This morning, I was saddened to read that every year, the future of the world’s wild animals becomes more uncertain. Almost 800,000 elephants were slaughtered by poachers during the 1980s for the ivory trade. Now, it is being decided whether to resume legal killing of elephants to produce ivory and boost the gift trade.

Yesterday, it was announced that nearly half of world primates face extinction. This is due to the destruction of their habitat, and killing for skins and meat.

We can donate money to charities that work to conserve animals and their essential environments, we can campaign, and we can choose to avoid buying wildlife products such as ivory, animal skin coats and coral; and exotic pets such as birds, monkeys, snakes, lizards and particular species of birds.

The long-term approach lies in changing everyone’s attitudes and making awareness and knowledge of conservation a natural part of our everyday lives.

Creating a cross stitch design of beautiful wild animals and placing them in your home can be a way of celebrating the beauty and importance of these animals.

There are many designs available. Members of Patterns Patch can download a wide range of wild animal designs, free of charge. The only problem is choosing! My personal favourite is The Big Five of the African Jungle (pictured below).  I started cross stitching this design recently, and although it is a big project, I am enjoying the small triumphs of completing each animal; two down – three to go. I like to start with the eyes of each animal; then the creature appears to come alive straight away on the fabric. This is great motivation to complete each one.

Many people have favourite animals. I cannot decide which wild animal I enjoy stitching most. Do you have a favourite animal subject?

Happy Stitching!

Iona

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Fairies only reveal themselves to those who believe in them, I am told. However, they appear in many world cultures; from Shakespeare’s Fairy Queen and the fairies of Victorian art to the Middle Eastern Jinn, The Kami (which means ‘spiritual essence’ of Japanese Shinto). There are also ‘nature devas’ in Buddhism and Hinduism. Moral fairy stories also exist in Judaism.

For believers, many Flower Fairies work and play in woods, fields and gardens. They live alongside their chosen flowers, plants or trees, caring for them as they grow.

Created by Cicely Mary Barker, the Flower Fairies are famous throughout the world. Cicely was born towards the end of the nineteenth century, and during childhood illnesses, she read Victorian fairy stories which – along with a love of art and nature - inspired her to draw pictures of Flower Fairies. Her father took one of her pictures to a stationery printer, and some greetings cards were made. She then went on to have many more of her illustrations published and enjoyed huge success.

She was careful to choose the flowers that accompanied her fairies. She matched the flowers with the personality of each fairy. Therefore, the Heather Fairy is depicted as being carefree, wind-blown and wild, just like the Heather plant itself.  If she couldn’t find a flower that she needed from her own garden, she would contact Kew Gardens for help.

Her early success occurred just after the first world war. As people were trying to adjust to life without war, it seems that the innocence and child-like qualities of Cicely’s drawings were very appealing. It is clear that their popularity has never subsided.

Not surprisingly, the cross stitch community was quick to discover Cicely Mary Barker’s work, and you can see many of her Flower Fairy pictures in her trademarked cross stitch designs. They are attractive to adults as well as to children, and perhaps it is the charming, simple benevolence of each picture that can provide a contrast to the complex troubles of our everyday lives.

Do you agree?

If you wish to enter the secret world of the Flower Fairies visit www.FlowerFairies.com.

Happy Stitching!

Iona

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I love vintage designs. Do you?

The word nostalgia describes a longing for the past, often in an idealised form. Former times can appear to be very appealing as we look back through our rose-tinted glasses.What better way is there to put aside our current problems than to bask in the memories of good times, frozen scenes or memories, kept as golden times, unaffected by negativity and worries.

Did we really spend our childhoods walking along river banks, paddling in rock pools at the seaside and flying kites? Well, yes, we probably did do those things – but not every day.

For many cross stitchers, there are many ways to relive the past through choosing design that represents their favourite emories of how things used to be. Of course, cross stitching can provide a form of time travel – as we stitch, we can be transported to other times as bygone eras are  brought to life as we stitch. Former times also represent a world that moved more slowly than our present fast pace.

There are many vintage cross stitch designs available as kits or charts/patterns. These include the All Our Yesterdays series by Faye Whittaker, and the Lilliput Lane collection. Members of the Patterns Patch club have a wide range of free designs to download, so may be spoilt for choice.

Here are some tips for stitching nostalgic themes:

1. Consider using specialist fabrics. Stitch your design on rustic beige linen to add the appropriate texture and colour as a background for your theme.

2. Use some specialist threads. Consider the more antique colours, such as copper or deep gold. Muted colours and pastels such as light greens or blues are preferable to bright pinks or yellows.

