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This is a community to share your cross stitch works with other interested people. We're also here to help with any embroidery questions you have!

The moderators for this community are [info]bekscilla (previously bekki_n), [info]cathouse_blues and [info]emohdee - please be aware that you can contact any of us by emailing bekki_n and cathouse_blues at livejournal dot com and siran underscore drauka at yahoo dot com

Although this community is dedicated to cross-stitch, please don't feel that you have to stick to cross stitch! Other types of embroidery or similar crafts are welcomed.

Please however, go to the LJ FAQ for all Livejournal questions.

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There are only a few rules here: Cut Tag any pictures, don't advertise things and don't share copyrighted material.

All pictures must be cut tagged. Pictures of your work are welcomed and encouraged, however we do ask that you use lj cut tags (go to the FAQ and livejournal specific tags section for help).

Don't advertise things includes advertising your auctions. If you want to advertise a community, use LJ's official page at [info]community_promo. If you'd like to organise a swap, please feel free and if you're giving stuff away, please only request payment for postage. Failure to follow these rules will result in your post being removed.

Don't share copyright material: Most, though not all, kits, charts and patterns have a statement reading something like "permission granted to copy/photocopy for personal use." "Personal use" means so you can write on it, mark it up, use highlighter, whatever – usually so you don't damage the original – but it does not mean you can give away or sell photocopies, scans, electronic files or other copies of the product for someone else's "personal use".

It's fine to post an image of the product (behind an lj-cut), or a link on where to find it, but please do not post that you will share a chart or pattern, nor links to "sharing sites". The moderators will remove such posts or comments, and those who post them will receive a warning the first time. Repeated offense will result in banning from [info]cross_stitch.

NOTE: Please be kind to your fellow members who may be under eighteen or who may read the community at work and restrict your icons to a "G" rating. If you have any question about where your icon might fall, please feel free to contact a moderator.
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If you have any questions about the community, feel free to email me, and put cross-stitch community as the subject.

If you'd like to see any of the tags used by the community, and what has been posted under them, click here

Tips!

The lovely [info]pw_pw has offered to make charts from any image that you have. See this post for more information

A tip from [info]buffalogal: Got a dimensions kit, and run out of a colour? Go to dimensions-crafts and request the colour you need. Or, if you want to convert your dimensions colours to DMC, [info]innocentxv suggests this site

From [info]midnightsangelc: How to make a pillow for a different way of finishing your work

Thanks to [info]l8ntmthrnr: Some tips on using metallic thread, or blending filament

From [info]hanael: Framing tips

From [info]tersa: Tips on travelling with your sewing, in the US (check the comments for links to British rules) - also try Transporting Knitting Needles & Needlepoint (in the USA) located here

Thanks to [info]l8ntmthrnr: A fantastic site for all kinds of x-stitch tips is here (Thanks [info]galyndean for the updated again link)

Thanks to [info]closetblonde: Unsure what your pattern will look like on different materials? Check here to see how it'll look!
Threads
So I had a surprise baby announcement to complete recently, for friends who adopted a baby girl. Their son, Max, was the recipient of my very first baby announcement (Wild Ones alphabet), and I knew I wasn't going to have time to do something so complicated for this little girl. As it turns out, the pattern I chose had some beadwork involved, and I haven't done beadwork before, so I figure it stands up well.

Baby Announcement, Flapper Style )

Having finished this announcement, it's on to the next one. Two more, and then I get to go back to stitching Erised. HURRAH.
18th-May-2012 03:07 pm - Rippit Rippit
Crafty
This isn't exactly cross stitch, but it's related. This is a picture a friend of mine made for me. Anyone who has had a dreaded case of the frogs will appreciate it. :)

