Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i The World of Cross Stitching

The warmer weather outdoors is inspiring our stitching indoors in this, our July issue, where you’ll find heaps of gorgeous summery patterns that you and your needle won’t be able to resist. First up is the summer sampler on page 20 – part two of our four-part series, this fun design shows off all the joy of the season. Get beach ready and try Jenny Barton’s tropical fruits as practical accessories on page 72, or dive into a deep sea adventure with Belle & Boo and their ocean pals on page 58. For a real taste of summer, Maria Diaz will transport you to a sunny Greek taverna in stitches on page 64. I love the realistic detail in this inviting scene, from the yellow and white check tablecloths to…

Star Letter IT’S IN THE JEANS I’ve been cross stitching and crafting for more than 30 years and I’m always trying to invent new ways of displaying my completed work and designs. Recently, the kids and I created these unique, eye-catching upcycled pencil cases. They chose their preferred charts and together we stitched them onto plastic canvas. Even dad was involved in this project, not because he’s a stitcher – we used his old jeans! I chopped the jeans up to re-fashion them into pencil cases. Hand-sewing each image to the denim with clear nylon thread took a while, but we are all so impressed with the finished product. And it’s given a new lease of life to an old pair of jeans. I thoroughly enjoy my monthly dose of…

Fiona Baker Our Senior Technical Editor Fiona is ready to solve stitching dilemmas and answer technique questions Heather Nugent Heather is a cross stitch designer and multicrafter – she’ll help you transform your stitching into finished items Hannah Erskine A lifelong stitcher, our Charting Assistant Hannah can answer any chart or stitching related questions Jenny Barton Design pro Jenny has been creating projects for us for years and is ready to take on your design challenges Hannah Fletcher All set to hunt down those elusive charts and products, Hannah’s here to find shopping answers that you need Easy on the eyes Q I’m looking for a design with a windmill but all the ones I’ve seen are too big for me to complete. I’m a good stitcher but my eyes…

✕ Janie Holmes: I like to draw the symbol onto the bobbin, and I thread needles with each colour and tuck them into the corresponding bobbin, it reminds me which colour I am working on. ✕ Aviva Szwer: I always go by the symbols, and not by the colours. ✕ Cathie Lynch: I always make a working copy of the chart and mark the stitches off with coloured pencils. ✕ Jacky Bouck-Standen: I try and mix things up a bit by going between the darkest and lightest shades while stitching, so I get a better feeling for all the different shades of one colour. ✕ Grace Collier: I separate the similar shades on my thread card by putting other colours between the similar shades, eg. browns and reds between lots of greens. ✕ Carole…

Fun facts about ferrets • When faced with prey, wild ferrets perform a hypnotic dance to send the other animal into a trance. The ferret’s moves include arching their backs, puffing up their tails and swaying from side to side. • Ferrets love to run through pipes and have been used professionally to pull wire through underground tunnels, for London’s Party in the Park concert, for example. • A group of ferrets is a ‘business’. Design my pet! Q I love the little charts you create for cross stitchers. I am a ferret lover – could you create a ferret cross stitch pattern for me? Ferrets are very outgoing creatures with a lot of personality, and I bet you could capture this rambunctious animal in a lovely chart. Gwendolyn Douglas,…

Fairy tale stitches PRETTY PINS Make your dreams of owning eye-catching stitching accessories come true with Tiny Modernist’s* perfect pincushions that tell a tale in the round. ‘Fairy Tale Pincushion’ charts draw from stories as old as time but make fresh modern pincushions that’ll not only brighten up your craft corner but will be enchanting to stitch. Capturing much-loved stories in stitches, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ each measure 47 x 47 stitches for the circular top of the pincushion and 28 x 165 stitches for the sides. Available as a download, they’re sure to be an instant hit. STITCH MIFFY! Cotton Clara* has buddied up with Miffy to produce a set of four cross stitch kits, and we couldn’t be more excited! Choose from the rabbit…

Who doesn’t love a long lunch while on holiday, after a morning on the beach or a spot of sightseeing? You set off to find the perfect place and stumble upon a little taverna, the kind of place locals choose to eat, so you know the food is going to be good. You ask for a plate of Greek salad, and enjoy the intense flavours of the fresh olives, tomatoes and feta cheese, washing it down with a glass of wine or a beer. You take your time over lunch under the shade of a cooling canopy, which shields you from the midday sun. This timeless taverna is so inviting and so reminiscent of places we’ve been on holiday that stitching it will be a welcome reminder of times spent…

