Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint
I have always wanted to dye my own floss but I was so scared that I would ruin my floss. No time like the present to concur my fear and jump right into the process. Believe it or not, it is super easy and you can’t mess it up. It is fun to play with colors combos and see what happens. I created these colors for fall, They remind me of candy corn and fall leaves.
You can check out the tutorial HERE
If you like your cross stitch with a bit of a rustic look, you’ll want to check out the Etsy shop Needle Treasures Nook. This shop is based in Bulgaria and does a lot of projects shown as pillows, though of course you could frame them if you like that look better.
Because of the season at the time of this writing I was drawn first to the St. Patrick’s Day section, which has a couple of handfuls of projects for you to choose from. I like this lucky heart design, which includes shamrocks in a heart shape and a couple of ladybugs (or ladybirds, depending on where you live). Yes, they are supposed to be good luck, especially if one lands on you!
The design is 52 by 49 stitches and its shown on 32 count ecru linen that was dyed with green tea, which is kind of fun. Instructions for how to dye fabric with botanicals are included in the pattern. And of course you don’t have to make yours heart shaped but it is pretty that way.
In addition there are lots of other holiday themed cross stitch patterns. In particular there are a lot of Thanksgiving patterns, more even than Christmas, though only by a couple. Cute animals are on heavy rotation here, including turkeys, foxes, squirrels and rabbits. There are also plenty of leaves and pumpkins, of course.
How about those Christmas patterns? Here you’ll find sweet trees, rustic Santas, snow-themed projects and, of course, more adorable animals. You’ll also find projects for Valentine’s Day, Easter, spring and summer and an array of American patriotic patterns. (Do we Americans stitch so much red, white and blue stuff that designers from other countries need to make more for us? It’s a mystery.)
They also have a few fonts, Quaker style patterns, bees, flowers, fruits and more. Check out all the goodies at Needle Treasures Nook on Etsy.
[Photo: Needle Treasures Nook]
Candy corn…yummmmmmmmmmmm
Your colors are pretty. Thanks for the tutorial!