3. Use embellishments to decorate your project. Old buttons or vintage charms may add an extra to your work.

4. Use an appropriate frame. This involves personal choice. However, it may be a pity to frame a nostalgic scene in a modern frame, so look for a frame that reflects the time of the picture – possibly a classic coloured mount.

5. Convert an old favourite photograph into a chart/pattern. If you don’t have the skills to to do this yourself, then there are many companies who will do this for you. Patterns Patch club members may have this service free of charge.

Do share with us your favourite design of a bygone era.

Happy Stitching!

Iona
 

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One of my favourite cross stitch designers is Julie Hasler. She has written many wonderful books of designs. (I shall return to them in a future Blog.). One such book is called ‘Clowns in Cross Stitch’.

Julie writes that Clowns have gained a place in history because we enjoy laughing at them.

Clowns are also well-known for their funny antics, oversized trousers and shoes, undersized jackets and recognizable face-paint designs. What better design for a cross stitched motif for a child?

My young nephew has a bed-cover with cross-stitched clowns that delight him every evening. So - thank you, Julie!

When I think of clowns, I think of laughter, slapstick humour and smiley faces.

But not everyone thinks this way.

A recent British survey revealed that many children were frightened by clowns’ faces. Many adults apparently have “coulrophobia” (fear of clowns).

How could this innocent, laughing person produce fear?

It seems that Stephen King’s book called ‘It’ may have triggered reactions in adults that we may have passed to children. ‘It’ was made into a movie in 1990. It contained a child-murdering monster that appeared as a demonic clown.

Further clown films followed, including ‘Clownhouse’, ‘Mr Jingles’ and ‘In Fear of Clowns’, all with terrifying images of fearsome baddies hiding behind a clown’s face. Researchers state that it is the relentlessly comical face that can cause fears in the beholder.

Even Bart Simpson wept, “Can’t sleep - clown will eat me”.

What do you think? My view is that adults can instil fear into children by their reactions. Once the connection is made between an image and fear, it can be difficult to break.

Let’s hope that other benign characters in children’s literature are not transformed into gun-toting psychopaths, and children can enjoy their interactions with these delightful characters – and of course, we can enjoy choosing a cross-stitched friend for the children in our lives.

Happy Stitching!

Iona

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Yesterday marked the day in 1981 when Lady Diana Spencer married the Prince of Wales in St Paul’s Cathedral. Those old enough to remember this day will recall that this was an important event throughout the world.

Many of us were glued to our TVs as we watched the newly married couple take their vows, knowing nothing of the highs and lows that were to follow in this woman’s relatively short life.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales was born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961 in Norfolk, England. Before she met Prince Charles, she was a kindergarten teacher.

During her marriage, her family was very important to the Princess. She had two sons: Prince William and Prince Henry (Harry).

Princess Diana carried out a wide range of royal duties. Until the end of her life, she was involved with charities working to help children, homeless people and AIDS sufferers, as well as with the campaign to ban land mines.

After her divorce from The Prince of Wales, the Princess continued to be considered as a member of the Royal Family.

She was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris in August 1997 with the new love in her life, Dodi Fayed, and her driver. There were public outpourings of grief and disbelief following the announcement of her death.

Despite changing fashions, her beauty has a timeless quality that cannot be denied.

Many people have chosen to immortalise the Princess by recreating her image artistically. Cross stitching has always been a good medium for such tributes. There are a number of charts/patterns available worldwide.

Members of the www.PatternsPatch.com cross stitch club will know that there are a number of downloadable charts/patterns of the Princess available free of charge – along with hundreds of others. The only problem is choosing which one is best for your own personal needs.

Happy Stitching!

Iona

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In my last Blog, I wrote about the Seven Deadly Sins of Cross Stitching – those dark secrets that lurk in everyone’s cross stitching past – and even persist when we become more skilled. Today, I’m thinking of the opposite – the Seven Essential Secrets of the Best Cross Stitchers. You’d think that this may be the opposite of the Deadly Sins. But great cross stitching doesn’t just mean avoidance of bad habits. There are some things that you can do positively to get the best results. These include:

