The Book and Crafts Review Corner

Linda's Review of Noel Ornament Cross-Stitch Kit From Mill Hill - Dimensions Gold Petite Collection

2012-01-14T04:21:00.000-05:00

Hubby liked the cross-stitch bird stamp that I had created for my sister-in-law so much that he asked if I was going to do one for us. I, of course, said "SURE!" After all if you're a cross-stitch junkie who can resist an invitation to create another cross-stitch. Definitely not me!

I only had two bird stamps left and decided to go with the "Noel Ornament" as it was also very festive and cheery. Plus, since the Dimensions Gold Collection Petites were all 4 1/4" squares I knew I could make a small picture for us as well.

Like the other Dimensions Gold Collection kits I had bought the "Noel Ornament" kit included the pattern, pre-sorted cotton thread, 18 count ivory cotton Aida, felt, needle and instructions. They also said that thick craft glue and quilt batting would be needed.

The "Noel Ornament" pattern uses full counted cross-stitch, half cross-stitch and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

The pattern came with starting, stitching, finishing and even cleaning instructions as well as samples of the various stitches required, and color coded keys (with code #'s, lengths, color names, and cross-stitch symbols) and a chart with color coded symbols. The colors and symbols on the keys and chart were easy to read and follow.

While I was very pleased with the end results of this design there are some things in the kit and in the instructions that can be improved upon.

As was the case with previous Dimensions kits the thread sorter was poorly designed. The embroidery threads were glued to two foam backed 6" by 1 1/4" strips of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends. I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together.

I also added the symbols to the strip to make reading the chart easier. To make things even easier for the user the color symbol should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your chart.

The pattern also calls for certain areas of the picture to be left untouched so the white linen color could show through for that area: It's the white section in the picture below surrounding the stamp border:

However, I don't like the fabric showing in different sections of the background so I opted instead to finish the white sections with half cross-stitching. My results with the totally finished white sections are shown below:

The finishing calls for squaring the back and then sewing felt onto to the back to finish the ornament. Instead of doing that I decided I wanted to finish my stamp as a small picture. So, I decided to add 4 additional rows of dark green floss in half-stitch around the entire picture to create the effect of a mat border and then to glue the entire picture flat to a cardboard square. I had chosen a white frame to finish it which I think really brought out the festive colors of the stamp and really looked nice next to my green floss mat.

It took me 36 hours to complete this picture not including the framing. Despite the problems I encountered with the thread sorter I was very happy with the way my "Noel Ornament" turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

Well, hubby liked it so much he said, "So, when are you going to finish the next one?" I, of course, was tempted to drop everything I was doing and start it right then and there, but decided I had other crafty things I needed to do to get ready for the holidays so this would have to wait. So, I said, "Maybe after the holidays, dear." I'm sure that came as a surprise to him! Gotta keep him guessing!

If you'd like to purchase the "Noel Ornament" kit and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda's Review of Wish Ornament Cross-Stitch Kit From Mill Hill - Dimensions Gold Collection Petite

2012-01-13T04:19:00.005-05:00

When trying to decide on which small cross-stitch kits I wanted to try this year for a Christmas present for my sister-in-law I knew I wanted to create something with a bird theme. You see, she's a bird lover and every year I try to give her something with a "bird" in it. So, this year I decided to buy some adorable counted cross-stitch kits that were historic copies of old bird stamps - with postage markings and all. So, I choose three and ended up making two of them.

All of the bird stamps were Dimensions Gold Collection Petites that were 4 1/4" squares. As I intended to frame this as a little picture the 4 1/2" size was perfect. So, of the three I chose the "Wish Ornament," shown below, as I thought it would make a wonderful miniature picture and was so bright and festive.

Like the other Dimensions Gold Collection kits I had bought the "Wish Ornament" kit included the pattern, pre-sorted cotton thread, 18 count ivory cotton Aida, felt, needle and instructions. They also said that thick craft glue and quilt batting would be needed.

The "Wish Ornament" pattern uses full counted cross-stitch, half cross-stitch and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

The pattern came with starting, stitching, finishing and even cleaning instructions as well as samples of the various stitches required, and color coded keys (with code #'s, lengths, color names, and cross-stitch symbols) and a chart with color coded symbols. The colors and symbols on the keys and chart were easy to read and follow.

While I was very pleased with the end results of this design there are some things in the kit and in the instructions that can be improved upon.

As was the case with previous Dimensions kits the thread sorter was poorly designed. The embroidery threads were glued to a foam backed 6" by 1 1/4" strip of cardboard and 4 1/4" by 1 1/4" strip of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends. I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together.

I also added the symbols to the strip to make reading the chart easier. To make things even easier for the user the color symbol should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your chart.

The pattern also calls for certain areas of the picture to be left untouched so the white linen color could show through for that area: It's the white section in the picture below surrounding the stamp border:

As I wanted to frame this in a small picture frame I opted to finish it by squaring the back and then gluing that to a complimentary colored background. I had chosen a white frame to finish it which I think really brought out the festive colors of the stamp.

It took me 31 hours to complete this picture not including the framing. Despite the problems I encountered with the thread sorter I was very happy with the way my "Wish Ornament" turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

And, best of all, my sister-in-law just LOVED it which, certainly, made me happy indeed.

If you'd like to purchase the "Wish Ornament" kit and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda's Review of Rocky Mountain Santa Cross-Stitch Kit #MH20-8303 Beartooth Santa From Mill Hill

2012-01-12T05:59:00.001-05:00

If you haven't already been able to guess - Christmas gifts this year were of the cross-stitch variety. Actually this year and last year and maybe even a few the year before. What are you going to do when you're a cross-stitch junkie?

As usual, I found several kits I liked earlier in the year so, I bought a few. Unlike last year, this year I bought  a few cross-stitch patterns that utilized perforated paper.

If your remember, the 1st counted cross-stitch perforated paper pattern that I had tried was a Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament from Brooke's Books Publishing. It was an angel counted cross-stitch ornament design by Brooke Nolan. As I was going to be giving these as Christmas gifts this year I was glad I had already learned a few tricks to working with perforated paper from my previous project.

The first perforated paper counted cross-stitch kit I chose to work on was "Arctic Circles Santa Cross-Stitch Kit #MH20-9303 Nunavut Santa From Mill Hill." The 2nd cross-stitch kit I chose to work on was Rocky Mountain Santa Cross-Stitch Kit #MH20-8303 Beartooth Santa From Mill Hill.

The  Beartooth Santa pattern and kit came with DMC floss, antique brown perforated paper, glass beads, needles, and a chart with instructions. The Beartooth Santa was to be a 3.25"w x 4.75"h ornament when completed. The pattern suggested finishing the back of the ornament with craft paper or felt - both of which would be glued to the back. Instead of creating this as an ornament I wanted to create a small picture that I could insert into a 5" x 7" frame when completed.

Given my previous experience with perforated paper I knew that you couldn't put it into an embroidery hoop or square frame. The paper was stiff but, not stiff enough to be working on and holding at the same time. In other words, you couldn't just hold it in your hand and cross-stitch at the same time.

The last time I had worked with perforated paper my darling husband had come up with a wonderful solution and had built me a rectangular wood frame jig that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. It was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also has an adjustable center strip that I could use for the smaller counted cross-strip projects I would be doing using perforated paper. It was perfectly suited for this kit.

My frame had worked well for my "Nunavut Santa" which was similar in size to my Beartooth Santa  so I knew it would work well for this one as well.

My past experience with cross-stitch and perforated paper had taught me that it can tear so you have to be careful with it. Especially when threading the ends of the thread or in the size of the needle you are using. So, before I began I covered the back of the perforated paper with masking tape

Also, based upon my previous experience with perforated paper I decided that I also needed to draw diagonal lines across each corner to get the center point of the perforated paper.

The pattern came with a black and white cross-stitch chart and black and white color code chart with symbols for the floss and beads. I had no problem reading and following the different black and white symbols.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say gray to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

The beads were all combined in a bag so you had to sort the beads and then determine which beads belonged to which symbol. This is fine if the beads are easily distinguishable from one another. When there are several colored beads similar in nature trying to decide which is which can be very annoying. They should have put the beads in separate bags and marked them with their respective color number and symbol.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming. Plus, these tiny needles tend to easily pierce your skin so using them was not only a challenge, but downright painful at times.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

I do not like any of the perforated paper sections to remain untouched as I think it takes away from the beauty of the creation so I opted instead to cross-stitch all the untouched areas with a non-obtrusive background color. It took me 13 hours (excluding the framing) to complete the Santa. My completed Santa came out as follows:

I had decided that I wanted to enclose my Santa in a 5" x 7" frame with a double layered mat and background paper. I could not use a foam board as it was too deep for my frame despite the double thickness of the mat. I covered the back of the Santa with another layer of wide masking tape to secure all the threads and then cut it out of the perforated paper. I then glued the back of the Santa to my background paper and inserted it into my frame. For this Santa I choose a wooded tree scene for the background paper.

I was pleased with the way my Santa came out and even happier when I gave it to my sister. She absolutely loved it and the smile on her face was all I needed to see.

If you would like more information on this kit or would like to purchase this kit please click on the link below:

Linda's Review of Arctic Circle of Santas MH20-9303 Nunavut Santa Cross-stitch Kit From Mill Hill

2011-12-31T05:04:00.009-05:00

In pondering what kind of Christmas gifts I wanted to give this year I once again settled on some cross-stitch. Surprise! Surprise! I definitely wanted much smaller projects than the two massive counted cross-stitch pictures I had completed in the past year as time was of the essence.

The massive cross-stitch pictures I had completed took hundreds of hours to complete and I couldn't spend a lot of time on any one gift so I settled on several smaller cross-stitch projects. I really didn't want anything bigger than a 6 x 6 type picture or project. Something that might take 15 to 20 hours or so.

As usual, I found several kits I liked. So, I bought a few. Actually, given my nature I bought quite a few. You know me - I can never do anything in moderation. Plus, with Christmas gifts I never really know if I'm going to give a particular cross-stitch to someone until it's completed. I needed a few to choose from - or so I told hubby!

This time I bought a few traditional counted cross-stitch kits and a few patterns that utilized perforated paper.

If your remember, the 1st counted cross-stitch perforated paper pattern that I had tried was a Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament from Brooke's Books Publishing. It was an angel counted cross-stitch ornament design by Brooke Nolan. As I was going to be giving these as Christmas gifts I was glad I had already learned a few tricks to working with perforated paper from my previous project.

The first perforated paper counted cross-stitch kit I chose to work on was "Arctic Circles Santa Cross-Stitch Kit #MH20-9303 Nunavut Santa From Mill Hill."

The pattern and kit came with DMC floss, antique brown perforated paper, beads, needles, and a chart with instructions. The Nunavut Santa was to be a 3.75"w x 4.75"h ornament when completed. The pattern suggested finishing the back of the ornament with craft paper or felt - both of which would be glued to the back. Instead of creating this as an ornament I wanted to create a small picture that I could insert into a 5" x 7" frame when completed.

Given my previous experience with perforated paper I knew that you couldn't put it into an embroidery hoop or square frame. The paper was stiff but, not stiff enough to be working on and holding at the same time. In other words, you couldn't just hold it in your hand and cross-stitch at the same time.

The last time I had worked with perforated paper my darling husband had come up with a wonderful solution and had built me a rectangular wood frame jig that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. It was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also has an adjustable center strip that I could use for the smaller counted cross-strip projects I would be doing using perforated paper. It was perfectly suited for this kit.

My past experience with cross-stitch and perforated paper had taught me that it can tear so you have to be careful with it. Especially when threading the ends of the thread or in the size of the needle you are using. So, before I began I covered the back of the perforated paper with masking tape

Also, based upon my previous experience with perforated paper I decided that I also needed to draw diagonal lines across each corner to get the center point of the perforated paper.

The pattern came with a black and white cross-stitch chart and black and white color code chart with symbols for the floss and beads. I had no problem reading and following the different black and white symbols.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say gray to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

The beads were all combined in a bag so you had to sort the beads and then determine which beads belonged to which symbol. This is fine if the beads are easily distinguishable from one another. When there are several colored beads similar in nature trying to decide which is which can be very annoying. They should have put the beads in separate bags and marked them with their respective color number and symbol.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming. Plus, these tiny needles tend to easily pierce your skin so using them was not only a challenge, but downright painful at times.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

It took me 14 1/2 hours (excluding the framing) to complete the Santa. That was a far cry from 250+ hours and 315+ hours of my previous two massive cross-stitch projects.

I had decided that I wanted to enclose my Santa in a 5" x 7" frame with a double layered mat and background paper. I could not use a foam board as it was too deep for my frame despite the double thickness of the mat. I covered the back of the Santa with another layer of wide masking tape to secure all the threads and then cut it out of the perforated paper. I then glued the back of the Santa to my background paper and inserted it into my frame.

