Cross Stitch Cafe 2012

Flat_Eric

PerfectParadox wrote: »

does anyone else find that the estimated time frames in the mags can be wildly off (something meant to take 6 hours took 3 afternoons (and i mean ALL afternoon into the evening)

Started on something today meant to be 20 hours and im a quater into it in under two hours..... or is it just me ?

Yes I agree. I often wonder where they get these time estimates from? I wrote into a cross stitch mag many years ago to ask how to work out how long it would take to stitch a design and they replied to say that for one square inch of cross stitch, they estimated one hour.

Soulie wrote: »

Also, I find when stitching a small free cover kit, it not only takes longer than they say it 'should', but I find I could have stitched a LOT more in the same time frame on a bigger project!

ETA. Speaking of smaller kits, here is the one I have been working on, which has been a pain, the needle that came with it was thin and bowed, and a lot of the threads were really rubbish and just came away, so one strand ended up being way shorter than the other.
It is a cute pattern though!

I remember that kit. I also recall how many grumbles there were about the quality of the thread which I agree with. At the time, the thread numbers were posted on the facebook page for WOCS but I have had a look today and it would seem WOCS have removed the relevant posts.

I don't understand why the thread supplied with this kit (and indeed other kits) is of such poor quality - if you buy dmc or anchor thread then its good quality thread and not the same as what you get in a free kit so just what are we being given with these free kits?

For example, I received Cross Stitcher yesterday. Its a koala kit which is sweet and I shall probably stitch but I don't like the feel of the threads and the eyes that they have supplied with the koala kit are all squashed ? and not usable really although I don't really get why they have stuck eyes to the finished design ?

Whilst on the subject of free kits, I have been having a sort out today and wonder if anyone has the (Winnie the Pooh) Roo Cross Stitch kit that came free with an issue of Quick and Easy Cross Stitch mag? Quick and Easy has not been in publication for many years so we are talking quite a long time ago.

I have stitched a large part of this design but have run out of thread. I did colour match but have unfortunately lost my note of the thread numbers and have also lost the threads as well so can't colour match again

My vote on the Winnie the Pooh Cross Stitch is that they are fab although not as simple as they look! particularly with all the three quarter stitches etc.

PS Thinking of you and your family Soulie. Have only just caught up with the posts today.

newcook

evening all!!

ok, so I have finished the pattern I started thursday but I dont know how to post a picture! can anyone point me in the right direction?!

Observer

If you read the first post Chicky has put instructions there. Any other probs let us know

I have started the map that I bought after inspiration (I think!) from the harrogate show. This is the first little bit I have done - Blackpool tower


22012012627 by Observer!, on Flickr

I'm not sure if this will show - my internet is a pain at the mo:(
Oh yeah its fine! I'm not using the material they sent as I have an aversion to cream material lol, so I'm using a rustic oatmeal one that I bought and I hope will make it look better when finsihed (note the 'when':rotfl:)

ocemeer

Quick update on the bookmark, really love doing all the blended threads, though needed the extra sheet and my handy highlighter or I would be completly lost.
Enjoying it but hate sewing light coloured threads I just get lost on where I have sewn.... got to finish this by end of the month - one project a month is the aim and no new kits this year to use up the UFOs and 'I want to sew that' charts.

flowerofscotland

Well I've found the Cross Stitcher magazine that DebtDalek was looking for and as Mrs MP mentioned it is a great way of passing the time looking through stash and magazines. Have added more items to my very extensive "would like to stitch" list

But I am determined to carry on with the Lizzie Kate stocking I started last weekend It is simpler than the Shepherds Bush ones I have stitched in the past so should take less time. I already have requests for 4 stockings for this Christmas and I don't want to just stitch stockings.

Any way here is my progress to date - no stitching yesterday as had visiters


DSC02733 by stitchyfeather, on Flickr

PP - congratulations on the new job

Louise - thanks for the strong recommendation about the frame. I have a small set of those plastic frames which I use for things like stumpwork but i hadn't seen the lap frame version.

