Pixels and Purls Floral Ghost Halloween Embroidery Update

Halloween has been and gone, but spooky season is all year round! Or so I'm going to lead you to believe, so I can justify posting a belated progress photo of my Halloween embroidery. Haha!

I've been working on the cutest ghost embroidery from Pixels and Purls this autumn, but I didn't manage to finish it on time, as I ran out of red thread a few days before Halloween. I'm still waiting for a new skein to be delivered so I can complete it, which is so frustrating as I only have a flower and a half left to stitch, and a few corrections to take care of.

But this is where I'm at.

Although it's not finished, I'm really pleased with how it's turned out so far. I'm still pretty new to embroidery, and hadn't even attempted half of the stitches before, so I don't think it came out too badly for a novice. We just won't speak of how much of a mess I made of the long-and-short-stitch ghost! (I thought my stitches were straight... apparently, I was wrong. So very wrong). Luckily, it's only noticeable close up.

I also struggled to get the hang of the fishbone-stitch flowers, and ended up unpicking and redoing them with four strands instead of two as they were so taking forever. I think I got there, in the end, but I still need to redo a couple of petals on the left. 

Thankfully, I did much better with my first attempts at the stem and woven wheel stitches, and particularly enjoyed sewing the woven wheel flowers- they were so therapeutic to weave! (Maybe I need to try weaving?!) I need to redo one of the orange ones, because I slipped with the scissors when trimming threads from the French knots at the back, but other than that, I think they came out really well.

I also made a design choice, and painted my embroidery hoop orange to tie it all together, and I think it compliments the embroidery perfectly. I used acrylic paints, starting with a coat of white underneath to make the orange paint pop, and it was so quick and easy to do. It's amazing the difference a little bit of colour makes to the overall look of the piece.

I love the design, and the contradiction of spooky and pretty. I fell in love with it the moment I came across it while looking for a new pattern to make after Easter, and couldn't resist buying the PDF of the pattern immediately. It also comes as a full kit, and as a  printed fabric panel, so there's the perfect format for everybody. I found the pattern and instructions really simple to follow, and they're clear enough for even a beginner to make sense of, so don't be afraid to give it a go!

I think I'll definitely be going back to try other patterns from them in the future... but right now, it's time to move on to some festive cross stitching.

Have you stitched or made anything fun lately?

You Might Also Like

Cotton Clara It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Cross Stitch Kit

Satsuma Street Deck the Halls Cross Stitch

The Make Arcade Gingerbread Man Cross Stitch Kit

Mid Century Maude Retro Reindeer Cross Stitch

The World in Stitches Spectrum Mandala Cross Stitch Kit

The World in Stitches Spectral Mandala Cross Stitch Kit

The World in Stitches Hazel the Fox Cross Stitch Kit

The World in Stitches Geometric Squares Cross Stitch Kit

The World in Stitches Geometric Heart Cross Stitch Kit

The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Cross Stitch Kits
Hobbycraft Flamingo Cross Stitch Hoop Kit

My Colourful Patchwork Home Sweet Home Sampler
My Easter Cross Stitch 2016
My Merry Christmas Patchwork Cross Stitch Sampler

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2016
My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2015
Operation Cross Stitch

The World In Stiches Geometric Squares Cross Stitch

A couple of weeks ago, I showed you the geometric heart cross stitch I recently made, and today I've got another finished project to share with you from the same brand.

This is the geometric squares cross stitch from The World In Stitches which I picked up on Amazon a couple of months ago after stumbling up on it when I was window shopping to kill some time. I thought the design was so eye-catching and fun that I bought it there and then, and got to work on it as soon as it arrived. And you know what? I'm so very glad I did!

The design is a square made up of lots of little geometric squares in a whole rainbow of colours, which is so simplistic, but undeniably eye-catching. It's so different to anything I've ever made before, but I think that was part of the charm; sometimes it's good to shake things up and try something different for a change.

It was an enjoyable little project because not only did I get to play with colourful threads again, but it was super easy to make and hardly required any effort. I barely even had to think.

It only took me about a week to make by sewing in one to two hour sittings, but it could be completed in two or three days if you sewed in several hour stints. It's ideal if you want to cross stitch without months of commitment, like many cross stitch patterns demand.