I was pleased with the way my Santa came out and even happier when I gave it to my brother. He absolutely loved it. The smile on his face was all I needed to see.

If you would like more information on this kit or would like to purchase this kit please click on the link below:

My Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns Look Great On The Kindle

2011-11-16T04:27:00.006-05:00

For many years now I have been contemplating getting a Kindle E-Reader as I was curious as to how my e-patterns would appear on it and whether I would like it.

Over the past few years I have written three posts on my "The Book Review Corner" blog about the Kindle. as a few years ago I had decided to add a section to my Linda's Bookstore for Books on Dolls, Doll Making, Doll Collecting, Doll History & So Much More and my Linda's Bookstore For Books About Crafts and Crafting for some of the wonderful e-books that were being formated for the Kindle.

I wrote three posts which were as follows: What About This Amazon Kindle?, Kindle Is Taking Over, Some Wonderful Craft and Doll Making eBooks Are Available For The Kindle and Other eReaders.

In my first post I said, "I do not have a Kindle reader as of yet, but it's on my wish list. I really wonder if reading "arts & crafts" books on the size of a hand held device will really be practical. I think it will work for novels, etc. But, instruction books and manuals, like most crafting books are? Hmmmm?

I do want to find out and when I finally buy one and download some of the arts & crafts books I like that are available, or some of the other books that I like, I'll let you know what I think.

It will be interesting to see if the idea of Kindle takes off. One thing that I know right now is that Kindle can never replace or replicate the joy of "bookstore" shopping that I have with my Mom and which I've posted about many, many times."

In my 2nd post I said, "I do not have a Kindle reader as of yet, but it's definitely on my wish list. I really wonder if reading "arts & crafts" books on the size of a hand held device will really be practical. I think it will work for novels, manuals, etc. but, I'm not sure it would work for e-patterns and patterns.

However, I do want to find out and when I finally buy one and download some of the arts & crafts books I like that are available I'll let you know what I think. If you have a Kindle reader and have downloaded some arts & crafts related books I'd love to know what you think."

In my 3rd post I said, "I don't know if you've been watching the explosion of popularity for the Kindle and other eReaders (like the NOOKcolor eBook Tablet this year, but if you have, then you know there have been more eBooks sold this year than actual hard copy books.

As a lover of hard copy books I'm not surprised by the popularity of the eReaders. What I'm surprised at is how quickly the eBooks have surpassed the print copies. In fact, it's really kind of sad. There's just something to holding a book in your hands and flipping through all the pages that is lost with an electronic device.

However, you can certainly take thousands of books with you with one eReader tucked into your pocketbook and that is not something you can easily do with 1,000 print books. Plus, eReaders can read e-patterns (like my .PDF Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns so that is a BIG PLUS for crafters. Just think of having an eReader right next to your sewing machine or on your craft table. How great would that be?

In fact, this year I'm determined to get an eReader to not only see see how my e-patterns would look on it, but to see how some of the craft eBooks look on it. I'm not sure which one I'll get as of yet. That will be a surprise.

It seems that many, many craft books are now being converted to eBooks. So many so that's it's hard to keep up with all of them."

In a recent Linda's Blog post entitled "The Pro's and Cons of E-Patterns" my pro comment #9 in favor of e-patterns was as follows:

Because they are in .PDF format this means they can be read by most e-readers like: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple's IPad, Sony Reader, etc. In my opinion this is a wonderful benefit to e-patterns for the future. Most of us who sew keep the e-patterns right next to us while we are sewing. With an e-reader you could download the e-pattern to your e-reader and keep the it right next to you while you are sewing so as to easily scroll through the pages.

Of course, you'd either have to print the pattern piece sheets out before downloading your e-pattern to your e-reader or connect it in such a manner as to allow you to print the pattern pieces.

Well, as you know from my Linda's Blog post entitled "After Ten Long Months I'm Finally Finished!" I finally finished revising all 270+ of my patterns. Since my massive pattern revision project was done I finally took the plunge and bought a Kindle DX with free 3G and graphite 9.7" display with new E Ink Pearl Technology. I had decided to buy the largest version as I thought the larger size would be better for my "tired, old eyes" and would be more comparable to reading a book than the smaller versions.

My Kindle came in a nice, neat package and I was able to use it right out of the box. There was no set-up involved and my device had already been registered for me at the Kindle store so I was all set to go.

It took me a few minutes to learn how to maneuver my way around it, but I finally got the hang of it and have to tell you that I love it. The screen REALLY does look like the pages of a book and the black/white gray-scale coloring is amazing.

The joystick took a little getting used to, but I finally got the hang of that as well. The buttons on the bottom are a little small for my "tired, old eyes" to see, but are unobtrusive and don't take away from the smooth looks of the Kindle.

I loved the way the Kindle could easily switch from portrait to landscape viewing just by turning the Kindle in your hands. The zoom in feature and font size feature is also very nice for "tired, old eyes." And, I could see how the search, bookmark, note, and highlight features could come in very handy. Plus, the Go To feature does come in handy as well.

Since I knew I had so many of my own items to download to my Kindle I decided I would set up collections for my e-patterns, e-books, my sister's e-patterns, and other books, magazines, etc. that I might wish to download. With a lot of items on the Kindle the collections and go-to capabilities comes in very handy.

In order to download my e-patterns and e-books, which are in .PDF format, I had to connect my Kindle to my computer via the USB cord, which was included with my Kindle. The USB cord is a combination electrical cord and USB cord all in one. The electrical cord end is actually an adapter that comes off to reveal a USB end underneath, which is really kinda cool.

So, I connected my Kindle and then set about to download and organize all my e-patterns and e-books. It took a little while to organize them, as I had so many, but once they were downloaded and organized it was easy to find what I wanted.

Here's what my organized by collection "Home" page looked like:

So, if I want to view one of my e-patterns I would go to Linda's Patterns and click the joystick to select that collection.

The next screen shows a list of the items in my "Lindas Patterns' collection. The Kindle sorted the epatterns initally by "most recent first" which I changed to sorting "by title" within each collection so I could easily find the e-pattern I wanted.

I decided to view one of my free e-patterns. The cover page came in exactly as I had it set up in my .PDF which is two-page booklet to simulate a typical front and back page pattern cover.

Next came the instructions page which were all very easy to read.

Then, my diagrams pages, which were also very easy to read.

And, finally, the pattern piece sheets which were also very easy to read.

I wanted to see how color might be affected by the grey scale Kindle version so I decided to view some of my e-books which had more color in them to see if it made a difference.

Here's how the cover page of my free "Linda's How-Do-I Series? How To Create Fast and Easy Cloth, Paper and E-Printable Ornaments" which has a lot of color looked:

Then the instructions pages:

The pattern pieces pages:

And, the colored e-printables pages:

The grey-scale differentiated the colors so you were able to see that one was a little different than another. Since the colored e-printable would be printed on a color printer viewing them in grey-scale on the Kindle was no problem.

Despite the remarkable differentiation of the grey-scale picture mode, I can see how viewing arts & crafts books or magazines that have a lot of color pictures might suffer a bit on the grey-scale version of the Kindle. For e-patterns, however, which are created mainly in black and white to cut-down on the toner usage when printing the pattern, viewing them on the Kindle is fine.

I very quickly decided that I would like having all my e-patterns and other e-patterns I'd purchased stored on the Kindle right next to my sewing machine as that would come in very handy indeed. I could download e-patterns or e-books I wanted to my computer, print off the pattern piece sheets I needed for making the item in the pattern, and then download the entire e-pattern to my Kindle.

I would no longer need to store boxes upon boxes of patterns. Of course, if I still wanted a printed version I could easily print the whole e-pattern that I had saved on my computer or connect my Kindle to my computer via the USB post, select the Kindle, select the .PDF e-pattern I wanted and print from there.

All in all I was very pleased with the way my e-patterns downloaded to the Kindle. It was very easy to do and all the e-patterns were easily view-able. While I could view all my e-patterns in landscape mode on the Kindle since they were created as a .PDF to be printed in portrait the portrait viewing was preferable.

Kindle has a new color version called "Kindle Fire" which is coming out next week. It's 7.5" x 4.7" which makes it a lot smaller than the version I currently have which is 10.4" x 7.2".

A color version of the Kindle might be nice. However, while I do think that viewing in color would enhance the viewing pleasure of a lot of crafts books or magazines loaded with color pages I'm going to stick with my Kindle DX for now.

I like the size of it.

It's just right for my "tired, old eyes."

Linda's Review of Recipe For A Snowman Cross Stitch Kit From Pine Mountain Designs

2011-11-10T08:33:00.002-05:00

Every so often I see a kit that I think might be cute and easy to make. Something I could quickly make for a Christmas present or "just because" type present. Something that would make a great seasonal git. Such was the case with the "Recipe for a Snowman Pillow - Cross Stitch Kit" from Pine Mountain designs.

What drew my attention to the pillow kit was the pillow sham was pre-sewn.A definite time saver when you're as busy as I am. So, I bought it and decided to give it a try.

The "Recipe for a Snowman Pillow - Cross Stitch Kit" came in a resealable heavier plastic bag and contained the pre-sewn pillow sham, DMC floss, button decorations, tapestry needle, and instructions. The pre-sewn pillow was a combination of rectangular cotton strips surrounding a rectangular burlap piece that would be embroidered upon.

The cross-stitch chart and symbols were in black and white and easy to follow. The instructions, cross-stitch chart, and symbol key were all contained on the front side of a single piece of paper. Definitely an indication that this would be a fairly easy pillow to do.

The instructions called for a 10" x 16" pillow form to be inserted through the opening in the back. I went to a local Joanns store to buy my pillow but was unable to find a 10" x 16" pillow form. All they had were 12" x 16" pillow forms. So, I bought the 12" x 16" pillow form and crossed my fingers that it would work.

I had to insert my embroidery hoop back through the back opening of the pillow sham in order to attach my embroidery hoop so I could embroider the burlap section of the front of the pillow. Using the pre-sewn pillow sham saved a lot of time in putting the pillow together, but added a little time to the embroidery process as you had to make sure you didn't catch the thread in the pillow back fabric.

The "Christmas Delights" kit was easy to do and I completed in in 10 1/2 hours. Like my "Christmas Delights" pillow concern I do think the burlap fabric chosen for this kit could have been of a tighter weave. It was very loose and I still have concerns as to how well this will hold up over time.

As was the case with the "Christmas Delights" pillow when it came to inserting my 12" by 16" pillow form into the back having my fingers crossed didn't help. It was too big and the back opening didn't close as the pillow sham kit had intended. It was bulging at the back opening. As I had already bought the pillow form for this project and the project was already completed I really didn't want to have to hunt for a 10" by 16" pillow form. So, I added a velcro strip that I sewed on to the sides of the back opening and closed my pillow sham. It worked and I have a full plump pillow which over time will deflate a little.

My pillow came out fine despite a few pillow form adjustments as you can see from the picture above and picture below. It will make a darling Christmas gift or seasonal gift for someone. I'm not sure who that will be at this point? Hmmm....

If you'd like to buy one of these kits of your own please click the box below:

Linda's Review of Christmas Delights Pillow Cross Stitch Kit From Pine Mountain Designs

2011-10-13T04:22:00.002-04:00

Every so often I see a kit that I think might be cute and easy to make. Something I could quickly make for a Christmas present or "just because" type present. Such was the case with the "Christmas Delights" pillow kit from Pine Mountain designs.

What drew my attention to the pillow kit was the pillow sham was pre-sewn.A definite time saver when you're as busy as I am. So, I bought it and decided to give it a try.

The kit came in a resealable heavier plastic bag and contained the pre-sewn pillow sham, DMC floss, button decorations, tapestry needle, and instructions. The pre-sewn pillow was a combination of rectangular cotton strips surrounding a rectangular burlap piece that would be embroidered upon.

The cross-stitch chart and symbols were in black and white and easy to follow. The instructions, cross-stitch chart, and symbol key were all contained on the front side of a single piece of paper. Definitely an indication that this would be a fairly easy pillow to do.

The instructions called for a 10" x 16" pillow form to be inserted through the opening in the back. I went to a local Joanns store to buy my pillow but was unable to find a 10" x 16" pillow form. All they had were 12" x 16" pillow forms. So, I bought the 12" x 16" pillow form and crossed my fingers that it would work.

I had to insert my embroidery hoop back through the back opening of the pillow sham in order to attach my embroidery hoop so I could embroider the burlap section of the front of the pillow. Using the pre-sewn pillow sham saved a lot of time in putting the pillow together, but added a little time to the embroidery process as you had to make sure you didn't catch the thread in the pillow back fabric.

The "Christmas Delights" kit was easy to do and I completed in in 9 1/2 hours. I do think the burlap fabric chosen for this kit could have been of a tighter weave. It was very loose and I still have concerns as to how well this will hold up over time.

