Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Cross Stitch Gold

“This will be a lovely design to hang in the bedroom and wake up to each morning, bringing a welcome burst of sunshine!”Sarah Trevor, Editor Meet the designer Durene Jones Durene lives in Durham and is a regular contributor to Cross Stitch Gold and our sister magazines. She loves to design in shades of green and purple There’s nothing like a cheery springtime project to put you in a happy mood. This season is a time of renewal and optimism, and has inspired many a poem or work of art. This lively springtime hanging is just the way to lift your mood and give your home a new lease of life. I’ve chosen a canvas of sky blue linen, which provides an instant background. It’s also…

Mark and go With a complex design like this it can be hard to keep your place on the chart. Use every tool at your disposal – magnetic chart markers and Post-it notes as chart markers can help. Alternatively, try shading a photocopied chart with markers as you stitch, or sewing a 10x10 square red grid on your fabric before stitching. Real-world thinking I daydreamed a lot while creating this project for you. If you do the same while stitching it, be sure to take regular breaks from your imaginings to ensure you’re using the right thread shade (there are lots of colour changes required), as well as to check that you’re working the right stitch and using the correct number of strands!…

Meet the designer Durene Jones Durene is a popular cross stitch freelance designer who creates designs for DMC Creative World, as well as for magazines This beautiful baby sampler will make a unique gift to hang in pride of place in a nursery. It’s a sweet picture, featuring all of baby’s soon-to-be favourite toys, including bunny and teddy, with plenty of space at the bottom of the design to stitch the baby’s name, birth date and weight. Birth samplers are such lovely projects to work on, as you know the baby’s parents will treasure them. This one is a decent size to make a lovely display on the nursery wall, but it doesn’t take too long to stitch as there aren’t many fractionals to work. I’ve used fresh, neutral colours,…

Meet the designer Lucie Heaton Lucie has a passion for needlework and crafts, and has been creating cross stitch designs for over 20 years Nothing beats the beauty and grace of a ballerina – their elaborate movements are mesmerising to watch. But ballet is so much more than dance alone, as the movements convey a complete range of thoughts and emotions. The moves can takes many years of training to perfect, yet look so natural and fluid. That’s what I’ve tried to capture in this design; a difficult and highly technical pose, performed beautifully. My design is made even more dramatic by the dark fabric it’s stitched on. And because it’s so dazzling, there’s no need for fractionals or backstitch to make it come to life – it’s worked entirely…

Meet the designer Durene Jones Durene is a popular designer who loves to create bright and colourful designs for Cross Stitch Gold readers Accent your home with my newest design, a circular cushion emblazoned with an eye-catching Celtic-style motif, inspired by traditional Irish artwork. The stitching techniques in this mesmerising knotwork pattern are almost as complex as the design itself, with not only all the usual stitches employed, but also Madeira Star stitch, and couching stitch. Experienced stitchers will enjoy the challenge of these new stitches, and we’ll help you along the way with some handy instructions on page 47. I hope you’ll love the colours, too – I’ve chosen shades of lilac, magenta, emerald and violet, for a vibrant and beautiful finish. You will need FABRIC Zweigart 28-count white…

Meet the designer Maria Diaz Maria became the first in-house designer for DMC Creative World in 1989, and is now a successful freelance designer The sakura, or cherry blossom, is the national flower of Japan, and a symbol of hope and renewal. Thus it’s the perfect subject for a springtime project, when these sentiments are at the forefront of our minds. Aside from the flower’s deep meaning, it also has great beauty, and these three designs make a stunning display when presented as a triptych. We’ve finished them as canvases, which gives a really fresh and contemporary look that would work well in any modern home. There are some fractionals and French knots in this project, so it’s slightly trickier than it might appear, but because it is divided into…

Meet the designer Faby Reilly Faby has always loved drawing, sewing and embroidering. She started designing cross stitch charts in 2008 and enjoys sharing her passion with others You can say anything with flowers – I love you, I’m sorry… and everything in between! My all-occasion cards feature a pretty floral border, worked in whole stitches and embellished with crystal and golden seed beads. I’ve also used eyelet stitches here and there, for which you’ll find instructions on page 62. And there’s space on each chart for you to add your own sentiment, using the alphabet and number charts provided (p62), so you really can say whatever you need to. The wording on my cards is important, so I’ve framed each greeting with golden stitches, to give the emphasis they…

