March 04, 2007
Welcome to issue 4
Skye's snowball video
Here in the UK there are very few days a year when it snows. Probably due to the rarity of this kind of weather, a few inches and the whole country can grind to a halt. Early in February we did have enough snow to actually lay on the ground. 4 month old Skye loved it! I took her and our older dog outside with the video camera (brrrrr it was cold) and watched her play. The snow certainly didn't stop her! She had great fun. She even managed to roll herself a snowball, which luckily, I managed to catch on the video. I thought you might like to share her fun.
Site Updates
You may have noticed some new sections on the site in the last couple of weeks. First there is the e-book, Blackwork for Beginners. It has been six years since I wrote Blackwork Stitch-by-Stitch which was only available in printed form. So many stitchers from overseas have asked about an electronic version that I eventually gave in and have created Volume 1 as an e-book. It is in .pdf format and is available for immediate download, no waiting for the postman to call, no postage to pay. Volume 2 will follow, containing all the pattern library from the printed book and more besides! You will be able to have both e-books for less than the cost of the printed book. Visit Blackwork for Beginners for full details.I have also started another section on DIY - no not home improvements - Design It Yourself. If you have dabbled with graph paper and pencils why not think about using your computer to design on? There are many benefits to doing so which I talk about at Designing Cross Stitch.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with the Get Organised section of the site. Here you will find ideas for storing and organizing your stash, embroidery floss and patterns. I am putting another page together with tips and techniques that you all have shared with me. Lets get organized, shall we?
Special Offers
Next month my husband and I will be celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary and I thought it would be a great time to offer a special price on United in Love, a wedding sampler that I originally designed for my sister's special day. Especially for subscribers, I am offering the kit (on evenweave only) for just half price! Yes you read that correctly, HALF PRICE. Just £10.75 instead of £21.50. Offer open only while stocks last! Know anyone getting married soon? I wish to order
Band 4 of Up the Garden Path
Its lovely that so many of you are joining in and having a go at this sampler. Sheila sent me a photo of her sampler so far and I just had to share. She has used variegated thread and hand-dyed fabric and it looks just lovely! Well done Sheila. I can't wait to see it finished.
This month we are moving on to the poppies and wheat band. Now I think poppies are gorgeous flowers and I love to see them in the fields among the crops. Wheat, however, is a different story! I suffer from Coeliac disease and anything made from wheat is a definite no-no for me. I am writing a new website all about the gluten free diet I have to follow. And of course after the success of needlework-tips-and-techniques I just had to get SBI to host this one also. See your own website in your future? Why not take a peek at SBI TV to see what they have to offer.
Right, back to band 4. This is a more complex band than the first three. But just take it steady and follow the numbers and you will do fine. On my model I used gold thread for the wheat as I was trying to include gold in every other row of the sampler.
You can download band 4 here. You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open and read this chart. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will open so you can download without leaving this page).
If you want to open the file in your browser window, you can just click on the link. However, if you want to download the file to view later, then right click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save File As." Then select where you want to save the file on your hard drive.
Once you have saved the file, locate where you saved it, and double click to open.
In order to print, open the downloaded file, and select the "Print" option from the menu.
Lets start with the poppies. As usual the colours I use in the diagrams and the following instructions are for guidance only, we are working the flowers all in a single strand of black thread.
Start by following the green stitches and work the first two stitches of the "ground line". Then place the first stitch in the flower stem before branching off, following the numbers, to work the left hand tendril. Complete this tendril by working the black stitches to fill in the gaps, bringing you back to the stem.
Do the same thing to stitch the right hand tendril, but this time following the black stitches first.
Stitch 16 on the diagram takes us up the stem to the flower head. I have started re-numbering at this point to keep the diagram clearer (numbers larger than 10 aren't so easy to follow in my opinion). Please remember to include the blue stitches when you reach them to separate the petals. Work round the flower and then fill in the gaps (black stitches) on the way back.
Fill in the black stitches on your way down the stem and then continue with the green ground line.
When you reach the tuft of grass follow the lettered stitches, using the arrows as a guide to the direction your stitches should be taking.
The wheat stems
The wheat stems are tackled in the same way we worked the tufts of grass. Stitches coloured grey on the diagram have already been worked at this stage. Follow the numbers and arrows to stitch both the wheat stems and the next grass tuft. To continue along the band, at this point, you will start again at stitch 1 in the first diagram. To complete the lower section of this band just whiz along the ground line filling in the gaps.
The ears of wheat
OK, ready for the golden wheat? Thread up with gold metallic (1 strand) and off we go. I have used two diagrams to show how to work these.
Start at number one and work your way around the ear, remembering the side journeys at stitches 5, 7 and 9. Complete this stage by filling in the black stitches on your return.
To complete the ears of wheat place the final five stitches as numbered in the diagram below.
Optional You can add beads, french knots or cross stitches in gold to the centre of the poppies if desired.
I hope you have enjoyed stitching our fourth band. Next month we move on to the sweet little snails in band 5.
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