Oh and sewandso have added more items to their sale (sorry!)

flowerofscotland

debtdalek wrote: »

I've been given some beautiful hand dyed variegated threads - any suggestions for a project to use them? How do I know how much they will cover? I know how to work out the fabric required for a design, but how do you work out the quantity of thread?
I was thinking maybe some kind of band sampler perhaps as I have 34 skeins, but only one of each colour.

Hand dyed threads are beautiful and I love the effect they create (my word Christmas trees which puzzled so many of you used them). What brand have you been given and how much is on the skein? Not sure there is any easy way to calculate the coverage other than cutting a length and then counting the number of stitches you did. I expect you know that to get the desired effect you have to make each cross stitch before moving to the next stitch instead of doing a row of //// and then coming back with \\\\ If you use this method of stitching the effect is different - often more of a stripy effect which can look good but isn't what is usually expected.

Band samplers are ideal for variegated threads. I love Just Nan samplers www.justnan.com I stitched this one in the shades of DMC recommended on the pattern but it would work really well in a varigated blue

042 by stitchyfeather, on Flickr
and this is a really simple sampler I stitched years ago using Caron Wildflowers thread (it's from New Stitches magazine by Mary Hickmott)

Alphabet Sampler by stitchyfeather, on Flickr

The Caron threads website has some free patterns www.caron=net.com though not many are pure cross stitch

Looking forward to seeing what you do stitch with them. Hope the decluttering of the box room has gone well

Flat_Eric

So here is the Roo cross stitch I posted about yesterday.


Roo by Flat Eric on Flickr, on Flickr

After posting yesterday, I had a :idea: I decided to check the pooh kits I have to see if any of them had Roo in :j One of my kits did :T and on checking the thread numbers, noted the thread colour I needed. So I found the thread and stitched away. Roo's blue top was fine but when I came to stitch the rest of Roo's body, I could tell the thread colours didn't match. (although the difference was very slight, it was still noticeable) I pressed ahead anyway and completed the missing stitches. Alas late last night with Roo all but complete, I knew despite the difference in shade being minimal, I wasn't happy and unpicked. Having found the folder I had kept Roo in, I found a very small bit of the brown thread and colour matched it to dmc 3826. It goes without saying that of all my skeins, this isn't one I own :rotfl: but second brainwave this morning, had a look through my free kits and the second kit I put my paws on contains a small amount of 3826 so going to stitch with it and see if its a match :j

What a carry on!

This only heightens my decision to make a belated New Year's Resolution! I am going to finish things before starting something new. I am fed up of having half finished projects that then become lost or misplaced or as with Roo, I lose the threads or as has happened with other designs, I lose the chart / aida etc...

I am going to finish Roo this afternoon now and will be back with a picture - but not today. Thanks to my younger sibling, my internet will be slower than a snail in about an hour - we have gone over our download this month

so picture to follow and also to decide my next project

debtdalek

FOS No I don't know the name of the threads - there is also a shade card, but no name on that either.
It has the name of the store in Colorado and some of the threads also have price tags from that store, but some are from another store.
I strongly suspect that both stores are long gone, as they were probably purchased years ago.
I'll ask the person who gave them to me if she knows the brand name, but also that's a good idea to measure them.
Yes, thank you, I did know that they are stitched in individual stitches.
I like the Just Nan kits too and have a couple of charts/beads here for their snowflake samplers.

flowerofscotland

When I was looking for the magazine before I came across this alphabet sampler by The Drawn Thread which I think would look lovely in hand dyed threads but it's all a matter of individual taste
http://www.drawnthread.com/Chart%20Pages/26stitches.html

pm2326

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

PM2326 cant wait to see the loins in place onyour stitching

lol it will be a while before my loins appear on here!!

Haven't had much time to stitch due to very stressful week at work however here's the update...just a little bit of sky done

last week: stormy skies :rotfl:


002 by pm2326, on Flickr

this week: sunnier times :j


002 by pm2326, on Flickr