The 2014 New Releases Are Here!

Hello Stitch Friends,

Today is the 31st of January in New Zealand and I am so happy to finally be able to show you the three new home♥stitch♥ness designs that I've been working on over the past several months! Currently they are available exclusively through the home♥stitch♥ness Etsy shop. If you can't pick a favourite and would like to stitch more than one design, I have included a couple of pattern bundle listings so that you can purchase two or three charts at discounted prices.



Together these three designs make up 'The Home Collection' and look lovely on display by themselves, in a pair or as a trio. I thought I would share with you below the inspiration behind them all. As you will have noticed by my original releases, I love cottages - especially the classic New Zealand Villa - but I'm also very interested in interior design and the pretty things we surround ourselves with, that make a house a HOME. 

♥ Bless Our Home ♥

I love hydrangeas so much and miss the huge blooms that flourish in New Zealand's climate. Where we live in the USA, the cold winters prevent hydrangeas from growing very big. The white hydrangeas are by far the most suitable for our zone... however the blue flowers are my favourite!

I love the look of cut hydrangeas in a vase and this design was inspired by the iconic New Zealand Crown Lynn Swan - I admire the simple elegance those vases bring to a room. I chose the phrase 'Bless Our Home' to accompany the design as the phrase has such a peaceful sound to it and I often pray those three little words over our family home.

♥ Home Sweet Home ♥

I am always inspired by pretty colours, gorgeous fabrics and classic patterns. Needless to say, I absolutely adore patchwork quilts! I have dabbled in patchwork a little in the past and it is on my list of personal goals to make a huge quilt one day... however it seems like such a huge project to take on, I'm sure it will take me quite a while! In the meantime, I have designed and made a cross stitch quilt :o)

To me, quilts are all about feeling comfortable and cosy at home and appreciating the love that is poured into creating something special for your family. I felt the phrase 'Home Sweet Home' was perfect for this design and I personalised it by adding 'EST. ♥ 2002' as that is the year my husband and I got married. If you don't have a particular date in mind to personalise the design with, you could always put your initials and the year you stitched the design, which is very traditional.

♥ Welcome ♥

This pretty little tea party scene was inspired by my eclectic collection of china and such. We all want to create a warm and inviting home to welcome friends and family alike and what better way to do so than with tea and refreshments! 

The tea cup and saucer is inspired by the distinctive tulip shape of the Crown Lynn Colour Glaze collection and the little jug is very reminiscent of Cornish Ware. I love tea cosies and again - I am wanting to make one just like this one, with crocheted roses on top - but for now I have stitched it instead :o) I felt the word 'Welcome' perfectly summed up this design that I imagine will look lovely on display in kitchens everywhere.

So, there you have it - the 2014 home♥stitch♥ness new design releases! Which one is your favourite? Do tell :o)

Jenny x

Coming Soon...

Hello and HAPPY 2014!!!

I hope the new year is off to a great start for you all, wherever you live... I have been missing the NZ summer lately as it has been REALLY cold in our part of the States this winter. However, it is definitely good crafting weather and I've enjoyed spending my evenings curled up on a comfy chair, working on the latest home♥stitch♥ness designs that are due for release VERY SOON! 

If you follow home♥stitch♥ness on Facebook, you might have noticed that I've been posting a few sneak peeks that give away some clues about the new designs. I'm pretty excited about them - they are a set of three small designs that fit perfectly in a 6"/15cm embroidery hoop so that they can be displayed as hoop wall art when you're finished. They look lovely by themselves, in a pair or as a trio - it will be up to you how many you want to stitch! The designs celebrate the affection we feel toward our homes and feature some of the lovely things we fill them with to make them our own. While there are some definite New Zealand influences in the mix, they are pretty universal and will (hopefully!) appeal to stitchers everywhere. Here is a photo of the gorgeous DMC threads I have chosen for the designs - with so many beautiful colours to choose from, it is definitely one of my favourite steps in the design process!

