CrossStitcher Summer 2021

Stitch count: 37 high x 55 wide Design size: 8x10cm (3.x4in) Stitch time: 5 hours This design was stitched on 14 count aida fabric. Make a… zipped purse Step 1 STITCH the design in the centre of 11x14cm (4⅜x5½in) of 14 count aida. Some of the backstitch lines for the flower stems need to split an aida square. Try to split the square equally to create a straight line. Step 2 FOLD over the top of the stitched aida onto the wrong side by 1cm (⅜in) and press. Working from the outside of the purse, place the fold on top of a closed 11cm zip, so the seam is up against the teeth on one side, spaced equally in the fabric centre. Make a row of white machine stitches across, close to the zip. Step 3 REPEAT step 2 with…

PART 1 Stitching your… Summer SAL Step 1 TAKE a 21x16cm (8¼x6⅜in) piece of white 14 count aida and turn it landscape. Position this first postcard so the blue half cross stitch in the top left-hand corner of the design is 14 aida squares down from the top of the fabric, and 14 aida squares in from the left-hand edge. Once you’ve worked the three designs (parts 2 and 3 are in the next two issues of CrossStitcher), and leaving two aida squares between each of the postcards, the finished size will be 67 stitches high x 79 wide. Step 2 ADD lavendar seed beads – the beads should be stitched in the positions marked on the chart with a dark pink dot, over the top of the cross stitches. EXCLUSIVE READER KITS! You can send off…

WE ARE ALL dreaming of the things we may have taken for granted in the past. We are close to being able to do so many things once more – we just have to sit tight for a little longer. We can look forward to the important things by putting our dreams into stitches. As summer is coming, so many of us would love to travel. We picked the iconic island of Santorini as a dream destination and asked designer Emma Congdon to picture it for us. Start stitching on page 32 and feel the warmth. Closer to home, we all love exploring gardens and many have already opened their doors (or should that be gates?). Inspired by this feeling of discovery, we asked Susan Bates to recreate the famous ‘Secret Garden’…

Stay in line Anette Eriksson has embraced The Minimal Line Art Trend with her new needlepoint kits worked in half cross stitch on hessian. If you’d like to ‘go large’ with your stitching, these designs would be worthy of any gallery, so will give your home a cool contemporary art vibe in an instant. They come in a choice of eight colours, so you can go for vibrant, bold shades if you prefer. Each kit contains your choice of fabric, your choice of yarn, black and white chart and instructions. Perfect for giving your decor a summer makeover! www.anetteeriksson.com MY CRAFtROOM: HANNAH BASS We get to see a glimpse of a designer’s own craft space… “As my business has grown, my craft storage has spread into every room. I have learnt to embrace all it’s…

GIRAFFES IF YOU’VE fallen for our family of giraffes on page 60, it’s time to stick your neck out with these stitching treats too… WHO Gloria is the name of this oh-so-cute felt sewing kit. Make your own Gloria feltie using the kit with traceable embroidery templates and full colour instructions and stitch diagram. www.notonthehighstreet.com/beakind WHAT Sophie Allport's Giraffe fabric is available to buy by the metre. Her gorgeous illustrations of African giraffes are dotted over the mustard/ochre coloured fabric. It is 100% cotton so suitable for cushions and bag linings. www.sophieallport.com HOW Brighten up a corner of your home with this elegant Giraffe Embroidery Kit which comes with a pre-made fair-trade and zip-opening organic cushion cover to stitch onto. www.paraffle-embroidery.com…

Hullo! Summer is here and, after the crazy times we’ve had over the past year and a half, it’s time to bask in some happiness and sunshine! I don’t know about you, but I live for sunlight, whether I’m outside hiking, sitting at my garden table stitching with a cup of tea, or working at my desk and watching it stream in through the window. But if there’s one thing that loves the sun more than me, it’s this month’s floriology bloom, the gorgeous sunflower! The meaning of this flower is adoration, and it certainly shows its adoration to the sun, turning throughout the day to follow our local star across the sky. Sunny weather always makes me feel happy, which helps me better appreciate all the people I adore. Sometimes…