When it came to inserting my 12" by 16" pillow form into the back having my fingers crossed didn't help. It was too big and the back opening didn't close as the pillow sham kit had intended. It was bulging at the back opening. As I had already bought the pillow form for this project and the project was already completed I really didn't want to have to hunt for a 10" by 16" pillow form. So, I added a velcro strip that I sewed on to the sides of the back opening and closed my pillow sham. It worked and I have a full plump pillow which over time will deflate a little.

My pillow came out fine despite a few pillow form adjustments as you can see from the picture above and picture below. It will make a darling gift. Hmm.... who should I give it to?

Linda's Review of Queen Anne House Cross-Stitch Kit From Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series

2011-09-30T04:53:00.004-04:00

When trying to decide on which small cross-stitch kits I wanted to try this year I knew I wanted to cover several holidays and seasons. To cover the Christmas holiday season and the winter season I choose the counted cross-stitch & bead design from Mill Hill - -Buttons & Beads Series #MH14-7301 Queen Anne House. I, of course, just love Victorian Houses so this was a simple choice for me!

Like the other Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series patterns I had bought the Queen Anne House kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, perforated paper, beads, 2 needles and instructions.

The Queen Anne House pattern uses full counted cross-stitch and outline stitching as well as beads for emphasis and depth. The pattern also calls for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background.

Given the experience I had with my "Spirit of Quilting Angel Counted Cross Stitch Project" and the fragile nature of perforated paper I decided to add wide masking tape to the back of my perforated paper before I started cross-stitching. I also decided to utilize the rectangular wood frame jig that my darling husband built for me that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. The wood frame jig was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also had an adjustable center strip that I used for this 5 x 5 square design.

I also decided this time that I needed to draw diagonal lines to locate the exact center of the perforated paper as in the Gather Together cross-stitch picture I was slightly off center by a few holes which caused a problem with inserting the needles in the holes along one of the edges of my frame. So, I drew a diagonal line across each corner to get the center point of the perforated paper.

I had also run into a slight problem with the beads along the edge of the Gather Together cross-stitch picture I had done when framing it so this time I also drew squares on the perforated paper to show me where the 5" x 5" square was and where a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square would be. The reason for the latter was because one of the frames I was considering for this while 5" x 5" only displayed 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" in the glass window. So, I wanted to make sure that I was okay as far as the design and beads were concerned along the edges were I to use this frame. Ten to one I was going to use the shadowbox frame like I had done for my Gather Together cross-stitch picture so this wouldn't be a problem. But, just in case I didn't I wanted to be prepared.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say green to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched 20 holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

The beads were contained within two small ziploc bags which was fine. However, several different color beads were contained within each bag without any indication as to what bead numbers were included within the respective bag. If you only had one color bead to choose from in a bag this wouldn't have been a problem. However if there were multiple green beads within one bag or one bag contained green beads and the other bag contained green beads then you were left to interpret which color green bead the color chart was referring to. Labeling the ziploc bags as to which bead number they contained would enhance this kit.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

However, I didn't like seeing the different perforated sections in the background and opted instead to finish all of the background with half cross-stitching. My results with the totally finished background are shown below:

In deciding how to finish the background for the sky I at finish finished part of it with a combination of 1 strand of dark blue thread and 1 strand of light gray thread in a half-cross stitch pattern. After finishing both the left and right hand sides behind the trees I decided I didn't like it as the trees no longer stood out. So, I ripped my half cross-stitching out. Luckily with cross-stitch you can correct for errors in judgement. This time I chose a combination of 1 strand of light blue and 1 strand of white in a half cross-stitch pattern and was very pleased with the results.

I also decided that I didn't think the altered design of the house stood out as well from my background as I wanted it to so I added single strands of black thread to many areas of the house to outline it. The outlining worked perfectly and my house definitely stood out from the background now. I was very pleased with the results.

Despite the problems I encountered I was very happy with the way my Queen Anne House turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

It took me 35 hours to complete this picture not including the framing. As always, my comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create a wonderful little cross-stitch design.

If you'd like to purchase the Queen Anne House kit and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda Review Of Haunted Hotel Cross Stitch Kit From Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series

2011-09-24T04:51:00.006-04:00

When trying to decide on which small cross-stitch kits I wanted to try this year I knew I wanted to cover several holidays and seasons. For one of my favorite holidays - Halloween I choose the counted cross-stitch & bead design from Mill Hill - -Buttons & Beads Series #MH14-8201 Haunted Hotel.

Like the other Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series patterns I had bought the Haunted Hotel - Cross Stitch Kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, perforated paper, beads, 2 needles and instructions.

The Haunted Hotel pattern uses full counted cross-stitch and outline stitching as well as beads for emphasis and depth. The pattern also calls for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background.

Given the experience I had with my "Spirit of Quilting Angel Counted Cross Stitch Project" and the fragile nature of perforated paper I decided to add wide masking tape to the back of my perforated paper before I started cross-stitching. I also decided to utilize the rectangular wood frame jig that my darling husband built for me that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. The wood frame jig was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also had an adjustable center strip that I used for this 5 x 5 square design.

I also decided this time that I needed to draw diagonal lines to locate the exact center of the perforated paper as in the Gather Together cross-stitch picture I was slightly off center by a few holes which caused a problem with inserting the needles in the holes along one of the edges of my frame. So, I drew a diagonal line across each corner to get the center point of the perforated paper.

I had also decided to use a black 8 x 10" shadowbox double white matted frame for this picture as it was black for Halloween. The double white mat had a 5" x 5" back opening with a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" window. As a result I had to draw squares on the perforated paper to show me where the 5" x 5" square was and where a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square would be. I wanted to make sure that I was okay as far as the design and beads were concerned along the edges using this frame and mat. I quickly realized that the cats were right along the 5" x 5" bottom edges so I might have to adjust the design accordingly. As I went along I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to adjust the design and would need to remove one of the double mats in order for my cross-stitch to fit within this frame.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say green to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched 20 holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

The beads were contained within two small ziploc bags which was fine. However, several different color beads were contained within each bag without any indication as to what bead numbers were included within the respective bag. If you only had one color bead to choose from in a bag this wouldn't have been a problem. However if there were multiple green beads within one bag or one bag contained green beads and the other bag contained green beads then you were left to interpret which color green bead the color chart was referring to. Labeling the ziploc bags as to which bead number they contained would enhance this kit.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

Despite the problems I encountered I was really pleased with the way my Haunted Hotel turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

As mentioned above, I knew that I was going to have to remove one of the double mats in order for my 5" x 5" picture to fit as I didn't want to lose 1/4" around all four sides in order to use the double mat with the 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" window.

In looking at the picture within the frame both my husband and I thought some stenciled wording and images along the sides of the white mat would be nice. After choosing the wording and images I went to apply the wording to the bottom of the white mat and ran into a problem with the rub on stencil. The wording wasn't rubbing off correcting and when I tried to take the stenciling off it torn the mat. YIKES!! I'd just ruined my mat and didn't have another.

Hubby suggested that maybe some type of a thin wooden plaque with a bronze plate of sorts might cover up the mishap. Problem was I didn't have one and I really wanted to finish this project and move on to the next one. You know how that is!

Then he mentioned decorative paper and, well, a light bulb went off in my head. I had loads of decorative paper that I was using to finish the backs of all my wooden shadowboxes. And, I had scissors for cutting decorative edges. Voila! Problem solved.

I cut a small rectangular piece of thick black paper with my decorative edge scissors and glued a smaller rectangular strip of thick orange paper that I cut with a different pair of decorative edge scissors on top for a 2nd layer. Then I painstakingly added "Trick or Treat" glitter stencils. I had measured the black rectangular piece of paper ahead of time so I knew when I glued it over my mishap that it would cover it. And, it did! Very well, indeed!

It took me 35 hours to complete this picture not including the framing or the time spend with the mishap. As always, my comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create a wonderful little cross-stitch design.

After my mishap I thought I had ruined my cross-stitch. Now, however, I think the mishap might have been for a reason as the "Trick or Treat" paper sign is additive. It's delightfully "spooky" and adds to the ambiance of the little picture. Wouldn't you agree?

If you'd like to purchase the Haunted Hotel - Cross Stitch Kit and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda's Review of Flower Shoppe Cross-Stitch Kit from Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series

2011-09-13T05:08:00.002-04:00

When trying to decide on which small cross-stitch kits I wanted to try this year I knew I wanted to cover several holidays and seasons. For the Spring season the counted cross-stitch & bead design from Mill Hill - - Buttons & Beads Series #MH14-1103 Flower Shoppe seemed to fit the bill.

Like the other Mill Hill - Buttons & Beads Series patterns I had bought the Flower Shoppe included the pattern, embroidery thread, perforated paper, beads, 2 needles and instructions.

The Flower Shoppe pattern uses full counted cross-stitch and outline stitching as well as beads for emphasis and depth. The pattern also calls for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background.

Given the experience I had with my "Spirit of Quilting Angel Counted Cross Stitch Project" and the fragile nature of perforated paper I decided to add wide masking tape to the back of my perforated paper before I started cross-stitching. I also decided to utilize the rectangular wood frame jig that my darling husband built for me that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. The jig was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also had an adjustable center strip that I used for this 5 x 5 square design.

I also decided this time that I needed to draw diagonal lines to locate the exact center of the perforated paper as the last time with my Gather Together cross-stitch picture I was slightly off center by a few holes. So, I drew a diagonal line across each corner to get the center point of the perforated paper.

I had also run into a slight problem with the beads along the edge of the Gather Together cross-stitch picture I had done when framing it so this time I drew squares on the perforated paper to show me where the 5" x 5" square was and where a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square would be. The reason for the latter was because one of the frames I was considering for this while 5" x 5" only displayed 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" in the glass window. So, I wanted to make sure that I was okay as far as the design and beads were concerned along the edges were I to use this frame. Ten to one I was going to use the shadowbox frame like I had done for my Gather Together cross-stitch picture so this wouldn't be a problem. But, just in case I didn't I wanted to be prepared.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say green to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched 20 holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

The beads were contained within two small ziploc bags which was fine. However, several different color beads were contained within each bag without any indication as to what bead numbers were included within the respective bag. If you only had one color bead to choose from in a bag this wouldn't have been a problem. However if there were multiple green beads within one bag or one bag contained green beads and the other bag contained green beads then you were left to interpret which color green bead the color chart was referring to. Labeling the ziploc bags as to which bead number they contained would enhance this kit.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

Despite the problems I encountered I was really pleased with the way my Flower Shoppe turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

I had decided that instead of using a picture frame to finish my cross-stitch I was going to use a 5 x 5 stained shadow box which is shown in the picture below. I think the shadowbox depth really adds dimension to the cross-stitch picture.

It took me 31 1/2 hours to complete this picture not including the framing. As always, my comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create a wonderful little cross-stitch design.

I just LOVE how this cross-stitch picture came out. It's so cheery and delightful to look at. A definite "plus" for the Spring time. Too bad it's not right around the corner. It would be wonderful looking at this cheery little scene every day.

If you'd like to purchase the Flower Shoppe cross-stitch and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda's Review of Gather Together Buttons & Beads Series Cross-Stitch Kit From Mill Hill

2011-09-12T05:12:00.003-04:00

One of the cross-stitch kits I decided to try this Fall was a counted cross-stitch & bead design from Mill Hill - - Buttons & Beads Series #MH14-0202 Gather Together.

The Gather Together - Cross Stitch Kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, perforated paper, beads, 2 needles and instructions.

The Gather Together - Cross Stitch Kit pattern uses full counted cross-stitch and outline stitching as well as beads for emphasis and depth. The pattern also calls for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background.

Given the experience I had with my "Spirit of Quilting Angel Counted Cross Stitch Project" and the fragile nature of perforated paper I decided to add wide masking tape to the back of my perforated paper before I started cross-stitching. I also decided to utilize the rectangular wood frame jig that my darling husband built for me that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. The jig was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also had an adjustable center strip that I used for this 5 x 5 square design.

While the end results of this design were wonderful some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive suggestions:

The cross-stitch chart was in black and white as was the floss color code and symbol key. Both were easy to read and very clear. While I had no problem with the chart and keys I did have a problem with the way the DMC floss was presented. All of the floss was tied together in one big knot so you had to separate the floss pieces yourself, sort them, and try to interpret which color belonged to which floss # and symbol key on the color chart. If you only have a few colors to deal with this isn't a problem. However, if you have several different colors of say green to choose from that are close in color then interpreting the chart can be tricky. You may assign the wrong color to the wrong symbol if the colors are too closely aligned.

As I have done with other cross-stitch kits I've completed I had to design my own thread color sorter and symbol key. I took a piece of thin cardboard and cut a 1" x 9" long rectangular piece out to use as a thread sorter. I then punched 20 holes in my cardboard strip in which to tie each of the different colors. Just above the hole I wrote the DMC floss # and just below the hole I added the respective cross-stitch symbol. I then inserted the floss threads that went with that # and symbol through the hole and tied them in a loose knot. This kit could be much improved if a thread sorter with respective #'s and symbols was provided.

