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Happy holidays! I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health and spirits, surrounded by friends and family during the holiday season.
December’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about how to clean your needlework. If your needlework becomes dirty, pour some cold water and Ivory dishwashing liquid in a flat pan. Place your needlework in the soapy mixture and let it soak until the dirt comes off. Drain off the soapy mixture and rinse your needlework in cold water, without scrubbing or wrinkling the needlework. Place it flat on a towel and gently pat the needlework to remove excess moisture. Finally, lay the needlework out flat to allow it to finish drying completely. You have just saved the day and your needlework!
November’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about how to keep your cross stitching neat and tidy looking by using hoops. Hoops can be made of wood, plastic or metal and work by holding the Aida cloth tight between two rings while stitching. By keeping the material tight, this helps to keep the stitches even. Just remember to take the material out of the hoop when you are finished cross stitching for the day – otherwise the hoop will leave marks on the aida cloth.
I am also pleased to announce that Beautiful Creations now has an online forum! You can find it in the fun extras section. Please have a look and post a comment or question. Talk to you soon!
October’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about how to set thread colours. It is important to prevent colours from running, so that your beautiful cross stitching will not be ruined – and it’s easy to do! To set the colour of your thread, soak the thread for 1-2 hours in a solution made up of one part vinegar and one part cold water. Rinse the thread and lay flat or hang to dry. Now you can be assured that your thread colours will stay beautiful!
September’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about waste canvas. Ever see a t-shirt, quilt or even a baby’s bid with a cute design cross stitched on it and wonder how it was done? Sometimes the design is pre-printed or stamped on the material. If not, there is a wonderful product called “waste canvas”. Waste canvas is a grid of thread held together with a starch glue agent. It is used as a guide material for stitching on non evenweave type fabrics (like a t-shirt), so that you can stitch neatly and maintain the correct size of the design and then remove the waste canvas to leave only your cross stitched design on the fabric.
To use the waste canvas, first find the centre of the canvas by folding it in half and then half again. Mark the centre lightly with a pencil or a single cross stitch. Next, attach the waste canvas to your fabric with a tack or running stitch along the edges of the canvas. Now you can stitch your design through the waste canvas and through the fabric beneath using the squares of the waste canvas as a guide for the cross stitch, as you would do with an evenweave fabric like Aida cloth. Make sure that the points of the crosses are touching as any gaps will look unsightly.
Once you are finished cross stitching, you are ready to remove the waste canvas. First, remove the stitches that you put in to hold the waste canvas in place and then dab or spray the area with water. Water is used because the waste canvas is only held together with a starch based glue and the moisture will dissolve the starch. This then allows you to pull out the waste canvas threads one at a time, either by hand or with tweezers. If you find that you have stitched a bit tightly over a strand, just cut either side of the waste canvas thread, so that it is shorter and easier to work with, and remove the canvas thread as normal.
Now you are ready to cross stitch any design on any type of fabric. What a great way to personalize your next project and make it even more special!
August’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about the different types of lamps available to help with detailed work, such as cross stitching. These lamps can be either table top or floor stand lamps, depending on both your preference and your work environment. When deciding on which type of lamp to purchase, make sure to look for a lamp that is multi-purpose. Lamps can provide much more than just extra light – they can also have a magnifying lens, adjustable arms to direct the light to where you need it the most, accessory trays to hold all your supplies within easy reach and pattern holders to free your hands. I’ve even seen a floor stand lamp on wheels! Before you buy a lamp, try out the different features to ensure they are easy to use and you feel comfortable with them. Then, sit back and enjoy your new lamp while cross stitching!
July’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is letting you know about DMC’s new line of threads called “Light Effects”. This collection features 36 beautiful colours in six different groups. The groups are:
That’s right – you can now stitch with Glow-in-the-Dark thread! How cool is that?
