Cross Stitch Cafe 2012

JCS1

brednall wrote: »

Couldn't read and run without saying to JSC1 that both those designs are gorgeous. Do you have any more details on the designs/charts etc?

Regards

Emma

Hi Emma,

The hearts is one in the link below, though I got the chart only from ebay

http://www.thehappycross-stitcher.com/product.php?xProd=5762


The stained glass window is one from several years ago, I'll have a search but I had a clear out a couple of years ago and I suspect it might have gone then. I've tried google but it brings up quite a few stained glass rose windows

I'm very lucky to have a framers who are amazing - I take in the pictures and leave the choice of mount/frame to them and when I pick them up again a week later they are transformed.

Judith

*Louise*

:(:(:(:(

I'm not happy with myself tonight.

I took Europe to the framer today, he said it was too big to lie flat in a frame without support and he doesn't do the 'lacing' technique. So I took away a big bit of board in order to give it a go myself. If I took it back in attached he would do the frame and mount for £50

Omg it was so difficult! I could not get the top and bottom aligned at the same time, and keep it the same all the way round and the edges started to look squint :mad:. I think I could have managed on a smaller design, but as a first attempt it was just too much for me to tackle


Think I might take 'Mermaids of the Deep' in tomorrow instead......:o:o:o

Ailsb

JSC1 - your finished pieces look really lovely. You are lucky to have sucha good framer.

FlatEric - your money has been well spent. I really like the sidecar santa. Look forward to seeing the progress.

Louise - your design looks good. As for lacing, have you tried pinning along the side into the board to hold the fabric in place before starting to lace. I did it for the first time on the Wedding sampler and it worked well.

Well I did it. I finished not only the one bag, I made a rucksack as well and - drum roll please - I've finished the tiger. So here it is

tiger finished by Ailsb1, on Flickr

Three generations of work in one piece. My Mum did the tigers right ear, top right of his head and his right eye (as you look at it), my Son did his left eye and I finished the rest. I have to say I have shed many tears completing it but I'm pleased with the finished result.

Off to bed now as going to London in the morning before flying off on holiday Monday. Have taken a few small pieces with me for the plane but I have to say nothing is exciting me.

Have a good couple of weeks all will check in if we get wifi whilst we are away if not see you ealry August.

Nearly forgot - belated Happy Birthday Mrs MP

blue_eyed_girl

subtle_minx - will keep practising to see if I can improve technique with highlighters

JCS1 - love both pictures :T

Flat Eric - love the christmas stockings. Looking forward to seeing your update pics.

Ailsb - grrrreat Tiger. Enjoy your hols.

Managed some more of SB tonight - will post pic after the weekend.

b_e_g

flowerofscotland

My copy arrived on Tuesday but I have been working late so only opened it Friday. I've loved reading the comments from Soulie and Louise as well as FE. I've added my comments in blue

Flat_Eric wrote: »

sorry if my post above seems to be a bit random. There were so many posts I wanted to reply to that I got confused especially as you can only quote 3 posts without lots of faff.

My issue of World of Cross Stitching also arrived today and here's my take on it....

Free Gift
Not the best/bit naff to be honest (don't imagine if used regularly will last very long) but better than no gift.
I like this gift as I have lots of little visitors who want to "help" with my stitching and love measuring things.

Stitcher's guide
Useful I suppose?
Quite handy for checking stitch count on stashed fabric which isn't labelled

Heaven Sent

Something about this design doesn't look right to me. Not something I would stitch.
I like floral designs and I like lillies but not this one

A note from Margaret
Not interested! A MS bonus chart yes! but not waffle.
Agreed

Curled up and cosy
I remember liking this when I saw it last month but the cat is dwarfed by the sofa and I don't like the sofa colours either. Might stitch the cat on its own (but not using the colours used (too faint for my liking) but doubt it. Too many other projects
Not for me
Sunny Sailing
I live by the coast but I don't like this design. It doesn't look right. Not sure why?
I like the right side of the design - the cliffs and the sky but not the sea and the boats so won't be going on my to do list

