Antique Skulls

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Heather

Hello, my crafty friends! Boy, this year is off to an interesting start, isn’t it? I’m Canadian, but I know that what affects a neighbour can soon affect you… Like many (most?) people, my mental health is taking a bit of a beating. I’m so grateful the comfort I find in my stitching, podcasts, games, and books.

A Study in Skulls cross stitch design on purple fabric.

A Study in Skulls, designed by The Stitch Crypt

I completed A Study in Skulls from The Stitch Crypt last week. The designer was kind enough to chart out a 13-hour clock for me so I could add just a hint of the Haunted Mansion to the design. (Sorry for the small image size. Click to embiggen. I haven’t update my blog theme in many years, but it’s in the works!)

I otherwise stitched the design as charted, but the dye from the purple fabric ran and discoloured all the light coloured threads. I tried all the tricks, but nothing was able to remove the dye. Ultimately, it is okay because it has given the piece an antique-y look that doesn’t change the design significantly.

This is the first time I’ve ever had a piece of hand-dyed fabric run so badly. I purchased this piece about a decade ago, from someone who’s fabric I love and use all the time. This was a misdyed piece, so I’m wondering if the final setting set was accidentally forgotten.

More stitching and more cards to come! But no politics here. While I’m aware of what is happening in the world and I’ll be doing what I can in my small corner of the world to ensure everyone stays safe and protected, my blog is a sanctuary away from that. We all need small places to rest our mind quietly before returning to the fray.

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A Year with Ghosts

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Heather

Every year I tell myself that I am going to focus on stitching things for myself. I’m not get involved with another mystery SAL that I may not like once it is done. And, just about every year I stitch another SAL… What can I say, FOMO is real even in the stitching world. This year is going to be different! I’m doing a solo SAL, just for me, from a pattern that is already complete.

A portion of a cross stitch design featuring a ghost wearing a hat and scarf putting a carrot nose on a snowman.

January from A Year with Ghosts, designed by Living on the Rainbow

Each month this year I’ll be stitching a section of A Year with Ghosts from Living on the Rainbow. I’m using 27 count black Linda evenweave (it was on sale…) with DMC and Kreinik #4 braid as charted. There is a chance I’ll replace some of the #4 braid with Petite Treasure Braid, as I’d like to use what I’ve got in my stash if possible.

Surprisingly, I’m not having a difficult time stitching on black fabric. I’ve switched to using a Daylight Company floor stand instead of stitching in hand. (My old shoulder injury combined with hand pain from aging and a newer elbow issue means stitching in hand isn’t very comfortable anymore.) I also use a Daylight Company light with a magnifier, which has made the process much easier on my eyes. I think there may be a few more projects on black fabric in my future.

Are you taking part in any SALs this year? I mean, I don’t need another one but I but I’d still love to hear about them. (Do I need another one? Maybe…)

I also wanted to mention that I’ve moved from Instagram to Bluesky. You can find me at stitchinglotus.bsky.social.

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Craft Roulette #249

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Heather

Hello again, crafty friends! It’s going to take me a little while to get back into the habit of regular posts since it hasn’t been part of my routine for so long. But, I’m working on it! (I’ve also been a little under the weather, as per usual for me in the winter…)

Today I wanted to share one of my favourite new hobbies: card making! I started card making back in 2019, though I took a big pause for the disaster that was most of 2020. In early 2023 I discovered a funn (two n) YouTube game show called Craft Roulette, hosted by Mary Gunn. It’s “the ultimate paper crafting, card making, game show challenge”, where Mary spins a wheel to choose four creative parameters for making a card. She and a guest create their projects live, and viewers (nicknamed the Chatter Box) are invited to participate and submit their own cards to the Craft Roulette website.

A zoyfold greeting card featuring a green and grey haunted house on a background for green and grey.

Entry for Craft Roulette 249

This is the card I created for Episode 249. The parameters were:
Project – zoyfold card
Colours – elegant
Element – front door
Random – three circles

This is far from the best card I’ve ever made, but I really enjoy the challenge of ruminating on the required parameters and searching through my stash to see what I have that will work. For this challenge, I made a Halloween card using a stamp set from Scrapbook.com and paper from Michaels. I snuck in the three circles by using pearl embellishments.

I know needleworkers aren’t always keen on looking at papercrafts, but I do promise to share lots cross stitch soon. I love to keep busy making things, and I also have a large backlog of things to share.

2 Comments | Posted in Card Making | Tagged ,

Happy 2025!

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Heather

Hello, my stitchy friends. Happy New Year! And may 2025 be full of good health, happiness, and peace for all of you.

Happy New Year

It has been far too long, and there is just too much to catch you up on. The short and sweet version is I’ve travelled; I’ve stitched, knitted, crochet, and sewed; I’ve done more card making and scrapbooking; I’ve built miniature room kits; I’ve worked on raising my son into a wonderful teenager; and I’ve worked on trying to better myself. But now I miss my blog and I miss all of you. I don’t know who is still around or who still reads blogs, but that is okay. I can pretend I’m still talking to all the wonderful people I used to know.

A cross stitched picture of antique Santa ornaments hanging on a feather tree, framed in a gold picture frame.

Antique Santa Tree (modified), designed by Dimensions

Let’s ease back into this blogging thing slow. Today I’d like to share my two most recent finishes. The first is a modified version of Antique Santa Tree from Dimensions, a design I have a very long history with. My first attempt to finish it was back during university, over twenty years ago. I had so many issues with the kit’s floss that I became completely frustrated and threw it all away. It meant to be a gift for my mom, and it weighed on my mind for all these years. A little while ago I came across another kit for the same design and I decided to make it my focus piece for 2024. I finished in November and framed it two days before Christmas. She was nearly in tears when she opened it. It was such a special moment.

