Issue
123 Celebrate the arrival of summer with this beautiful
display of butterflies. Set in a June meadow with their
favourite flowers, Cross stitch an Orange Tip, a Pearl-bordered
Fritillary and a Common Blue. In this issue you can
also find a pair of intricate Blackwork Circles with
a hint of sparkle as well a selection of gifts with
stencilled flowers in pastel shades. Also featured are
a pair of elegant Hardanger mats, stitched with variegated
threads for a unique effect. There are more Church Tile
designs, this time in Assisi, as well as the final part
of our stunning series on the Gods of Egypt. The Masterclass
shows you how to use fractional stitches to their very
best effect in a striking Celtic Sampler.
Feature Designs
Butterflies
of
Early Summer In May and June there are a handful of
British butterflies that appear a little earlier
than the rest as a new season's brood. To say
they are welcome in my garden is an understatement
and I try hard to ensure that they, and their
later cousins, have the food plants they need
somewhere around. This embroidery features the
Orange Tip on a Cuckooflower (Lady's-smock) plant,
a Pearl-bordered Fritillary on a violet plant
and a Common Blue on Bird's-foot-trefoil, all
set in a grassy meadow. These are the plants that
each seeks as a food-plant for its young. Second
broods follow; we hope.
Hardanger
Octagons These Hardanger flowers and patterns
worked in varieagted Caron threads create an
extremely pretty effect. The octagonal and long
octgonal mats with their Buttonholes edging
and pastel shades add warmth to any room. The
smaller design should take around two weeks
of evenings to complete and the large design
three to four weeks of evenings.
Gods
of Egypt Part
3 This is the final part of our majestic
collection of the mythological gods from ancient
Egypt. In vibrant colours with a hint of blending
filament, stitch these figures complete with
their elaborate costumes and symbols. Part three
features Seth, the storm god; Sekhmet, the lion-headed
goddess; Ptah, the god of creation, Sobek the
'crocodile' god and Thoth, the god of Wisdom.
This is a large scale Cross stitch project with
a result to be proud of.
Stencilled
Flowers Blending two different shades in the needle
creates a delicate shading effect with these stencilled
flowers. The designs cab be made into a great
selection of cards and gifts with soft pastel
tones. Stitch the cushion in about six weeks of
evenings, the bell pull or notebook in a week
of evenings and the card in a couple of evenings.
Assisi
Tiles These latest designs in our series based
on traditional church tiles show the striking
effect of Assisi work. Stitched in a warm, golden
shade with detailed classic motifs, these designs
can be made into fabulous gifts and cards.
The Joys of Quarter Stitches I do not like quarter stitches. They
are tiresome to stitch, difficult to chart clearly
and very often do not add the smooth curve that
designers hope they will to a design. In most
types of traditional Cross stitch they are very
seldom used. The only exception is Assisi, in
which they are more frequently found. There,
however, the outline stitches are worked first
and the cross stitches used to fill the background
area of the design afterwards. In Cross stitch
designs that do use quarter stitches, it is
necessary to stitch them before working any
back stitch and this can add to the complications.
Having said all this, I shall continue to avoid
quarter stitches as far as possible, but thought
that I should design a piece of embroidery where
they were essential and then devise the best
method of approach. The result is this Celtic
sampler in which the areas of colour are solid
and the outlines all in black thread. Not really
painful and worth the finished result.
Fine Stitching These Blackwork circles have beautiful
intricate patterns reminiscent of snowflakes.
Kreinik very fine braid adds a touch of sparkle
to make a pair of striking pictures. Stitch
each design in a couple of weeks of evenings.