London calling
I remember saying I really like this design when I saw this advertised last month and it still appeals but just not enough I feel to stitch. I might stitch the individual motifs but not as a whole. Too many other projects calling for my time!
I like some of the individual motifs but not the overall design e.g. I dislike the way the postbox appears to be in the river!
Here's to you
These are ok but I don't like enough to stitch and the wording, I feel, doesn't really fit with the pictures - doesn't' sit right/has been charted badly?
Might use these for a coaster though I haven't checked if the dimensions are suitable

Craft xtra
I don't like these and won't be stitching them but I have to say, they look very much like characters from (I want to say Columbo) but I mean the game Cluedo!
I quite like these but not sure that I would stitch them

Paradise found
projects for a rainy day
Really like a couple of them especially the beach wedding one and have marked this for a future suitable occasion.

Sweet scents
Dislike these. Definitely a no no stitch. and PLEASE why can't we have a picture of Durene smiling ????
I've got nicer designs of perfume bottles than these. Agree about the photo:eek:
Top 10 ideas for holiday stitching
interesting article particularly the comment that the clover thread pedant is not allowed with some airlines :(:(
Haven't read it yet

Mel's sweet treats
Like the border, that's about it!
Am getting to dislike this series more and more

Summer favourites
This has something about it and I like the shape of the flowers but too many projects, too little time, springs to mind.
Nice - I love sweet peas- but not a must stitch at this stage

High in the sky
this is ok but not something I would stitch. I like it without the people! Like the colours/patterns.
Not keen

Picnic treats
These are ok. Might stitch the fruit, not the letters.
Because I also do patchwork and applique I look at the letters and think that they could be made from gingham fabric in a fraction of the time

Crossword and furry tales
A possible stitch. May be without the butterfly?
Not a lover of mice even cute cartoon ones

Whats the best way to stitch the mirror image (i.e. the stitched version rather than the charted version?)

Next month
Like the look of the Joan Elliott designs and Textile Treats looks interesting. Not a fan of all our yesterdays so a miss from me there. Woodland Critters look good and like the look of the free kit. August wouldn't be August without a bit of Christmas stitching :j
No to the ballett and not sure about the Cottage. Don't like the Friends forever design either.
Will reserve judgement til next month but nothing leapt off the page

Jen'll fix it

Not for me.
Nor me

And I must have another moan about the number of adverts unrelated to stitching = full pages for gardening goods, Macmillan Cancer, Cruises, hearing aids, stairlifts, coach holidays, brandnewyou website, and the baby monkey doll which gives me the creeps :eek: 8 wasted pages IMHO although I recognise that the ad revenue subsidises the cover price.

Summary
An ok mag with not much in I want to stitch (no bad thing) but now I will be impatient to receive next months! Probably would have left this issue on the shelves if I'd browsed it in the shops.

I pay half price for my suscription so I am monitoring a year's worth of issues to see if I would have bought at least 7/13 of them from a shop. Not sure about this one - I may have been tempted by the tape measure but not much else.
WOCS has never been my favourite magazine and is one of the ones I would give up first if I had to choose.

Mags_cat

*Louise* wrote: »

I took Europe to the framer today, he said it was too big to lie flat in a frame without support and he doesn't do the 'lacing' technique. So I took away a big bit of board in order to give it a go myself. If I took it back in attached he would do the frame and mount for £50

Really?

My framer has never said that - and I've taken him some monster pieces in the past. I think in that position, I'd be looking for a different framer - but I know that once you've found one that gives good results you stick to them - and he must have done some good work for you in the past. The problem is that I never want to *risk* taking a good piece of work to a new framer and perhaps having it badly framed. Hmmm.

