A First For Me...

I was stitching along this morning, working on the last magnet on this piece of linen when I decided I really disliked the design I was working on. It's a grouping of peppers, and between the shaping of the peppers and the cartoon-y colors the designer chose (or their conversion from DMC to Anchor), I could not see wasting the time to finish it. Sigh... I guess I am too antsy to get started on something else. Now I am free to move on to other projects.

So, yes, finally, I have a start on ornaments. There are so very many cute ones that it is very hard to decide what to do first. I did manage to narrow the field down a little. As I finish these, I will be adding them to Storenvy first and then to Etsy after September 1st. Why the difference? I have to re-list my items every 4 months and pay a new listing fee with Etsy.

I have also become a lot more active with the Angel Quilt Project. They do so much good for families that are truly stressed. Stitching for them makes me feel good. My finished pieces will be heading to Canada for finishing and final delivery to a family. I will still be stitching for the US Division as well.

Don't forget -- there is only about 2 days left to enter the Summer Giveaway. I can't wait to see where my butterflys are going to go. I do hope they will end up with someone who appreciates them.

It is Midsummer's Day here in Finland. Time for good food, good friends, and family. I hope your summer goes well. I will post a picture of this next group very shortly.

Happy Stitching!

FHT Summer Giveaway is HERE!!

I am really excited about this. I am one of the 11 Finnish handcrafters participating in this FREE Summer giveaway. Our team now has over 100 members, and to celebrate, we decided to pool our resources and create this lovely gift basket. The retail value is over 230 Euros (almost $300).  My lovely butterfly and frog magnets are part of this, and I don't even offer this particular grouping in my online shops which makes it even more special. So, here's how YOU get to take part... Between now and June 24th,

Rules of the Giveaway

1. Like the FHT page on facebook

2. Like all participating shops pages

3. Share the giveaway on your wall

Enter the Giveaway

It really isn't that difficult, and it should only take a few moments to do. I know you will find a lot of very cool things to like with these skilled artisans. I am always amazed myself when I see their latest creations. On behalf of everyone on the Finland Handcrafters Team, I wish you the absolute best of luck.

A Novel Idea

While working on the magnets for the Finland Handcrafters Team, I decided to offer some designs on evenweave. There are very few sellers out there that do this. Most stitch on 14 count Aida or perforated plastic (which is also 14 count). Some do stitch on 18 count Aida, but very very few use evenweave. I happen to love working with this, and I will offer it with some appropriate designs.

I have also started grouping items into sets, especially as I complete enough designs to have it make sense. The first up is a set of 3 butterfly magnets, available in either fabric choice.

Set of 3 Butterfly Magnets on Aida

This is a picture of the Aida version. The evenweave version is on a lovely 32 count antique white Lugana.

And yes, that is the same lavender butterfly that was featured in the earlier post on Aida versus Evenweave. I do give a nice break on price for buying the set, plus it is only 1 item for shipping which saves you even more. As I add more to the categories, I will add a listing for any 3 magnets. 

Don't Be Afraid of Evenweave

Many cross stitchers will stitch on nothing but Aida because it is easy to find and easy to work with. It comes in a lot of sizes and colors and you can find it in many shops. Aida can have a "chunky" look to it because of the way it is made. Here's an example of 14 count Aida, and you can readily see where your needle should go.

14 count Aida

  

Evenweave, on the other hand is harder to figure out in the beginning. Here's an example of a 25 count Lugana. The holes are not as obvious as this (and all evenweaves) are made up of one thread running vertically and one thread running horizontally. By way of comparison, Aida has clusters of 4 threads.

25 count Lugana

But why torture yourself for something that is supposed to be relaxing? For one, fractional stitches are a breeze on evenweave. For two, your work looks so much more elegant on it. If you are stitching that is fully covered by stitches and doesn't have a lot of fractionals, Aida is a great way to go. But, if you are on the curious side, give it a go.

Evenweave comes in so many different styles and counts it can be very confusing. Linen is probably the best known but is the hardest to work with. It can have uneven slubs because it is a natural plant fiber. I know, uneven spots in evenweave sounds like an oxymoron but it is really not. Evenweave means the loom has been set for so many stitches per inch in both directions. My recommendations for a first project are Jubilee, Monaco, or Lugana. All have nice rounded threads, come in lots of pretty colors and counts, and are very easy to work on. If you are used to 14 count Aida, look for 28 count evenweave. For your first project, I will suggest 25 count Lugana as it is a little bit larger. You are stitching over 2 threads, so you take the thread count and divide by 2 to get how many stitches per inch.