Read more... )
17th-May-2012 02:22 pm - Deepest love
Had to share. I have finnally bought my fabric. 28 count Mystic Seas. It is very pretty. I will post a picture of supplies as soon as I get it.
17th-May-2012 02:06 am - Finished Belated Christmas Present!
Satisfied!Sakura
My soon-to-be-former roommate's mom, who has been like a second mom to me since I've been out here, is very fond of tea sets. So when I found Marie Barber's "A Cozy Tea" in my Just CrossStitch Feb '05 issue, I had to make it for her for Christmas. Alas, it kept making me want to claw my eyes out - tan/brown toile on cream Hardanger lol - and therefore took me until yesterday to finally finish stitching. Sadly, I kept pushing to get it finished and never stopped to take progress pics, but here are some finished ones for you all! Also, at the end are a couple Mother's Day cards and a birthday card that I did in the past week. Here be pics! )
16th-May-2012 09:44 pm - WIP=WID
stitchie
work in progress is now work is done 8-)


make with the clickity! )

thanks for looking... on to the next!
16th-May-2012 02:03 am - Kid friendly?
cupcake
Does anyone know where I can find some small, kid-friendly, simple/beginner, printable (preferably free) cross stitch patterns for my friend's daughter? She's about 8 years old and wants to learn to cross stitch. I think I've seen some somewhere online, but I'm having a brain fart and can't remember where. Thanks in advance!
15th-May-2012 12:34 pm - cross stitch stores in Montana?
publishing, Repeating History
Does anyone know of any stores that sell cross-stitch patterns in Montana? I'm going to be on a road trip in a couple of weeks, and was hoping to maybe find some nifty new patterns while I'm there.
13th-May-2012 01:00 pm - Dance of the Total Eclipse Update
Tridevi
Here is the latest update in my Dance of the Total Eclipse.

This is what it looked like two weeks ago (I didn't post last Sunday, since I hadn't done a lot of work)


Read more... )
12th-May-2012 10:50 am - 2 updates
Romeo
Hey all! I'm still more or less alive, although I have next to nothing to show for my stitching absence.

I think I hit the 'wall' a few weeks back and just couldn't seem to focus at all. I was actually beginning to worry that I was loosing my interest in stitching altogether, which would be bad news as there isn't much else for me to occupy my days with.

I decide to try starting another pattern that I had lined up, this one a commission from my aunt and see if a change of pace might help me get back into the swing of things.

This way please )

Thanks for looking!
11th-May-2012 02:20 pm - Baby sampler!
DMC Embroidery Floss
Recently I picked up a "Cross Stitcher" magazine and fell in love with the baby sampler in there. I stitched it up even though I'm not totally sure who it will be for. (So it does not have any name or stats...obviously!) :)

Picture under the cut!

Read more... )
8th-May-2012 06:51 am - Two Christmas finishes!
black cat
I finally finished my Heirloom Christmas Sampler and have just sent it off to the framer. Dance of joy! I had a bit of trouble with the tree embellishments, especially the silk ribbon roses. I must have tried about 50 times to do the "twirled rose" but couldn't get it so I did a spider-web rose and it looks okay. I also added a bit of slightly shiny dark red fabric behind the hardanger hearts and the drawn thread areas. Hopefully, I will post one more time about it in the summer when I find out if I've won a ribbon at the fair or not. :)

Also worked up a cute little design by Lynne Nicoletti, "A Robin's Christmas". Not a fan of aida but it worked well with the project, which works up into a little envelope.

Christmas in May )
xstitch
So my parental units visited me this weekend, which meant I could visit my NSLNS (which is moving a few miles closer to me, yay!) whereupon I had a little S.E.X. My newest purchases:I've been craving Christmas stuff lately, go figure. 12 Days is going to be a birthday present, so I won't get it or its fabric until November, but that's okay; I've got several WIPs that are drifting toward UFO territory that I can, and ought to, work on in the meantime.

The point is when I got home I serged my new fabric so it wouldn't fray. In the process, I had to remove the information sticker that was on the fabric for Santa's Sleigh, since it was too close to the edge and would have been serged down otherwise. The sticker has the fabric type/brand, count, size, cost, and my NSLNS's logo. Instead of stapling it back to the fabric once it was serged, I stapled it to a 3x5 card and wrote down what I got it for. I have lots of projects that I've already stitched that I wish I could remember what I stitched it on, and if I'd thought of this when I resumed stitching I would be able to check. Darnit. (I think I'll also start full pages of lists of things on fabrics that are basic: 22/28/32count natural/white/self-dyed linen/evenweave/hardanger.)