Due to its simplicity, it's the perfect kit for beginners and should be easy for anybody to have a crack at without difficulty. The kit even comes with a beginner's guide to cross-stitching to help you get started!

You'll find everything you need to make the geometric squares cross stitch in the kit- good quality white aida (fabric), DMC stranded pre-sorted threads, a needle, the pattern on thick good-quality paper, a beginner's guide to cross stitching, and even an image of what the finished design should look like. You'll just need to get your hands on an embroidery hoop, embroidery scissors, and something to cross the chart off with as you go along.

I'm really impressed with the kit because everything included is amazing quality, and it's excellent value for money at just £8.49. It's rare to find cross stitch kits of this quality for so little, so it's a real bargain. You can buy the geometric squares kit on Amazon here, and Etsy here. They also sell the pattern separately as a PDF on Etsy here, if you'd prefer to use your own supplies.

I'm really pleased with the finished cross stitch, and think it turned out really well. Not bad for a week's work, eh? It's going to look great on the wall when I eventually get round to framing it! Hopefully I'll see to that sooner rather than later! In the mean time, I've already moved on to another cross stitch kit from The World In Stitches because I'm so impressed with their kits. I'm now working on a big spectral mandala, and I'm sure it'll make its way on to the blog in a few months once I've completed it. You can see the first progress photo of it on my Instagram here.

Have you cross stitched or crafted anything lately? Let me know in the comments below.

The World In Stitches Geometric Heart Cross Stitch

If you read my cross stitch posts, you might remember those colourful modern cross stitch kits from The World In Stitches that I was raving about around a month or so ago. I'd picked up four new kits- two mandalas, a geometric heart, and a geometric square made up of lots of little geometric squares, and couldn't wait to get started.

Well, I've already completed the two geometric kits, and I've got the first one to show you today. (Technically, it's the second one I made, but it's the first one I have ready to share).

If you hadn't already guessed, this is the geometric heart, which is without a doubt one of the most fun and colourful cross stitches I've ever made. It was also one of the most enjoyable, because I got to play with a whole rainbow of coloured threads- and you guys all know how much I love to play with colour!

It was an easy little project to stitch because the entire design is made up simple colour-blocked triangles, and just a handful of single stitches. Once I got used to the sequence, I barely even needed to refer to the chart as I went along, and I actually found the simplicity and repetition really therapeutic.

It took me just over a week to finish it by putting in an hour or two at a time, along with a couple of five or six hour stints where I sewed rainbow triangles for hours on end. If I'd stepped up my game and dedicated more time in each sitting, it could've easily been made in just a few days, so it's a great short-term project if you want to cross stitch something without months or years of commitment.

I'm so pleased with how well my attempt turned out. I  love the end result,and how bold and colourful it is; it's so different to anything I've ever made before, and I definitely need to make more designs like it in the future. I still need to get it framed, but it's going to look great on the wall when I do, brightening up the room with that explosion of colour.

The kit includes almost everything you need to make the geometric heart- thick 14 count white aida, beautiful pre-sorted DMC threads, a needle, a colourful and easy to follow chart printed on thick, good quality paper, an image of what the completed cross stitch will look like, and even a beginner's guide to cross stitching to help you get started. You'll just need to get your hands on an embroidery hoop, embroidery scissors, and something to cross the chart off with as you go along. The entire kit is fantastic quality down to the paper the information is printed on, and I'm personally impressed given it's small price tag of just £8.49. It's amazing value for money!

If you're thinking of giving this cross stitch kit a go, I honestly couldn't recommend it to you more. It's perfect for beginners and pros alike, and the pattern is even simple enough for anyone who has never cross stitched a stitch before in their life to follow easily. I promise you'll quickly get the hang of it, and you'll enjoy making it!

You can find the geometric heart cross stitch kit over on The World In Stitches' Amazon and Etsy stores, along with lots of other gorgeous cross stitch kits and patterns.

I'll be back to show you the finished geometric squares cross stitch really soon.

Have you crossed stitched anything lately? Are there any other craft projects you've been making?

