Testing, testing!

I have a collection of various glues and tapes that I have collected over the years, some good and some not so good. I decided to test them all out and see which ones were best for  different types of projects.

Here's a collection of some of the glues etc that I have been testing....these were the ones that were in reasonable condition to photograph....I'm not the neatest person, so some of my glues are quite disgusting and I'm too ashamed to let you see the condition the bottles and tubes are in!

So, here's my question to you - what glues and tapes do you like working with? Which ones do you think work best? 

Please comment below and hopefully, with your answers, I can  come up with a list of best products that would help us all!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

How to make a tassel

I thought that I'd share with you how easy it is to make a tassel to add to your cross stitching projects. I added a tassel to the bookmark that I stitched and it really made the whole thing pop...well, I think it did anyway!

So....how do you make a tassel? It's so easy, let me show you. 

You will need 

• a skein of thread in the colour of your choice
• scissors
• a needle

...and that's it! 

Here's how it's done. First of all, take out two lengths of thread approximately 15cm /6 inches long. To make it easy to see in the photos, I have used a contrasting thread colour. You should use the thread from the skein. Cut the skein of thread in half. Keeping the label on makes the whole process a bit easier ....

 ...take one of the 15cm/6"  long threads and loop it through all the threads...

...tie a knot..

...loop it through again and secure with another knot.

Do not cut this length of thread as this is what what will attach the tassel to your project.

Taking the second length of cut thread, warp it around the skein of thread approximately 1.5cm/1/2" from the top (just eyeball it, it doesn't have to be exact!), tie a knot and wrap around to the other side and tie another knot (you can add a small dot of fabric glue if desired)....

Thread your needle with the ends of the thread you just wrapped round and push the needle through the middle of the skein (you may need to do each length separately depending on how tightly you tied the thread)

Remove the label and then cut the tassel to the desired length!

Voila! You've just made a tassel....wasn't that easy? Here's what it looks like using the same colour of thread..

Now to start looking for projects that require a tassel!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Stitching up a storm!

When the background in the design is done in half stitches, it feels like I'm stitching up a storm....it seems to be growing so quickly! And being the queen of slow stitching you have no idea how wonderful that sounds to me! Just compare last weeks picture....

....to this week's progress picture...

Not too shabby...uh?

I heard back from Dimensions about the shortage of thread for Ice Cardinal. You may remember that I had used up all the threads for two of the colours in the kit, and you can see from the picture just how close I am to finishing it....

...yeah, just that little spot at the bottom to complete! I was emailed a conversion chart with the DMC and Anchor equivalents. I can't decide how I feel about this. On the one hand it's great that you can get the missing threads quite quickly, but on the other hand, it's costing  even more money to complete the kit which was expensive to buy. I'm also keeping my fingers firmly crossed that there won't be a noticeable difference in the colours with the DMC threads.  So, what do you think about having to buy threads to complete a kit? Should I be upset or not? Do you think the company should send some extra threads? Either way, it's time for me to stitch on black fabric again and get this cardinal finished....finally!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

I broke the cardinal rule!

I learned the hard way to always put your stitching away when you're not working on it. Years ago my daughter accidentally dropped a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and the spaghetti sauce splashed over my stitching. Luckily for me that, although the stains did not come out even after several washes, the design was quit heavily stitched and the stains were covered by the stitching. Since then, I have been quite meticulous about always putting my stitching away.....except this week. I blame the brain fog on the fact that I had been feeling like I had been hit by a truck, thanks to the shingles vaccine. I put my stitching at the side of my chair and, yes, you've guessed it.....disaster! Yet another tomato sauce incident! Thank heavens that I had laid the chart over the main body of the fabric so only a small corner of fabric was splashed. The chart is now in colour....well, colour in some places! 

Image taken from Pinterest

The cardinal rule of stitching....always put your stitching away when you're not working on it!

Anyway, here's this weeks progress....minus the stains...

Last week my camera died before I could take a picture of the kit, so I left you wondering what the design was like - sorry! Here's what what it will eventually look like...

