Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 34 i Cross Stitch Favourites

It’s nice to shrink Christmas down to a smaller scale without losing any impact, and each of these letters and numbers has all the detail and colour you need to add the finishing touches to gifts this year. You could use them to spell out a loved one’s name at the top of a stocking or add initials to a place setting. Stitched on bright white aida fabric so the thread shades really pop, this alphabet will add to the festive feeling. Stitch Tip To help you keep lettering evenly spaced, count two or three stitching spaces between the widest part of each letter Stitch Tip Advanced beginners can tackle these motifs, which contain fractional stitches for added detail In the detail Though alphabet letters and numbers are an easy…

Looking to send a hug or fond wishes to your loved ones this Christmas? What better to turn to than a furry teddy bear – surely the greatest for cuddles. Shown here in many festive guises, these brown teds are so adorable and will make delightful gifts. The small charts will be charming to work on, bringing smiles as you think of the family members and friends you’re stitching them for. It’s all beary lovely. Stitch Tip Why not use a magnetic board behind your chart with a magnet strip to help keep your place – it’s so handy Bright ideas If you’re looking for gifts with a difference this year, add a festive touch to cookie and sweetie jars with the gift-wrapped pressies on frayed aida. When the celebrations…

Perfect for little ones and the young at heart, these sweet teddies are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Lend them a hand with delivering presents, take a twirl on the ice and pick up that all-essential Christmas pudding as you stitch your way through this charming set. The bears are mostly worked in whole stitches but do include some fractionals and clever backstitch to give them their fuzzy fur. Don’t stress too much over the placement of the backstitches, these bears are adorably scruffy by their very nature and sure to be loved by all. We stitched ours on plain white aida, with different coloured bows for embellishment. But you could stitch the teds on a wintry pale blue aida fabric, if you want to switch them…

If you don’t have time to stitch your Christmas gifts this year, you could just stitch a card and matching tag instead. Friends and family will be just as happy and your shop-bought gift will still have that handmade personal touch. There are some really fun ideas for unique tags here, we love the reindeer with the words, ‘no peeking’, and the ‘do not open until Christmas’ message. They’re sure to raise a smile. Stitch Tip These designs are great for personalising. Just plot out the names carefully on graph paper before stitching them into the designs Bright ideas This festive chart set has something for everyone and it’s also a great way to use up colours from your stash. These designs can be used to make napkin rings and…

It looks like there’s a party going on in the North Pole, and everyone from Santa to his snowman friend is enjoying the delights of the photobooth. Complete with festive props, silly glasses and fun disguises, these Christmas characters are cuter than ever, and will make wonderful greetings for anyone who enjoys letting their hair down. Jenny has used a bright palette of colours, including red, green and purple, and we’ve finished them with complementary purple cards. Each one is bursting with detail, and you’ll need to use fractional stitches as well as backstitch to bring this to life. With their fun, festive greetings, there’s something for everyone – ‘Kiss me’ for your beloved, a tongue-in-cheek ‘Naughty’ and ‘Nice’, or why not make Santa’s helper for a ‘sELFie’ addict? Get…

For some, the countdown to Christmas is just as exciting as the day itself and Durene Jones’ calendar captures that feeling of delicious anticipation. Santa, so round and friendly, pulls a decorative sleigh in this folksy-style design. Heart buttons, modern typography and detailed snowflakes are just some of the elements that give this charming chart its homespun feel. Stitch the numbers separately (you’ll find a full set of charts over the next few pages) and hang them from the heart buttons, switching them around each day. Make Durene’s advent calendar using the step-by-step instructions over the page. It’s made out of felt, which is super-easy to use – no hemming needed! Finish with a pair of matching wooden buttons, and a dowel rod and use red felt tabs and satin…

