Exchange Ornament

Hello all, I wanted to share a pic of a little biscornu ornament I made for Meari, for the SNS2 yahoo group. She took this picture and let me use it here. I enjoyed making this for her. The pattern is from this year's JCS ornament issue, but you won't recognize it, I think. I changed everything about the design. I like mine better!

Biscornu Finish

Hay y'all,

I have been away on business, traveling thru South Carolina. It's a lovely state filled with warm and friendly people. The saddest thing about my travels last week was learning that so many of the cross stitch shops have closed over the years. I remember the first time I went to South Carolina I visited 5 cross stitch shops in one week (I drove all over the state). During this most recent visit, I should have been able to visit 3 shops but found two closed and the other had very limited hours. I suspect that the on-line shops have put a dent into the LNSs.


Below are pics of my latest biscornu finish. There were several firsts for me with this one, namely the Rhodes hearts (very easy, by the way) and the pulled thread work around the edges (not so easy). I was stumped on how to end and begin a thread on the hem stitching and couldn't  figure out where to cut the piece out from the fabric after it was stitched. I had all these little bits of thread hanging around and snipped them all but how in the world with the stitches stay locked in place? 

I had much fun stitching this even though I've made some errors in the edging (some of the blocks have 4 threads and some had 5).

This design came out of the March Issue, 2012, of Cross Stitch and Needlework.  Nach bhfuil sé deas? (Isn't it pretty?)

That's it for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful new week! Hugs, Christina

Biscornu exchange

Hello all,

Just a short little update regarding the Friendly Stitcher's Spring Biscornu exchange. My partner has received the one I made for her and so I can post a pic of it...we do love to show off our work, no matter how simple!

I have a love - hate relationship with biscornus...the darn things are just adorable and look great piled up in a basket or laid across a shelf. But finishing them up makes me bonkers! My sides rarely ever match up and when they do it just pure chance! Are you a love 'em or hate 'em person when it comes to biscornus, or sort of in between like me?

This design uses color variegated silk thread from Dinky-Dyes but I separated the themes and used several skeins of DMC cotton. I filled the hearts with blackwork...I do believe that the blackwork finishes the piece off. Oh, and I added a few beads. Its on light yellow 14 count Aida and filled with polyester stuffing. A little dragonfly button pulls it all together. It really is a very different piece than what was portrayed on design. I enjoy changing things a bit but I changed this one a lot....even the back is different. The original design was published in The Gift of Stitching,  Issue 60, Jan/Feb 2011 and designed by Patrizia Martellini of The Cute Mermaid Designs. I really enjoyed stitching it.

That's it, folks.  Wishing all a week of stitching successes!! Hugs, Chris.

Cross Stitch Projects

Hello all, hope it's a good Monday for everyone. Here is my tuffet (biscornu) collection. Those of you that subscribe to the digital magazine The Gift of Stitching might recognize the bottom center one, bottom right, the top right one and the littlest one from the magazine. The one on the top left, with the red lobsters, is a freebie from Ink Circles.