Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i The World of Cross Stitching

Only £5.99 (inc P&P) Don’t miss it! Stitch a year’s worth of cards and gifts with this essential spring flower collection and get ready to celebrate! With over 250 floral charts, you’ll never run out of inspiration for makes for all occasions! Get stitching: ❃ Celebrate special birthdays ❃ Make Mother’s Day cards ❃ Stitch all your favourite flowers, from asters to roses ❃ 26 quick gift tags charts ❃ Create floral wallart, cushions and a poppy hanging ❃ Stitch with love for Valentine’s Our charts and keys are easy to follow and you’ll be able to bring them out year after year to create beautiful cards! ON SALE NOW AT £5.99 ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! ONLINE www.ourmediashop.com/favouritesspring25 CALL 03330 162 138+ and quote ‘Favourites Cards 2025 Print 1’ +UK…

We are The World of Cross Stitching and we want our magazine to reflect the world we live in. We’re committed to creating content that is inclusive and celebrates the diversity of the cross stitch community. Stitching is for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, faith, culture, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. We have begun work on a plan to drive meaningful change, but we know it’s a work in progress. We want to listen to you, our readers. If you have any questions or thoughts, get in touch at theworldofxstitching@ourmedia.co.uk…

As the spring sunshine thaws the winter frost, it is time for these beautiful birds to make their appearance. Carol Thornton’s painterly kingfisher is full of vivid colour to emphasise the bold plumage of the eye-catching creature. Steadily work your way through this dense piece on 25-count daffodil yellow evenweave, while remembering toworkinthree strands for a fuller effect. Best suited for advanced and experienced stitchers, those looking to take on a new project to improve their current stitching skillset are more than welcome to participate in the challenge. Sapphire blue metallic thread is used for the sparkly highlights on the kingfisher’s feathers to give the impression it has emerged fresh from the water. Finish your impressive stitching achievement with a white mount and natural wooden frame to compliment your feathered…

Welcome back to the next part of our SAL. It has been an incredible joy seeing all of your gradual progress. For this month we’re in April, a month known for its downpours but they help the beautiful spring flowers grow. This is also the month where mother birds, such as blackbirds, begin to nest to keep their eggs warm and safe. As we’re already a quarter through the year, we’d love to hear how you’ve been getting on with this SAL and what’s been your favourite so far. Continue to share your WIPs with us on our social channels, or have a chat with us by sending an email – we’re always very eager to talk about everything stitching, so drop us a message! Guide to stitching your Stitch-A-Long…

When we are looking for inspiration for new designs, we like to keep an eye on what animals and birds are popular and this issue the playful puffin is the star! Stitch this gorgeous clifftop scene with our fab bookmark cover kit. Print readers will have the kit to hand, but if you’re a digital reader, we’ve included the full chart for you so you don’t miss out. We know how much people love Gonks at Christmas, so why not bring them out at Easter, too? Helz Cuppleditch has created a fun character surrounded by colourful eggs for you to stitch for the season. Other standout projects include a pretty set of Easter motifs to decorate bonnets, cards and more, a beautiful kingfisher, a trio of daffodil canvases and a…

Sophie Heptinstall-Bolton is a spiritual worker from Canvey Island A WOXS design you love? My absolute favourite is ‘Moonlight Silhouette’ by Emma Horan in issue 336 (Sept 2023). It’s on the top of my stitch list as it’s so unique and I feel it will be both a challenge and a pleasure to stitch. A well-remembered compliment you received? “Wow I can’t believe you made that.” I think it was my aunt who said that. She usually follows up with “you are so clever.” It was very sweet and lovely to hear. What has been your worst stitching disaster? I was a third of the way through stitching an Italian port when I ran out of the specified colours. I decided to improvise with my own stash but it just…

Not limited to only wintry festivities, it is always a delight to see a friendly gonk when we’re preparing for Easter celebrations too. Surrounded by eggs painted in a sugary colour palette, this fellow appears almost magical with his wispy white beard and baby blue robes – he’s here to sprinkle some joy for us this season! Helz’s whimsical illustration has been converted into cross stitch ready to display. There are a lot of colours, including several different ones for backstitch to outline the various flowers, toadstools and eggs. This design is suited for all abilities, including beginners, but for those who have limited experience with fractionals and French knots, we suggest practising on a scrap piece of fabric first before you dive straight into this piece. With the wooden…

The yellow trumpets of daffodils brighten the dullest of spring days as they are found in parks, gardens and budding bouquets. With this trio of positive motifs, they will add a radiant reminder throughout the year, no matter how dark the days get. These cheerful charts are suitable for beginners who are looking to upskill their current stitching repertoire – you’ll find you’re progressing with relative ease as you work from smallest to biggest. The pastel palette of thread colours is used across the set for a prettified portrait of these brilliant flowers, but as always, pre-sort your threads before stitching to avoid confusion. All three designs have been mounted on standard canvases found in local craft stores. Simple to do at home, you can always follow our handy step-by-step…

