Sad news to pass on

It is with great sadness that I share of the news of the sudden passing of one of my favorite cross stitch designers. Lisa Roswell was the owner and designer for The Primitive Needle and her blog was one of the first that I started following a few years ago. My October 2010 finish was Salem Witch and that was a chart I purchased directly from Lisa and The Primitive Needle. I am amazed and gratified that cross stitch has once again regained popularity and needlework designers have a voice and presence. The online community is directly responsible for this resurgence and designers like Lisa Roswell contributed greatly to its success.

The link to the story is below, but I must warn you, this is a heartbreaking accident that could happen to any of us. It is especially heartbreaking since Lisa was a such a wonderful and talented person. She was a dedicated cancer care nurse, a mother and designer and will be sorely missed.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/norwalk/news/2011/feb/28/woman-trapped-car

February 2011 Finish

This dual finish includes an "old" project and a "new" one. The pillow worked on needlework canvas with DMC floss and silk ribbon was actually started over 20 years ago at the Cross Stitch Festival in Valley Forge PA. I finally finished it this month and added it to my Valentine's Day decorations. The cross stitch pin pillow was started and finished this month. It is a freebie design from Primitive Betty's blog. I used DMC variagated floss and stitched on 28 count linen.

January 2011 Finish

This valentine's pinkeep was stitched with DMC floss on 28 count linen. The fabric is a Waverly Toile, accented with a black grograin ribbon. This design is a freeby from Gigi on-line, named

"V comme Valentine". I found it under http://gigir.canalblog.com/

December Finish for OPAM

This cross stitch design is from NotForgotten Farm. I tea dyed the aida cloth to make it look antique. I finished it as a flat fold with Makower fabric on the back and a gold trim on the top. It will stay on my table until it is time to decorate for Valentine's Day since it is more a "winter design" than a Christmas one.

This is also my 12th and final OPAM finish for 2010. I want to thank Peg Coen for hosting the OPAM for 2010 - it helped me clear old half finished projects and forced me to be creative with finishes.

November Finish for OPAM

This cross stitch turkey is a Lizzie Kate design - the November #F44 Stamp. I used 28 count linen and finished it as a three dimensional foam box. The foam form measures 4 by 4 inches.

October Finish

This "Salem Witch" design comes from the Primitive Needle. I hand dyed the Aida 11 to give it a mottled look and used DMC Variegated 4120 for the letters and numbers. On the back of the flat fold I used a black cotton with white cats. I found a funky trim for the top. The piece measures 7" x 5 1/2".

September Finish

This design comes from the September 2010 Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine. The chart has three segments and I chose to do just two since I could only find a dual, not a triple frame. I took Aida 11 and dyed one piece lime green and the other tangerine. The rit dye website has an easy method for dying fabric with a quick set in the microwave! No more rinsing in water with salt - the high temps in the microwave set the color in under 2 minutes.

The cross stitch was a quick finish and the framing couldn't have been easier. I wrapped the fabric around a mat board and removed the glass.