My Snow Globe Cross-stitch Kit

I love snow-globes and have several of my own that I take out and display during the Christmas holiday season.  So, when I saw the Snow Globe Mill Hill #MH14-1734 cross-stitch kit I wasn't surprised that I was drawn to.  Snow globe, cross-stitch - what's not to love!

The Snow Globe Mill Hill #MH14-1734 pattern uses full cross-stitch and straight stitch highlighting as well as beads of various sizes for emphasis and depth. The Mill Hill patterns usually call for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched like the background or border. In this case they were leaving sections of the light blue perforated paper border untouched.

In embroidering the cross-stitch I decided to once again utilize the rectangular wood frame jig that my darling husband built for me that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. The wood frame jig is a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the perforated  paper. He had made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips with an adjustable center strip that I used for this 5.25 x 5.25 square design.

I had learned from previous mistakes that I needed to draw diagonal lines to locate the exact center of the perforated paper as in previous perforated paper cross-stitch picture I have done the picture was slightly off center by a few holes which caused a problem with inserting the needles in the holes along one of the edges of my frame. So, I lightly drew a diagonal line across each corner with a pencil to get the center point of the perforated paper.

A lot of the cross-stitch 5.25" by 5.25" pictures I have made were finished in small 6 1/2" by 6 1/2" shadowbox frames with 5" by 5" openings that I had gotten at Michaels when they went on sale one year.  I used up all the shadowbox frames I had gotten previously and have been looking for them ever since and hadn't been able to find that size again.

I did, however, find some 7" x 7" by 1 1/2" shadow  box frames with a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" opening at Michaels last year and bought a few white ones and black ones when they were on sale.  I was hoping to use one of the white ones with this project.

The directions did not include any instruction for finishing the back.  I decided to finish mine with thin adhesive press-board paper.  I used an 8" by 10" Pres-On sheet that I cut 6" by 6"with kitchen scissors to fit my picture.  The shadow box came with a padded velvet sheet glued to the rigid back of the shadow box frame which was about 1/8" thick.  My cross-stitch picture glued to the thin adhesive press-board paper was about 1/8" thick so I knew this would be a good fit.

After adhering my cross-stitch picture to the 6" by 6" thin adhesive press-board paper I inserted it into the back of the frame and then inserted the 6" by 6" rigid back that came with the frame over it. The shadow box frame came with 8 metal clips to hold the rigid back inside the frame which I secured.  The press-board fit perfectly and was the right depth for the shadow box frame.

The pattern called for a blue colored wooden frame and for the border of the perforated paper to be left untouched like the picture shown below:

However, I don't like seeing the perforated sections of the paper for the border as I think it makes the cross-stitch picture look unfinished and opted instead to finish the border with blue colored #799 DMC embroidery floss sewn as a half cross-stitch using two strands of the floss.

The pattern called for some outlining.  Give I was putting this in a shadowbox I thought certain sections of the collage would benefit from some additional outlining so I decided to add more definition as follows:

1)  The pattern called for one strand of the medium pine green floss to be back-stitched in the gold area of the base.  I opted to use two strands of the medium pine green floss instead.
2)  The pattern called for one strand of the brown floss to be back-stitched around certain borders around the windows.  I opted to use two strands of the brown floss and back-stitch outlined around all sides of the windows and the middle sections.
3)  The pattern did not call for any outlining around the doors.  I opted to use two strands of the brown floss and back-stitch outlined on the top and sides of the two house doors.
4)  The pattern did not call for any outlining definition around the frame and sides of the house.  I opted to use two strands of the brown floss and back-stitch outlined the frame and sides of both houses.
5)  The pattern did not call for any outlining around the large house roof.  I opted to use two strands of the light teal green floss and back-stitch outlined around the two sides of the large house roof that did not have the white beads.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon so I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart.

If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned. The key code chart should have contained the number of strands that were included in the kit so I would know how many strands I had for the different floss colors.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

The beads were contained within three small ziploc bags which was fine. The chart had footnote symbols to help distinguish which beads were within which bag.

The kit included a heart button was to be sewn to the center of the gold section of the globe on the bottom of the picture.  Generally, the Mill Hill buttons are of poor quality and are glued to a small piece of cardboard which do not easily come off.  The glue used is usually hardened and extends  over the sides of the button.  Such was the case with this button.  So, I cut it with scissors and managed to make it presentable enough to use in my picture. At least the quality of this button and design were better than some of the other buttons I have seen in the Mill Hill kits.

My results with the totally finished background, border and frame is shown below:

Despite the relatively small issues I had encountered with the kit I was happy with the way my Snow Globe turned out.  Unfortunately I didn't keep track of the number of hours it took to make this picture as I worked on it over several months when I had a chance.  My feeling was that it took about 30 hours or so, like other Mill Hill kits of this size that I've previously finished.

As always, my comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create a wonderful little cross-stitch design.