The beads were contained within two small ziploc bags which was fine. However, several different color beads were contained within each bag without any indication as to what bead numbers were included within the respective bag. If you only had one color bead to choose from in a bag this wouldn't have been a problem. However if there were multiple green beads within one bag or one bag contained green beads and the other bag contained green beads then you were left to interpret which color green bead the color chart was referring to. Labeling the ziploc bags as to which bead number they contained would enhance this kit.

I love using beads in cross-stitch designs as I think they really enhance the designs, as was the case with this kit. However, I had a tough time trying to thread the really tiny needle that came in this kit for beading purposes. I know the head of the needle has to fit through the tiny bead openings, but these needles were really, really difficult to thread and trying to do so was not only frustrating, but time consuming.

The pattern called for certain areas of the perforated paper to be left untouched as the background like the picture shown below:

Despite the problems I encountered I was really pleased with the way my Gather Together - Cross Stitch Kit turned out. There is a lot going on in a very small cross-stitch picture and it is amazing to see.

I had decided that instead of using a picture frame to finish my cross-stitch I was going to use a 5 x 5 stained shadow box which is shown in the picture below. I think the shadowbox depth really adds dimension to the cross-stitch picture.

I did have a few issues of my own that I ran into. I was slightly off in my count to find the center of the diagram and, as a result, I was two rows closer to the right side edge of the frame I was using which made it difficult to push the needle through the holes along that edge. I should have drawn diagonal lines to locate the exact center of the perforated paper.

I had also run into a slight problem with the beads along the edge of the my finished cross-stitch picture. I wasn't exactly sure which picture frame I was going to use for this cross-stitch picture when I began this project. I had two in mind - a 5 x5 picture frame and 5 x 5 shadowbox. Well, the beading along the edge of this picture resolved that issue as I couldn't use the 5" x 5" picture frame as it only displayed 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" in the glass window and the beads were an issue. So, I used the shadowbox which showed 5" x 5" in the window and added a second row of beads along all four sides to totally square my picture.

It took me 32 hours to complete this picture not including the framing. As always, my comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create a wonderful little cross-stitch design.

I LOVE how this cross-stitch picture came out and am astonished each time I look at it as to how much is contained within this tiny little picture. It's simply amazing.

If you'd like to purchase the Gather Together - Cross Stitch Kit cross-stitch and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Linda's Review of Spirit of Quilting Angel Counted Cross Stitch Pattern Design by Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books Publishing

2011-09-10T05:37:00.000-04:00

In pondering what kind of cross-stitch kits I wanted to try this year I decided to focus on smaller projects of a less mammoth nature. If you've been following my Linda's Blog and Book & Crafts Review Corner blog you know that I completed two massive counted cross-stitch pictures in the past year.

The first I posted about last December in a post on my Linda's Blog entitled "You Spent How Many Hours On That Cross-Stitch?" and reviewed in an article on my Book & Crafts Review Corner blog in a post entitled "Linda's Review of M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit."

The 2nd one I wrote about last June in a Linda's Blog post entitled "315 Hours On Another Cross-Stitch Picture - WOW!" and reviewed in a Book & Crafts Review Corner article entitled "Linda's Review of In Her Garden - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit."

Both of the above took hundreds of hours to complete and I didn't want to spend as much time on my cross-stitch kits this year. So, I looked for projects that were smaller in nature and which could fit in a small shadow box or picture frame. I didn't really want anything bigger than an 8 x 10 size picture.

As usual, I found several kits I liked. So, I bought a few. Actually, given my nature I bought quite a few. You know me - I can never do anything in moderation.

This time I bought a few counted cross-stitch kits and patterns that utilized perforated paper. I had never used perforated paper before and was curious as to how well it would stand up with detailed cross-stitching. I soon found out.

The 1st counted cross-stitch pattern that I tried was a Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament from Brooke's Books Publishing. It was an angel counted cross-stitch ornament design by Brooke Nolan. She had many to choose from and I picked 3 that I liked: Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament, Spirit Of Christmas Stitching Ornament, and Spirit Of Holiday Baking Ornament.

The pattern called for DMC floss, brown and gold 9x12 14 count perforated paper, and beads. I utilized some of the DMC floss I already had and substituted for some of the colors in the pattern and utilized some of the beads I already had. Since I was buying 9x12 perforated paper sheets I decided to just buy Perforated paper - Antique Brown and use that for the wings instead of buying the gold.

The pattern also suggested that if desired you could finish the back of the ornament pieces with acid free decorative paper. I opted not to go with that as well as I was going to put my angel in a shadow box.

The pattern came with two cross-stitch charts. The chart for the brown perforated paper contained the angel, sewing basket, and scissors. The chart for the gold perforated paper contained the wings, pincushion, and kitten. In this pattern the kitten was supposed to sit at the lower left hand corner of the angel and the sewing basket, scissors, and pincushion would be suspended from DMC floss hanging between the angels two hands.

In purchasing the perforated paper I hadn't really given any thought as to how I was going to actually work on this project. I quickly realized it wasn't something you could put into an embroidery hoop or square frame. The paper was stiff but, in my opinion, not stiff enough to be working on and holding at the same time.

Well, my darling husband, came up with a wonderful solution and built me a rectangular wood frame jig that I could tape the edges of my perforated paper to. It was a rectangular embroidery hoop of sorts, but without bending the paper. He made it out of 1/2" x 1" pine wood strips. It also has an adjustable center strip that I could use for the smaller counted cross-strip projects I would be doing using perforated paper.

The charts in the pattern were printed in black and white on shiny gloss paper. I had no problem reading and following the different black and white symbols but found the glossy paper a bit annoying as my needlework lamp would reflect off the paper.

At first the perforated paper seemed like it could handle the cross-stitch but I quickly learned that it can tear so you have to be careful with it. Especially when threading the ends of the thread or in the size of the needle you are using. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way as a section of my angel ripped. I repaired it with masking tape on the back side and decided to cover the ripped area with the kitten cross-stitch when it was complete.

The original pattern looked like the following:

My completed angel came out as follows:

It took me 37 hours (excluding the framing) to complete the angel, sewing basket, kitten, scissors, and pincushion. That was a far cry from 250+ hours and 315+ hours of my previous two massive cross-stitch projects.

While this project was easier and took less time dealing with the perforated paper was a little tricky. After my section ripped I decided to add wide masking tape to the entire back of the angel and other items to secure the threads and strengthen the perforated paper. In fact, for my future perforated paper counted cross-stitch projects I decided to add wide masking tape to the back of the perforated paper before starting the projects. For my future projects this would prove to be a lesson well learned.

I had decided early on that I wanted to mount my angel inside a wood stained glass covered and hinged shadowbox so she looked like she was suspended and flying. As a result there was no need to finish the back with decorative paper. After adding the masking tape to the back of the angel and other pieces I cut the angel and other pieces out and then glued the back of the angel to a foam board. I then glued the back of the foam board to the fabric back of the shadowbox so my angel was suspended about 3/4" from the back of the shadowbox. My finished piece came out as follows and she is leaning against the fireplace mantle in my dining room as pictured below and in the picture at the beginning of this article.

I was pleased with the way my angel came out and pleased with having learned a few things along the way with regards to dealing with perforated paper. It seems like it's very versatile for so many different types of projects but needs to be handled delicately if utilized for some very detailed counted cross-stitch works.

If you would like to purchase the Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament cross-stitch pattern by Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books Publishing just click on the widget below:

Spirit of Quilting Angel Ornament

Linda's Review of Pat Winter's My Crazy Quilting Journey and Crazy Quilt Gatherings Magazine

2011-06-13T07:21:00.002-04:00

If you've been following along all these years with my Linda's Blog posts and my I Love Crafts & Craft Blogs blog posts you know that I LOVE crazy quilting and embroidery and admire the artists who create fiber works of art. I can spend hours and hours browsing through the blogs of some of my crazy quilting online friends and salivating at their creations. I just love to look at all the amazing creations and dream of creating some myself.

Over the years I've reviewed and posted on my I Love Crafts & Craft Blogs blog about some of the amazing crazy quilt artists whose blogs that I've become aware of through my Top Blogs By Crafters toplist.

One such artist is Pat Winter of "Pat Winter Gatherings" blog at http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/. Pat participated in one of my Get To Know The Artist/Crafters Series of interviews on my I Love Crafts & Craft Blogs blog. You can read her interview HERE. There is also a post on her "The Comfort Doll Project" HERE.

Back in 2008 Pat Winter of "Pat Winter Gatherings" blog self-published a book entitled "My Crazy Quilting Journey" which I bought and just loved. It was 80 pages and was all about her crazy quilting world and her creations.

You learn how her gardens inspired her to create her crazy quilt masterpieces, crazy quilting on the internet and the various groups she joined, her Comfort Doll Project, embellishments she likes to use, silk embroidery and how to create a spider web rose. You also learn about what type of fabrics she uses, "ciggies" or cigarette silk cloths, how to make a glass slide pendant, how to make a crazy quilted hair comb, what threads to use, sea shell embellishments, eye candy, her memory book, classes, and other resources. It is a wonderful book and peak into the world of an astonishing crazy quilter.

If you're interested in Pat's book it can be purchased in the Blurb.com bookstore at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/180921 .

Well, Pat is now publishing a crazy quilting & embellishing magazine on the HP Mag Cloud website entitled "Crazy Quilt Gatherings - Celebrating Crazy Quilting of Today" which I just LOVE. It is a magazine dedicated to crazy quilter's.

According to Pat, "Crazy Quilt Gatherings is the first of its kind. A magazine dedicated to crazy quilting. It offers various crazy quilt projects and tutorials, plenty of eye candy, stash resources, tips, contests and interviews from crazy quilters worldwide."

Crazy Quilt Gatherings Issue #1 was released in the Spring of 2011.

Magazine Description - A magazine dedicated to crazy quilting. Featuring fiber artists, tutorials, tips, shopping sources,techniques and more. A little of everything for experienced crazy quilters as well as the novice.

Every time I pick up this issue I discover something new I hadn't noticed before and every time I find myself just astonished at all the beautiful creations. I may have picked it up for a second, but find myself perusing it for hours on end, once again.

There are multiple articles about some very talented crazy quilt artists and their inspiration. Most contain how-to's for some of their techniques. Pamela Kellogg shares her technique for creating her fancy tail peacock, Diane Knott shows you some basic embroidery stitches, Pat Winter has an article on choosing the right fabrics to compliment your project, and Terri Takacs shows some of her vintage creations. You get to meet Suzy Quaife and read about what inspires her to create her embellished fiber art creations.

Plus, there are free images to print and use, as well as Maureen Greeson's tutorial on creating her "Butterfly Wallhanging." Wendy Shu discusses tatting and Gerry Krueger shows you her hand painted button embellishments. Pat Winter shows you how to create a herringbone stitch, feather stitch, cretan stitch, and chevron stitch. We learn about Lavette Johnson and her fiber art collages and see some of Regin Yazitas beautiful floral embellishments. Plus, Rengin Yazitas give us a history of Oya Turkish Lace which I found very interesting and there is a how-to on dyeing silk ribbon. On top of all this there are listings for events and other crazy quilting resources.

Crazy Quilt Gatherings Issue #2 was just released for the Summer of 2011.

Magazine Description -Second issue of Crazy Quilt Gathering magazine. Summer 2011. Crazy quilt projects, tips, artists to meet. Crazy quilt bell pull, Crazy Quilt watch chatelaine tutorial, Crazy Quilt watch cuff tutorial, Silk ribbon embroidery, Bullion stitch pansy, Round Robin information, and so much more.

Inside the 2nd issue Terri Takas shows us her crazy quilt bell pull and pet scarf. Pat Winter provides a wonderful article on embellishing and Diane Matheson takes you step-by-step through creating a bullion stitch pansy. There is a page dedicated to "fur babies" which includes a picture of my beloved "fur baby" Pepper. There is also an article on seam treatments from Pam Kellogg and an article by BJ Sandusky on building your crazy quilting stash.

To my delight there is a page on Judy McCarthy who is a cloth doll maker, painter and beaded crazy quilter, as well as a page on Dorthe Hensen who is a doll maker and mixed media artist. I just love learning what inspires other doll makers and their creations.

Plus, Cathy Kizerian discusses round robins and Gerry Kruger provides an article for a successful round robin by working in harmony. Liz Bugh tells you how to use vintage lace to create rhinestone jeweled collage rosettes, and Carolyn Phillips provides a step-by-step for painting your own "silkie."

We also learn about the inspiration behind Shannon Bolanowski's creations, the insiration behind Marie Alton's "Twilight In The Fairy Glen" creations, and the inspiration behind Barbara Seavey's painted lace creations. Carol Steemson provides a wonderful step-by-step for creating a silk ribbon columbine and Pat Winter provides two tutorials; one for creating a crazy quilt timely cuff and another for creating a crazy quilt watchful chatelaine. There is also a review of Tisha's Needle Arts Studio in Metamora, Michigan and freebie images and printable thread keepers.

