Stitch MAYnia plans 2019

Last year for MAYnia, I started 31 smalls, mainly Christmas ornaments thinking I would finish the whole lot during the year. How many did I finish? Ummm...two? I have a whole box of small WIPs now in addition to my other WIPs and they are driving me crazy.

So, for Stitch MAYnia this year, I'm going to finish some of my small WIPs. I want to finish at least 9, but I'm aiming for 19. Even if I just finish 4 or 5, it will feel so good to get some of these out of the WIP box and into the finishing pile.

During the last week of April, I worked on adding a few stitches to all the WIPs I want to finish during MAYnia to make it more doable and hopefully be able to finish a few more this way. Some of these hadn't been worked on since last May! Yikes!

A few of these were started during MAYnia 2016 and never had more stitches put in them. I need these off the burner so I don't feel guilty every time I start something new!

Victoria Sampler Altoid Tin Topper

This is the Needles and Scissors free design by Victoria Sampler. I stitched it on vinyl fabric so I didn't do the cut outs that normally would have been done with this pattern. I also changed all the colors to use up some scraps of threads that weren't labeled. I love how it turned out. Now, I just have to empty an Altoid tin so I can put this on the top. I'm thinking about attaching it with velcro so it can easily be removed, but I'm not sure.

Gloriana Pashmina Thread

This sampler is S.Ward: A Little Rag by Kitten Stitcher and was a limited edition kit that came with the linen and the Gloriana Pashmina crimson floss. This floss was so wonderful to work with. Many people who used this kit didn't like the thread. The key, for me, to working with it was cutting the strands in half because if you worked with the full strand, it got really fuzzy. The half strands worked great and it gave such good coverage.

Like other silk threads, you also have to keep your hands soft when working with it. It does snag on dry skin, but, as long as you keep your hands moisturized, it's not a problem.

I love how soft and silky the floss feels, too. But, it slides through the linen very smoothly. It's just a wonderful thread to use.

Stitching Red Samplers

I'm currently stitching S. Ward: A Little Rag by Shakespeare's Peddler which was sold as a limited edition kit and is no longer available. I hope to finish it this month, but I've loved working on it and using the Gloriana Pashmina thread that it came with.

Red samplers are something I'd like to collect. The elaborate ones are beautiful, but I find myself most drawn to the simpler pieces such as marking samplers. My favorite color is red so perhaps that is where my love of these pieces comes from, but just looking at the red monochromatic stitching sends a little surge of joy through me.

Six Red Alphabets by NeedleWork Press is another pattern I own that I would love to stitch sooner rather than later. I want to experiment with stitching it on osnaburg fabric and adding some button loops to hang it from to add to a bookshelf.

Fanny Griswold by Pineberry Lane is another sweet little marking sampler I'm itching to stitch.

Kathy Barrick's French Samplers pattern has been retired but she still has some in her Etsy shop. They are sweet little snippets that would be wonderful framed with an old doily and some antique buttons.

Simply Red, Plus by Homespun Elegance is another simple piece that is just beautiful.

Ann Womack 1838 is another piece by Shakespeare's Peddler that I would love to stitch, but I'd have to do it on a larger count than the called for 40 count linen. I wonder how big it would be on 28 count? It would be beautiful as a large wall hanging.

Quaker Sampling III by With My Needle is a Quaker design stitched in red. So lovely!

Harriat Brown Redwork Sampler Pinkeep by Stacy Nash was a new market release and I think it's so sweet. I'd love to stitch this.

And, has anyone seen Blackbird Design's Ooh La La and not fallen in love with it?

I've also had the pattern for the Red and White Pincushion by WorksbyABC but haven't stitched it yet although I do have the fabric I want to use and I think I'm just going to use DMC with it. Not a sampler, but a beautiful red and white piece nonetheless.

I think I need to make a red and white quilt or two...or three. Just to get all the red and white together.