To start cross stitching, locate your starting point on your chart. Everyone starts in a different place. I usually like my work to be centered so that I have enough excess for framing or mounting. Find the spot closest to your starting point where the vertical thread is on top of the horizontal one. This is where your needle goes. Check this blowup of evenweave. I have a red dot next to the hole where your needle will go for the first stitch. See it? Just remember, you want to ride on TOP of the bridge to enjoy the view.

Doing the magnets for the Finland Handcrafters Team gave me a chance to do a side by side. Here's the same exact design done on 32 count Lugana (left) and also on 16 count Aida (right). Personally, I think the one on Lugana is just a bit more special. This is the one that will be going into the special promotion basket. (For more information, check my earlier post!!) These have not yet been blocked, sorry!!

Side by side - Evenweave on the left, Aida on the right

And here are the finished magnets. The evenweave magnet is on the left.

See how much more delicate the butterfly looks when stitched on evenweave? It's really all about using the materials at hand to make our creations come out the way we see them in our mind. There are just so many lovely lovely fabrics to choose from these days. Don't limit yourself to just working with Aida!

If you are still lost, there are tons of videos out there that show you exactly where to start. Take an easy design, a piece of evenweave, grab a cup of coffee and spend some quiet time bonding with your fabric. I can guarantee that once you try it, you will be hooked and actually look forward to stitching on these exciting fabrics.

More new goodies on the way!

So, it is almost spring here in Central Finland. The temperatures have been above freezing both night and day for a couple of days now, and our snow is rapidly melting.

I am part of a group of artisans from Finland called the Finland Handcrafters Team. We recently added our 100th member and decided we wanted to do a group giveaway. 10 of us have pooled our efforts and will be offering items. You don't have to buy anything, but of course, we love it when you do. Some of us are making special items just for this, while others have picked favorites from their stock. I will be posting pictures over the next few days on My Needle's Song Facebook Page. You can also follow the progress on the team's Facebook Page or Blog. Either way, I will keep you all informed on what is being offered, what you have to do, and by what date.

Here's a real rough picture of the butterflies I am turning into magnets:

These will be ready later this week along with some other treats.... Thanks for stopping by!

A slight change of focus...

This blog will always feature news about my Etsy Shop, but, it is also going to start being a whole lot more. I get questions from other stitchers about how to make their work better, or how to find this item or that chart. There are also a ton of websites out there that promise free charts but take your identity instead. I am also noticing a lot of needlework shops disappearing. So...

Shop news... I added a bunch of magnets about 10 days ago, and am finishing off the stitching for another group. This group will be a bit smaller, but will include one of my favorite designs - a wizard.

This is just a rough teaser of him. He still has to be washed, blocked and finished. He was originally a Christmas ornament, but he would be so cute hanging year round. Watch for him to make his shop debut very soon. While he can be finished as a magnet, he is best at his job of just hanging around from a golden cord. His wand will also be topped by a crystal.

My Etsy Shop is also now a part of the Finland Handcrafter's Team. This is a phenomenal group of artisans based in Finland that do a wide range of handwork - fine jewelry, knit goods, accessories for your home, and so very much more. I am amazed at these people, and will start showing off their shops in the next few posts. So that this blog doesn't get so cluttered (and off-topic), you can read about my finds at Handcrafted Joy

But first, why Etsy? From my standpoint (the crafter), it offers a nice platform to display my work for sale. They do take a small commission as well as a nominal listing fee, but I don't have to pay for my hosting. I get nice statistics as well. For you shoppers, you really win out on this. PayPal is the preferred method of payment, which means you shop securely without ever having to give out your payment information. I don't get your credit card or banking information ever. You also have PayPal's shopper's guarantees behind you- If you don't get your item or it isn't as I described it, you do have recourse and it is even better than using your bank card. Etsy has thousands of shops offering an incredible range of items - high fashion, accessories, home decor, craft supplies, gifts, and just about everything else you can possibly imagine. Items that say they are handmade are just that - handmade by me (or the artisan/shopowner) and not purchased from China. 

So, so yourself a favor and check out Etsy or my new blog. Easter is coming up, so you can always just search for Easter and enjoy the outstanding selection of goodies to tempt you.