Yes, that’s right! I have finished stitching – I’m just waiting for some super-strong glue to come through my letterbox so I can finish it off, as well as the Peacock Clutch.
Here’s the whole clutch:
And this is what it will look like when it’s folded over … just imagine it with a metal clasp – oh, and without all the excess canvas 
I’ll let you know when it’s complete!
Yesterday Cottage Crafts had a client who wanted her needlepoint finished off, as she is no longer able to stitch. She asked if I was interested in doing this, and it got me thinking … is there a market in Australia for finishing unfinished projects?
I wonder how many people have needlepoints at home that they have been meaning to finish, but have not had the time or the energy to complete them? Or older people who are no longer physically able to stitch?
A quick Google search revealed that there is a large company who does this in the US, and a few needlepoint shops in the UK … but none in Australia (that advertise online, anyway).
If you’re reading this, and are interested – please contact me! I haven’t worked out prices and such, but am thinking of offering this service as part of my business. There would have to be certain conditions – such as working on one at a time, and fitting this in with my other activities (such as working full-time and studying part-time!), but if needlepoints have been sitting around for years, what’s a few more months?
Comments and suggestions welcome!
I’m waaaaaay behind with posting Treasuries that I’ve been included in – sorry! But here are several recent ones, so have a peek at what Etsy has to offer
‘Support Your Local Roller Derby Team!’ by violetsphinx:
‘Egyptian Style’ by IrisCorner:
‘Hi, What’s Your Sign’ by williamburge:
‘Burial Treasures’ by julie kelso:
Thank you to these lovely people for including my work!!
If you’re in South Australia, then you would have heard of Cottage Crafts (462 Fullarton Road, Myrtle Bank). Well, it’s under new management, and the owners want to encourage younger people to get stitching … so they’re stocking my kits!!
There will be a window display of my work for a couple of weeks – I’ll take a pic when I’m next going past
Yes, I’ve finally thought of a name for my ‘Red’ design – ‘Red Over Red’. 10 points to the first person who guesses my musical influence
Here’s the last stitch in progress:
And here’s Lily holding up the finished product:
Next weekend it will be taken to the local needlepoint shop to be made up into a cushion – yay! Then it’s photography, and hours of cutting threads and preparing the kit.
Since I’m addicted to cross stitching, I decided to start my Bats Clutch straight away! Here was my process … first, I traced around the clasp and cut out a pattern:
Then I traced the pattern out onto the canvas – the middle will be the bottom of the clutch:
It’s a pretty simple design – just some bats drawn onto the canvas with texta:
I’m really loving the lolly pink and black design, with added silver accents for subtle ‘bling’ effect:
Although I’m actually stitching the first part upside-down
This cute little clutch purse will be a prototype only – I’m sure I’ll get a lot of use out of it! I’ll probably make one for the shop after that
Thank you to all the kids (and adults!) who attended the ‘How To Cross Stitch’ workshop at Brighton Library today I had a great time, met some cool people, and sold some kits … and was pleasantly surprised that all the kids seemed to pick up the basic cross stitch, with some starting to create their own designs – very impressive!
The next one will be for the Adelaide Fringe Festival on March 3, and will be held at Glenelg Library.
Yep, that’s my aim! Sounds sinister, I know … but it’s better than being addicted to video games and television, right?
I have my first Kids Workshop on Monday. I haven’t really figured out what I’m going to say, or how I’m going to say it … but I’ve got a whole pile of wool, some (blunt) needles, plastic canvas cut into bookmark shapes and some graph paper. I think everything else will be fine!
Hopefully some of the parents will buy their kids a cross stitch kit while they’re there
Some of my designs were done a long time ago … for example, the Moon Phases kit was designed back in 2000, and my first website was created in 2005. A lot has changed since then, and since Anita has a very good camera, I thought it was time to re-take some of my pictures!
The Bookmark kits will have to wait until another day, and a couple of kits (Astrology and Landscape) were originally commissions, so are not with me. But here are the others – I hope you like them!
Moon Phases
Diamonds
Isis
Thoth
Spartans
Skulls
Hathor
Planets
La Sirene
Yep, this is how I create cross stitch kits … scribble all over the canvas in texta, stitch over the top, then spend time on Excel making up a graph so other people can follow my pattern. Probably quite a chaotic way of working … but pre-planning designs is not something I’m good at
My first ‘how to cross stitch’ workshop is scheduled for January 16!
Hopefully I don’t scare the kiddies … and create cross stitch OBSESSION, heh heh
The class is half full, so if you’re in Adelaide, give Brighton Library a call on 8229 9988.