Both issues are filled to the brim with with information on what inspires such astonishing fiber artists and drives their creativity, pictures of absolutely beautiful creations, how-to's, tutorials, and techniques for helping you create your own fiber works of art, freebie images, events of interest, useful information, and so much more.

I bought both issues and just love browsing through the pages and looking at some of the unbelievable creations. As I browse through the pages I find myself salivating at all the beautiful creations - all individual works of art. I dream of making some of them knowing full well that I could never create such beautiful pieces. I'm not sure I have the patience for all the work that goes into the embroidered and embellished creations - especially the beading, ribbon embroidery, and fancy stitching.

I bought 2 of each magazine as I wanted to introduce my sister to the world of crazy quilting and creative embroidery. She is a quilting enthusiast and I thought she'd appreciate seeing some astonishing crazy quilting and creative embroidery pieces. Now she is salivating.

Congratulations to Pat and all the contributors of both issues of Crazy Quilt Gatherings Magazine for creating magazine issues that not only inspire, but will be saved and re-read time and time again.

On the HP MagCloud website you can preview the issues. I hope you get a chance to preview Pat's magazines and hope your preview inspires you to order your own copy. I bet you'll be salivating, too.

Linda's Review of In Her Garden - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit

2011-06-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you remember or not, but last December I wrote a blog post entitled "You Spent How Many Hours On That Cross-Stitch?" that talked about my spending over 250 hours on a cross-stitch picture. Back then you may have thought that 250 hours is a long time to spend on one project. Well, if I told you that I just spent 315 hours on another cross-stitch picture you might think I really have lost my mind.

I started this cross-stitch picture on December 29, 2010 and finally finished it on May 14, 2011. Hubby painstakingly documented my progress day by day so we'd have a detailed breakdown. I worked on this a few hours every day - every chance I got. I quickly learned that there were a lot of color changes due to all the flowers and, as a result, this was going to take a lot of time. And, for sure, it did.

So, was the 315 hours worth it? Absolutely! I'd do it again as the cross-stitch picture framed (shown in the picture above) is absolutely stunning.

To give you a little background on why I would create yet another massive cross-stitch picture I have to take you back to the rationale for my previous cross-stitch picture. In July, 2010 I wrote a Linda's Blog post about my pressed flower pictures entitled "My Pressed Flower Pictures - Now That's A Great Idea!" In that post I told you about a large pressed flower picture I had made that was hanging in our master bedroom and, sadly, was fading which meant it needed to be replaced.

Well, my husband thought a needlepoint picture like the one I had done in the dining room but much bigger would be nice. I wrote about this needlepoint picture awhile ago in a Linda's Blog post entitled "Needlecraft Picture From A Decade Ago - Or So!"

So, since our house is filled with dolls and pictures of buildings & houses I thought a cross-stitch Victorian scene might be just the thing. So, I set out to find some large cross-stitch kits that would be suitable.

Well, I found several that I liked, but couldn't decide which one would be best suited so, as usual, I bought a couple of kits. I also wrote about this adventure in a The Book Review Corner blog post entitled "Just How Many Cross-Stitch Kits Did You Buy!"

Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau

While I liked all of them I decided to go with the Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau for our bedroom as it was a beautiful Victorian scene and would fit perfectly in our bedroom. My finished and framed picture is shown above.

Well, during that shopping trip I also bought Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit which is a wonderful picture of a Victorian woman in a garden. It's a 9 1/2" x 13.2" picture so it isn't quite as big as the one I had just finished. The finished cross-stitch is shown below and my finished picture, which I had framed, is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post.

Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit

My husband and I had been so pleased with the way our Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau picture had turned out that we thought it would be nice to use the Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit in our dining room.

In our dining room we have a large print picture of a Victorian woman in her garden and thought it would be nice to create a three picture scene of three Victorian woman in their gardens. We decided that the Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit would look great on the left and that the Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch A Summer Stroll shown below would be a good picture to put on the right hand side. I had written about buying this cross-stitch kit in February in a post on my Book & Crafts Review Corner blog entitled A Cross- Stitch Addiction.

Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch A Summer Stroll

I have been a fan of the Dimensions cross-stitch and punch-needle kits for quite some time and have written about them several times on my The Book Review Corner blog before. For the cross-stitch there was theChristmas In The Adirondacks Cross-Stitch Kit From Dimensions The Gold Collection review, my Christmas Village Ornaments Cross-Stitch Kit by Dimensions The Gold Collection Kit #8785 review, my Colorful Rooster Cross-Stitch Kit #7195 From Dimensions review, my Dimensions Santa & Snowman Ornaments Counted X-Stitch Kit, and my Dimensions Gold Collection "Morning Lake" Cross-Stitch Kit and Dimensions Gold Collection "Moonlit Cabin" Cross-Stitch Kit review, For the punch-needle there was my Bird In Birch Trees Punchneedle Kit #73433 From Dimensions review, my Holiday Friends Ornaments Punchneedle Kit #73244 by Dimensions review, my Live, Laugh, Love Punchneedle Kit #73224 by Dimensions review, my Santa's Presents Punchneedle Kit #73410 by Dimensions review, my There's No Place Like Home Punchneedle Kit #73401 by Dimensions review, and my Vase Of Flowers Punchneedle Kit #73400 by Dimensions review.

The Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, and 18 count ivory cotton Aida and thread sorter.

The Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit pattern uses full cross-stitch, half cross-stitch, and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

While the end results of this design were absolutely stunning some things in the kit and in the instructions could be improved upon. I'd like to offer the following constructive criticism:

First of all the the chart was so big that it actually fit on four pages which meant that you had to tape one section to the other to get the full chart picture. This would have been okay had the chart sheets been printed one-sided. Unfortunately, the instructions and English symbol list was printed on the back sides so when you taped the chart together you lost some of the information. You could photocopy the instructions and symbol list ahead of time but you'd have to do that on a color photocopy machine or you'd lose the colored symbols with a black and white photocopy. Since I didn't have a color copy machine I photocopied the chart in black and white and then used markers to color over the symbols.

I did not run into the same problem that I had the last time with the colors of the symbols and their placement or the English and French symbol list containing different information. Last time several of the colors and symbols ( like the blue heart and green heart, or blue "e" and green "e") used in the chart were too close in color and when they were placed next to each other in the chart you could not distinguish one from the other - even with a magnifying glass. This time there was no issue. The colors and symbols on the chart were easy to read and follow.

With this kit there were a lot of flowers with different colors. This meant either constantly changing the threads or stretching the threads from one section to the other. If you choose the latter, like I did sometimes, you tend to run out of threads. I ran out of several of the flower colors, but did not make a note as to which ones they were. I did, however, make a note of running out of some of the background colors. Most notably, the black (#18403), dark green (#16880) and blue green (#16878) threads.

As was the case with my last Dimensions kit the thread sorter was poorly designed. This was a large cross-stitch kit which meant it contained a lot of threads. The embroidery threads were glued to a foam backed 11 3/4" by 1 1/4" strip of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends. I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together. To make things even easier to understand the color symbol should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your taped together chart.

Despite the problems I encountered after all is said and done the design of Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit is absolutely beautiful. The outlining of just the Victorian woman really makes her stand out from the flowers and really makes her fringed shawl seem intricate. Would I invest 315+ hours again to get this type of result? Absolutely.

However, some things can be improved upon. My comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create an astonishing piece of work from an incredible design.

If you'd like to purchase the Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit cross-stitch and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross Stitch Kit

Like the picture I just finished it will take me a long time to complete the final picture for our series. However, I don't plan on starting that until next winter. I've just got too many other things that I need to get done and don't have the time to devote to such a lengthy project right now. I will complete my series as I just love to cross-stitch and, once I start a project, I do see it through to its completion.

I was very pleased with the results of my 315 hours of blood, sweat, and tears. The Cross-stitch itself was absolutely gorgeous. So, once again, we decided that it would need a nice mat and frame to really finish the piece. After all the hard labor put into creating the cross-stitch picture we decided it needed to be finished properly.

So, once again, we took it to a little local shop called Art & Frame Emporium. Their website is at http://www.artandframeemporium.com/.

This shop has been in business since 1982 and we have been buying things from them for over 20 years. They may be a little art shop, but it is filled with wonderful art supplies, kits, picture frames, etc. But, best of all, it's the staff there that makes the difference. The owner, Ed Turner, and several of the employees like Jean Pellerin, James McAlice, and Mickie Ayleward are all gifted artists in their own right. Over the years we have found that all of the members of the staff always offer terrific advice or suggestions. That's why we keep going back and why a small shop can remain in business all these years. You get quality products, quality advice, and quality service.

This time we talked to Jean about the framing for our cross-stitch. The large print picture in our dining has an ornate gold frame so we wanted something to compliment it as well as compliment the cross-stitch picture. Jean made excellent suggestions and we decided to use a green velour mat, gold brocade trim framing the cross-stitch to give the picture depth and to draw you in, and a gold ornate frame. We also decided to use museum glass instead of regular glass - which makes an enormous difference in the viewing of the picture.

When Jean called to tell us that our picture was ready she said it was "gorgeous!" and the "guys" thought it was "gorgeous, too!" I could tell that she was very proud of her work and she should be. When we saw it - it was stunning. Just beautiful. I put a lot of labor into my cross-stitch and Jean put a lot of labor into finishing it properly for me.

Both my husband and I were thrilled with the way it turned out and have it hanging in the dinning room as we had planned. It compliments the large print picture in the room and is just breath taking to view. The pictures in this post don't really do it justice.

My Review of M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit Finally Got A Response

2011-02-16T04:57:00.000-05:00

Last December 2010 after I finished my "M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit" I decided to tell Dimensions about my review of their kit that I had written on my "Linda's Blog" and on my "The Book Review Corner Blog." So, I went to their EK Success Brand website and filled out their contact form. I received an email on 1/1/2011 saying someone would contact me.

Well, I never heard anything in response so today, February 14, 2011 I thought I'd visit their website again to see if they had an address I could send a letter to. Well, to my delight, they had a Facebook link to their EK Success Brand Facebook page. So, I thought well let's see if they'll answer a Facebook comment. So I "liked" it so I could make a comment and posted the following to their wall:

"I thought you might be interested in my review of M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit that I finished at http://thebookreviewcorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/lindas-review-of-mladys-chateau.html and more about it on my Linda's Blog here - http://lindawalshoriginals.blogspot.com/2010/12/you-spent-how-many-hours-on-that-cross.html. Have a great day. Linda"

I also posted the same comment to their review page after rating them with 4 out of 5 stars.

Well, within two hours of posting that to their EK Success Brand Facebook page I received the following comment on my "The Book Review Corner Blog" review post :

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda,
First, we are so happy to hear you love the way your design turned out. It certainly was a labor of love!

Secondly, you might be pleased to know that this was a design we produced some years ago, and we have since made a number of changes to how we create our instructions and charts. Many of the comments you made were things that we have addressed, such as the issue you had with the same symbol in different colors. We really appreciate your comments as this kind of feedback helps us to become even better at what we do.

Your framed piece is GORGEOUS--well done!

Kristel Adair
Product Development, Dimensions

Well, I was thrilled that I had finally gotten a response and so happy to know that they thought my framed piece was gorgeous. I'll have to remember to tell the Art Emporium that the next time I'm in their store.

I had bought my kit last year, but I don't know how long my particular kit was at the website I had bought it from. It's good to know that they had already addressed some of the issues I had mentioned in my post and that they are happy to receive comments from their customers. I wonder if they'll address the rest.

My comment and the quick response I got from Ek Success Brand - Dimensions just shows you the power of Facebook with corporate america.

The lesson I learned is "If you want to get in touch with a company see if they have a Facebook page. And, if they do, post a comment on their wall."

Thanks, Kristel for responding so quickly. I appreciate that.

Just A few More Crafts Kits

2011-02-14T04:23:00.004-05:00

One of the stores in Sturbridge that my Mom and I used to visit when we were in town was one called Colonial Crafts. They were a small store on the main drag that had all sorts of wonderful wool fabric bundles, primitive patterns, primitive cloth bundles and fat quarters, finished items, wool felt kits, and punchneedle kits.

The staff was always extremely helpful and willing to put kits together for just about any pattern you bought if they had it available. It was where I was first introduced to punchneedle. In fact, one of the owners had no problem taking the time to show me exactly how easy it was to thread the needle and, once you got the knack, how easy it was to do. I was instantly hooked on punchneedle by the time I left the store. And, of course, I had bought several kits.

I wrote about this adventure and the kit I subsequently completed in a post on my "The Book Review Corner Blog" entitled: Last Year's Punchneedle Kits and Subsequent Gifts.

Well, unfortunately they closed their brick and mortar store. However, they opened up a website - which, of course, I was just thrilled with. Their website is called Colonial Crafts and it is at http://www.colonialcrafts.com.