Pour yourself a seasonal glass of eggnog, start stitching these sweet sampler charts and your holidays will be filled with the whimsical charm of traditional American stitching. Spend the run-up to 25 December combining your favourite motifs from the set to create your own heirloom sampler or turn individual designs into fun baubles, cards and more. Mainly worked in whole cross stitch and backstitch, with a few French knots for detail, each motif will take up to several hours to complete – and some as quickly as an hour. Work the quick-stitches on rustic aida for a truly vintage look that’s in keeping with the theme, and fray the edges for a fancy finishing touch. Work on rustico in exactly the same way you would plain aida, it just has…

What’s top of your festive stitch list this year? Is it getting all the cards finished and mounted up, ready to pop in the post? Or is your needle busy crafting handmade gifts for your loved ones? These seasonal sweeties from Maria Diaz tick both boxes and are sure to make your stitched wishes stand out from the crowd of festive greetings on the mantelpiece this year. Each character is attached to the card with a cute mini peg, which gives them room to show off their sprightly hanging legs, which are so fun to see. They’re stitched on plastic canvas too, and if you’ve not tried plastic canvas before, you’ll find it really simple to use. You can hold the canvas in your hand and it’s rigid enough to…

Christmas greetings cards are traditionally used to send heartfelt tidings to friends and loved ones who are near and far, and what better way to send your best wishes than with a merry bicycle laden with gifts. Popping with vibrant candy colours and featuring baskets brimming with trees, wreaths, sweets and stacks of presents galore – even a happy pup along for the ride – these stitches are just the ticket for delivering joy this festive season. With four cards and two tag designs, there’s something for everyone – we especially love playful details like spokes strung with fairy lights. Worked in backstitch in black thread, you’ll need to follow the chart closely to get the exact placement of these stitches. The tags are great for adding a personal touch…

One of the most important Yule traditions, the tree brings joy to us all. It’s the centrepiece of our homes, adding to the anticipation of Christmas, and is where the family gathers to exchange gifts on the day itself. The tree is so well-loved that it features in songs and comes in a variety of formats – artificial for those who can’t stand dropping needles and real for the scent lovers, while alternative wooden and metal options are growing in popularity for anyone after a tasteful Scandi vibe. So in celebration of this decorative pastime, Durene has designed a set of stunning hangings in varying sizes, each featuring a different theme to suit all festive tastes. To create one of these trees you’ll use whole stitch and backstitch only, so…

You can almost hear the penguin’s squeals of delight as it whooshes down the hill, whizzing along the ice and snow. With a big smile and bright eyes, it almost topples off the sledge, but uses its wings to keep its balance. We love the ice blue background the design is worked on, giving the appearance of a wintry backdrop. We chose 28-count evenweave for this project; if you haven’t tried this fabric before, just work your stitches over two threads of the material. Seventeen shades of stranded cotton are used, and the large areas of single-colour grey and white will be easy areas to stitch. Just remember to sort your threads and stitch in a good light when working with similar shades. Fractionals add extra detail, while seed beads…

The first Christmas card is thought to have been sent in 1843 by V&A founding director Henry Cole – the museum, in fact, holds a collection of more than 30,000 greetings cards, of which more than half celebrate this most joyous of seasons. Devised as the solution to dealing with a pile of post, Cole commissioned an illustration from his friend John Callcott Horsley and so the pastime was born. Receiving and sending season’s greetings remains a Christmas highlight for many of us to this day and, with this in mind, Jenny has created seven fresh designs with a nod to tradition for us to delight in. Will you stitch the set, or perhaps you plan to send everyone on your list good wishes for a ‘Merry and Bright’ time?…

It may be chilly outside but that doesn’t stop these penguins getting up to all sorts of mischief in their icy home – you can join in as they ski, ice skate, dress to impress and even give each other special gifts. Both young and old will love their quirky expressions, fun-filled outfits and scenes, making them great for stitching as cards for Christmas or even winter birthdays, as well as sending playful ‘just because…’ wishes to friends this season. Display in aperture cards to add a pop of colour around these penguin pals. You could choose shades that coordinate with the colours in the designs, as we’ve done, or pick your recipient’s favourite colour to go with them instead. Sparkly snowflake embellishments make a marvellous finishing touch underneath each…