Star Wars Cross Stitch Project Bag for Hubby's Birthday
Hello friends,
Recently I made a Star Wars cross stitch project bag for hubby for his birthday. He loves both Star Wars and cross stitching, so I though I'd combine the two for his birthday present this July.
For a job, I sew, and also weave, fabric into various textile products that I sell in my store Hearth and Oak on Felt (a New Zealand artisan online market place similar to Etsy), and one of the products I make regularly are cross stitch project bags. So all I had to do was pull out my cross stitch project bag pattern and got to work cutting out the fabric, and then sewing it up. Luckily I had a black zip in storage to help sew the bag up.
And here is the cross stitch project all sewn up. I think it looks really great with the fabric and the blocks of colours, and I really like the black zipper, rather than the usual white ones I use for work.
On hubby's birthday, I gave him the cross stitch bag as a gift, along with a new cross stitch project all kitted up. He loves his new bag to store his cross stitch WIPs in, and this way our cat Rosie won't get into his projects and try to eat the DMC floss...
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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The Artsy Housewife's Abalonia's Apple Tree Cross Stitch Finish
Hello friends,
I have a new cross stitch project finish to show you today, with The Artsy Housewife's Abalonia's Apple Tree cross stitch project being completed in early this May.
It was only a little while ago that I posted this in a blog as a new project I was working on over the autumn. In the next few weeks after that, I monogamously worked on this cross stitch project until it was finished. I am currently having eye sight problems (which will soon be fixed with cataract surgeries in the next few months), and the Aida in this project was the only one of my current WIPs big enough for me to see easily while cross stitching.
And now that Abalonia's Apple Tree is now finished, I am so very pleased with the results. This cross stitch project finish shows off everything good about the autumn season with shades of red, orange, green, and yellow, and I just love the big and small details of the pattern.
The cresent moon and stars are just so beautiful.
And so are the blackbird and the ripe red apples.
Abalonia, the fox, is so nicely detailed in shades of browns, reds, and creams.
The wicker basket has wonderful shades of brown and cream, and it really stands out against the Fiber on a Whim Old Gold 18 count Aida.
I am very happy with this project, and all that remains now is to find a perfect frame to house it in. I hope to get that done in the next couple of weeks.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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The Artsy Housewife's Abalonia's Apple Tree Cross Stitch Project
Hello friends,
I hinted in a blog post a little while ago that I had started a second cross stitch project for stitching over the autumn season. Back in November for my birthday we visited Art and Frame in Christchurch, a picture framer, who also specialises in cross stitch supplies and patterns.
Since it was a significant birthday, and my family had given me money to celebrate it, I splurged and bought a cross stitch pattern, Abalonia's Apple Tree by The Artsy Housewife. I also bought most of the specialty threads needed for the project from Art and Frame as well.
Some of the specialty threads and the fabric weren't available in New Zealand, so I ordered them from 123 Stitch in the USA, and waited for them to slowly arrive by mail. I ordered a fat quarter of Fiber on a Whim 18 count Aida in the colour Old Gold, which was the smallest size available, and when it arrived I cut the fabric in half, as I only needed half of the fabric for the project. The other half of the fabric will be used in another project later this year.
As you can see from the floss toss on the fabric, the colours used in the project are very autumnal.
And I've already started cross stitching Abalonia's Apple Tree...
I'm really loving stitching with the specialty threads from Classic Colorworks and Weeks Dye Works, and Sampler Threads, and the colours go great with the Old Gold aida from Fiber on a Whim. I'm about half way through the project now, and hope to have the project finished this autumn.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Frederick the Literate Cross Stitch Project
Hello friends,
I recently began a new cross stitch project, Frederick the Literate, by Dimensions. This cross stitch kit has been a unicorn project of mine for years, but until recently I haven't been able to get hold of a copy of my own. When I usually try to track it down, it's always out of stock in New Zealand.
Luckily one of my sister's found it available on Spotlight's website, and it was on special, so I bought it immediately before it sold out. After waiting for what felt like forever, and dealing with courier issues (who nearly lost it), I cracked the kit open and got started.
The kit contains two of my favorite things, cats and books, so I was especially excited to start stitching, even though the background aida was black in colour...
As typical with Dimensions kits, the thread was on cards, so I used a hole punch to make space for threads in progress. And since Dimensions often use combined threads, I had to come up with a plan to deal with these mixed threads as well.
And this is my progress with Frederick the Literate cross stitch project so far. The books on the top row, in the middle, are in progress. I never do any back stitching on a project until the end, so right now the books are looking pretty blocky. It won't be too long though before I start cross stitching the cat, which I'm excited about.
Luckily this cross stitch project isn't too big, so it won't take too long to complete over the coming months of autumn and winter.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Christmas Of Gnomes Cross Stitch Project Update
Hello friends,
In November 2024 I began a new Christmas Cross Stitch Project, Christmas of Gnomes, from Sodastitch Design on Etsy. The plan was to only work on the cross stitch project in the months of November and December leading up to Christmas. I love doing seasonal cross stitch projects, and this project fills the months leading up to Christmas.
I used the called for DMC threads, and bought 32 count Lugana opalescent even weave in the colour Eucalyptus from Country Stitch in New Zealand. I've been stitching the design 2 x 2.
In 2023 I finished the second row of gnomes (I started as close to the middle of the project as possible), and began the first row of gnomes. It was a lot of fun using bright Christmas colours along with the opalescent Evenweave, and began stitching the Christmas tree in the top row.
In November and December 2024 I managed to finish the entire top row, and began the third row of cross stitching featuring a gnome carrying a gingerbread cookie.
This is my first time stitching on Evenweave, and it's been a little tricky to get the stitches looking square, as the holes in between the threads are quite small. I've really enjoyed this project so far, and now look forward to working on it later on this year. I'm not sure if I'll get the project finished in 2025, but if I'm quite close to the end, I may continue to work on it in January 2026 until it is finished.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon or Bluesky.
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