Cross Stitch and Craft Cafe 2023 - come join us!

daisy_1571

the cats xstitch was always meant to be for me.  I'm getting on for halfway done so i just need to get on and try to do a but each day to get it finished 

nmm

Hello ladies, not much going on here enjoying the weather when it is nice, like today its glorious, cross stitching at home and crocheting at my groups seems to be helping progress in both areas. I made a cross stitch card for my mum and managed a bit more on seascape.





Daisy, love the cats so colourful and fun

Charly, sorry to hear about your FIL, the card for your mum is lovely.

Coxy, ouch on the BABS that sounds like it'll be a lot of work but the result will be amazing, definately do it as you go along, can you imagine it all at the end!!!

Trinalalala, welcome if you want a similar group in the real world, check out your local library, most have a craft group of sorts.

daisy_1571

daisy_1571 said:

Loving all the photos.  What a clever lot.

Im getting back to my cat xstitch.   Been in the go for many years.  Done most of a ginger cat's body this afternoon.   It was hard to work out where I had left it as i think I've previously gone wrong by a line somewhere in his haunch.  However I don't think it matters as he is the one out on the left hand side of the roof so nothing to match up beyond him.  I will fudge it and I'm sure no one will ever be any the wiser. 

Daisy xx

Have done some more on the end gingery kitty.  No idea how long its going to take me to finish but in these brighter afternoons its nice to feel I'm getting somewhere with it

daisy_1571

I've spent a bit time making 2 of these to replace my oblong bits of cardboard with holes punched out, the thread looped through and the symbol written above.  I was going to do buttonholes for the threads to loop through but decided safety pins would be a lot quicker. Its just an old bit of polycotton sheeting.  The bits of paper are pinned on and the symbol written in the relevant colour.  They can be discarded when I start the next project (the dragon) and new bits of paper with new symbols and new colours of felt tips.  Its keeping all my needles in the right place too - another timesaving idea rather than just using 1 needle and rethreading all the time

Its really speeding up my actual sewing time and lessening my staring at pattern then trying to find what colour each symbol means time.  I usually pencil shade in my charts as I have realised I seem to have a pathological fear of 'waste'.  I'm finally realising I'm not ever going to do these xstitch patterns again and I'm not saving it for the next generation so what was I frightened of wasting?  I've started colouring in the pattern with a felt tip that matches.  Its making it so much easier to see where I'm starting again on my next session.   

Cant believe its taken me at least 35 years to come up with these 3 simple ideas to save myself time.  Feel free to use the idea or improve it if it will help

Daisy xx

Drawingaline

Savannah sunset has been put aside for a bit and I have been working on my new project. Spending two hours stitching the grid has been a game changer! Means I can so all the background half stitches first, starting at the corners rather than having to begin in the middle. Much easier to see if I go wrong, and easier to correct if I do. Am enjoying this atm, but once I have to do the more complicated bits and blocks of full stitching I imagine I will slow down a bit. 

Will get back to the Savannah sunset after Easter maybe. Shouldn't take too long to complete. 

daisy_1571

Looking great  👍 

Dxx

nmm

Wow Daisy, excellent tips anything that speeds up the stitching is good, i use bits of card with holes punched for smaller projects, for a large one i printed the key and laminated it so it lasted longer. I normally use a highlighter on my charts, i agree with you i'm not doing it again so i don't care, some charts that i didn't mark i resold but that was very rare.

Excellent start drawingaline, i'm glad the gridding was worthwhile for you.

Latest update on Seascape

Drawingaline

I must admit, I never even thought about reusing charts, I just use pen or highlighters, then bin them after I have finished 😁

nmm

Hi ladies, i hope you are out enjoying this lovely sunny weather The wildlife is picking up in the marina i see 3 Cormorants almost daily now and the heron, not long till the jellyfish are back.

The latest update on seascape, progress has slowed a bit as i've got a charity sale on Saturday to make things for so crochet has to take over for the next week.



 Here's a photo of a little pig i made for the sale, i make keyrings too, i'll take a photo when i get it altogether. 

daisy_1571

daisy_1571 said:

daisy_1571 said:

Loving all the photos.  What a clever lot.

Im getting back to my cat xstitch.   Been in the go for many years.  Done most of a ginger cat's body this afternoon.   It was hard to work out where I had left it as i think I've previously gone wrong by a line somewhere in his haunch.  However I don't think it matters as he is the one out on the left hand side of the roof so nothing to match up beyond him.  I will fudge it and I'm sure no one will ever be any the wiser. 

Daisy xx

Have done some more on the end gingery kitty.  No idea how long its going to take me to finish but in these brighter afternoons its nice to feel I'm getting somewhere with it

Brown kitty in and lots of backstiching done.  Takes ages but love how it makes it all make sense 

Daisy xxx