t decide which side to take… We’re coming into autumn now so…

out there

Back to black Hawthorn Handmade have added six new embroidery kits to their range, with another six due out this summer. All are wild animal-themed – and there’s even a fantasy element with the unicorn too! We particularly love the puffin design as it’s a great companion to our cushion on page 18. Each kit retails at £20 and comes with everything you need including pre-printed cotton, 7in embroidery hoop, needle, DMC thread and detailed instructions. www.hawthornhandmade.com MY CRAFT ROOM: KATEGOLBY We get to see a glimpse of a designer’s own sewing space… “Over the last few years I have been increasingly working from home and have finally got my very own craft room! I love it because it overlooks the garden and is warm and cosy and even better, I don’t have to…

stitching with jess

Hullo! This month marks the beginning ofa new series. I’ll be bringing you a set of ‘mini sampler’ pieces to help keep your mind(and stitching)positive! This theme is close to my heart and, hopefully, will offer you some Zen in this busy world. I’ve always been a ‘non-stop’ kind of person–someone who is always busy and slightly stressed, unable to wind downfully. Can you re late? It’s as if I have to add‘breathe’ tomy'ToDo' list! And because stitching is meant to be my downtime, when I make mistakes and have to rip stitches out, I gets overy frustrated! In the past, I’ve let that pent-up stress fuel me to Get It Done. Remove those stitches, work that extrashift, get over whel med with stress and eat my negative feelings rather than forcing…

crafty bookshelf

MARK-MAKING THROUGH THE SEASONS HELEN PARROTT [Batsford] A creative guide to using seasons and local surroundings as inspiration in textile art. Learn how to look, for example, for the first signs of spring then record its qualities in textiles. This guide is filled with projects and step-bystep instructions to share the basics of hand and machine-stitch techniques, working with free-form stitching, chain stitch and corded quilting, as well as appliqué, blackwork and dyeing. FIRST TIME EMBROIDERY LINDA WYSZYNSKI [Quarry Books] If you’re at the start of your stitching journey, this book may well be worth investing in. This beginner’s guide teaches everything you need to know about techniques and includes detailed descriptions of materials and tools. The simple step-by-step instructions include instructions for classic embroidery, crewel and cross stitch – so you can…

september stash

• 6 card-sized pieces of 14 count white Sampedro aida; 15x15cm (6x6in) • 12 skeins of DMC stranded cotton in summer shades – (155) Lilac, (743) Golden Yellow, (907) Summer Green, (911) Tree Green, (911) Cerise, (943) Teal, (957) Pink, (996) Sea Blue, (3340) Orange, (3805) Geranium Pink, (3839) Lavender Blue and Blanc • 5 stitchable craft tags with baker’s twine • woodgrain flexi-hoop; 7.5cm (3in) diameter • Mill Hill beads • 2 flutterby charms • 24 and 26 gold tapestry needle • PLUS a free sheet of ‘Hand Stitched By’ stickers, for adding to the back of your cards and frames. Midsummer Stash for £22.50, ref: STASHMID MORE OFFERS FOR YOU! Pick up more stitching goodies at great prices and with UK postage of just £1.90… SAMPEDRO AIDA Due to popular demand we now…