At their website they have a birthday club which offers a discount to members during their birthday month so, of course with this year's birthday, I asked hubby to get me some things (just a few.... Wink! Wink!) for my birthday. So, he did.

Besides some of the wool bundles that I've been wanting to get for awhile he got the following (all at birthday club discount, of course!)

Wooly Pumpkin Mat - Chickadee Hollow Designs Wool Applique Patterns

Wild Wooly Rose - Chickadee Hollow Designs Wool Applique Patterns

I just LOVE wool felt and penny rug kits. I have one for the Winter and one for the Fall that I completed and several kits waiting to be completed. I wrote about these in a couple of different posts on my "The Book Review Corner Blog" entitled: "I Really Wanted To Try Needle Felting and Penny Rug Felting - I Loved It!", Pumpkin Patch Penny Rug From Lakeview Primitives, and More Of My Projects From This Year - My Needle Felting Projects."

Red White and Blue Santas - Gloria Lowell Felting Kits

For quite some time I've had my eye on this wool felting kit. I've been wanting to try it so maybe this year I'll finally get a chance.

I've also had my eye on some creative embroidery kits for quite some time and finally decide to try the following as they're just so pretty looking:

Vintage Ornament 6 - Chickadee Hollow Designs Vintage Ornaments

Vintage Ornament 18 - Chickadee Hollow Designs Vintage Ornaments

My Crazy Autumn - Chickadee Hollow Designs My Crazy Series

My Crazy Heart - Chickadee Hollow Designs My Crazy Series

I'm hoping to get most of these done sometime this year. If and when I do I'll review the craft kit and then let you know in a blog post what I think. Stay tuned. This is going to be a wonderful craft year. I just know it.

A Cross- Stitch Addiction

2011-02-14T04:02:00.001-05:00

I feel like saying, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" Instead, it should be changed to, "I can't believe I bought all these!"

Believe it or not, but I bought more cross-stitch kits this year. If you've been following my "The Book Review Corner Blog" you know I LOVE books and craft kits - especially cross-stitch and I have bought a few over the years. Okay, make that more than a few. So much so that I'd have to clone myself ten times over to finish them all.

So, why have I bought so many when I can't possibly finish them all in my lifetime? Well, the rationale is pretty simple as far as I'm concerned. Ask my poor husband and he might give you a far different reason! LOL LOL Like - I'm nuts!

I just LOVE cross-stitch. I love creating cross-stitch pictures and find it so relaxing. However, for me, I just never know what I might be in the mood for creating next. It might be a Victorian, or a country theme, or something whimsical. You just never know. So, when I'm ready to start another cross-stitch kit I like to have a few kits to choose from. Okay - make that many kits to choose from.

I know! I know! I'm hopeless! LOL LOL

Most will end up as gifts for my friends and family. So, that's a good thing - isn't it?

You'll Never Believe What I've Started

2011-02-12T11:00:00.004-05:00

You would think that after I had spent 250 hours creating my M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit that I would give cross-stitching a rest. Au contraire! Not at all. Secretly, I think I'm addicted to it. Then again, I get addicted to just about any type of craft I'm doing.

Well, no sooner had I finished my M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit then I decided to start on another Victorian cross-stitch that I had bought last year. This one is Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit and she is a beauty.

I've already clocked 70 hours on her and she is far, far from being finished. In fact, hubby couldn't visualize exactly where I was in the cross-stitch until I had done her face. I have her face, hair, and half her body done, but that's it.

Unlike some of the other cross-stitch kits I've worked on this one is done on an 18 count Aida linen and the stitches are very, very small. So, it's going to take awhile.

I'll keep you all informed and, of course, will show you how she looks when she's finished.

She's a beauty - even if it will take me all year to do her.

Dimensions Gold Collection In Her Garden Counted Cross-Stitch Kit

Some Wonderful Craft and Doll Making eBooks Are Available For The Kindle and Other eReaders

2011-01-07T04:49:00.005-05:00

I don't know if you've been watching the explosion of popularity for the Kindle and other eReaders (like the NOOKcolor eBook Tablet) this year, but if you have, then you know there have been more eBooks sold this year than actual hard copy books.

As a lover of hard copy books I'm not surprised by the popularity of the eReaders. What I'm surprised at is how quickly the eBooks have surpassed the print copies. In fact, it's really kind of sad. There's just something to holding a book in your hands and flipping through all the pages that is lost with an electronic device.

However, you can certainly take thousands of books with you with one eReader tucked into your pocketbook and that is not something you can easily do with 1,000 print books. Plus, eReaders can read e-patterns (like my .PDF Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns) so that is a BIG PLUS for crafters. Just think of having an eReader right next to your sewing machine or on your craft table. How great would that be?

In fact, this year I'm determined to get an eReader to not only see see how my e-patterns would look on it, but to see how some of the craft eBooks look on it. I'm not sure which one I'll get as of yet. That will be a surprise.

It seems that many, many craft books are now being converted to eBooks. So many so that's it's hard to keep up with all of them.

So, I decided to add a Craft E-Books and Kindle Products page to my Linda's Bookstore For Books About Crafts and Crafting and a Doll eBooks and Kindle page to my Linda's Bookstore for Books on Dolls, Doll Making, Doll Collecting, Doll History and More.

In my book reviews going forward I will let you know if the craft book I am reviewing is available in eBook form and provide a link for you to purchase it if you want.

Of all the craft books I have reviewed so far the following are available in eBook form:

My review page - Creative Cloth Doll Making

Creative Cloth Doll Making: New Approaches for Using Fibers, Beads, Dyes, and Other Exciting Techniques EBook

My review page - Fabric Art Journals:Making, Sewing and Embellishing Journals From Cloth and Fibers

Fabric Art Journals: Making, Sewing, and Embellishing Journals from Cloth and Fibers eBook

The crafts eBook future looks bright indeed.

I can hardly wait to get me eReader to let you know what I think of craft books in eBook form.

Stay tuned.

Linda's Review of Dimensions Santa & Snowman Ornaments Kit #8789

2011-01-04T04:44:00.002-05:00

I think if I tell you any more about the cross-stitch kits I made this past year you'll want to strangle me! LOL LOL Well, maybe not strangle me, but say, "Linda, enough is enough." I know that's what my Mother would say.

But, I just have to tell you about another cross-stitch kit I bought and made this year as it contained 6 adorable and delightful Santa and snowmen ornaments. They're shown in the collage pictures above.

Aren't they adorable? I know you'd like to say that they are, but you're afraid if you do then I'll have even more cross-stitch kits to tell you about! LOL LOL Not to worry. This time I promise it's the last cross-stitch kit I'm going to tell you about for awhile.

They were made based upon the following Dimensions Cross-Stitch Kit:

Dimensions Santa & Snowman Ornaments Counted X-Stitch Kit

I had bought the kit last Spring and written about all the cross-stitch kits I had purchased in a post on my "The Book Review Corner" blog entitled Cross-Stitch Kits I Bought This Spring." The Santa and Snowman ornaments kit was one of the few cross-stitch kits I was able to complete this past summer.

The Dimensions Santa & Snowman Ornaments Counted X-Stitch Kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, 14 count white Aida, felt, needles, and sequins. The 14 count white Aida fabric was 15" x 10".

The Dimensions Santa & Snowman Ornaments Counted X-Stitch pattern uses full cross-stitch, half cross-stitch, back stitch, and French knots for emphasis. It also uses thread shading and different strands to achieve a subtle effect. The pattern also tells you that you will also need thick craft glue and quilt batting.

While I found the pattern instructions to be easy to follow there are a couple of things I would change. First of all, the thread did not contain a thread sorter. It was all just bundled together in a knot. You had to separate the strands yourself. So, I opted to take a piece of cardboard and punch a series of 18 holes in it for the 18 different colors of thread. I added the color code to each circle and then tied the respective threads to it.

I would have added the color symbol key to this but, luckily, the pattern came with an 8 page booklet that was separated into two four-page booklets and the symbol key booklet was entirely separate from the charts. As a result I didn't have to add the color symbols to the thread sorter I had made for these purposes as I just kept my symbol key open on my lap top desk. The 6 individual charts were large and symbols used were easy to read.

The pattern calls for you to divide the fabric into 6 equal sections but not to cut the sections out. They want you to find the center of each section and mark that with a piece of thread. Then you attach the 15" x 10" Aida to the embroidery hoop you are going to use and proceed to cross-stitch all 6 of the ornaments. Well, I found this to be cumbersome. I thought it would be a lot easier to just cut the Aida into 6 sections and then use a smaller embroidery hoop. Unfortunately when I did this I found that there wasn't enough fabric to fit into a small embroidery hoop. As a result I had to add masking tape to some of the edges to stretch the fabric wide enough to fit the small embroidery hoop I was using. A larger piece of fabric would have been nicer.

The pattern called for you to use the red embroidery thread to create a long braid that you would then glue or hand sew along the edges of the ornament. Instead, I decided to deviate from the kit and give my ornaments a lace edge. I cut a piece of 1/3" lace trim long enough to fit the circumference of the ornament plus a 2" overlap and then machine stitched the lace edge WSO (wrong side out) to the edge of my cross-stitched Aida with the lace edge facing the center of the cross-stitch picture. I did this so that when the felt was sewn to the cross-stitched Aida and the ornament was turned RSO (right side out) the lace would be facing in the right direction.

The pattern also called for the felt to be hand sewn to the back of the ornaments. Instead I opted to machine stitch the felt RST (right sides together) to the cross-stitched Aida leaving a 1" opening for turning RSO (right sides out) and then turned my ornament RSO (right sides out). I then turned the edges of the 1" opening under WST (wrong sides together) and then hand stitched the 1" opening closed.

The pattern said that one of the things that makes their designs unique was the subtle color shading. They achieved this through the use of different stitches and different numbers of strands. By following the key you would get a beautiful design for each ornament. That was definitely true. When finished the ornaments were beautifully shaded and were quite colorful and cheerful.

So, what do you think?

Aren't they colorful and don't they make you smile?

They certainly make me smile and given the year my family and I have had that is no small feat.

I hope you all have a happy, "healthy" and peaceful 2011.

Linda's Review of Dimensions Gold Collection "Morning Lake" Cross-Stitch Kit and Dimensions Gold Collection "Moonlit Cabin" Cross-Stitch Kit

2011-01-03T05:27:00.006-05:00

You may have noticed in my last few Linda's Blog posts that I've been on a cross-stitch kick this year. In fact, I think I've been on it now for close to three years.

Just recently I finished an enormous Dimensions Gold Collection Victorian cross-stitch kit and wrote about it on a Linda's Blog post entitled "You Spent How Many Hours On That Cross-Stitch?"and wrote about it on a "The Book Review Corner" blog post entitled "Linda's Review of M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit."

I have been a fan of the Dimensions cross-stitch for quite some time and have written about them several times on my The Book Review Corner blog before. There was the Christmas In The Adirondacks Cross-Stitch Kit From Dimensions The Gold Collection review, my Christmas Village Ornaments Cross-Stitch Kit by Dimensions The Gold Collection Kit #8785review, and my Colorful Rooster Cross-Stitch Kit #7195 From Dimensionsreview.

Back in June I had written a "The Book Review Corner" blog post entitled Cross-Stitch Kits I Bought This Spring" where I told you about several cross-stitch kits I had bought and was hoping to finish this year.

Well, I finished several - two of which were woodland landscape scenes and which are shown in the pictures at the beginning of this post and below:

I had bought these two because they were different from all the other cross-stitch kits I had seen. They were woodland and I knew some of my relatives would just love the pictures.

The first was made based upon the following Dimension Gold Collection cross-stitch kit:

Dimensions Moonlit Cabin Counted Cross-Stitch Kit

I ended up giving the Dimensions Moonlit Cabin Counted Cross-Stitch picture I had finished to my younger brother as a Christmas present his year. You know, the one with the amazing workshop. I had mounted it onto a thin cardboard backed board, matted it, and framed it with a wood grain frame.

Well, he and his wife just loved it and were amazed at the detail within the picture and how it had a three dimensional aspect to it.

The Dimensions Moonlit Cabin Counted Cross-Stitch Kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, and 18 count navy cotton Aida and thread sorter. It called for some of the background tree sections and some of the river sections to just be the 18 count navy cotton Aida and I left them that way.

The Dimensions Moonlit Cabin Counted Cross-Stitch pattern uses full cross-stitch, half cross-stitch, and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

While the end results of this design were absolutely stunning I had a couple of issues (good and bad) with the instructions and packaging of the embroidery thread.

The instructions, chart, and symbol key were all contained within a 4-page booklet. The chart, which was on page 3, was great as it was large, fit on one side of the booklet, and the symbols were easy to read. Unfortunately, some of the instructions were printed on the back sides, pages 1 and 4, and some were on the attached left side page 2, so when you wanted to refer to them you had to keep opening the booklet or turning it over. The same was true for the symbol key which was on page 2.