Oh, and if anyone's developing a cell phone app for tracking flosses, they might want to consider adding Kreiniks and Mill Hill beads to it if they haven't already. I don't have a phone that runs apps, but one such would have been useful as I know I re-purchased Kreiniks that I already had and thus didn't need. :/
Xstitch Bonsai by asgard
I'm helping start a cross stitch group here in Auckland, New Zealand. We're all young 30-somethingers with a couple in their 20s, and a few in their early 40s. Cross stitch is unfortunately considered rather unfashionable here in NZ and we want a name for the group that isn't boring/tame/meh.

Please help me come up with a list of awesome names for a cross stitching group? :)
My own endevours aren't really exciting me.

And if you're an Aucklander and want to join the group, let me know!

Thankyou!
7th-May-2012 02:57 pm - WIP Update!
mommy and me
It's been three weeks since I updated, and boy is it a big one!  The closer I get to the finish, the heavier that needle is....

Pic heavy because there's a backside photo in there too!

Read more... )

If you decide to give the pin stitch a try, post pics!  A good tutorial can be found here.

I'll be having a root canal tomorrow.  It's my first, and God willing, my last.  I'm so nervous!  Stitch a little stitch for me, and send good thoughts my way!  :)
7th-May-2012 07:39 pm - Dust bowl page 12
Cross-stitch
Woohoo page 12 is done and I'm a third of the way through!
Here we go )
stitchie
these are not my stitchies, rather they are the my "other sister" Lisa Rae's (there's three of us- me, Amy, and Lisa Rae who stitch. I'm the Master, they're the Padawans...)  anyway- I did some framing for her and I just have to show them off... especially the cluck-clucks. Lisa Rae did an awesome job.


make withe the clickity, chickity! )
Thanks for looking!!
3rd-May-2012 08:35 pm - FINISH!~
US Air Force Official Logo with black ba
I finished my Air Force motivation thing!~ *grins* It took 5 weeks and 2 days and I'm still not sure how to frame/finish it. The stitching is 11"X 13.5" and the fabric is 13.5"X 17"

Bad cell picture, but I'm really proud of it and it turned out AMAZING!

Bad picture under here )
Threads
Hi, ladies - we're going to be in Northwestern Indiana (Valparaiso area) in two weeks; I was wondering if anyone knows of any good cross-stitch shops there I should visit? We'll also be in Milwaukee briefly, but I'm not sure I'll have time for anything that isn't downtown or very easily accessible from the downtown area. Thanks!
2nd-May-2012 08:37 pm - Keep Calm and....DONE
Spencer
Not even two weeks. But to be fair, this week I have been so sick, I'm not sleeping well but I have insane focus. So I finished it :D

Last week.


Read more... )
threading mouse
Anyone remember me?  I was on this board for a long time before my daughter was born and a little bit after.  But I am the one who long, long, long ago did Fish City - I think I became sort of known for fish city :)

Anyway, I have a happy dance!!  I started this back in (gulp) 2007 and it is done!!

Read more... )
2nd-May-2012 02:06 pm - Storing Your Specialty Flosses
Waterhouse Crystal Ball
Hey All! It's been years since I've posted in the community, but I do keep an eye out on all of your beautiful stitching. I have a mild dilemma that I'd like your advice on. I have always used DMC floss in my stitching, just because it was what was most easily attainable. However, I've recently purchased a different brand of floss for a new project and have no idea on how to store it. I store all my DMC skeins on bobbins in floss boxes. I recently purchased some Needle Necessities overdyed floss, and it is six-stranded, but comes pre-cut in 24-inch lengths, some 20 yards of it. The skein come all nicely twisted and looking pretty, but I want to find a better way to store it. How do you all store floss like this? Should I just wind each individual piece onto the same bobbin? It seems silly. Let me know what you think.
panna
LONG time lurker of this community.  I have a new name (forgot password for old account) and I'm posting for the first time.  I've been cross-stitching for nearly 20 yrs but still consider myself a beginner (chronic non-finisher....MANY projects that just need final touches).  I'm trying to do a birth announcement for a new nephew.  I've been looking for free patterns and did a bear on a moon for the last nephew.  The theme of the nursery is "jungle" but they specifically mentioned tree frogs or monkeys.  I'm not finding any free tree frog patterns and the monkeys I've found haven't been too kid friendly (real looking gorillas).  Any help would be appreciated.....he was born today.....procrastination FTW!