PRIZES WORTH Busy bees The sound of bees, busily going about their business among the flowers, is a wonderful soundtrack to some relaxing summer stitching. And here are the perfect kits to stitch to their buzzing. ‘You Make Me Happy’, ‘Finding Sunshine’ and ‘Beautiful Friendship’ all picture insect friends at work and play. These three new designs are from Eleanor Teesdale, the latest artist to join Bothy Threads. The finished size of the designs is 12x12cm (4 x4 in) and the kits cost £12.99 each. We have seven sets of all three to give away to our lucky readers. Visit Bothy Threads* for more fab designs. TO ENTER Visit our website www.gathered.how/woxs PRIZES WORTH Summer stitch bundle If you’re looking for your next big challenge to keep you occupied well…

✕ Issue June Don’t miss this smashing Wallace & Gromit exclusive for all the family, put a stitching spell on kids with a set of magical patterns, and stitch alphabet antics with a clowns ABC. Enjoy the scent of wildflowers in a summer meadow picture, make a pretty sweet peas cushion for your home and send destination wedding invites and cards with a beach-themed set. EXCLUSIVE GIFT: Country Companions card kit ✕ Issue 306, May Fox card stitch kit, Margaret Tarrant’s spring fairy, holiday hoops set, Amsterdam scene by Michael Powell, cottage garden, Mexican folk art motifs and polka dot ABC ✕ Issue 303, Feb Joy of Kindness charts Margaret Sherry cuties, Assisi-style Valentine’s cards, bookmark gifts, 1920s scene, a Steampunk clock and chalkboard-style sentiment ✕ Issue 305, April 2-in-1 Felt frame kit, Peter Rabbit, spring…

ISSUE ON SALE JUNE PLUS MUCH MORE Four fab bookmarks to inspire kids to pick up a book Step back in time with Victorian-style sampler motifs You’ll love the shipshape nautical alphabet set Your cross stitching queries answered by our experts Your stories, inspiration & letters… plus much more Create an unforgettable wildlife scene Take on this magnificent portrait of a parent and baby elephant in a tender moment HOME SWEET HOME HOOP STITCH KIT Stitch this sweet design by Durene Jones and frame it in the pink hoop provided. You’ll have this beginner-friendly project ready in no time – hang it in your home to welcome guests. Your hoop stitch kit includes: 14-count aida 21 lengths of stranded cotton Pink hoop frame Easy-to-use chart & key MAKE WALL ART!…

Is it because we get the longest hours of light that summer seems to be full of so many fun things, do you think? Garden barbecues, days at the seaside, gardens alive with produce, flowers and wildlife – it warms our heart just thinking about the abundance of the season. They’re celebrated in this sweet sampler, so you can remember the joys of the warmer months all year long. We love the whimsical style of these motifs – see how the pair of beach huts take the place of an ‘m’ in the wording? This playful stitch has minimal backstitch to add, making this a seasonal treat we can all make the most of. It’s a very versatile project as you can use the elements separately in cards and gifts…

Finding fun finishes Q I want to try out new ideas for my cross stitch projects as I don’t have much wall space left. Any suggestions? Louisa Harding, via Facebook A Durene says: I feel the same way, Lisa, I love experimenting with new ideas and fun finishes for added variety and offer a wide selection of projects for others to try out, too. That’s why I came up with these pretty fabric pendibule ornaments – they’re traditionally scent-filled sachets, but if you didn’t want to add this you could just use plain stuffing instead. I have three springtime pendibules (DJXS2363, DJXS2367, DJXS2366) and some Christmas themed ones available as PDF instant download patterns in my DureneJCrossStitch* Etsy store for around £4.80 each. You receive the pattern as an enlarged colour chart…

English versus Danish Q Can you clear something up for me please? I’m new to cross stitching and I’m seeing a lot of conflicting information with regards to actually making the stitches. In your ‘How to’ guide, the stitch is worked as a full cross as you go, but I’ve seen others working from left to right to stitch one side of the cross, then coming back from the right to complete it. Any advice? Janice, via email A Fiona: I’m so happy you have discovered cross stitch! You’re right, stitch guides can be confusing as there are actually a couple of different methods. In our guide we’ve shown the ‘English method’ – this is beginner friendly and easy to illustrate in steps. We show you how to complete both arms of…

If you’ve been one of the heroic mums and dads who have been teaching their little ones from home for part of the year then we’re sure you’ll agree the experience has taught us that teachers do a fantastic job! Parents are not the only ones who wish school was open, children have missed being in their classrooms, as well as seeing their friends, and they’ve missed being with their inspiring teachers too so why not encourage them to show their appreciation with a handmade card? Primary school aged kids will love the bold colours and cute characters that make up each of these cards, the book-carrying tortoise and mouse with a backpack are two favourites. At a maximum of 35 by 35 stitches they’re small but pack a punch…