1. Use the best equipment you can afford. Stitching is a relatively cheap hobby. However, you will get better results from a good sharp pair of embroidery scissors, than an old pair of ordinary scissors. And you will see the difference between good quality threads and cheap floss that you can buy from a market stall. Usually, you get what you pay for. 
2. Invest in a good daylight lamp. It will prevent eye strain and minimise mistakes. If you cannot afford one, look out for bargains, or drop a hint just before your birthday.
3. Prepare your project before you start it. It’s important to sort out your threads before you begin – placing each colour in a thread sorter. It can be frustrating to discover when you are well into your project that you have used the wrong shade of a certain colour. Oversew the edges of the fabric to prevent fraying.
4. Store your ‘Works in Progress’ (WIPs) well. Good storage of sewing equipment will make your work easier to manage. As for the projects themselves, roll up your work, remove the hoop or needle, and place neatly with all the necessary threads etc. in a space where it will not get mixed up with another project. Never leave WIPs on shelves or at the backs of cupboards where they pick up dust and stains.
5. Make the back of your work neat! Trim the ends of threads. Use no knots or trailing threads.
6. Plan your route around the chart/pattern. This will prevent the temptation to trail threads across the back. Counting over short distances can help you avoid mistakes. It’s generally agreed to start near the middle of the chart, and work outwards.
7. Look after your finished work. You may need to wash it gently if it is stained. Otherwise, iron it between two soft towels. Be careful not to press too heavily on the stitches. The thread looks nicer if it isn’t flattened. Mount or frame your finished work with care. And take a photo of projects that you plan to give away.
Stitching Perfection!

Happy Stitching

Iona

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It’s easy to get into bad habits, isn’t it? Very often, impatience or laziness can prompt us to cut corners or to be sloppy with our work. Oddly enough, bad cross stitch habits rarely save us any time at all. The results of this can be seen in finished projects. This seems a shame, especially when we have worked hard to produce something of beauty.

We can resolve to kick out the bad habits now; if you are guilty of any of the habits below, I’ll show you how to get rid of them – for good:

1. Making the top stitches lie in different directions. As you know, the cross of a cross stitch is made with one stitch being partly covered by another stitch pointing in a different direction. Always start your stitches in the same direction. Otherwise, your finished work will not look smooth and consistent.

2. Working with unclean hands. Always wash your hands before stitching. Even perfumed hand cream can be greasy, and can leave a stale odour on your work. Eating is a definite no-no. As for drinking, keep cups or glasses well away from your stitching.

3. Leaving a steel needle parked in your work, or an embroidery hoop still fixed to your project. The needle may leave a rust mark (unless it’s gold-plated), and the hoop may pull the threads or fabric too. Roll your work up between stitching sessions; this will avoid stubborn creases.

4. Using knots to start or finish a thread. (I bet you knew this habit would be on the list.) Instead, use a loose end start, a loop start or a waste knot start. If you do not know what these are, or need reminding, we’ll be revisiting this in my blog soon.

5. Working in a poor light. This can happen when the light is getting duller throughout the evening. Not only can this cause eye strain, but the chances of you making mistakes increase. Invest in a daylight lamp if you haven’t already done so.

6. Allowing the edge of your work to fray. It only takes a couple of minutes to oversew the edges of your fabric before you begin your project. Remember that evenweave frays more easily than Aida.

7. Trailing threads across the back of bare fabric. We are all tempted to do this. Perhaps you only need to work a couple of stitches a few inches away from the area you have been working on. The trail will be visible from the front of the project, and may also produce a bumpy effect. Always finish off – and then start again in a new area of the design.

If you have any other ideas for busting bad habits, do share them with us!

Happy Stitching!

Iona
 

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I think I’m a typical cross stitcher. A creature of habit. When I plan a new project, I reach straight for the Aida fabric. There’s something comforting about always doing things in the same way. Today, I’ve resolved to move out of my comfort zone. Nothing too dramatic though. It’s just that my next project is going to be on evenweave, not Aida.

So – what’s the difference? Well, it has more of a rustic look. Evenweave provides a finer background to the stitching. There are regular numbers of holes per inch (hence the name). Threads are woven singly rather than in blocks. The warp and the weft are woven evenly. Working on evenweave is not difficult for the Aida addict. Just different. Evenweaves are available in many different colours and counts.

Here are some quick tips for using evenweave:

1. If you are using a design that recommends Aida, but you want to transfer this to evenweave, just double the Aida count for the correct count of evenweave. For example, for a 14-count Aida, use a 28-count evenweave.

2. DMC fabric is colour-matched to some of the company’s threads. This makes things very easy!

3. Be aware of the tension of your stitches when you are working on evenweave. If your stitches are too tight, you can warp the fabric. A stitch hoop or frame can be useful here – but remember to remove it after each stitching session to prevent marking or stretching the fabric.