My Best Friend Santa Cross-Stitch Ornament

It definitely isn't any where near the holiday season so I'm sure you're wondering why I'm showing you a Christmas cross-stitch ornament I just finished.  Well, I started this after last Christmas and just finished it the other day.  It's a 3 1/2" by 5" ornament so it only takes a few hours to make but I only had a chance to work on it for a few minutes here or there.  As a result, it took months to finish.

I just love to cross-stitch small ornaments especially when they contain images of dogs.  I also love cross-stitching small ornaments because they don't take a lot of time to complete.So, when I saw the "My Best Friend Santa" cross-stitch ornament from Mill Hill I knew I was going to make it.

The "My Best Friend Santa" ornament kit contained the presorted thread, 14 count perforated paper, needles (stitching and beading), beads and instructions.  The  pattern uses full counted cross-stitch and outline stitching for emphasis and depth.

The pattern came with starting, stitching and back finishing instructions as well as samples of the various stitches required, beading instructions and color code chart (with code #'s, color names, and cross-stitch symbols) and a black and white chart with black and white coded symbols.  For the most part the colors and symbols on the keys and chart were easy to read and follow.  However, the symbols behind the highlighted lines were hard to read at times.  

A JS20-5106 Correction sheet for two of the key symbols that were wrong was included in the kit.  The medium salmon symbol was wrong and the white symbol was wrong in the code chart.

I had no problem cross-stitching the Santa ornament and then cutting the perforated paper close to the sides of the Santa figure. This kit did come with instructions for finishing the back and I opted to finish mine with red felt which I glued to the back with an Avery disappearing color glue stick.  I trimmed the edges so the felt was aligned with the perforated paper.  

Instead of adding a floss hanger according to the instructions I opted to sew two strands of floss to the top of the ornament, securing the edge of the ornament with an additional stitch and then tying the ends at the top in a large knot. 

Unfortunately I can't tell you how many hours it took me to complete this ornament as I've been working on it little by little over the last few months and didn't keep track of it. 

I was very happy with the way my Mill Hill Counted Cross Stitch, Santa and best friend ornament turned out and hope you like it too.

A Crazy Quilt Bridal Purse For My Granddaughter

Six years ago I took an Artful Gathering class by Pat Winter on making a crazy quilt purse.  It was my first Artful Gathering class and I LOVED it.  That's when I fell in love with crazy quilting.  It was just so much fun and produced such beautiful results.

As with every craft I try, crazy quilting gave me all sorts of ideas for creating other beautiful items that I could make and give as gifts.   I had a great idea involving special occasions and bought a bunch of fine fabrics when they were on sale.  If you want to check out what fabrics I bought my post is here.  Suffice to say - there were a lot of them.

I never had the time to make any of the gifts I had in mind to do when I bought the fabrics but when one of my granddaughters got engaged to be married I decided to put some of the white and cream fine fabrics to use.

She wanted a "bohemian, garden party, woodland" type wedding so I thought a "bohemian" type crazy quilt purse to hold small things she might want with her at the wedding, like her cell phone, keys, tissues, and more, would be appropriate.

I decided to use a graphic of a Victorian bride that I had printed on fabric as the center image and arranged the fabrics in a crazy quilt pattern around that image - using Pat Winter's purse pattern that I had from the Artful Gathering class.

I added all sorts of creative embroidery laces and trims as well as silk floral, silk ribbon flowers, fringes, beaded trims, embroidered motifs, etc.

I had decided before hand that I wanted to add a white cord around the edges and use that same cord as a shoulder strap and to line the purse with a fine white fabric.  Instead of using snaps to hold the top closed I decided to use a white frog closure sewn to the top inside center of the purse.

I was pleased with the way the purse turned out.  Definitely bohemian, garden party and woodland.

4th of July, Hairy!

"4th of July, Hairy!" loves Uncle Sam and just wishes that everyone would stop telling him that he looks like a "Santa!"

Now, don't get "Hairy" wrong. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with looking like "Santa." He just feels that he looks more like "Uncle Sam."

After all - just look at his folksy, country outfit.

"4th of July, Hairy!" is a 16" country Santa doll with a muslin cloth body. His face is embroidered and he has black bead eyes, wired glasses, and pink cheeks. His eyebrows and mustache are made of raw mohair as is his scraggly beard. His have red and blue colored stars all over them.

He has a full head of wool roving hair that is barely controlled underneath his lined and patriotic hat.

He is wearing his favorite fringed shirt which is gathered at the neck and wrists. He is also wearing his favorite fringed and pantaloons with cross suspenders that are tied at his ankles with straps.

So, what do you think? Does "4th of July, Hairy!" look more like "Santa?" Hair and all?

Wrapping Paper, Gift Bags, Tissue Paper and Ribbons

I just love coordinating designs, especially when it comes to gift giving.  So, when I had the occasion to utilize some of my custom gift wrap designs from my Linda Walsh Originals page at Spoonflower.com I jumped at the chance.  The custom gift wrap is part if a bridal collection I set-up at Spoonflower.com and is for sale here.

I love wrapping my presents with ribbons so I decided to add a coordinating ribbon design for the boxed gift and created one at Zazzle.