The story of love My favourite programmes are Dinner Date on ITV2 and First Dates on Channel 4. I just love watching people participating in this kind of thing and it’s good light entertainment after a long day! Beau la France My favourite place in the world is the south of France. I lived and painted in Cannes for years, enjoying the light and the scenery. No wonder impressionists flocked to that coast. I often wonder if I should retire there one day! Creative corner Nothing makes me happier than painting. I have always got a commission to do on my easel and you’ll never find me without a small set of watercolours and a pad in my handbag, just in case! Join us online The All Our Yesterdays –…

Photo stitch I started cross stitching over 22 years ago and at the time, I really couldn’t tell one end of a needle from the other! Since then I have made many pictures and cards, and developed my amateur love of photography to create my own large projects. I love cross stitching – I don’t know what I’d do without it! Here is a piece I finished recently. The image was taken at Crowhurst in East Sussex, when surprisingly it snowed one April and, as the sun set, the snow turned a gorgeous warm pink. Rachel Gallehawk, Basildon S Sarah: You’ve been able to combine your hobbies beautifully here, Rachel. What a stunning way to capture the English countryside in winter. Feathered friend I thought I would share my…

Mum in a million Show how much you care on Mother’s Day and beyond, with these charming ribbons featuring a range of sentiments! Choose from ‘Hope you like it’, ‘For your special day’, and ‘Mum in a million’, each measuring 1.5cm (½in) wide and available in various colours. The design is soft and simple, so they’ll tie in with most projects – try adding a personal touch to stitched greeting cards, or making a loop for a hanging ornament. Priced at 70p per metre, these pretty ribbons are available from all good craft shops. Call 01453 883581 or visit www.berisfords-ribbons. co.uk  for stockists Just for you Gift this sweet and simple design to a special friend, and they’ll always thank you for it! The warm thread…

A timely gift I think it’s nice if you can give a birth sampler to the parents as soon as possible after the baby is born. I’d advise you to get as much of the stitching done as possible before the baby arrives, so they don’t have to wait too long for their gift! Be sure to factor in extra time for any stitching mistakes and framing, too. Twinkle like a star If you’re keen on customising designs, why not stitch the name and the hearts in the border in green metallic thread? It will give your stitching an extra special finish. For advice on stitching with metallics, go to www.cross-stitching.com…

Simple stitches It’s unusual for a cross stitch design to be made up of only whole cross stitches, with no backstitch for definition. However, with a design like this, where much of the attraction is in the silhouette rather than the detail, it really isn’t required. Star attraction I took inspiration for this project from silver screen icon, Audrey Hepburn, who was a proficient ballet dancer. She started learning the art form at five years old and wanted to be a ballet dancer, but was considered too tall to become a professional dancer. However, the great poise she learned is still evident in her acting roles.…

Manly gifts The smaller, individual motifs that make up this knotwork design would work well for greeting cards and small gifts. In different colours, they’re especially good for men, who can be more difficult to find ideas for. A break from the norm With many cross stitch designs, it’s easier to work from left to right and back again, across the horizontal rows on the fabric. However, with this design, you’ll probably find it easier to concentrate on one individual motif at a time.…

Serenity For me, Japanese artwork – whatever the subject might be – always has a beautiful tranquility about it. So whenever I receive a commission that is Eastern-themed, I’m always delighted, as I find the design process a peaceful one. My vision I love searching around for inspiration for cross stitch designs, and spent a lot of time looking at Japanese pottery to get ideas for this design. I love how it’s turned out. The fact it’s split into three pieces makes it even more appealing, I think.…

How to mount Once you’ve finished your stitching, iron some interfacing to the back of the design. Cut a single piece of base card, slightly smaller than your main single-fold card. Stick your fabric onto the base card, folding the edges to the back. Mitre the corners and stick the fabric down at the back. Then stick your base card to the front of the single-fold card. Alternatively, you can present your stitching inside an aperture card – the choice is yours. Better backstitch If you’re a real stickler for detail, you could back the fabric with interfacing before you work the backstitch, so that any trailing threads on the reverse don’t show through to the front.…

Meet the designer Faye Whittaker Faye was brought up in the coastal town of Southport, whose Edwardian character was to prove a lasting influence on her work as an artist I love to let my mind wander as I’m painting, and I certainly did with this piece of two Edwardian ladies enjoying afternoon tea – imagining myself nibbling away on miniature sandwiches and artisan cakes, and delighting in chit chat! My design is quite complex, with a large palette, a range of stitches and different numbers of strands, so even experienced stitchers will need to keep their wits about them. The fabric is completely covered, too, so try to keep your work neat at the back, to avoid the tangles that can often occur with densely stitched designs. Find out…

