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Wednesday 27 November 2019

Black Friday Sale 2019

For once in my blogging/pattern making life I have actually joined in the Black Friday pattern sale mania.

You can get all my patterns from now until the 4th of December for 25% off when you buy 2 or more.  This includes all bundles as they also count as one pattern.

SHOP LINK!

On top of this there will also be special sales throughout the weekend so keep an eye out for them. They will be advertised on my instagram and in my facebook group so keep your eyes peeled!

I hope to see you joining in the Sale fun :D

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin 

Saturday 23 November 2019

Graduation Teddy Bear

Ohk I know I'm a week late for those that are graduating in Queensland but it was my Nephew's graduation last Friday and on Saturday I decided to make something special for him. 


Cue this little cutie the GRADUATION BEAR you can find it by following the link. I adapted my Teddy Bear pattern to add a cap and gown so they are all ready to graduate. There are two ways to do the cross stitch tassel on the top of the cap, I like where you make a special tassel and I've included instructions with the pattern.


To make it even more awesome I actually stitched it up AND finished the cross stitching. I created this cute little pillow below :D This truly is one of my favourite ways to finish my stitching. It is so quick and easy and such a great way to display your piece.


You can purchase this pattern 

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Friday 22 November 2019

Friday Finds: Does a frying pan work?

I'm a bit of a disney fan, anyone that knows me knows this. I love the movies and can sing most of the music word perfect!

I have always wondered if a frying pan would actually work in the way that it does in tangled and now I have an answer!!


So in case you needed to know please watch this awesome video about the logistics of a frying pan as an actual weapon!

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Monday 18 November 2019

Two Girls Cross Stitch

New Pattern out now!




Towards the end of last month I was requested to do a custom design of two girls and instead of hiding them away I made sure that I could share this design with you.

These special characters are designed to represent two of the teacher aides in her child's classroom. But I could see how easy it would be to adapt these to represent a lot of different women. I made them so that the heads would be interchangeable between the two girls. You can change the skin colours and play with all the different combinations of colours available to make a character that looks like the person you want it to.

I hope you enjoy this new pattern and that it becomes something that is useful and cool for you to adapt and play with.



To purchase it for yourself you can find it here

Happy Stitching,

p.s. Don't forget to vote for me :D






Monday 11 November 2019

What makes a Counted Cross Stitch kit good?



I happened to be at lincraft this week... actually happened to be there a couple of times and I was eyeing off all the kits because there are some pretty ones there. Didn't end up buying any as I have too many already... I don't need to be tempted! On the second visit I was there with my friend and she is new to any crafts so I've got her starting with my Christmas Owl Wreath Stitch A Long.

When we were looking at items she had one question.

What makes a good beginner kit? Why is one better than another and how do I tell!?


It can get very overwhelming when you are staring at all the possibilities out there and you're trying to work out what will work best for you. There is an aisle full of kits but will the actually work? Will you achieve what you want to do or will you just crash and burn if you try?

Disclaimer: Most of these photos are of dimensions kits, this is not an advertisement and I'm not saying these kits are better or worse than others it's just what was available at the store for me to photograph to share with you. I personally have done some dimensions kits and love them and have hated others and it's more to do with the design than the quality of the kit itself.

1. Size

To start with lets talk size. The bigger the piece the harder it will be. Not necessarily because it will be difficult to stitch but because the bigger the piece the longer it will take you to finish. The longer it takes to finish the more likely you are as a beginner to lose motivation. It does not mean that you can't do it just that you are more likely not to, particularly if you haven't come into cross stitching from another craft.


While kits like these above are beautiful, unless you have the right level of motivation they are much harder to do because they take so long. And when you are not used to handling larger fabrics and you don't have the frames it can get confusing and overwhelming. That is something you don't want! On top of that there is a lot involved in keeping track of a bigger piece and making sure that you don't get lost, it's not impossible but as a beginner it's not necessarily a challenge you want to take on yet.

What you want are kits like the ones below:


The first picture are some very simple kits. They are a great starting point as they have a few colours and a simple picture. This second lot of kits are a little harder, they're a bit bigger but they are still doable in a reasonable time. At only 5x7inches it's the size of a normal photo frame and while they have a lot more colours they are still on the smaller side.

2. Threads

Now this is a small thing but something that comes up again and again in the groups. Some kits lump the threads all together and you have to sort them out. Some like dimensions are really nice.


This is the hang in there pattern and as you can see the threads are all beautifully separated and labeled and you don't have to do any of the work with that. This is not make or break but it is something to be aware of. Take a look at the kit you're buying and read reviews of that brand and how they organise the threads also what brand of threads they use.

Dimensions uses their own threads, and while previously they have been known to send replacement threads out if you run out they have also sometimes just sent a DMC conversion chart.
Other kits will use Anchor threads or DMC. Knowing what brand threads the kit uses is important if you don't like the feel of those threads or if you were to run out of a colour you can't replace them easily and quickly. Just something to think about.

3. Difficulty

Now I don't know if other brands have this or not but I know that dimensions has this group of patterns called the gold collection. PLEASE be aware of these ones! They are NOT easy patterns. Even the petite ones are difficult and are definitely intermediate to advanced. They have a lot of colours and  a variety of different stitches. Again if you really want to do them I'm not stopping you but do go into these patterns with your eyes open.