I like to keep the chart in front of me on a lapboard type desk with the instructions and symbol key easily referable on separate pieces of paper. You could photocopy the instructions and symbol list ahead of time but you'd have to do that on a color photocopy machine or you'd lose the colored symbols with a black and white photocopy. I think the instructions, chart, and symbol key should all be on single-sided paper, but that's a pet peeve of mine. It just makes it so much easier for the crafter.

Secondly, the thread sorter was poorly designed. The embroidery threads were glued to a foam backed 6 1/8" by 1 1/8" strip of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends.

I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together. To make things even easier for the crafter to understand the color symbol key should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your chart.

The 2nd was made based upon the following Dimension Gold Collection cross-stitch kit:

Gold Collection Petite Morning Lake Counted Cross-Stitch Kit

The Gold Collection Petite Morning Lake Counted Cross-Stitch picture (shown at the beginning of this post) I finished I decided to keep for hubby. Like the picture I gave to my younger brother, I had mounted it onto a thin cardboard backed board, matted it, and framed it with the same wood grain frame. I have it hanging next to our desk in our kitchen. It looks wonderful there and I, too, am amazed at the detail within the picture and it's three dimensional affect every time I look at it.

The Gold Collection Petite Morning Lake Counted Cross-Stitch kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, and 18 count ivory cotton Aida and thread sorter.

Like the other kit, the Gold Collection Petite Morning Lake Counted Cross-Stitch pattern uses full cross-stitch, half cross-stitch, and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

As with the other kit, while the end results of this design were absolutely stunning, too, I had a couple of issues (good and bad) with the instructions and packaging of the embroidery thread.

The instructions, chart, and symbol key were all contained within a 4-page booklet. The chart, which spanned page 2 and page 3, was great as it was large and the symbols were easy to read. However, because it spanned two pages it had to be folded to make it easier to refer to the whole chart at once. Plus, the instructions were printed on the back sides, pages 1 and 4, so when you wanted to refer to them you had to keep opening the booklet or turning it over.

The color symbol key was on the remaining part of page 2 that wasn't covered by the chart and, as mentioned above, I like to keep the chart in front of me on a lapboard type desk with the instructions and symbol key easily referable on separate pieces of paper. You could photocopy the instructions and symbol list ahead of time but you'd have to do that on a color photocopy machine or you'd lose the colored symbols with a black and white photocopy. As mentioned above, I think the instructions, chart, and symbol key should all be on single-sided paper, but that's a pet peeve of mine. It just makes it so much easier for the crafter.

Secondly, the embroidery threads were glued to a foam backed 6 1/8" by 1 1/8" strip of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends.

I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together. To make things even easier for the crafter to understand the color symbol key should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your chart.

I offer my critique of these two astonishing designs as constructive criticism and a way in which they can be improved upon. My critique does nothing to diminish the end results of these beautiful woodland cross-stitch scenes. They are just stunning when completed.

I was hoping to finish more of the cross-stitch kits I had bought this Spring but just ran out of time.

Oh, well! There's always next year!

In my opinion, it's never too early to start on Christmas presents.

In fact, I already have a few gifts in mind!

Hmm........ Do you think they'll be cross-stitch gifts?

They'd better be with the number of kits I've bought and haven't completed as of yet.

Linda's Review of Lakeview Primitives "Holiday Light" Pattern & Kit

2011-01-02T04:39:00.000-05:00

If you've been following my Linda's Blog for awhile and my The Book Review Corner Blog then you know that amongst a million other things I LOVE crafting with wool felt and wool felt kits.

In fact, I've written several posts about my wool felt adventures, which are as follows: "I Just Love This "Pumpkin Patch" Penny Rug", "More Handmade Presents for Christmas 2009 - Wool Felt Santa Ornaments", and "More Of My Projects From This Year - My Needle Felting Projects."

Whether it's making wool felt penny rugs, or needle felted penny rug pictures, or ornaments I just LOVE wool felt.

And, it doesn't have to be limited to penny rugs or ornaments. Over the years I have made hundreds of cloth dolls using wool felt, brushed felt, shaggy felt, etc. I have found that it is especially useful for making animals, but the uses are practically limitless.

I was introduced to penny rugs during a shopping trip with my Mom to Sturbridge many, many years ago. There were several wonderful primitives shops out there that we liked to visit that carried primitive doll kits, wool felt kits, punchneedle kits, and penny rug kits.

One store in particular specialized in wool fabric. And, boy, did they have wool fabric. Some of the most beautiful wool fabric you'd ever want to see. And, boy, was it EXPENSIVE.

This store, in particular, would put together wool fabric bundles, maybe 10-15 wool pieces per bundle. I just loved looking at the color combination's and would imagine what I could make out of them. Then, my Mother would snap me back to reality by turning the price tag over. YIKES! Beautiful wool is expensive. Alas, all I could do was dream and save my pennies.

During the last couple of years there was a store out there that we liked to visit that put together penny rug kits. It, too, is no longer there. However, during our last visit I bought several penny rug wool kits and have been trying to find the time to make them during the last few years.

As usual I had many, many kits that I wanted to buy. So many, in fact, I asked my Mother if she would carry a few to the counter. Well, when she saw how many I had she said, "LINDA, one or two would do! Look at how many you have!" I, of course, just laughed at the numbers I was carrying and decided to put a few (just a few) back.

That year I had decided that I wanted to try needle felting and wool felting as it seemed like everyone was having so much fun with it this year. I don't mean wet needle felting where you are actually creating a needle felted object from the wet felt. I'm just not that adventuresome!

I started with three wool felt kits where one was a penny rug type decoration that needed to have some sheep and tree decorations needle felted. The other two kits were more like wool felt embroidery kits to create primitive wool decorations which could be hung on a wall or placed on a table top.

Well, last Spring I finally had an opportunity and a small window of time that I could use to create some more of the penny rug kits I had bought. I had already created 3 of the kits back in 2009 and had posted about them in a Linda's Blog post entitled "More Of My Projects From This Year - My Needle Felting Projects." During this window of opportunity I was able to finish two more of the penny rug kits I had bought. One of those was a pumpkin patch penny rug picture that I wrote about in a Linda's Blog post entitled "I Just Love This "Pumpkin Patch" Penny Rug."

The other was a penny rug kit to create a holiday candle penny rug. The kit was put together based upon a Lakeview Primites "Holiday Light" pattern #423. The finished size of the penny rug was 16 1/2" x 13 1/2".

The pattern was very easy to follow and I had no problems with it. It contained the pattern pieces, supplies list, and directions for creating the Holiday Candle penny rug decoration. As penny rug decorations are usually put together using a blanket stitch the pattern also included an illustration for how you stitch a blanket stitch. The pattern also calls for pre-felted wool - which, in my case, was already provided in the kit. However, if you don't have a kit and buy wool the pattern contains directions for felting your wool. And, it also contains instructions for creating French knots which were used in the pattern.

Like all the other wool kits it was nicely put together by the store and contained plenty of the wool and DMC floss needed for the pattern. In fact, once again, there was plenty of wool scraps and DMC floss left over that I could and would utilize for another design if I wanted to.

With all the other penny rug wool kits I created I had placed a piece of cardboard in between the front and back sections of the penny rug to give them some rigidity and stability. However, the "Holiday Light" pattern had three layers of wool felt and, as a result, I didn't need to add cardboard to the middle to give it some stability. It seemed to be rigid enough as it was. I had decided to hang this off a hook so I created a small hanger on the back of the "Holiday Light" out of DMC embroidery floss that I could use to hang it.

The result is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post.

I still have a couple of penny rug wool kits left from that shopping trip with my Mother. Maybe in 2011 I'll have another small window of opportunity that I can use to finish the rest of the kits.

And, if I do that, well - I'll just have to go on another shopping trip. However, as the shop is no longer in Sturbridge this time I'll let my fingers do the walking all over my keyboard and all over the internet. You never know what I'll find but, I'm sure I'll find something I like.

And, I'm sure if I go overboard in the amount I'm buying a little bird will be whispering in my ear, "LINDA, don't you think you have enough of those!"

And, I'll answer, "Just one more Mom. One more!"

Linda's Review of Tiny Treasured Diamond Holiday Cardinal Embellished Ornament Kit by Mill Hill

2010-12-31T05:14:00.003-05:00

I've always wanted to try beading and have admired beautiful crazy quilt creations with beading and ornaments created with beading for a long time.

I've also admired goddess dolls and have wanted to try my hand at creating some of the beautiful beaded goddess dolls that I've seen. Back in 2009 when I wrote about the goddess dolls in a Linda's Blog post entitled "Why Not Be Adventuresome?" and "My Goddess Doll Adventure So Far!" I was hoping to have some time to create some of them. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do so as of yet. I'm still hoping that maybe this year I will find just a smidgen of time.

I was first introduced into beaded ornaments many, many years ago when a colleague at work brought in some of the beaded tree ornaments she had made and was selling. She had some large blue beaded ornaments like those shown in the picture below and some smaller white beaded ornaments like those shown in the 2nd picture below. So, I bought three of the large blue ones and 3 of the smaller white ones. They quickly became some of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments.

Several years ago my Mother and I were shopping at a local A.C. Moore store and found some interesting beaded ornament kits that we thought might make a nice craft project. I, of course, was remembering the wonderful blue and white beaded ornaments I had bought from a work colleague years ago and which adorned my Christmas tree every year since then. So, we decided to give it a try.

Some were Merri Mac Kits from Mac Enterprises and some were Holiday Keepsakes from Cousin Corporation. From the pictures they looked easy enough. Little did we know.

What my Mother and I didn't know was exactly how difficult beading was until we tried our hand at creating some of the beaded ornaments we had bought. My Mother decided to start on the gold bells ornament which is shown in the picture above. It wasn't exactly a beaded ornament in my mind, but she thought it would be a good beginning.

I, on the other hand, decided to dive right in and create the white, red, and green beaded tree shown in the 2nd picture from the left in the collage above. I figured I'd tackle one of the tougher ornaments first.

For the most part we didn't have any problems with the directions. Where we ran into problems was with containment of the beads. Foolishly I hadn't thought about organizing the beads by color and size and putting them in separate containers or multi sectional containers like you might use for painting. I just dumped them all out on the table and, well as you can imagine, they didn't stay where they were put. Foolish beads - rolling all over the place. More like foolish me!

For awhile we were laughing at the beads going everywhere, but after my Mother and I got through picking all the beads up off the floor for like the 10th time she finally said, "Linda, this is not going to work. We need to put the beads into something." So, I quickly found some little bowls that we could use as I knew my Mother was running out of patience on this. Whenever she emphasized "Linda" I knew I was in trouble!

The other problem we ran into with the beads was exactly how to pick them up. They were so small you couldn't just pick them up with your fingers. You could thread them onto the tip of your needle which was fine for me, but my Mother was having a hard time as she couldn't see the holes - even with her glasses on. So, I got a magnifying glass for her.

Well, needless to say creating beaded ornaments wasn't exactly as easy as we thought. However, we managed to make a few of the ornaments like the white cross shown in the 1st picture on the left in the collage above and the green spiral tree which is shown in the last picture on the right in the collage above.

We didn't make all of the beaded ornaments kits that year. There were 4 left to do. I did, however, get the chance two years ago to make the beaded icicles shown in the 3rd picture form the left in the collage above. This time I had partitioned containers for the beads and the project went rather smoothly. Time consuming, but this time there were no beads on the floor.

My sister's favorite bird is a cardinal and every year I try to give her something handmade with a cardinal on it. This year I found a painted red cardinal sled ornament with the words "Joy" on it at a craft shown hubby and I went to. It was perfect for my sister so I bought it.

Earlier in the year I had also bought several Mill Hill beaded ornaments kits including a Mill Hill Tiny Treasured Diamond "Holiday Cardinal" ornament kit (MHTD20) like the one shown in the picture below:

Holiday Cardinal (beaded kit)

It was a kit for a 3.25" x 5" embellished ornament with a cardinal on it and I thought my sister would surely love it. It didn't seem too involved and looked like it would be something I could make in a relativity short period of time. For the most part I didn't have any problems with the instructions or the symbol chart & legend.

The problem I ran into was more with the 28 count fabric supplied with the kit. It wasn't exactly the easiest to count the threads on to position your beads. As a result some of my beads weren't quite aligned where they should have been so I had to adjust my design accordingly. Because of this my design wasn't exactly as square as it should have been. Oh, well - it was a first attempt at this after all.

Also, some of the red beads were really, really tiny and the needle used to thread some of the tiniest beads was so thin and so small that it kept piercing the skin on one of my fingers. Needless to say by the time I was finished with my beaded ornament the tips of one of my fingers was a little sore.

However, I was really pleased with the way my ornament came out (altered design or not) and knew my sister would love it. My finished (altered) ornament is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post.