Luckily for me that the camera battery was all charged up when I spotted this little fella  hiding in the bushes right outside my front door...

Isn't he cute? Mama robin has been coming in regularly to feed him and they move hiding places so he's not obvious to predators.....or humans!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Not exactly bright and colourful!

I caved and started  stitching a new design! 

I didn't have the threads in my stash to complete Ice Cardinal and my fingers were itching to be working on something. After all the grey threads used in Ice Cardinal I was relishing the thought of something bright and colourful, but this happened.......

Not exactly bright and colourful, is it? 

The new start is a kit that my hubby bought for me at the same time as Ice Cardinal, so I felt I really should start working on it......I have had it for quite some time now.

The design is called 'Winter's Lace' and it's a Dimensions Gold kit.  The dove grey aida is a breeze to work on after the black aida. So although it' not bright and colourful, it's lovely to work on. Can you see that wolf beginning to emerge?

I'll be heading off to the craft store sometime this week to get the threads to complete Ice Cardinal as it doesn't seem like Dimensions will be sending replacement threads. Hopefully next week I'll be able to show you a finish!


Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

A little bit of finishing!

A rainy Sunday seemed the perfect time to work on some finishing of old cross stitch projects. Since I wasn't able to get the correct colour of thread...the elusive DMC 209 that none of the craft stores had in stock....I decided to bash ahead with what I had on hand - otherwise this project might never get done!  First order of business was to make a tassel for the bookmark. I had planned to take pictures to show how I made it, but it was such a rainy miserable day that they turned out rather dark. It was so easy that I will certainly be making them again and will take pictures next time!

Being Mrs Indecision, I couldn't decide if I wanted a white background for the bookmark or if lilac or purple would look better. After humming and hawing for ages I decided to go with the white felt for backing. I ironed the stitching, folding the edges over to give a nice crisp edge then drew out the finished bookmark shape on a bit of card stock then cut out the felt to the right size and shape.

Using fabric glue to put it all together was super-quick and easy....just how I like my finishing to be :) and my bookmark is already in use.....

No threads have arrived from Dimensions and since there hasn't been a response to my email, I'm beginning to wonder if they will be sending me any replacement threads for Ice Cardinal. 

I decided to work on another quick stitch design that I have in my tin of magazine freebies. June isn't too early to start working on Christmas designs is it?!!!

A couple of evenings and this little cutie was completed! Now I just have to look out the double sided tape and my first Christmas card for this year will be done!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

At a standstill.

I'm so frustrated. Ice cardinal is at a standstill till I get more of the missing threads....

....I've stitched all that I can. Soooo close and yet so far!

I haven't heard back from Dimensions about my email request for more threads, so I'm hoping that they are just going to mail me the threads....keep your fingers crossed for me.

In the meantime....what can I start?!! 😏 

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Arghhh....the trouble with kits!

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, the dreaded curse of stitching from a kit has hit....you've guessed it....not enough thread......

I've been stitching up a storm to get this finished and I'm almost there...

....and then I ran out of thread! I'm sooo close to finishing too.

I emailed Dimensions requesting some replacement threads and then found a conversion chart on-line that might be helpful to anyone who stitches from kits. It can be found here and converts Dimensions colours to both DMC and Anchor threads. Of course the colour that I need to finish off this design I don't have in my stash....typical!

Anyhoo....here's what the whole design looks like now...

So maybe next week, I'll be dusting off the dancing shoes ready to do a happy dance....let's hope so!


Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Ooops...it feels like it's Monday!

The trouble with long weekends is that we all get the following days mixed up! It feels like it's Monday, so does that still mean that I'm late posting?!!  :)

So, as you know, I'm determined to knuckle down and get the last, not-so-little bit, of the Ice Cardinal design finished. Here's where I was last week...

....and here's where I am now....

I was rather naughty and didn't take my stitching off the q-snaps just so that I would stitch each night....I don't know why I thought that having it stay on the q-snaps would make me stitch more, it doesn't really make sense, but it worked!

I can see the end in sight!