This angel design above is small and would fit into the size recommendation but because it is one of the gold collection it has a lot of different kinds of stitches. This will take as long to finish as a bigger piece that has less complicated stitching.
As a beginner yo u

(bonus) Other Kits

Now this is something that I almost fell into ... amidst the patterns for counted cross stitch were a couple that were not.


This was right amongst the counted cross stitch patterns but it is a needlepoint pattern. Not wrong but do be aware that they can be placed together as this is a different fabric and a different technique. Still beautiful and I really was tempted to buy this one for the pretty design!
 

Also you have kits like these ones. They are stamped cross stitch where the pattern is stamped onto the fabric. I personally don't like them but they are another way to get into cross stitching.

I hope this has been useful to you and that it helps you next time you want to purchase a kit from the store.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

P.s. don't forget to vote for me :D


Friday 8 November 2019

Mini Owl Finish

So I'm not sure why I did this... but this is so small and mini!

I used one of my mini owl patterns that you can get here. I did this with 1 strand over 1 on 28ct Evenweave.


 You can see it next to my thumb... it is so cute! I'm not sure what I am going to do with it or how I am going to finish it but I just needed to do it!


Just a fun little finish to share with you today.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Thursday 7 November 2019

The answer to #WhyImake


Since I got nominated for the Crafties at Lovecraft one thing that I have been thinking about was how to answer this question.


Why do I make? 

It's not a simple answer. It's not a simple question. When I was 9 years old I had some dolls and I wanted to make them all special blankets and I asked my mum to make them for me. She said no, I won't do that BUT I will give you a crochet hook and some yarn and teach you how to crochet ones for yourself. And there the obsession started. I made little blankets and clothes for my dolls, then I went and begged my grandma to teach me to knit.

As I grew up I explored all sorts of different crafts. I spent a few years doing beadwork until I got WAAY too frustrated with constantly having to pick up seed beads from the floor. I am too much of a klutz to be trusted with beads. But even then I was designing. I would create my own pictures and creations and had an absolute ball. Below is one of my finished pieces. I think this was meant to be part of a set of earrings but ... it didn't quite go as planned.



As I grew older my tastes changed but one thing that never changed was my need to create with my hands. I have always been restless when sitting still and whenever I would have some craft or another in my hands I would feel instantly better. I would sit in lectures at uni (and still do) with my cross stitch or knitting or something to keep my hands busy while my head could listen to what was happening. This below is a very common post for me!



But that is only part of the story... it answers some of the question but not all. Why make? There are many things I could do with my hands to keep them busy, including playing with those annoying fidget gadgets. So why do I feel compelled to make?

It's really easy. I love to see the finished pieces. I love being proud of what I have achieved. I enjoy looking at my walls and seeing my artwork. Whether in the form of a painting or on the form of my cross stitch. I love to use my work too. So every year at Christmas I always hang my special handmade ornaments up on the tree because it means something. I love to finish my pieces just as much as I love to stitch. I have a piece I did on the wall at work and every time I walk past it just makes me smile.When I wear clothes that I made for myself it makes me happy and I like to do things that make me happy.



On top of this I love to share my creations with everyone. I am someone who needs to know what I'm talking about and understand what I'm doing so when I first got into cross stitch I researched and found out as much as I could. Now I like sharing that knowledge that I learnt and sharing my journey. I always hope to inspire others to start making things as well.


So to sum it up, I make because I have to, and because I want to and because it makes me proud and happy. Why do you make?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Also please don't forget to vote for me in the crafties your support means the world to me!








Tuesday 5 November 2019

Inktober 2019 Wrap Up

So I forgot to keep updating everyone with my progress for #inktober2019 on the blog! If you follow me on Instagram I was being really good about updating everyone there but was a bit lax about posting weekly here like I had been expecting to.

But inspite of being really bad about updating on the blog I surprisingly managed to finish the challenge! I drew a picture every day for 31 days! Some I'm really proud of ... some just didn't work out like I was expecting! But I did it, and now I just need to keep that drawing happening.



Watch the video above for a full wrap up of the drawings I did.

But here are some of my favourites.

Day 3 - Bait :D a cute little worm to trap an owl!


Day 7 - Enchanted ... because we need an enchanted owl princess.


Day 10 - Pattern ... Fibonacci sequence... need I say more?


Day 15 - Legend ... King Arthur!


Day 18 - Misfit ... Square peg trying to fit in a round hole!


Day 22 - Ghost ... who doesn't love dressing up?


Day 27 - Coat ... Because I like this twist a coat of paint rather than a coat to wear.

 Day 30 - Catch ... Softball anyone?


I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures from the inktober challenge! Which one is your favourite?

Now I also have a question for you. Are there any in either my favourites or in the rest of them that you would love to see done up as a cross stitch pattern?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Saturday 2 November 2019

LoveCrafts Blog Awards

OH MY GOSH!!! Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited?? When I received this email I was just a little bit overwhelmed! I was never expecting an honour like this. In all my years blogging this is the first time I have been nominated for an award like this!






As you can see by this awesome badge I have been nominated for a blog award! My blog and my designs have been recognised by the crew at love crafts! BUT It's now up to you to help me! I have been nominated in the Stylish Stitching Category.


The next step is simple... I need you to follow the link below and vote for Naughts & Cross Stitches to see if I can win this award!


This is such an awesome opportunity for me and I hope you can all help make this happen.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin




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