I pay about £50 for even the big pieces (Tenby was £58 as I recall but was a non standard frame size - long and thin) and that includes lacing. I agree with you how difficult it is to do. I tried it once and decided never again

Mags_cat

flowerofscotland wrote: »

Quite handy for checking stitch count on stashed fabric which isn't labelled

That one comment reminded me - when I was (finally) sorting through my duplicates of DMC to add to the fabulous boxes of all the colours I got for my birthday, I had a thought about my fabric stash :

I got all the pieces and measured the stitch count by putting a needle vertically through one coloumn of holes, measuring an inch with a tape then inserting another needle parallel. That made it easy to count the stitches without having to keep the tape alongside the fabric.

Then I marked the stitch count and fabric size in the top corner of each piece with the vanishing ink fabric marker. So now I know I have rather a lot of 18 count and higher in various shades, and not a lot of 14 count :rotfl:

Everyone else is probably wayyy more organised than me and have already done something similar. I'm catching up

(Oh....and I had an episode on the Sew n Sew site and ordered the materials to make this and the kit I've been wanting for ages to remind me of my fabulous trip along the Trans Siberian Railway - this. They arrive on Tuesday. Do you think I can get a year or two off work to get them at least started? Ok, I feel better now. This place is like a cross stitch confessional!)

subtle_minx

let me know if you fancy a swap, I just brought 50 size 24 needles from Across town (all individually packaged) and am planning on working more on evenweave and 18ct aida.

Would that help?

Rina

chickywiggle wrote: »

doh! stupid chicky!!! Just bought these needles but you can tell i was asleep as I gotsize 28 not size 24. consequently they keep falling out of 14ct aida!!

cost me £2 + 55p postage so if you use evenweave or something with tiny holes and can make use of them for £1.50 (includes postage) let me know and I can pop em in the post. rather then put em back on ebay.
(I know I could send em back but it's not worth the faff and cost of recorded postage)

*Louise*

Mags_cat wrote: »

Really?

My framer has never said that - and I've taken him some monster pieces in the past. I think in that position, I'd be looking for a different framer - but I know that once you've found one that gives good results you stick to them - and he must have done some good work for you in the past. The problem is that I never want to *risk* taking a good piece of work to a new framer and perhaps having it badly framed. Hmmm.

I am very limited with who I can choose tbh.

He is a nice Polish man who set up a couple of years back, he has framed all my work in the past, with no problems but this is the biggest piece I have ever done. The only other framer near here would charge me nearly double the price to include lacing and I can't really justify that

flowerofscotland

I should be at the butchers now buying the joint for Sunday lunch now but instead am waiting for the RAC to arrive as when I got the car out of the garage one of the front tyres was completely flat :mad:

So there's not much I can do about that so am trying to chill and catch up on some of your posts while hoping the tyre is repairable as it was new in November so has lots of tread on it.

Anyway onto more pleasant subjects:

nmm agree with everyone else that the extra black borders really finish off the piece which I love. I recently stitched a small piece for a coaster in a similar style I admire your skills with Photoshop - isn't something I have attempted

mrsnewcook In general the advice seems to be to check with your airline about what they will allow on the flight. Needles seem to be ok but scissors and even in some cases thread cutters can be refused. If you cut lenghts of thread in advance you can leave the ends at the back of the work until you get to your destination and trim them then.

jcs love your British sheep sampler though I didn't understand the significance of the dates? I couldn't stitch a big project on 36 count linen these days even with a magnifier and lamp so my advice would be to start it while you still have young eyes:D It will look stunning and although it is a massive project it can be broken down into managable targets e.g. a sheep a month

FE Love the stocking designs - there is a lot of work in them - which Christmas are they for ? I love stitching and making stockings and they seem to be really appreciated as gifts that are kept for years. Haven't managed to do one for myself yet

Ruthhoney thanks for the link to cross stitch corner = great prices with free postage plus a current offer of another 7.5% off if you buy 2 kits. I am very tempted by this in the special offers section and this in the normal price kits

blue eyed girl looking forward to seeing the start of SB

mrs mp well done on keeping to your schedule on Titanic I'm sure it will be worth it and look forward to seeing an update

RAC have just called to say will be arriving in next few minutes