4. Evenweave frays more quickly than Aida, so bind the edges before you begin your project.

5. Make every stitch over two threads of the evenweave or into every other hole.

6. Good news – it’s easier to make fractional stitches on evenweave because there’s a hole in the middle of the block where you can work a tiny quarter stitch.

7. Always use a tapestry or cross stitch needle with blunt ends. (A tapestry needle has a larger eye than most other types of needle. It is oval in shape which makes it easier to thread a number of strands at the same time.)
Because the threads on evenweave are woven individually, the threads form more easily than Aida, and this makes evenweave fabric suitable for all sorts of other uses. As well as using it for stitching samplers, pictures and cards, try stitching designs to use as cushion covers and tablelinen.

If you are still wondering whether or not to try evenweave, why not try a small project – like a card or a bookmark – and see how you get on. Do share it with us too!

Happy Stitching!

 Iona
 

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If you are choosing a cross-stitched gift for someone special in your life, I think that an Angel may be a design to consider.

I have recently completed an Angels cross stitch project from the Patterns Patch club as a free download. This will be a gift for a neighbour who has been good to me, and I wanted to do something that showed my gratitude to her. I was wondering wonder why it is that Angels are so popular – in cross stitch and other arts.

Here are some essential facts:

1. It seems that many people believe that angels are guiding spirit beings who act as God’s messengers. Although the characteristics  of Angels and the tasks given to them vary across many traditions and religions, in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, they typically act as messengers from God. Other roles in religious traditions include acting as warrior or guard; the concept of a Guardian Angel is popular in modern Western culture.
2. A recent survey published in Time magazine revealed that 69 percent of Americans believe in Angels, and 46 percent of that group believe they have a personal Guardian Angel. Many people believe that Guardian Angels are spiritual beings that assist people here on Earth in various ways.
3. Angels are anthropomorphic - meaning ‘in the shape of men’ - winged forms intended to transmit the word of God to humankind. Angels personify divine will and are the messengers of God. Winged messengers appear in a number of religions as intermediaries between the spiritual and material worlds, but appear most often in Islamic, Jewish but most particularly the Christian faiths.
4. The word Angel comes from the Greek ‘aggelos’, meaning messenger. The concept of angels probably evolved from winged deities described in Egyptian, Sumerian and Semitic beliefs.
5. Symbols closely associated with angels in art include trumpets, harps, swords, sceptres and wands. Angels are usually portrayed as young men with wings and halos, representing their divinity. The representation of angels as Cupid-like young boys or babies, ‘putti’ did not occur until the period of the Renaissance.
If you are thinking of choosing an angel as a subject to cross stitch, you will find that they are a wonderfully inspiring subject. There are many wonderful images of angels that can be perfect to send a positive message as a gift to a friend. You can be sure of sending a message of friendship, love and hope that angels symbolize to your friends and family.
Have you stitched an Angel design as a gift? They do appear to bring pleasure to the recipient. Do share with us your ideas!
Happy stitching
Iona 

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I have just watched a TV advertisement for cider. It stated that ‘time is at its best when you lose track of it’. I agree with this – especially when I am stitching. I have known hours to fly past when I have been engaged in a particular project that has interested me. However, ‘time’ can be a luxury nowadays, when we all seem to have so many things to do every day. I have therefore thought of some time-saving tips for stitching; these will hopefully help you to complete projects quickly when you need to.

Store your stitching stash well. It is very frustrating to have to spend time looking through your cupboards and boxes for some essential stitching item. It’s therefore a good idea to spend a couple of hours organising all your stitching paraphernalia, so that they are easily accessible.

Travel with your cross stitch projects. Keep a small project carefully packed in a handbag or tote bag when you are out and about, and when you have time – waiting in a doctor’s or dentist’s waiting room, or travelling on a bus, you know you can have a few minutes’ stitching.

Spend an occasional evening with stitching friends. You can all stitch, have fun and talk together.

Try stitching all the left-to-right arms of your stitching first. Then, you can take your project on a train journey and fill in the right-to-left stitches without having to spread out a chart in front of you.

Stitch more than one project at the same time. Keep a large project – where you have to concentrate hard – for evenings at home. Take card or bookmark projects to work – or elsewhere - with you. You never know when you will have an unexpected five minute when you can sew just one length of thread.

If you enjoy music or listening to the radio, what are your hands doing? They could be stitching. And remember – hands that are stitching are not in that biscuit tin!

Do you have some tips to add to this list? I’d love to receive them.

Happy Stitching

Iona 

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