I also created a custom gift card utilizing the same design and tucked it under the bow I had fastened to the top of the gift.

My gift included both a large box and something I had made which I wanted to put into a gift bag as it was too delicate to wrap.  So, I created a custom gift bag and custom tissue utilizing the same design at Zazzle as well.

I had a little of the custom ribbon left over after wrapping the box present and added it to the top of the gift bag.  I also had a little of the custom gift wrap left over and created a gift tag which I folded in half for the top of my gift bag as well.

I created the custom gift bag, tissue, ribbon, and gift card at Zazzle as private designs.  I'm contemplating opening them up for sale in their public marketplace but haven't quite decided to do that as of yet.  Do you think I should?

Yankee Doodle Andy! and Give Me Liberty, Annie!

If you love making folk-art cloth dolls then you're going to love our “Yankee Doodle Andy! and Give Me Liberty, Annie!" primitive Americana raggedies 2 in 1 combo e-pattern.

"Yankee Doodle Andy!" and his sister, "Give Me Liberty, Annie!" are getting ready to celebrate and getting ready for the parade. You see, they and their fellow countrymen just won the revolutionary war and are now free and independent. That's cause for celebration - if anything was. So, they're dressed in their best primitive "patriotic" outfits and are going to the parade.

"Yankee Doodle Andy!" and his sister, "Give Me Liberty, Annie!" are hoping to get front row seats at the parade, but are running a little late. Andy couldn't find his flag and Annie couldn't find her bell. Do you think they'll make it on time?

"Yankee Doodle Andy!" is a 16" primitive raggedy Andy Americana doll with a muslin cloth body. His face is outline embroidered with black floss and he has satin stitched black pupils and white satin stitched whites of his eyes. His nose is embroidered in a zig-zag straight stitch with red floss and his mouth is satin stitched with red floss. His eyebrows and eyelashes are straight stitched with black floss. His cheeks are blushed and he is coffee stained throughout. His boots are black and cross laced.

He has a full head of curly, thick yarn hair that is barely controlled underneath his lined and patriotic hat.

He is wearing his favorite fringed shirt which is gathered at the neck and wrists. He is also wearing his favorite fringed and cuffed pantaloons with two front pockets that are gathered at the waist and middle of the cuffs. His vest is lined and has two front pockets and lapels.

Andy is carrying a primitive patriotic flag decorated with red wire ribbon.

Designer - Linda Walsh Originals

"Give Me Liberty, Annie!" is a 16" primitive raggedy Ann Americana doll with a muslin cloth body. Her face is outline embroidered with black floss and she has satin stitched black pupils and white satin stitched whites of her eyes. Her nose is embroidered in a zig-zag straight stitch with red floss and her mouth is satin stitched with red floss. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are straight stitched with black floss. Her cheeks are blushed and she is coffee stained throughout. Her boots are black and cross laced.  She has a full head of curly, raggedy red doll hair that is barely controlled underneath her lined and gathered bonnet.

She is wearing her favorite patriotic dress which is lace trimmed and gathered at the waist and neck. She is also wearing her favorite fringed bloomers that are gathered at the waist and top of her boots. Her vest is lined with fold down lapels and is tied with three floss bows.

Annie is carrying an antique brass bell.

Designer - Linda Walsh Originals

My “Smiling Sam! The USA Man” Country Uncle Sam Doll Decoration

"Smiling Sam! The USA Man" is a proud American. In fact, he's a direct descendant of George Washington and couldn't be any prouder of his heritage. That's why he's wearing his favorite patriotic outfit. He loves his country and fellow countrymen and will do anything he can to lend support where ever he's needed. Today he's going to the public library for History Day. He's Uncle Sam and will be teaching the kids about patriotism.

"Smiling Sam! The USA Man" is a 29" country Uncle Sam doll from our "Pleasantly Plump Series." He is a squared bottomed self-standing cloth and wood doll. His arms and hands are wired and his cloth head and cloth body are supported by a wood dowel and wood base. His face is outlined embroidered with black back stitches and he has indented black beads for eyes. His cheeks are rosy and blushed and his moustache is made of raw mohair. He has a beautifully trimmed goatee made of wool roving. Sam has has a mass of straight, white wool roving doll hair which is barely controlled under his patriotic top hat. His hat is lined and has a large, wide brim and contrast hat band strip. He is wearing his favorite patriotic outfit. His inner body is supported by a dowel and is covered by his shirt and squared-bottom and striped pants. His white shirt is gathered at the neck edge and wrists. A double layered ribbon cummerbund is tightly fastened around his waist. His jacket has facing along all the edges, cuffs, and fold down lapels. It is top stitched along all the edges and fastened with 4 floss bows. A red, white, and blue bowtie is just under his chin. Sam is carrying an American flag decorated with patriotic stars and patriotic wired ribbon bows. A painted wooden U.S.A. heart is secured to his base with wired ribbon bows.

"Smiling Sam! The USA Man" is anxious to show the kids how proud he is of his country and his heritage. He hopes his enthusiasm will rub off on some of the kids. Let's hear it for "Smiling Sam! The USA Man."