More Cross Stitch!

A few weeks ago I managed to get Covid for the second time- woop woop! So, yeah, that was fun. Though on day three of lying in bed, I thought I might be well enough to start a new cross stitch, as it's been a while. But I actually completed the majority of the stitching once I had recovered, as I found doing it while I was ill wasn't all that easy. Who knew.

I downloaded the pattern (after much deliberating- always find it so hard to choose one because I like so many) for free from the DMC website. I selected a fairly simple alphabet one- if you know me well enough, then you know I'm quite obsessed with typography and lettering, so I was quite clearly drawn to it! Plus as I was ill at the time of choosing it, I honestly didn't fancy a pattern which I had to think too hard about- so nothing too intricate or detailed etc.

Originally I was going to do it all as regular cross stitch in block colours (in which the top row is), though as I emerged out of Covid into reality, I decided I'd complete it as a more experimental piece. So I used a variety of different stitch styles (half stitch, single strand, single strand with two strand) and tried out a variety of patterns and ways of colouring the letters. I felt that I got much more out of doing it this way, than just doing the whole 26 letters in a way I already knew. They didn't all turn out 'good', but at least I learnt something from each one and I now know more about cross stitching as a craft. As a whole, I absolutely love how the piece turned out and I think all the different stitch styles and patterns definitely make it look more exciting and vibrant. And it's all things I'd like to take with me into future work.

Here's a couple of pictures (though I'm not sure my phone camera especially does it justice):

And below is a scan of the pattern with all of my scribblings/ ideas/ ramblings on:

I Made A Cushion!

Hello and happy June!!

I finally treated myself to a sewing machine (it's been a long time coming to be honest) and my first project was to make myself a cushion. I've been cushion-less at my computer chair since moving, so it was definitely a necessary first make!

I've made a fair few cushions in my time, so I knew what I was doing in that respect, but the difficult part for me was learning how to use the sewing machine. I'm an extremely confident hand sewer, but have not used a machine since my school days (so that would have been around 2006/07), so to say I was a little apprehensive before using it was an understatement. Once I did set it up (it was easier than I had imagined) and after a few practise runs, I think I absolutely love using it! It honestly speeds up the process so much- things which would have previously taken me hours by hand, now take just a few minutes. It's amazing!

I can't wait to get stuck in and challenge myself to harder patterns (or patterns in general actually- I usually use my own patterns/ designs, but it'll be a good task to follow something step by step). But first, I think I'll make a few more cushions and small simple projects to get used to the machine and then move on to something more complex when I feel confident enough.

I love the fabric I used- to be honest I'm a sucker for anything with a nice animal design on (especially if it looks super cute or if it's of a bear)! I saw this in Hobbycraft and couldn't resist. It was originally intended for the blinds I'm planning on making for my room, but I thought with it being so dark it would have made the room look dingy. By this point I had already purchased the fabric, so could not take it back, so thought I'd use it for cushions instead. And then think of anything else I can make with the leftovers (I have 2 metres of it)!

Below are some images: the first is a close up of the machine stitching, secondly is a close up of the hand sewn detail which I used to sew up the open edge (I'm not confident enough with the machine that I'll do a neat job at top stitching just yet), followed by the finished cushion.

Watch this space for more!