Tuesday, October 31, 2017

A Busy Year...

Hi friends!

How are you all? I hope this finds you well and that you've had lots of time for stitching throughout 2017. It has been a very busy year for me and I have not updated this blog in such a long time (which is a bit naughty of me - sorry!) It's hard to know where to begin - so much has happened since my first design was published in The World of Cross Stitching magazine, a little over a year ago. I have become a regular designer for WOXS, which has been an amazingly wonderful experience, and through this opportunity I have met many more lovely stitchers, as well. I have plans to start featuring some of your work here on my blog. I already share a lot of work-in-progress and/or finished project photos on my social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram are where you can mostly find me these days) but I was thinking a special 'gallery wall' here might be an extra special feature! :o)


In the meantime, I thought I'd do a bit of a summary of the past twelve months... starting with the British version of my signature 'Four Seasons' samplers, which was published in
the special 250th Issue of The World of Cross Stitching magazine! I was absolutely thrilled to create this design as it is such a fun one to stitch. Done in the same style/layout as my New Zealand and Australian versions, it has lots of sweet little scenes making up the overall sampler. This pattern is actually now available in my Etsy shop and as a little treat, I will be offering a discount code towards the end of this post, so keep reading... ;o)

British Four Seasons Design for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
'British Four Seasons Sampler' published in the January 2017 Issue 250
of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

Lavender Daisy Wreath for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
'Lavender and Daisy Wreath' published in the August 2017 Issue 257
of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS



Next up was another variation in my collection of floral heart designs, a pretty 'Lavender and Daisy Wreath' published in the August 2017 Issue 257 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. I especially love how beautifully the team at WOXS finished the model in French country style - the lace framing the hoop is absolutely gorgeous and the purple ribbon literally 'ties it all together'. These floral hearts are such a joy to create and continue to be very popular!










Perhaps my favourite project so far has been my 'Dreamy Retro Kitchen' design, published in the September 2017 Issue 258 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. This was especially fun to work on, as it is based on my kitchen at home, right down to the colours! I love British kitchen ware and have gathered quite a collection of both new and vintage items, over the years. We even have a ruby red stand mixer, just like the one featured! The really neat thing about a design like this, is that you can mix and match the thread colours to suit your own kitchen decor, so the possibilities are endless! :o)


Retro Kitchen Design for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
'Dreamy Retro Kitchen' published in the September 2017 Issue 258 of
The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

The October 2017 Issue 259 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine featured my set of four 'Sewing Accessories' including a pincushion, needlebook, scissor fob and notebook cover. I love the soft, layered look of each piece and I enjoyed 'scattering' some pearl beads across each notion to add to the pretty 'antique' style of the collection ~ I think they turned out really well. 


Craft Notebook Needlebook for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
 Embroidery Hoop Pincushion Scissor Fob for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
   
'Sewing Accessories' published in the October 2017 Issue 259 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS


And, most recently, I designed these two lovely autumn posies for the November 2017 Issue 260 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. These designs celebrate the classic blooms we all identify with late summer/early autumn - the colours are rich and vibrant and they make the perfect pair of stitched decorations for the season!

Autumn Posies for The World of Cross Stitching Magazine
'Autumn Posies' published in the November 2017 Issue 260 of
The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

So, there you have it - a selection of the designs that have been keeping me busy this year! I also have a couple of new patterns that I released this year for homestitchness, so I will post about those soon, too. In the meantime, if you read this far, well done! And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I mentioned a discount code... ;o) From now until the end of 2017, you can receive 40% off your entire purchase in my Etsy shop by using the coupon code THANKYOU2017  ... this is my way of thanking each and every one of you for your support of my work. It truly is a dream come true to be able to stay at home with my children while doing what I love - cross stitch - and it is you, my stitching friends, that help to make it all possible. In a nutshell - you are awesome!!! :o)

We'll catch up again, soon! As always, happy stitching...

Jenny x