You Might Also Like
The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Cross Stitch Kits
Hobbycraft Flamingo Cross Stitch Hoop Kit

My Colourful Patchwork Home Sweet Home Sampler
My Easter Cross Stitch 2016
My Merry Christmas Patchwork Cross Stitch Sampler

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2016
My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2015
Operation Cross Stitch

The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Cross Stitch Kits

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled up on the most incredible range of colourful modern cross stitch kits when I was window-shopping on Amazon, which had me squealing at the laptop screen in excitement. Yeah, I don't get out much... 

The colourful, geometric designs are exactly the style I've been wanting to try doing freehand for several years now, but have never got around to doing, so I was excited to find such an awesome range of affordable kits online, and snapped two of them up almost immediately. I ended up being so impressed with them on delivery, that I ordered two others on my wish list straight away, and fully intend to return for more of them once I've made the ones I bought.

I'll of course be blogging the finished projects once I've made them, but I wanted to give you guys my first impressions of them now because it's going to take me months to make them all, and they're just too good to keep to myself.

The kits are from an English brand called 'The World In Stitches', who make original handmade modern cross stitch kits and patterns that are suitable for both beginners and cross stitch pros alike. They currently sell a variety of different designs, from geometric patterns and mandalas, to folk and scandi, and I think they're all absolutely gorgeous.

It was so difficult to narrow down my favourites, but I purchased the Geometric Heart and Geometric Squares kits on my first order, and then went back for the Spectrum Mandala and Spectral Mandala kits after the first two arrived because I was so impressed with the quality and the amazing colourful designs.

The designs are all so colourful, fun, vibrant, and eye-catching, and a world apart from the traditional and often frumpy cross stitch designs usually marketed at the older lady. I'm sure you'll agree, there's nothing frumpy or old-fashioned about these kits! I think lot of people are still under the impression that cross-stitching is still a dull, old-fashioned craft for dowdy old ladies and nothing more, but I hope these kits will prove that cross stitching doesn't have to be like that at all. It can be fun and modern and fashionable, and an enjoyable hobby for people of all ages- because it is. Sure, there are plenty of traditional kits out there only your Granny would want to sew, but there are heaps of modern kits out there for stylish younger crafters to enjoy, too. The choice of designs and styles out there is actually insane, and there's something out there for everybody.

Everything included in the kits are of fantastic quality- the aida, the threads, the needle, even the instructions.

They include thick, 14 count white aida.

The threads are DMC stranded cotton, which are basically the best quality embroidery threads you can get, and they're so brightly-coloured that they're going to be so fun to sew with.

The chart and instructions are printed in colour on high-quality, thick paper. They're nice and large, and very clearly colour coded, so they're very easy to follow and decipher, which is exactly what you want from a cross stitch chart.

The threads are also pre-sorted, which makes life easier- although it's unlikely you'll have difficulty matching up the correct colour threads to the symbols with these kits, since the rainbow colours are easily distinguishable.

Each kit also includes a clear and detailed beginner's guide to cross stitching with colour photographs to help you get started, so even beginners can make these awesome kits without much difficulty. 

The kits include almost everything you need to make them (aida, threads, needle, chart, beginner's guide); you'll just need to get your hands on an embroidery hoop, embroidery scissors, and a pencil or highlighter to mark the chart with as you go along. I usually use coloured pencils to cross mine off because I find it easier to see where I am when I'm stitching, although that works best on black and white charts.

I'm extremely impressed with the quality of all four of my kits, particularly because they are so inexpensive. The kits start from around £8.49, which is very reasonable for a cross stitch kit of this quality, and great value for money. The geometric heart and squares were both £8.49, and the mandalas, which are much larger in size were £17.49 each. They also sell some patterns separately for just a few quid each on Etsy.

I couldn't be happier with the four kits I bought. and I honestly couldn't recommend them to you more. They're some of the best cross stitch kits I've ever seen. If you're thinking of learning how to cross stitch or are a cross-stitcher looking for some new projects to make, give some of these kits a try! I promise you won't regret it!

You can find The World in Stitches on Amazon and Etsy.

Do you cross stitch in your spare time? Do you do any other crafts?

Hobbycraft Flamingo Cross Stitch Hoop Kit

Earlier in the year, I finished a flamingo cross stitch hoop sampler I've began working on in January, and I'm really pleased with the end result, so I thought I'd give you guys a peek at it.