I still have the Mill Hill Tiny Treasured Diamond Icy Snowflake beaded ornament (MHTD24) like that shown in the picture below and the Mill Hill Tiny Treasured Diamonds Ice Blue Snowflake beaded ornament (MHTD17) kit like the one shown in the 2nd picture below to make.

Icy Snowflake 2003 (beaded kit)

Ice Blue Snowflake 2000 (beaded kit)

I'm hoping to make these next year. I'll let you know how these turn out.

While my finger wasn't happy with the Mill Hill Tiny Treasured Diamond "Holiday Cardinal" ornament kit my sister was. She absolutely loved it and couldn't believe I had made it with all those tiny, tiny beads. My finger couldn't either, but I didn't tell my baby sister that.

I hope when she puts it on her tree she'll take a picture for me. I'll bet it will look really nice.

Stay tuned.

Sis, I need a picture - hint- hint.

Linda's Review of M'Lady's Chateau - Dimensions Gold Collection Cross-Stitch Kit

2010-12-10T04:59:00.001-05:00

If I told you that I had spent over 250 hours on a cross-stitch picture you'd probably think I was nuts. However, if you're a follower of my The Book Review Corner blog you already know that I love needlecraft's. So, spending 250+ hours on a cross-stitch might not be hard to imagine.

I did spend that much time on one cross-stitch during the last few months and I'd do it again as the cross-stitch picture (shown in the picture above and shown framed in the picture below) is absolutely stunning. If you click on both images you can view an enlarged version of the picture.

To give you a little background on why I would do this, back in July I wrote a Linda's Blog post about my pressed flower pictures entitled "My Pressed Flower Pictures - Now That's A Great Idea!" In that post I told you about a large pressed flower picture I had made that was hanging in our master bedroom and, sadly, was fading which meant it needed to be replaced.

Well, my husband thought a needlepoint picture like the one I had done in the dining room but much bigger would be nice. I wrote about this needlepoint picture awhile ago in a Linda's Blog post entitled "Needlecraft Picture From A Decade Ago - Or So!"

So, since our house is filled with dolls and pictures of buildings & houses I thought a cross-stitch Victorian scene might be just the thing. So, I set out to find some large cross-stitch kits that would be suitable.

Well, I found several that I liked, but couldn't decide which one would be best suited so, as usual, I bought a couple of kits. I also wrote about this adventure in a The Book Review Corner blog post entitled "Just How Many Cross-Stitch Kits Did You Buy!"

While I liked all of them I decided to go with the Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau which was a Dimensions Gold Collection cross-stitch kit. I wrote about this in a Linda's Blog post entitled "You Spent How Many Hours On That Cross-Stitch?"

I have been a fan of the Dimensions cross-stitch and punch-needle kits for quite some time and have written about them several times on my The Book Review Corner blog before. For the cross-stitch there was the Christmas In The Adirondacks Cross-Stitch Kit From Dimensions The Gold Collection review, my Christmas Village Ornaments Cross-Stitch Kit by Dimensions The Gold Collection Kit #8785 review, and my Colorful Rooster Cross-Stitch Kit #7195 From Dimensions review. For the punch-needle there was my Bird In Birch Trees Punchneedle Kit #73433 From Dimensions review, my Holiday Friends Ornaments Punchneedle Kit #73244 by Dimensions review, my Live, Laugh, Love Punchneedle Kit #73224 by Dimensions review, my Santa's Presents Punchneedle Kit #73410 by Dimensions review, my There's No Place Like Home Punchneedle Kit #73401 by Dimensions review, and my Vase Of Flowers Punchneedle Kit #73400 by Dimensions review.

The Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau kit included the pattern, embroidery thread, and 14 count ivory cotton Aida and thread sorter. It also called for all the white sky sections to just be the 14 count ivory cotton Aida but I opted to use white DMC floss and half cross-stitch these areas as well.

The Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau pattern uses full cross-stitch, half cross-stitch, and outline stitching for emphasis and depth and this detailing really makes the picture stand out. The design of this cross-stitch gives the finished picture a 3 dimensional aspect with the half cross stitch and outlining being used for artistic effect.

While the end results of this design were absolutely stunning the instructions could certainly be improved upon and I'd like to offer the following constructive criticism:

First of all the the chart was so big that it actually fit on four pages which meant that you had to tape one section to the other to get the full chart picture. This would have been okay had the chart sheets been printed one-sided. Unfortunately, the instructions and English symbol list was printed on the back sides so when you taped the chart together you lost some of the information. You could photocopy the instructions and symbol list ahead of time but you'd have to do that on a color photocopy machine or you'd lose the colored symbols with a black and white photocopy.

Secondly, the colors of the symbols and their placement could have been better thought out. Several of the colors and symbols ( like the blue heart and green heart, or blue "e" and green "e") used in the chart were too close in color and when they were placed next to each other in the chart you could not distinguish one from the other - even with a magnifying glass.

Third, the English symbol list and French symbol list were different. Both the English and French symbol list & legend should have contained the embroidery thread color numbers so you could easily align the thread sorter with the symbols & legends. I had to write the embroidery thread color number on the French version and use that as a guide as the English symbols & legend were on the backside of the chart that I had taped together. I would have been constantly flipping the chart to follow the symbols & legends, which would have been very time consuming. Plus, I couldn't read several of the colored symbols now as they were underneath the tape of the chart I had to tape together.

Plus, the French list contained the symbols and colors for the outlining while the English version contained text instructions as to what should be placed where. The stitching order or outlining instructions was very confusing. The chart had 3 thin red lines, 3 thick red lines, 3 thick blue lines, 2 thin blue lines, and 2 thick green lines - each with different instructions. Separate symbols and colors should have been used on the chart and legend to make the outlining less time consuming and easier to understand.

Fourth, the thread sorter was poorly designed. This was a large cross-stitch kit which meant it contained a lot of threads. The embroidery threads were glued to a foam backed 11 3/4" by 1 1/4" strip of cardboard that had a picture of the color of the thread and it's number. In order to get to the threads you had to separate the foam back from the cardboard strip. Very quickly the threads separated from their section and then you no longer knew what the thread number was to tie to your symbols & legends. I had to punch a hole in the thread sorter cardboard strip just below the color of the thread & it's number and then insert the threads through the hole and tie them in a loose knot so my threads, colors, and numbers would stay together. To make things even easier to understand the color symbol should have been shown on the thread sorter strip of cardboard as well. That way you would only need to use the thread sorter strip of cardboard to follow your taped together chart.

As mentioned, it took me over 250 hours to create this stunning design. I started this in the beginning of August 2010 and finished it in the end of November of 2010. My husband was keeping track of the hours and I clocked approximately 253 hours on this. Every afternoon I would spend a few hours working on it.

When my cross-stitch was finished it was stunning all by itself so we decided that it would need a nice mat and frame to really finish the piece. After all the hard labor put into creating the cross-stitch picture we decided it needed to be finished properly.

So, we took it to a little local shop called Art & Frame Emporium.

When they called to tell us that our picture was ready they said it was "gorgeous!" My husband could tell that they were really proud of their work - and they should be. When we saw it - it was stunning. Just beautiful. I put a lot of labor into my cross-stitch and they all put a lot of labor into finishing it properly for me.

Both my husband and I were thrilled with the way it turned out and have it hanging in our master bedroom as we had planned. It compliments the furniture in the room and is just breath taking to view. The pictures in this post don't really do it justice.

Despite the problems I encountered after all is said and done the design of Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau is absolutely breath taking. Would I invest 250+ hours again to get this type of result? Absolutely.

However, as mentioned, the instructions, chart, symbols, and thread sorter could all be improved upon. My comments are meant to be constructive to enable future purchasers to benefit from my experience and to enhance their ability to create an astonishing piece of work from an incredible design.

If you'd like to purchase the Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau cross-stitch and try it for yourself just click the link below.

Dimensions Counted Cross Stitch M Lady's Chateau

Pumpkin Patch Penny Rug From Lakeview Primitives

2010-09-26T04:51:00.002-04:00

I just LOVE creating with wool felt. Whether it's an ornament, a pillow, a wall-hanging, or a penny rug - I just LOVE it.

I was introduced to penny rugs during a shopping trip with my Mom to Sturbridge many, many years ago. There were several wonderful primitives shops out there that we liked to visit who carried primitive doll kits, wool felt kits, punchneedle kits, and penny rug kits.

One store in particular specialized in wool fabric. And, boy, did they have wool fabric. Some of the most beautiful wool fabric you'd ever want to see. And, boy, was it EXPENSIVE.

This store, in particular, would put together wool fabric bundles, maybe 10-15 wool pieces per bundle. I just loved looking at the color combination's and would imagine what I could make out of them. Then, my Mother would snap me back to reality by turning the price tag over. YIKES! Beautiful wool is expensive. Alas, all I could do was dream and save my pennies.

During the last couple of years there was a store out there that we liked to visit that put together penny rug kits. It, too, is no longer there. However, during our last visit I bought several penny rug wool kits and, finally, had a chance to put some of them together this summer.

One of my favorite kits and patterns is the "Pumpkin Patch" which is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post. It is based upon a Lakeview Primitives pattern and features a large primitive pumpkin.

The pattern was very easy to follow and I had no problems with it. It contained the pattern pieces, supplies list, and directions for creating the Pumpkin Patch penny rug decoration. As penny rug decorations are usually put together using a blanket stitch the pattern also included an illustration for how you stitch a blanket stitch. The pattern also calls for pre-felted wool - which, in my case, was already provided in the kit. However, if you don't have a kit and buy wool the pattern contains directions for felting your wool.

The wool kit was nicely put together by the store and contained plenty of the wool and DMC floss needed for the pattern. In fact, there was plenty of wool scraps and DMC floss left over that I could utilize for another design if I wanted to. And, believe me, it will be put to good use.

The finished size of the "Pumpkin Patch" penny rug is 17" x 12" and I folded the top over to create a pocket that I could insert a dowel into so I could hang my pumpkin patch picture from. I tied ribbon to the sides of the dowel so I could hang it from one of the pegs on my fireplace.

It's labeled as a penny rug pattern, but it isn't a traditional penny rug. A traditional penny rug is a decoration made of stitched together coin shaped fabric scraps - preferably wool felt scraps.

However, like all things over time, penny rug decorations have evolved in the primitive and folk-art community from the traditional penny (coin) shaped decorative pieces to just about any medium size primitive or folk-art needlecraft wool felt decoration. Some may be coin shaped wool circles sewn together to make a table-mat, table runner, coaster, wall hanging, etc. Others may contain a few of the coin shaped wool circles along the edges while others don't contain any of the coin shaped circles at all.

I, of course, fell in love with penny rugs and wool felt kits from the minute I saw them and just had to make some. I bought some kits and wrote about three penny rug and wool felt kits I had bought and put together last January in a post on my "The Book Review Corner" blog entitled "I Really Wanted To Try Needle Felting and Penny Rug Felting - I Loved It!"

So, what exactly is a traditional penny rug? Traditionally it is a medium sized decoration made of stitched together coin shaped wool fabric circle scraps. Usually the coin shaped wool scraps are sewn together into a pattern to form a table-mat, wall hanging, table runner, etc.

Like everything else there is a history associated with penny rugs and, since I'm a history buff, I thought you might enjoy a little history lesson.

According to Wikipedia the history of penny rugs is as follows:

In the 1800s, starting around the time of the Civil War, thrifty homemakers would use scraps of wool or felted wool from old clothing, blankets and hats to create designs for mats or rugs. Using coins as templates, they created circles and each piece was then stitched in blanket stitch fashion. (Thus, the name "penny" rug). Sometimes, the mats or rugs were backed with old burlap bags or feed sacks. Sometimes a penny was stitched inside the mat to make it lie flat.

Penny rugs are not actual rugs for the floor, but decorative coverings for beds, tables and dressers and mantles. Sometimes they are used as wall hangings or pillows. Most designs include circles and some include images from everyday life such as cats, flowers, birds and shapes such as stars and hearts.

Penny rugs are made by selecting good quality 100% wool. It must not be too thick. It may be hand-dyed or over dyed to give the piece dimension. Circles are cut from the wool in varying sizes and then stitched together concentrically using complementary colors. The circles are stitched to a wool backing in a pleasing design. When finished the entire piece should have a backing to cover the stitches and to protect it. The backing may be wool, linen or burlap.

I ran across a wonderful blog the other day by Colleen MacKinnon called "Penny Rugs and More - From the beginnings to the finishings...recycling wool into penny rugs and more." It's all about her traditional penny rugs and contains wonderful posts about her penny rugs and wool felt creations as well as several free tutorials on making penny rugs. If you love penny rugs or want to learn how to make a traditional penny rug then you should pay a visit to her "Penny Rugs and More" blog.

I have several more penny rugs kits left to make and will, hopefully, if time permits, get them done this winter.

In the meantime I'm just loving my "Pumpkin Patch" wall hanging. I hope you do too.