PRIZES WORTH £250 Flower power 50 UP FOR GRABS! Let your creativity take the helm with a bright and bold cross stitch design by Lucie Heaton*. ‘Happy Flowers’ (RRP £5) is stitched in a simply cheerful folk style and framed in a hoop ready to add a splash of vivid colour to your walls. The vibrant threads of green complimenting the coral fabric will transport you to your happy stitching place. We’re ecstatic to say that this PDF pattern is ready to be won by 50 lucky winners, although if you want to get started on it now, then visit www.lucieheaton.com to purchase the pattern as an instant PDF that comes with comprehensive and easy-to-follow instructions. TO ENTER Visit our website www.gathered.how/woxs PRIZES WORTH £259 OF THE SEASON 24 UP FOR…

GET IN TOUCH FOR STITCHING HELP Don’t forget to send all your stitchy questions and design requests in to us! Email us at: theworldofxstitching@ourmedia.co.uk Send in queries via Facebook too: @The World of Cross Stitching Write to: Ask the Experts, The World of Cross Stitching, Our Media Ltd, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST Sparkle for your stitching Q I’ve started a new project which calls for DMC Diamant. I’ve never used this type of thread before. Can you tell me if I split it like stranded cottons? It seems very thick but does not split easily. Heather Robbins, via email A Fiona: DMC Diamant is a non-divisible metallic thread, made with an opulent triple-ply twisted strand, giving it a lovely sheen to glide through your fabric. While it feels thicker, it’s…

ISSUE 358 ON SALE 19 MARCH PLUS MUCH MORE × Enjoy a sunset African savannah ABC × Delve into part five of the ‘A Year of Joy’ stitch-a-long × Get your head in a book with our literature Design Library × Your cross stitching queries answered by our experts × Your stories, inspiration and letters… plus much more A fairy among the anemones The perfect design for any stitcher who loves fairies and colourful florals! DOUBLE MARGARET SHERRY PACK! It’s a cat and mouse issue with this double kit pack. Stitch up a super cute mouse birthday card or a cocktail drinking kitty on holiday picture kit, all based on the wonderful original illustrations by Margaret Sherry. Each kit includes: • 14-count aida • Stranded cotton in various shades •…

HELZ CUPPLEDITCH Gonks are so popular at Christmas, so what do they do the rest of the year? Illustrator and WOXS fave, Helz, shows him getting ready for an egg hunt on page 10! CAROL THORNTON Carol’s designs start with an inspirational painting which she turns into stunning charts for you to stitch! Her painterly kingfisher (p20) will be a finish you’re proud of. JENNY BARTON Jenny never fails to create fabulous charts and this mix ‘n’ match wedding alphabet (p53) can be used over and over to create personalised stationery and décor.…

Regarded as one of the ocean’s iconic animals, dolphins are more than just cute creatures. They are highly intelligent, can communicate in a variety of ways using clicks, whistles and squeals, and live for many years. Did you also know that a group of dolphins is called a pod? With National Dolphin Day observed annually on 14 April, there is no better way to honour this magnificent creature than with your needle and thread. While we used white thread on navy aida for contrast, you can also reverse the colours for a brighter look. For those who are unfamiliar with blackwork, practise on a small scrap piece of fabric to aid you in the rhythm of the shapes, then you can watch the design come to life. The finished stitch…

Birthdays, graduations, new jobs – oh my! With so many exciting successes that are worthy of being celebrated, these hobby-themed layer cake cards designed by Perry Abdel-Hadi are the perfect treat to send well wishes. Each card may look small but it packs a punch with the depth of detail. There are six cake themes to choose from, depending on whether your recipient loves flowers, plants and gardening, the ocean, books and writing, makeup or even DIY! If you’re one to shy away from French knots, you can always substitute in similar coloured seed beads for texture. Mix and match the greetings, or make up your own for a personal touch, sentimental to the receiver. Remember to plot your saying on some graph paper beforehand to ensure it fits, but…

Thread colours are arranged in shade ‘families’ – these are groups of colours that create a gradient of shading. It helps to look at a shade card for the full palette when making colour comparisons (available from DMC and Anchor) as these are arranged within the shade families already. You can swap threads likefor-like to equivalent shades of another family, ie. light, medium and dark. You may want to change the hue of an entire pattern, or use up threads already in your stash to save money. You can also alter skin tones to create different ethnicities. We’ve included some examples of skin shade families below, but feel free to experiment with your own. You’ll need to select alternatives for mid-tones, highlights and shadows, depending on how many shades are…