Articles And Resources

Cross Stitching Mid Life Crisis

January 4, 2013 by Joy · 13 Comments

Right before Christmas, I celebrated my 28th birthday. And I’m coming up on my 4 year wedding anniversary in February. Taking a little time for reflection, I realize that all the changes in my life and changes in taste are seeping into my cross stitching. I find it a bit odd.

This whole revelation started about a year ago when I was updating my “Future Projects Album” that I have on my blog. I took pictures of the pieces that I wanted to do and compiled it into one large album for easy reference (it hasn’t been updated in awhile so some of the new pieces I have aren’t on there, fyi, as my laptop battery is toast and I haven’t had much computing time lately). I realized that some of the pieces on there I wouldn’t have touched with a ten foot pole even a year prior. I’ve seen some other signs outside the stitching world like being excited that my mother-in-law got me a year’s subscription to Family Circle.

Perhaps it will help if I give you some examples. [Read more...]

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Back to Basics Wednesday – Where to Buy Stash

January 2, 2013 by Shaunterria · 1 Comment

Where to Buy Stash

Howdy stitchy people! Today’s Back to Basics Wednesday topic is one near and dear to my heart – how to find all the wonderful charts, fabrics, flosses and embellishments needed to create your works of art. Honestly, buying the supplies is half the fun of creating a cross stitch project. Even if you do not plan on stitching what you’ve bought right away, adding to your stash is one of the joys of needlework

Local Needlework Shop (LNS)

If you can buy local, you should do it! LNS serve as meeting spots for stitchers and offer classes to learn new techniques. As such it is a logical place to buy your cross stitch supplies, especially for newbies – it is much easier to see the difference between Aida, linen and evenweaves in person, for example. In addition, LNS are able to offer patterns and flosses directly from distributors and offer freebies (with purchase, of course) from designers that individual consumers are not able to acquire. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles and Resources, Cross Stitch Tutorials and Reports ·

Finishing Your Cross Stitching on a Budget Part III: Avoid the Frame!

December 20, 2012 by Joy · 2 Comments

So you think framing is scary. Or you’ve run out of wall space for frames so you’re looking for alternatives. In any case, I like small stuff that I don’t have to frame. I’ll drool over large pretty pieces but I never seem to start any of them because I like things that I can stitch quickly and finish without framing in just a few hours.

[Read more...]

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Finishing Your Cross Stitch on a Budget Part II: Mounting Woes

December 13, 2012 by Joy · 2 Comments

So you went shopping and found the perfect frame for your “frame it yourself” piece. But everything is still sitting in plastic bags because you realized that you have to mount your work yourself and it’s terrifying you. Do you lace it? Do you pin it? How will you ever get it straight? What if you ruin your work?

I’ll admit that I’m not perfect at mounting my work. However, I find that practice makes perfect so let me share a few things that I’ve discovered as I’ve mounted some stuff of my own

[Read more...]

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Back to Basics Wednesday – Ways to Start Your Stitching

December 5, 2012 by Shaunterria · 4 Comments

Howdy stitchy folk! I am a newbie stitcher (I have only been at it for a couple of years), so I have decided to share some of the little wisdom I have compiled during my journeys through cross stitching blogs, tutorials, YouTube videos and Yahoo groups with all of you in a series I am calling “Back to Basics”.

I’ve realized that when it comes to the needle arts everyone has their own way of doing everything, which means there is always a newer/cheaper/easier way to make your projects beautiful. Luckily for me, I know I don’t know much at all so I am always on the lookout for better ways to make my stitching time more enjoyable. First up on Back to Basics Wednesdays, a how-to on starting your threads. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles and Resources, Cross Stitch Tutorials and Reports · Tagged With: Back to Basics Wednesdays, Cross Stitch tutorials, starting cross stitch