TIA
30th-Apr-2012 01:11 pm(no subject)
Hardanger
Another cross stitch finish for me.

It's amazing how unemployment leads to extensive stitching productivity.

This is "Winter Woods", from the Mill Hill 2011 Buttons & Beads Winter Series. I bought it as a companion to Winter Wonderland, which I stitched last year, but looking at them side by side, they are really dramatically different. Winter Wonderland is very abstract, while this one is much more naturalistic, with one great pop of red from the cardinal. The only thing they really share is the color of their background.

This took a surrisingly long time to stitch - not only is it full coverage, but the subtle gradations of color made it tricky to follow the pattern.

Into the woods, you have to go )
29th-Apr-2012 03:36 pm - Keep Calm and...WIP
Spencer
Hey all! As I mentioned last week, I'd be making a Keep Calm variation based on Criminal Minds. It's going really fast, and I'm already on the second half, after not quite a week.


Read more... )
28th-Apr-2012 06:44 pm - Item Complete!
jeh
I finally got this cross-stitch done. I've been working on this small version of Beauty & the Beast since late October, early November, and I finished it about a week ago, washed it last weekend, and then framed it today. It's only the 2nd counted cross-stitch I've finished, and I'm pretty proud of it (the first was a hummingbird Cross-Stitch for Dummies kit).


Unframed )


Framed )
27th-Apr-2012 10:27 pm - Intro with current WIP
thrones
Hi everyone. Long time stitcher, first time poster here. I watch all of the cross stitch groups over at DeviantArt and learned about this group after seeing a cross stitch of its LJ handle! I have quite a few completed cross stitch projects on DA as well as free patterns I've designed (Star Trek and Game of Thrones fandoms) if anyone is interested in taking a look.

Now for my current WIP )
Thanks for looking!
26th-Apr-2012 09:45 pm - WIP Wednesday (on a Thursday)
stitchie
Progress of the WIP:


make with the clickity! )

Thanks for looking! 8-)
26th-Apr-2012 11:51 am - Paradigm Lost - the finish
cross stichers
First, I want to apologize for not responding to the comments and questions on my last update. I got really busy soon after that post and then it seemed like too much time had passed when I got back to them. So, I waited... which had more time pass... bad idea. Anyhow. Sorry about that. I will try to be better. I will respond, even if late! Really!

That said.... on to the good stuff. PICTURES )
25th-Apr-2012 06:36 pm - More St Nick
xstitch
Not an update post, sorry! I have decided to leave off the topmost and bottommost rows of stitches (made possible because I started stitching in the middle). So it will still be 525W, but will be changed to 445H from 447H. Why the change? Because I've been playing with the idea of stitching a decorative border around it. I haven't been able to find any borders I like, though, so I've spent some time yesterday and today designing one. Here's what I've come up with. )

What I'm hoping for, is that a border with consistent coloring will be easier to match with a holiday fabric when it comes time to frame it. It's not very wide, only 11stitches, so it adds fewer than 22000 stitches overall. (And you know you've been working with BAPs for a long time when that count sounds reasonably small.... O.o )

Opinions, please? ^_^

edit: added a sentence that accidentally got deleted
25th-Apr-2012 04:27 pm - Three WIPs
Do I look schecschy?
Three WIPs: two BAPs, one tiny thing I should have finished ages ago.

Here there be pictures. )
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