A cross stitched and bead picture of a lighthouse in front of a sunset, frame in a blue picture frame.

Lighthouse, designed by Mill Hill

I stitched Lighthouse from Mill Hill for my dad for Christmas. I had completely forgotten that I had this kit, so I spent most of my stitching time in December working on it. Fathers (especially older ones) can sometimes be sparing with their words, but I could tell that he loved it.

That’s all for today, my stitchy friends! If you’d like to see more of what I’ve been doing, please check out my Instagram BlueSky account. I’d also love to reconnect with the stitchy blogging community, so please consider leaving a comment with a link to your blog or Instagram.

4 Comments | Posted in Crafts, Cross Stitch, My Life, Site News | Tagged , , , ,

A Fond Farewell to TW

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Heather

If you are fan of older cross stitch designers, you may have heard that Teresa Wentzler is deleting her current websites on August 14th. She has also said “certain of my designs will continue to be available at PatternsOnLine.com” and that she will still answer needlework questions via email. I feel so much sadness at this. Cross stitch is experiencing a new boom in interest, and to me Teresa Wentzler is one of the most talented cross stitch designers I’ve ever stitched. I know that she has some health challenges now, but it makes me sad that it will me more difficult for new stitchers to find her fabulous designs. But so it goes, and at least I have a complete collection of her designs to keep me happily stitching for years.

Teresa has created a new website just for her art. You can find it at TeresaWentzlerArt.com.

If you want to get any of her freebies, they are still on her website. You can also find the old removed dragon freebies hidden here: Tempest, Futurecast, Stretch, and Dragon Rampant.

And here is a slideshow of some of my older TW finishes. I’ve been so lacks about posting anything on this blog for so long that it will take me a while to sort through projects and pictures to update it.

 

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One Stamp Challenge… With Two Stamps

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Heather

Hello, Crafty Friends! I am a sucker for classes, stitch-alongs, challenges, etc. I love learning new things, and I really like being part of a group (online, please), and seeing how everyone else is interpreting the instructions/pattern. If you are following me on Instagram you’ll probably have noticed that I’ve joined a one stamp challenge hosted by Nicole Watt of Bloom Crafters.

The idea behind the challenge is to explore several different mixed media techniques (my new favourite crafty thing) and apply them to a single stamp. Nicole is using the awesome Converse-inspired stamp set Walk, Crawl, or Run from Picket Fence Studios. (I totally want this set since I live in Converse. I think I have ten different pairs, including ones with skulls and ones with Hello Kitty, of course.) Me being me, and being totally indecisive, I’ve decided to try two different stamp sets.

Inky backgrounds just waiting to be made into something.

First, these are the panels I’m working with. These were made using several different Tim Holtz Distress spray inks and a cool smooshing technique. I then added a bit more colour for some layering, and so the panels looked a little bit different to each other and more suited to the stamp I want to use on each one.

Lotus Bouquet on one of my inky backgrounds. (I love lotus flowers.)

For my first card, I used the Lotus Bouquet stamp from Paper Rose Studio. I also used Nicole’s technique of curving a sentiment to fit “Birthday Wishes” around the flowers. The large leaf and a few other areas of the flowers are also slightly white-washed, which gives them a milky look that sets them off from the rest of the card.

Poor suit! There is something wrong with your collar. Maybe I can fix it?

My second card didn’t work out. I used the Suit Up stamp from Maymay Made It. Like my first card, I embossed it in white using white pigment ink first. But, unlike the first card, I didn’t make sure that all of the embossing powder was melted. So, when I went to add the whitewash, I ended up blurring the lines up near the collar. Oh well. Maybe I can use the panel to do some die-cutting.

Fellow card makers, what is one of your favourite techniques? I’m always looking to add more tools to my toolbox!

Check out Bloom Crafters for more info on the challenge.

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Good Stuff!

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Heather

Hello, crafty friends! Today I’m sharing a papercraft project. I’ve loved the idea of making little books since grade school. One of my favourite school projects ever involved making two little books with my best friend. We wrote and illustrated cute little stories that starred a unicorn and a princess. Totally out of character, right? 🙂

I discovered junk journals at some point last year when I stumbled across Mad Paper Crush. She makes fabulous junk journals and altered books, and she inspired me to try an envelope journal. (I’ll share that another day.)

My little booklet full of good stuff!

That brings me to last week, when I watched a video from Jana Eubank of Simple Stories. She showed how to make a cute journal using supplies from January’s Scrapbook and Cards Today  sampler. I had been wondering what to do with all the bits and pieces from the Simple Stories Good Stuff collection, and the journal just captured my heart.

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I’ll be using this journal to record my favourite things: books, music, scents, memories, dreams, etc. I’ve also included pictures of my family on one of the pages that I didn’t share. All of the papers and stickers I used came in the sampler from Scrapbook and Cards Today, and are from the Simple Stories Good Stuff collection. The Love word and the hearts are die cuts, created using the dies included in the January sampler as well.

The patterns and colours of this paper collect are pretty out of character for me. (They feel very retro late 70s/early 80s to me, sort of). But, sometimes working with things that are out of character helps because you are forced to look at things in new ways, play with new pairings, and really tap into your creativity. I think this journal turned out great, even though I would never have bought this paper for myself.

Needlework is still my greatest crafting love, but working with paper and creating little books has been so satisfying.

If you are interested in the Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine sampler, you can find information here. Every month has a new surprise. I’ve received lots of wonderful paper, stickers and other embellishments, a stencil, stamps, and dies. It is turning into a wonderful exercise in creativity for me.

You can see the full Simple Stories Good Stuff collection here.

 

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