A 2.5 Year Work-In-Progress

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Yesterday I was going through my box of “completed” projects that have not been framed yet, when I came across my little hedgehog pincushion. Well, it was technically two stitched sides of a hedgehog waiting to be turned into a pincushion. I had completely forgotten about this project. I had stitched it up quickly, but then never got around to putting it together. I decided it had been long enough (since September 2015, yikes!) and I got out my sewing supplies. It was a bit trickier than I had thought it would be, because the pattern was from one of my digital magazines. So when I printed out the templates on my printer, they were not large enough. I had to play around with enlarging them before I figured out the correct size. Most of it went together on the machine, which was quick and easy. But the bottom piece of green felt had to be hand sewn on, which was really tedious and painful and today I’m having an issue with trigger finger because of it. Ouch! But finally he was done, and I got to put in the cute leaf shaped pins I had found. He is so adorable and I absolutely love him! I think instead of using him as a pincushion I am just going to keep him on my desk to look at, whenever I need to smile.

You can read my original post about this little guy here.

XXX

Carrie


Primitive Pincushions

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The June issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine arrived, and it has several great projects in it. One of them that I was immediately drawn to is this set of pincushions by Nicoletta Farrauto of Nikyscreations.

M53373_HelloSpring_300

I especially love the one on the bottom, with the two girls. The pattern is quite easy, and I think the whole thing could be worked up in a weekend. It also would be a great way to use up small scraps of linen, and I love the fact that it uses regular old DMC floss. I have the full line of colors, but this would be so easy to adapt to whatever little bits of floss you have leftover from another project. My husband is always agonizing over my lost needles, so I think this would not only look good sitting on the end table where I keep my supplies while I stitch, but it would be functional too. I do have a magnetic needle minder, but one of these pincushions would be great for when you are working on a larger project and have lots of needles threaded, ready to go.

You can visit the Nikyscreations blog at http://niky-nikyscreations.blogspot.com

XXX
Carrie

 


Another hedgehog

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The other day when my 6 year old wanted to work on her cross stitch, I decided to get out a new project. A Summer Ball is lots of fun to work on, but difficult when you have to stop every couple of minutes. I looked through my “work in progress” tote and found a project I had completely forgotten about. I had not started it yet, but had the materials ready to go. It is a cute little hedgehog which is stitched in two parts and then put together to make a pincushion. It was a free cover kit from a recent British magazine, but as I subscribe to the digital edition, I don’t get the kit. Fortunately, the chart was inside the magazine and I just had to find my own supplies. The design is stitching up very quickly, and I already have most of the first half of the little critter done. The other side is basically the same thing, only in reverse. I can’t wait to get this one done!

I haven’t taken a photo yet, but here is what he will look like. I even managed to find the same pins, although they are a different color.

hedgehogcushion

XXX
Carrie


A Pretty Pincushion

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jcsapril2014I’ve come across another design which I really want to stitch – this gorgeous petal pincushion from Simona Bussiglieri of Mani di Donna. It is featured on the cover of the April 2014 issue of Just Cross Stitch. The panels are stitched on 32 count Belfast linen and are then finished off with rickrack, ribbons, and buttons. There are two different panels, one for the outside and one for the inside of each petal. You stitch each panel four times, so you end up with 8 panel pieces. The inside of the pincushion is a separate, smaller chart.

The last thing I need right now is a new chart. I keep telling myself I HAVE to finish that woodland deer and my daughter’s Christmas stocking. Oh, and the Peacock Tapestry as well. And then there are those embroidered pillowcases I started so many years ago… But for the last two weeks I have kept coming back to this pretty pincushion design, itching to start on it. I guess it couldn’t hurt to gather the materials needed, just in case. It calls for only three colors of floss, but they are Weeks Dye Works and Simply Shaker Sampler Threads. I would be using the DMC alternatives, since I have an almost endless supply of those. The Belfast linen is actually dyed by Lakeside Linens, but as the normal Belfast straight from Zweigart is about $70 per yard, I think I will stick to the good old fashioned stuff. I probably have enough in my stash already (I hope!)

You should currently be able to find this issue on newsstands, as I received my subscription copy about 2 weeks ago.

XXX
Carrie