I bought the kit in Hobbycraft in January as I loved the flamingo design, and it looked like it would be a fun, quick project I could stitch together in a week or so before moving on to something else. It was only a fiver (full price, although it's since increased to £6) so I wasn't expecting a high level of quality from it, but I wasn't really expecting any problems, either.

It turns out, there were many.

Firstly, the aida (fabric) was warped, with diagonal lines, so it was totally unusable. I had to use a spare piece I had lying around in my stash.

The embroidery hoop that was included in the kit, gave me several painful splinters when I first began using it. Although, I have to say, as embroidery hoops go,it's not bad- it's sturdy, and holds tension really well. It just needs sanding down a little.

The front of the packet claimed to have easy instructions suitable for beginners, but they definitely weren't the easiest to decipher at first, and a beginner would have difficulty with them.

My main problem with the instructions was that the pattern included quarter stitches as well as cross stitches, and in the key, they were shown in the same colours and symbols as each other because the same colour threads were needed. The lines on the chart were all different widths and heights, with no rhyme or reason, so I couldn't make sense of which were which, even after photocopying and enlarging the instruction chart to A2. (The chart included is quite small). It took me days to finally spot the tiny quarter stitches- they were all hiding on the face of the flamingo. After that, the pattern made complete sense and I was able to start sewing... but I still had the difficult task of identifying the threads.

And that was a nightmare.

The threads weren't pre-sorted and with five similar shades of pink and four orange, I had real difficulty trying to match most of them to the correct symbols. I had to just guess and hope for the best. When I first began stitching the flamingo, the main colour of the body I'd confidently matched up was this horrible dark terracotta colour, and it looked awful, and unlike any flamingo I've ever seen, so I ended up unpicking it, and from there I decided to wing it and give it my own spin. I chose most of the colours as I went along, using some from the kit, and many from my own stash, unpicking and restitching with different colours multiple times until I was satisfied with how it looked. I also did this with the back-stitching; the entire design was supposed to be out-lined in black, but I didn't like how that looked, and chose to use a darker shade of colour to compliment each area instead. I personally think it looks so much better without the harshness of the black,

While I was going rogue, I also changed the colours of the French knots on the flowers, opting for yellow and dark pink instead of black. I'd never attempted a French knot stitch before, and the instructions included weren't helpful, so I had to Google for a tutorial to make sense of it. While the stitch is pretty straight-forward, I found it tricky to get right at first, and it took a bit of practise, but after multiple failed attempts and realising keeping the thread tight is the trick, I got there in the end. They're not perfect, but they're the best I could do, and I'm satisfied with the end result. To be honest, I had to stop there before I pulled all my hair out.

Hobbycraft advertises this kit as being suitable for beginners, but I personally don't agree. I've been stitching for years and I was pulling my hair out from start to finish. The majority of beginners will have trouble understanding the instructions, and difficulty learning the different stitches from them unless they think to Google a tutorial or ask a more experienced cross-stitcher for help. I also think any beginner who starts cross stitching with this kit is going to be put off from the craft for life. Don't begin with this kit if you're new to cross stitching. I don't recommend it.

The pattern is straight forward and would have been quick and easy if the chart was clear from the start, the threads were recognisable, and the supplies were adequate, but it just ended up being one massive headache. It was far from the quick, easy project I'd expected it to be, and it just stressed me out on a daily basis.

If you've got the knowledge, skill, and supplies to give it your own spin, you can get great results from the pattern. It's a lovely design over all, and I love how mine turned out in the end, but I won't lie- it was one of the most stressful cross stitch projects I've ever worked on. It was worth all the hassle, and I'm glad I persevered, but I'm not in a hurry to pick up another design from the range any time soon. I don't have the strength.

If my review hasn't put you off and you still want to give this kit a go, you can find it on the Hobbycraft website here.

Have you made anything lately? Do you cross stitch?

You Might Also Like
My Colourful Patchwork Home Sweet Home Sampler
My Easter Cross Stitch 2016
My Merry Christmas Patchwork Cross Stitch Sampler

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2016
My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2015
Operation Cross Stitch