A Teeny Tiny Biscornu Pincushion

No travel kit would be complete without a pincushion. I decided I wanted to try a tiny biscornu style out, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked. So I made my own pattern. Here's the pattern if you'd like to make your own. You can stitch the whole thing twice, but for my bottom piece, I just stitched the 5 inner squares. If you stitch one, I'd love to see it on Instagram under #lovelybiscornu

Mini Ort Catcher for Travel Kit

I save my orts (thread bits) to put in Christmas ornaments, but they are harder to hold onto when I'm out and about. I knew I wanted a little ort catcher for my travel kit so I cut a square of wool felt with my pinking shears a little smaller than where I wanted it to go.

Next, I cut 2 pieces of fabric and a piece of thin batting a little bigger (maybe 1/2" bigger on each side) than the felt square and sewed them together right sides together leaving a space to turn them right side out. I then sewed around the edge. Also, I sewed around the edge about a 1/2" from the edge all the way around.

I folded the corners together and made a few stitches to hold them together to create a small tray. Lastly, I sewed the felt down to the center of the fabric tray.

Now, I have a cute little thread collector for my travel kit that I can empty out when we get back home and it will keep my orts from spilling out everywhere whenever I open the box!

Stitching on the Go

I carry some form of needlework with me wherever I go. I stitch while standing in line or while on the bus, train, subway, or plane. I stitch at restaurants while waiting for food. I'll stitch anywhere. But, get stuck by pins and needles when I put my hand in my bag is no fun so I wanted a small plastic box to keep my stitching supplies and maybe even a little stitching in.

In China, people travel with very small bags. When my husband and I go on school trips, we don't want to have a huge amount of luggage with us so we pack as light as possible which means keeping my stitching to a small amount. School trips also involve train or plane travel which means at least an hour wait time each way, plus the actual travel time, plus an hour or so out to the main campus from where we live in addition to more time on buses or waiting at various locations along the way. A three or four day trip can mean 10 or more hours of stitching time easily. I need something to work on.

I had this small, plastic box that I thought would be great to hold everything I needed for cross-stitch, embroidery, some English paper piecing, and some crochet or knitting. (Crochet hooks or knitting needles, but not yarn.) I am not a monogamous stitcher. I get bored easily so I need some variety. I also wanted to be able to finish a few projects.

A Lovely Little Needlekeep

I'm putting together a little travel kit in a small plastic box for some traveling we are doing later this month and I wanted a simple little needle keep rather than a needle book to keep a few extra needles in that would also keep them corralled so they weren't just loose in the box where I would stab myself on them.

After stitching "NEEDLES", I was able to see how much space I wanted and stitched a border of 21 x 32 squares (1 square = over 2). I added a small piece of wool felt which I realize I didn't center, but that's okay. I normally would have chosen a natural colored linen, but I wanted to use something from my little scrap bag and this light blue was the size I needed. I believe it's 28ct, but I'm not sure since it was in the scrap bag.

For the back, I decided to stitch my design, blog, and Instagram name of Kind-n-Lovely Stitches so I could also use it as an identifier in my photos.

I sewed through the border stitches to stitch the front and back together and started with the top and the two top corners so that I could slide this tiny bit of Timtex in to add a bit of stiffness.

It should be the perfect size to hold 5 or 6 different needles which should be more than enough to suit my needs for a little bit of cross-stitch, some embroidery, and a bit of English paper piecing.

I'm really excited about how it turns out. If you make one, please post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #kindnlovelystitches

Happy Stitching!

Spring Cross Stitch Bowlfillers

What is a bowlfiller? It is a cute little pillow or pincushion that you put in a dough bowl or basket. Usually you put several together. You might even add a doily and a floral pick or two to the basket to make a whole arrangement. You can change these by the month, the holiday, or the season.

There are so many small cross-stitch patterns that are perfect for these kinds of arrangements. And, you can even start with free patterns so all you need is some fabric to stitch on and some floss and you are good to go. Best of all, in order to finish them, you can simply add a backing fabric, sew the two pieces together with right sides facing and leave an opening before turning it right side out, stuffing, and sewing closed. It's so basic that even if you can only sew a straight line, you're good to go.

If you are just getting started, choose a short, round basket that's not too big. Add a doily or two. Do you have a couple of wooden spools you could wrap lace around and add? For a spring basket, maybe a few paper mache eggs either plain or painted robin's egg blue would be a nice touch. Add a couple of spring floral picks on either side to make a nice background. And, stitch a quick pattern so you have one finish right away. Add another or two during the season. Don't worry, you can add more next year.