About the design What a sight to behold – a lion and his cub resting on the rolling sub-Saharan grasslands, conserving energy for their nighttime prowl. The sky is alive with colour as the hot African sun sinks towards the horizon, striking a sharp contrast against the shaded mane of the lion. Meanwhile, the giraffes in the background are feasting on the uppermost leaves of the trees, a safe enough distance from the lions who will soon venture further afield, looking for food. This striking design is brought to you exclusively by Anchor, and is heavily stitched in a vast palette – burnt oranges and rust reds for the sky, grey and stone for the shadowy lions, chestnut browns and straw for the grassy foreground. You’ll use a variety of…

THE EXPERTS JO BENNER Jo is an experienced stitcher and crafter, who writes for several cross stitch magazines. She can help with chart queries and stitching know-how, as well as product questions. FIONA BAKER Fiona is the Technical Editor for Cross Stitch Gold and our sister magazines. She is a talented cross stitch designer, too, and can answer any of your stitching queries. SARAH TREVOR Sarah has worked on cross stitching and craft magazines for over six years. She’s an avid stitcher, and is ready and raring to help you with any of your craft or cross stitch dilemmas. CUSTOMISED CLOTHES Q I usually knit for my two-year-old granddaughter, but with summer on the way I thought it would be nice to sew some clothes for her. As I’m a…

Make your mark If you want to sign your work but aren’t keen on your handwriting, this Alphabet Rotary Stamp from Stampin’ Up! is just the thing. It gives you the freedom to create lettering in a lovely retro-style font. Stamp it on the mount or back of a frame to give your stitching provenance, or use it for cards. The stamp costs £13.50 from www2.stampinup.com or call 0808 2344765 for stockists. We have 20 stamps up for grabs. The text keyword is GOLD127STAMP. See the blue box for entry details. Have a hoot! We adore these wonderful new Heritage Crafts kits by Karen Carter, the first two designs in her Birds of a Feather collection. A Hoot of Owls and Happy Hens each measure 11x20cm (4½x7¾in) and are incredibly…

Stockist details Here’s your handy directory of the best national retailers for cross stitching materials COATS CRAFTS UK Visit www.makeitcoats.comCall 01484 681881 CRAFT CREATIONS Visit www.craftcreations.co.ukCall 01992 781900 CRAFT DEPARTMENT Visit www.craftdepartment.comCall 01539 823199 DMC CREATIVE WORLD Visit www.dmccreative.co.ukCall 0116 2754000 FRAMECRAFT Visit www.framecraft.comCall 01543 373076 MADEIRA For stockists, visit www.eqsuk.comCall 0116 2710033 MICHAEL WHITAKER FABRICS Visit www.mwfabrics.co.ukCall 01535 636903 RIVERBANK WOODCRAFTS Visit www.riverbank-woodcrafts.co.ukCall 07860 355820 SEW AND SO Visit www.sewandso.co.ukCall 0800 0130150 TRIMCRAFT Visit www.trimcraft.co.ukEmail marketing@trimcraft.co.uk WILLOW FABRICS Visit www.willowfabrics.comCall 0800 0567811 US stockists 1-2-3 STITCH Visit www.123stitch.comCall 1-800-996-1230 ABC STITCH THERAPY Visit www.abcstitch.comCall 1-877-863-9111 ARTS CRAFTS USA Visit www.artscraftsusa.comCall 1-301-379-7126 JULIE’S X STITCH Visit www.juliesxstitch.com MADEIRA For stockists, visitwww.taconysewingcentral.com…

How to read our charts All our charts are printed in both colour and symbols. Each square on a cross stitch chart contains a symbol, and each symbol corresponds with one stitch. The key that accompanies the chart tells you what thread colour each symbol corresponds to, and how many strands to use for each cross stitch, backstitch or French knot. It also gives you the design's dimensions – you'll need these to cut your fabric to size. The thread numbers listed in the first column of the key refer to the brand that we've used to stitch the design. Conversion numbers for two other brands are given, but they're not always exact equivalents. Avoid mixing more than one brand in the same design. Sometimes you'll need more than one…