Cross-Stitch

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Sign Up for 2012 TUSAL – Totally Useless Stitch-a-long

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As I wandered around stitchy blogs I kept running into a mysterious term – TUSAL – and I wondered what in the world it meant. Until I found Daffycat’s blog and unearthed the meaning of the term. TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch-a-long. Read on to learn more.

If you would like to join the TUSAL for 2012 leave a comment on this post at It’s a Daffycat. The rules are simple:

1. Get a glass container and save your thread clippings or ORTs (Old Ratty Threads!) Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands or any other stitching cast-offs they gather. You may continue filling this jar throughout the year OR you may empty the jar and start over each month ~ no firm rules here!

2. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog. This is a blog game so YES, you MUST have a blog to be included.

3. Yes, you can use your current ORT jar or jars.

Read More About the TUSAL

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Comments

  1. Too funny! I’ve been doing that for awhile and just dumped my useless thread. Just started another one a few weeks ago! 🙂

  2. I saw this at the beginning of 2011 and started a jar but never posted pictures. I’m happy to report my jar is almost full and I will empty it on Dec. 31 to start again. I’m saving the threa for the birds in the spring, they can make pretty nests.

  3. Did you know that you can take those threads, sandwich them between two layers of watersoluble interfacing, quilt like crazy on your machine, dissolve the layers, and have a pretty neat, original piece of fabric to play with?

Have you read?

Bookmark Cross Stitch Patterns

It seems like there’s no end to the available options when it comes to cross stitch bookmarks, which is a good thing because they’re perennially popular to stitch as well. This time I thought I’d share some colorful cross stitch bookmarks to get you ready for the new school year or to make meeting your reading goals a little more fun. 

I love these retro floral designs from The Stitch Patterns. This set of four patterns is rated as very easy, and each bookmark measures 2.5 by 6 inches (or 6.35 by 15.25 cm) on 14 count fabric. 

These cute ones that look like mosaic tile would also be fun to stitch. This set includes five designs from EmbroSTyle Designs, and they call them folk art but they mostly look like old mosaics to me. Either way, the bookmarks are 25 by 101 stitches, and to stitch the full set uses 12 colors. 

If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can stitch up a work of art with this set of 16 bookmarks designed to look like famous paintings. Stitch some sunflowers or a great wave or a starry night. Most of these are between 14 and 20 colors (the great wave is only 8) and the bookmarks are totally covered with stitching at a count of 35 by 100 stitches. Grab this set from Sunset and Sea Design.

Or how about some bookmarks inspired by books (or by movies inspired by books)? This set of Lord of the Rings bookmarks includes four landmarks from the books/movies. Each one is 35 by 115 stitches and uses between 8 and 17 colors. You can find them at byCountryMagicStitch.

These don’t quite all fit the description of being colorful bookmarks to cross stitch, but a few of them do, and speaking of book-themed bookmarks I had to share this set from Mama Geek inspired by Heartstopper. There are seven designs in all that should be quite familiar to readers (or viewers of the series). 

25 Christmas Bookmark Cross-stitch Patterns [Cross-Stitch]

25 Floral Bookmark Cross Stitch Patterns