The Light Effects line of threads uses the same colour numbering system as the DMC cotton embroidery floss, making it easy to substitute the Light Effects threads. For example, the DMC floss colour “321” can be replaced by the DMC Light Effect thread “E321”. Stitching made simple and beautiful – just the way I like it!
June’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month has to do with cleaning the glass in the frame. When cleaning the glass of your framed piece, first spray the glass cleaner on a cloth, and then wipe the cloth on the glass. If you spray the glass directly, it could run underneath the glass and onto the fabric or the mat boards underneath and stain them. Happy cleaning!
May’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is all about mounting your piece when you’re ready to frame it. Use acid free mounting boards, either padded or non-padded, which can be found at your local craft store. One side of mounting boards is sticky so that the fabric will stay in place once framed. The reason the mounting boards are acid free, is that the acid will damage the fabric and discolour it over time. Avoid using cardboard instead of a mounting board; cardboard may be cheaper, but is very acidic. Padded mounting boards are great to use when framing without glass or when framing with a shadow box, as it will give dimension to your cross stitched piece. If you are framing without glass, remember to spray the fabric with Scotchguard to prevent future staining. To use a mounting board, first centre the cross stitching on the board. Then smooth the fabric and gently press it in place. Cut off excess fabric from the edges, leaving about one inch or less of fabric. Turn the board over and use masking tape to hold the excess fabric in place and to prevent the edges from fraying. Place the mounted cross stitching in a frame, and presto, you are done!
April’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is all about preventing the fading of colours once you have framed your cross stitch piece. There are two ways you can prevent fading – I recommend doing both. The first way is to keep finished and framed pieces out of direct sunlight. Throughout the day, observe the area where you want to hang or place your finished piece. Take note of where the sun hits the walls and where it doesn’t, and place your cross stitch piece where the sun will not touch it. After you have found a place, check the position during the different seasons, as the angle of the sun and where it shines will change. The second way is to use UV filtering glass. Ultraviolet "UV" light is the largest reason why colours will fade over time. UV filtering glass can block over 97% of UV light, while regular glass will only block 60%. You can purchase UV filtering glass at your local framing store. You now have a beautifully preserved piece of art!
March’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is all about using scroll frames, which are also called fabric mounts or needlework frames. If you are tired of using hoop frames or of holding your aida cloth while stitching, scroll frames are a great alternative. With a scroll frame, your cloth is attached at the top and the bottom. The frame keeps the fabric taunt for stitching, while the scroll allows you to scroll to different areas of your cross stitching piece. This keeps your cloth wrinkle free and your stitches looking perfect. They come in lap and floor stands – whichever you find more convenient. Scroll frames with a floor stand are great for people who have problems with their hands, such as arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, as it leaves your hands free to stitch. Happy stitching!
February’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is all about giving your cross stitching pieces an exciting and original look. Have you seen it? It’s beautiful hand-dyed evenweave, aida and linen fabrics. The colours are beautiful – not your ordinary one colour fabric, but a soft blend of multiple colours. And because their fabric is hand-dyed, no two pieces are alike. It is a little more expensive than regular fabrics, but for special pieces, well worth it.
I’ve found out about three different companies who produce this unique and beautiful fabric. Here’s their websites so you can check them out! The first company is called Sugar Maple Fabrics and they are located here in Ontario, Canada. The second company is called Polstitches Designs and is located in the United Kingdom. The third company is called Dreams with Angels and is also located in Canada. I couldn’t find a company website, but Stitcher’s Store does carry fabrics from all three companies.
Happy fabric shopping!
January's Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month touches again on the subject of storage in order to give you more ideas on how to store your floss. One idea is to use small ziploc sandwich bags to easily store floss. The bags keep the floss protected from dirt and water and are easy to take with you on a trip. Plastic containers with dividers also work wonderful. Clear containers allow you to see inside for a quick visual of the colours available. Plus, all containers allow you to put stickers or labels on the outside of the container. For easy searching, just write the floss number on the sticker or label. Happy floss storing!
