Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

Stitchy Thought for Today

by

This design comes from Kincavel Krosses – Cross Stitch and Blackwork designs by Lady Kell of Kincavel. Not only is it her usual amazing design work, it is free, and it is a great thought for the day!Find the free chart and while you are at it, stop by and say thanks for the chart in the comments in the comments.

 

What defines a pattern as “Blackwork”? Blackwork embroidery is a very old form of counted-thread embroidery. Traditionally it was worked in black silk cotton on white linen. It was used to decorate clothing. Thought to have originated in Spain around the 17th-18th century. There are lot’s of modern-day variations, one being that it is most commonly produced on Aida and not linen.

Comments

Have you read?

Designer Spotlight: Artmishka Cross Stitch

Artmishka Cross Stitch is an Etsy shop based in Italy with lots of whimsical and colorful designs and an emphasis on animals, flowers and landscapes. Let’s take a closer look!

The animal section is by far the largest, and it includes everything from realistic birds to cartoony cats, a set of little chick ornaments for Easter and a blackwork butterfly, to name a few. There are little animals in clothes and scarves, and this sweet folk art style owl in modern colors. 

This one (and lots of them, really, I think) was designed as nursery decor, and it calls for 10 colors, which you can of course change up to suit your decor, nursery or otherwise. The design is 95 by 95 stitches, which comes out to about 7 inches or 18 cm square on 14 count fabric or 28 count evenweave stitched over two strands. 

Another large category is flowers, which includes birth month flower designs, flowers that look hand drawn and colored, floral wreaths with teapots and wedding floral cross stitch designs.

The sampler section includes a variety of small patterns, images with words, colorful geometric and floral designs, and a few holiday patterns. Christmas designs include stamps, Christmas trees, stocking, snowmen and a cute box of snowflake shaped Christmas cookies in a box with a mug of hot chocolate, to name a few designs. 

There are also a fair number of designs in both the landscape and cottage categories. These include iconic landmarks and colorful sunsets, and buildings from beach houses to a mushroom cottage, book shop and a cottage with flowers bursting out of the roof. There’s also a section called girl, which has designs of a little girl in different outfits and situations and  some other characters.

Other categories on the site with smaller numbers of patterns include boy designs, princesses, plants, hobby themed designs (sewing, knitting, baking), art and bookmarks. There are also a handful of cross stitch kits, all of the little girl character. 

Check out all of the fun designs at Artmishka Cross Stitch. 

[Photo: Artmishka Cross Stitch]