At the weekend I decided to tackle my finishing pile and, of course, as it ALWAYS happens, I was missing the one thread colour that I needed. Don't you hate when that happens? I needed DMC 209 so I popped into my local WalMart only to discover that they don't carry that number. Since I was determined to make headway in my finishing pile, I decided to drive another 35 minutes to the nearest craft store and get this one single skein of thread that I needed.....the things we do for our hobby! Lo and behold....this is the horror that met met my eyes when I got to the cross stitch section of JoAnns....

And there wasn't even a sale on! So many empty sections in their display......I'm hoping that they were just late in filling up their thread displays and not getting rid of the cross stitching section altogether. I'm now rethinking my finishing plan so that I don't have to use the elusive DMC209 thread!

Until net time....happy stitching!

Rhona

What a week!

This was not a very productive week for stitching....even although I was told to just sit and not do anything! I had surgery at the beginning of the week and was all set for a few days of doing absolutely nothing but stitching (sounds like heaven, doesn't it?)...I has my stitching basket all prepared, some books to read, my sketch pad with nicely sharpened pencils at the ready....and felt miserable and couldn't concentrate at all. So nothing was done. I did manage to do a few lengths of thread on the cardinal at the weekend when my head seemed to be a bit clearer and I was able to concentrate a bit more.....

So, a little bit more of one of the branches was done...not much....but it all counts and it's just that little bit closer to being finished!

Here's how the whole design looks so far...

On a brighter note, some little buttons that I had ordered (and forgotten about!) arrived....

Aren't they cute?  They are about 1.5 cm in diameter so the perfect size for adding to little cross stitch projects. Can you believe it...... now I want to tackle my finishing pile and use these super-cute buttons....that's a shock isn't it?!

And talking about super-cute.......I have been desperately trying to get some pictures of hummingbird (which I think are super-cute!) and I finally got a picture that I love...

This is a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird who was coming to our feeder. They are so tiny....only about the length of your thumb and weigh only a few grams! Hopefully they will keep coming back to the feeder and I can snap some more pictures.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

It's been one of those weeks!

Wow....where did the week go? It was over in a flash and I didn't get much time to stitch.

I guess I must be truly addicted to stitching as it just doesn't feel right to have a day without pulling out the stitching basket and putting in even just a few stitches. Am I the only one that feels like that? 

There were a few nights that I managed to get some stitching time, so, looking on the bright side of things, I did make some progress...

  
Those dark greys on black fabric are a bit boring - you can see why I was so excited to work on brightly coloured small projects the last few weeks. Here's the cardinal design off the q-snaps...

Please forgive the rather crooked picture!  Looking on the bright side of things, I really don't have too much left to do....on the flip side, the bit that's left to do is heavily stitched. Guess there's nothing to do but get the needle and thread out on plod on with it!

Hope you're making better progress than I am!

Until net time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Enjoying the little things!

That could be a philosophical take on life as well as my cross stitching week!

The small cross stitch projects have been calling to me recently (I think I need a break from big projects)  so I have been indulging myself ....life is short, so do what makes you happy - my new outlook on life!

So here's what I've been doing this week. I finished the back stitching on the little card I started last week...

Isn't he cute?!!

The printed card that came with the freebie kit wasn't cut out perfectly so I added some more stitching on the grass and his boots so that the design filled the space better (you know that I'm a bit OCD about these things!) 

  
I also trimmed the card as it wasn't folded perfectly either! You can see on these pictures how the back page shows... a quick trim with the craft knife makes it look perfect.

Attention to small details make a big difference to the end result....

I found another cute little design in my stash of magazine freebies and started working on that...

I'm usually a Aida girl so this is stepping out of my comfort zone and testing my eye sight...all those tiny holes just blur together.....I'm surprised that everything is lining up properly! This little key ring design shouldn't take too long to finish....the making up into the key ring might be a different story though!

Today I am playing  working with threads to get the perfect colour combinations for a new design for a magazine...

I can't wait to show it to you, but you'll have to wait till 2020 to see it.....yes it takes that long to be published!

I think I have managed to get my email problems fixed, so I should be able to respond to your comments....so please do leave some 😉....I love hearing from you.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona