If stitching a sampler for a family event is just too much work for you, consider stitching something smaller. Perhaps something ornament-sized. You may not be able to stitch as many details on it, however, they can be just as effective. They also take much less time. Substituting Ornaments for Samplers When you don’t feel […]
About Joy
Stitching the Family: Modifications!
[The title of this post comes from the extremely funny Pixar short “Tokyo Mater” where Mater gets “modifications.” What can I say, I have two small children and all I get to watch is Disney and Sprout.] So, you want to stitch something nice for an upcoming birth or wedding but you can’t find anything […]
Stitching the Family: Samplers
Many stitchers use stitching to commemorate events in the family. One of the most popular ways to do this is with samplers. Samplers have been around since humanity has been doing the needle arts. Many stitchers think of alphabet, motif, and border samplers when they hear the word “sampler,” but according to Wikipedia, a sampler […]
A Little Gridding Goes A Long Way
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (like back in 2013), I guest blogged a few times over here about my adventures in stitching. Then, in Summer of 2013, I started a Masters of Arts degree in teaching and most of my spare time for blogging and stitching in general went down […]
Stitching in Epic Proportions
A few months ago, when I first started guest blogging here, I talked about how I prefer to stitch smaller projects. It’s mostly because they don’t take forever to finish and also are less expensive to finish. But occasionally, one has to stitch something truly epic. And I mean EPIC! Lord of the Rings […]
How to create a UFO in 13 Easy Steps
If you’ve been stitching for awhile, you probably have at least one UFO stashed away somewhere. And no, I’m not talking about little green men or your Star Trek figurine collection. In stitching terms, a UFO is an “unfinished object” or basically, something that you’ve stopped stitching on for some reason. I don’t have a […]
Cross Stitching Mid Life Crisis
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 […]
Finishing Your Cross Stitching on a Budget Part III: Avoid the Frame!
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 […]
Finishing Your Cross Stitch on a Budget Part II: Mounting Woes
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 […]
Finishing Your Cross Stitch on a Budget Part I: Creative Framing
Admit it. There are a whole bunch of pieces that you’ve spent hours upon hours stitching only to end up in a tote or box somewhere because you can’t afford to frame it. I feel your pain. I was a poor college student before I became a poor married mother of two. I’ve only had […]