With the sun shining and new hope on the horizon, it’s time to embrace the tropical party vibe with Jenny’s fruity fiesta designs! We can already imagine ourselves reclined on a sun lounger with cocktail in hand! Worked using whole and fractional cross stitch in two strands, and backstitch in one strand of thread, we recommend hard-wearing aida fabric for these bag panels. A crewel embroidery needle will help you pierce the aida block neatly for your fractionals, and choose the part of the design that sits further forward for a three quarter stitch. So for the flower in the banana design, stitch the three quarter stitch in light red thread and a quarter stitch in yellow, as the flower is further forward than the banana. On page 76 we…

We love a sewing-themed design and these little pincushions are just the thing to brighten up your craft corner. We’re calling them pincushion pillows because of their rectangular shape and they’ll make great spots on which to put your ready-threaded needles, making stitching even quicker. Decorated with accessories such as a cotton reel, buttons, a thimble, tape measure, scissors and tomato pincushion, each of these small designs has a simple backstitch border in matching thread. There are plenty of fractionals to give definition to the small objects but since they’re only small, each design will take just a few hours to stitch. Specialty threads DMC Color Variations are used for the cotton reel detail and if you’d like more info on using these threads, turn the page. Stitched on 28-count…

This series has been designed especially for those of you who are keen to learn new stitches and treat yourself to a fun monthly challenge. The designs will cover a variety of styles and themes each issue and every pattern is small enough to be stitched over a weekend or in between larger projects. My patterns are simple to follow, and I’ll give you clear step-by-step tutorials for any special stitches. This month, it’s bullion stitch, which brings superb texture and definition to a design. For this technique, use a milliner needle – the eye is the same width as the shaft and it will help you as you work. I recommend practising this new stitch on scrap fabric before you start the main design. TOP TIP Add the seed…

Be on the panel! Get a sneak preview Appear in the magazine Receive a stitchy gift Kate Douglas is a crime scene examiner from Ayr, Scotland Do you have stitchy friends? I’m a regular at a stitching retreat where I’ve made some truly wonderful lifelong friends. What is it that you love most about stitching? Cross stitching is my zen place. One of my favourite ‘jobs’ is bobbinating, I could honestly sit and do it for hours. Is there a technique you’ve been unable to master? French knots – I’ve tried but just cannot do them. I’ve looked at many guides and videos but to no avail. Fave WOXS design? The ‘Cat Motto’ pattern, issue 302 (Jan 2021). I’m a crazy cat lady. What do family and friends think of…

Raise a toast to the health of newlyweds in cross stitch with this sweet sampler! The chart is packed with simple motifs that come together to sing of the joy of marriage. Worked entirely in whole cross stitch in two strands, it won’t take long to complete, but is sure to be cherished as a timeless reminder of a couple’s big day. There’s lots of space in the centre of the sampler to add the names and date. Plot out the details you need on graph paper using the alphabet, so you can centralise this in the space available. For longer names, leave off the horseshoes to give you space for more letters. You can use the mini motifs to stitch special gifts and accessories for the happy couple, too.…

Q I’d love to have a phoenix, it’s to represent new life after I was lucky enough to have a kidney transplant in 2015 – I’d been on dialysis for seven years. Tina Rogers, via Facebook A Jenny: That’s amazing, Tina! Here’s a phoenix in rich red, orange and yellow – I chose strong colours that cast a warm glow. Backstitch is worked over some of the whole stitches to give the appearance of feathers. Wishing you well. Phoenix rising from the flames This legendary bird has a special meaning for Tina Phoenix key STITCH COUNT 30 high x 27 wide DESIGN AREA 14 HPI (28-count evenweave) – 5.5x5cm (2 x2in) This design was stitched using DMC stranded cotton Please note: Jenny can only fit in fairly small designs and…

Summer flowers REALISTIC STITCH ROSE BOUQUET You can just imagine the sweet scent of a summer rose garden as you stitch these delicate blooms from Stitcher*. ‘Rose Bouquet’ is a nocount design where the coloured chart is printed onto the 14-count aida fabric. Worked in whole stitches with a tiny amount of backstitch for the dew drops, we love the bold, bright colours and natural look of this design. Stitch count: 187 wide x 121 high, 34x22cm (13 x8 in) on 14-count aida POM POM FINISH SUNFLOWER What could be cheerier than a gorgeous summer sunflower, complete with a big grin? This sweet and simple kit from EllbieCo* comes with a colour cross stitch pattern, 14-count white aida, a needle, a 5-inch embroidery hoop, felt to back the hoop, a…