WOXS 325 and Disney

It feels like it`s been ages since I last posted, and it`s because it has - usually, the publication of a new issue of WOXS triggers my memory and I haven`t had anything in the last 2-3 issues. However, the latest one (325) has not only my cute little 3D reindeer ornament as a cover gift, but there are also 4 blackwork Christmas cards in the magazine proper.

This adorable Rudolph, designed by Heather Nugent, started life as a `flat-pack reindeer` on plastic canvas:

But then as if by magic, he became a 3D tree ornament:

Also in this issue of WOXS, Fiona Baker`s four gorgeous Christmas cards are the perfect mini-break from cross stitch for those who want to try their hand at blackwork. 😊

While I`m at it, I`ve had a look on Hachette Partworks` website too to see where I left off: there have been a few of my pieces featured in their weekly magazines since my last post here, so I`m going to add my photos for issues 96 (Flounder and Sebastian), 97 (Goofy hoop), 98 (Mickey circus lampshade), 103 (Mickey road trip), 104 (Halloween Mickey & Minnie), and 106 (Cinderella clock). Hope you like them, happy stitching! 😊

Highland living, fame, free kits and Regency lady

Before I dive into details of my latest stitchy escapades, a warm welcome to anyone who`s seen this in WOXS 317 and thought of checking out my blog. 😊

You might need to dig deep for the aforementioned `handy tips`, but there are more pics of my recently reorganised threads in this post, and examples of my route planning - as evidenced in my progress photos, which I sometimes string together in mini videos - are abundant (as is my waffling, whenever I have the time to go on, and on... and on).

Case in point: now. Not only have I finished my 5th pre-Christmas commission (you know, those tasks trickling in at the beginning of Dec, when mid-Jan and end of Jan deadlines seem so, so far away, and the next thing you know, it`s Jingle Bells... Should old acquaintance... Oh, it`s 20 January!! 😨). Anyway, so not only have I finished those 5 projects but I finally managed to get back to my Mary Hickmott pic too - the second one after finishing this Rialto Bridge for myself. Only this morning, I added the last few clouds:

It`s called Highland living, available from Mary Hickmott`s Etsy shop, and even though the key calls for 16ct ice blue aida, I stitched it on 14ct so that it`ll fit nicely in this gap above the Monarch of the Glen (it`s about 60 x 10 cm on 14ct), whenever I get round to framing it.

Because of the mad rush of the past few weeks, I completely forgot to post here about the previous issue`s cover kit: the free gift with WOXS 316 was this cute little Emma Congdon design:

The magazine`s finishing team turned it into a banner, and this month`s free gift, Lucie Heaton`s leafy plants in macramé hangers can be used either as a card or as a bookmark.

Finally, here`s Heather Nugent`s Regency lady, also from issue 317 - I loved working on this! Not only because I`m a Jane Austen fan, but also because I love stitching big blocks of colour, and this project had not only those but a little bit of everything as well, from intricate backstitch detail to beads and petit point. It took just over 50 hours, and instead of unrolling the fabric for every progress pic, I took a photo of my Pattern Keeper screen at the end of each day. I put them in a mini film, together with my finished stitching and the framed picture as it appears in the magazine. Hope you like them, thanks for scrolling through and happy stitching! 😊

freebie extravaganza

No huffing, just stating a fact: I have just about given up on being able to follow which pieces I stitched for what publication are out now and where! 😂 With the very sad demise of Cross Stitch Crazy and Cross Stitch Gold 😞, some of the projects I did for those two magazines several months ago may (or may not) appear in the publisher`s remaining craft title, The World of Cross Stitching. The situation is further complicated by the randomness of where extra cover kits appear, depending (I guess...?) on where you are in the UK, whether you`re a subscriber or you pick up a copy from your local newsagent, etc., etc. So, in light of all this, the best I can do is to keep my eyes peeled 👀 and make a list of all the familiar-looking designs that I come across, and then post about them here occasionally. 😊

Thus today`s first pic is of the cute little Popcorn Bear that was an extra freebie with last month`s WOXS (I received my subscriber copy of issue 300 but I only found out about this cover kit after seeing a photo of it on FB). 😁

Yesterday I got my copy of WOXS 301, and there are a couple of projects in this issue that I stitched a while back: the angel tree decoration that`s the cover gift and 3 Margaret Sherry cards that were originally for Crazy. The angel, designed by Heather Nugent, was a fun stitch on plastic canvas (and I`m not ashamed to admit that even after Heather explained it to me - with illustrations! -, I still couldn`t picture how this front-and-back design will work, but it does!) 😃 After finishing the front, the plastic canvas has to be flipped and the two wings stitched on the reverse, then by cutting along the lines that are marked on the chart, the wings slot together and voila, there`s the finished angel with no messy back showing! 😲 #magic

Still more Christmas: 3 Margaret Sherry illustrations in WOXS 301 that were converted into cross stitch by the talented Fiona Baker, who also designed 4 Christmassy blackwork cards (originally meant for Gold) that are now available in her Etsy shop (here) so I add a pic of them here too. 🎄

Finally, I wanted to add one more photo, this one from Disney Cross Stitch issue 7: a lovely hoop design by Durene Jones of Marie from The Aristocats - but just this morning I`ve learnt that another one of Durene`s designs (and my stitching) is `out there` now: some issues of the latest WOXS also have `our` Christmas cat as an extra freebie, so I`ll add a photo of that one too. 😉 Hope you`ve enjoyed seeing them all, happy stitching! 😊