Peculiar Pumpkins

 

I didn't manage to get this done in time for Halloween, but wanted to show it off anyway because it's so charmingly weird and the colors are so vibrant... I love it!

This is Peculiar Pumpkins by Noctiflora Designs from the 2023 Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue (also available in her Etsy shop). I stitched it (her?) with the recommended DMC on 32 ct. Exotic Orchid Lugana.

Such soulful little eyes.

Fun stitch, and a bright, colorful addition to all of my dark Halloween finishes.

Summer Birds Finished & Framed

 

Before I wander off into Holiday Land, I wanted to share the results of my Summer Birds project for this year. I've had these finished for a while but hadn't taken the time to photograph and post, so here they are. If you're just joining us and want info on any of these designs, click on the "birds" label at the end of this post or in the right sidebar under "Labels".

Quick review: I decided to re-do my summer themed stitching decor and chose birds and had a wonderful time stitching them this spring and summer. I still have a bunch of designs to get through so I plan to continue this next spring.

My cheerful, colorful jumble of birds!

I have so many birds I want to stitch, adding to this collection will keep me busy for years!

Framing: Centering Made Easy

Finally had a chance to get in my sewing room and get some work done! This beautiful Blue Jay from Pigeon Coop Designs was the last project I completed for this year's Summer Birds and I've framed him at last! The frame is from The Rusty Roof. They have a nice selection of custom sizes and a good range of color choices. 

Framing your own needlework isn't hard and it saves a ton of money (my basic framing tutorial). The trickiest part is probably getting your piece centered properly, so I thought I'd share how I do it. As with a lot of other stuff I share here, this is probably not "the way you're supposed to do it" but it's the way I do it and it's easy and it works, so there's that. 

After cutting the foam core to the proper size, I use a ruler to draw two lines between the corners to find the center of the foam core.

I also measure and mark the center of each side.

Then I stick a pin through the center of the foam core.

Referring to the marked center of the design chart, I lay the finished piece on the padded foam core, with the pin sticking up through the center of the design. I now have the exact center of the design matched to the exact center of the foam core.

I then put one pin in the marked center of each side. If it looks good, I start pinning in the corners, working between opposite sides (ie. top right corner, then bottom left; top left corner, then bottom right), gently stretching and straightening as needed, pinning all the way around the piece, with pins about 1/4" apart. I start in the corners because it's easier to stretch the fabric in two directions (lengthwise and widthwise) simultaneously, and it's also easier to see if the horizontal and vertical fibers are exactly perpendicular, which they will be if the stretch is nice and even. If it's uneven, you can easily see the wiggle in the fibers at the corner.

So that's it! It takes some practice but it really isn't difficult at all and it saves so much money.