Also, by starting with seasonal pieces before starting with monthly designs, there is less pressure to finish something every month and your basket will already have a piece or two in it for each month since you started with seasonal pieces that can be used for several months.

A few very quick to stitch freebies (Simply click on the name of each piece to go to the link.)

Row of Tulips by Tiny Modernist

Spring Bird by Tattered Stitches

Quaker Spring by The Stitcherhood

Pink Bunny by Le Comtesse & Le Point de Croix

Tulips with Bunny by The Snowflower Diaries

Spring Bird by Phebe and Jane

Welcome Spring Bunnies by SubRosa

Spring Rabbit from The Little Stitcher

There are also some free spring patterns that might take a little longer to stitch, but they are so cute they would be worth it. Why not plan to stitch one of these this year and two of the faster patterns for three adorable spring bowlfillers to start your collection.

Welcome Spring by Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery

Spring Bunny Sewing Pocket by Terry Loewen

May Day Sampler by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread

Welcome Spring by Angela of Make Stuff--Be Happy

Spring Garden by Delphine Rouard of Jardin de Printemps

Rejoice by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers

Happy Easter by Liberty Needlework

Happy Easter Penny Rug by SubRosa

Petit Lapin by Ayako of Windy Willows

Alphabet with Hare by La-D-Da

Bloom by Lizzie Katehttps://lizziekate.com/free.html

As you can see, there are a lot of different free spring patterns. If you add in paid patterns, there are even more choices, but you could easily stitch only free designs and have more than enough to stitch for many years. Enjoy stitching!

Sweet Flower Bowlfillers

Bowlfillers are little pillows to put in a basket to look pretty. They also make great gifts for friends and these flower cross-stitch patterns can be left out year round making them the perfect way to get started with bowlfillers.

Blue Carnation by Sub Rosa

Basket of Flowers by Sub Rosa

Tiny Sampler by La-D-Da

Quaker Spot Sampler by Mary Corbet

Flower Vase by Hands Across the Sea

Valentine Flowers from Notforgotten Farm

Eliza's Pyn Pillow by With My Needle

Friendly Little Stitches

Do you enjoy making things for other people? Might I suggest some friendly little pillows or pincushions to keep on hand for gifts or make a list of ones you'd like to stitch for different people. Most of them take very little stitching time and it's easy to turn them into cute little pillows.

Make a matching pincushion, scissor fob, and needle book for a stitchy friend. For non-stitchy friends, a little pillow with a mug and some tea bags makes a simple little gift. (I'm partial to thrift store mugs myself. No need to spend a lot of money to encourage someone.) Or you might put two or three seasonal cushions together in a basket with a doily to give as a housewarming gift. There are so many possibilities!

Here are links to a few free cross-stitch patterns to stitch for friends. Simply click on the pattern name to be directed to the link.

A Token of Friendship by Notforgotten Farm

Keys to the Past by SubRosa

Locks and Keys by SubRosa

Sampler Bag by Samplers and Santas

Treasured Friend by Plain and Fancy Merchant

My Friend by Primitive Bettys

Flower Basket by Sampler Girl

Sampler Quote from Hands Across the Sea

Good Friends Nametag from Victoria Sampler

A Friend to Me by Gettysburg Homestead

Sister Stitcher by the Primitive Hare

Tomato Pincushions

 I love pincushions of all kinds, but tomatoes are just so classic. So, I was thrilled when Theresa Venette of Shakespeare's Peddler and Kittenstitcher on Flosstube accepted an article and project for tomato pincushions to go in the second edition of her Samplers Yesterday &Today Zine. If you haven't seen the Zine, check it out. I love the articles and history she gives on samplers and designers.

 Both issues have sampler patterns in them and a selection of other lovely patterns. She also includes a recipe and craft project in each one. If you love cross-stitch and samplers, you really should check it out.

The tutorial for making the tomato pincushions includes the pattern for stitching the "Pins" tag as well. To go directly to issue 2 of the Zine, click here. And no, I don't get paid for directing traffic her way, but I'd really like to see more people buying the Zine so she keeps producing more!