Cross Stitch Pillows

Today, I wanted to share some more cross-stitch information. Also, I finished the pillow that matches the baby quilt. Now I just need the perfect nursery to put them in.

The light pink and blue pillow, on the bottom left, is on Aida 14 ct. The design is 30 stitches by 30 stitches. It's finished size is about 2 1/8" by 2 1/8" and that scale works well for fashion dolls.

The center pillow in red and blue is on Aida 18 ct. It's finished size is 1 5/8" by 1 5/8". The design is 30 stitches by 30 stitches. It is identical to the previous pillow, just stitched on a different fabric.

The tiny pink and blue pillow, on the far right is on Hardanger 22 ct. The design is 29 stitches by 29 stitches. It measures about 1 1/4" by 1 1/4". The matching baby quilt is on the same fabric. These are scaled better for 1:12 dollhouse miniatures.

Today, I started designing my next project. I'm going to make another "quilt" in red on white. This one will be for a double bed. I suspect it will take me a long, long time to complete, but I'm not concerned about the time it will take. I will share my progress as I go.

Miniature Needlework

It's kind of fun having analytics available on this site's traffic.  I've noticed lots of hits related to miniature cross-stitch patterns.

I can't share any patterns that are not my own. I don't want to infringe on someone's copyright. I can share links to pattern books that I like. Some of these books I own, some I've borrowed through the library. Now, if your library doesn't have anything you want, don't give up! Here's my not-so-secret inner librarian coming out, just go and ask your librarian about inter-library loan.  This is a fine case of  "Ask and you shall receive!"

If you have the money, buy them from your local bookstore to support a local business.

There is just one disclaimer for the books I'm listing below. They mostly talk about needlepoint or embroidery. I'm a goof and have not tried actual needlepoint, although it's ridiculously similar to cross-stitch. I don't let these "needlepoint" patterns faze me. Just follow the chart and cross-stitch to your heart's content. The scale may be off, but you can adjust that by using a fabric with a smaller weave.  The things I've stitched, like the quilts, have been on Hardanger 22-ct fabric.  Anything larger (a smaller number means fewer stitches per inch, like Aida 14) will look out of scale. Although, if you're aiming for Playscale, Barbie or Blythe size, then Aida 14 works pretty well.

Also, there are a few interesting sites out there that share patterns. I really like Kincavel Krosses. Check out her binscornu and blackwork/redwork patterns. They are fantastic and could easily become mini quilts!

Good luck, fellow stitchers!

(Updated January 21, 2016 to remove bad links. Please check out Amazon for miniature books.)

RGT Build-along 2013

Bonjour! I bought this cute little kit from Real Good Toys for the build-along project. It arrived Wednesday. Last night, I opened the boxes and taped it up to see how it will look.

When I ordered the kit, I made a little sketch of what I wanted to do. I have been scouring the internet for French buildings, especially ones in Paris. The downstairs will be a tiny cafe. The middle will be the living area of a small apartment. The top floor will be the bedroom and bathroom. Since this house is fairly small, small by my idea at least, the rooms will flow into each other, much like a real Parisian apartment.

I'm going to have a little work to make the round l'oeil de boeuf windows, but it shouldn't be too bad. I also want to make a little staircase outside the cafe that looks like wrought iron, then have coordinating wrought iron railing on the 2nd story porch.It's going to be fabulous, n'est-ce pas?