Colour combinations for the new home♥stitch♥ness patterns & kits

I will be back soon to show you the new releases :o) In the meantime I had better get back to pattern proofing while my little boy naps!

Jenny x

Merry Christmas!

It is almost Christmas day! Our house is decorated, the presents are ready and we've been busy baking cookies and playing in the snow. Our daughter's preschool held their little Christmas performance last Thursday, which delighted everyone in the audience. It was so sweet to watch a lively group of 3 & 4 year olds reciting rhymes (complete with actions and big smiles) and singing their little hearts out to the tune of well known carols! 

A collection of Christmas decorations around our house...

I want to wish you all a very happy festive season and also take the opportunity to say THANK YOU for helping make 2013 such a great year for home♥stitch♥ness! It was a dream come true for me to finally begin selling my cross stitch patterns after so many years of creating and dreaming. I have learnt a lot about running a small business this year and have been very grateful for the support of so many people. There have been a couple of real highlights, too, such as having my 'joy' ornament design featured in the 2013 Christmas showcase edition of the NZ creative lifestyle magazine, The Jam Jar Magazine, as well as on the official DMC Threads Blog during their 'Twelve Weeks of Holiday Projects'. 

Advent activities...

 

Above all, the feedback I've received from YOU - friends, family, fellow stitchers and customers - has been so encouraging! Thank you all for following along as I have started on this journey - your interest and support means so much to me! I am looking forward to releasing three new designs in January 2014 and hope to post a couple of sneak peeks for you over on the Facebook page soon :o) In the meantime, may you and your families have a very merry Christmas and best wishes to you all for the year ahead.

Jenny x

Christmas Sale!

Hi friends! Just a little note to let you know that I have launched a Christmas sale over at the home♥stitch♥ness Etsy shop - receive 25% off ALL patterns (which includes free shipping) until Sunday, 8th December (US time). 

The perfect gift idea for a friend/relative who loves to cross stitch, or a new project for you to work on over your Christmas holiday...

As always, happy stitching :o)
Jenny x

A Kiwi Christmas Decoration Freebie...

It is already the 1st of November in New Zealand and the countdown to Christmas has definitely begun! Today is the day I've been planning to release my 2013 Kiwi Christmas decoration design and - in the spirit of Christmas - I am sharing the pattern with you all as a GIFT :o) 

'joy' Christmas Ornament
by home♥stitch♥ness

'joy' Christmas Ornament by home♥stitch♥ness 

Here it is photographed on our blue spruce tree - if you follow home♥stitch♥ness on Facebook you may remember that just over a week ago, this little tree was covered in SNOW! Thankfully it all melted away pretty quickly so I was able to hang the ornament on a branch for my husband to take some pics last weekend :o)

JOY is one of my most favourite words ever and describes everything that Christmas means to me and my family. To give this design a uniquely NZ flavour, it features a bright red pohutukawa flower in full bloom. I couldn't decide which shade of green I liked better for the lettering, so in the end decided to go with both :o)

It was a really quick and easy design to stitch and finish into a little ornament and is perfect for both beginners and experienced stitchers alike. All you'll need is a small piece of aida or linen, a few skeins of floss and you're ready to go! The beads are optional but if you can find them in your local craft store, they definitely add some sparkle and a festive look to the pohutukawa flower! 

Deciding how to finish the ornament...

In my stash I found some pohutukawa fabric that I'd had for AGES (the colours matched perfectly!) and some pretty red ribbon to use. My finishing skills are not as fancy as some of my stitching friends, but I hand sewed it into a little pillow that hangs on the tree by a bow. I was pleased with how it turned out - I even popped a couple of little jingle bells into the stuffing to make it extra 'Christmassy' :o) If that sounds too complicated, you could always display it in a small embroidery hoop or a 4 x 6 frame.

x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x

Whether you are participating in an ornament swap this year, wanting to stitch something for your own tree or make a gift for a loved one, I hope this free pattern will encourage you to spend some quiet time being creative amidst the busy pre-Christmas rush! You are welcome to share this link as much as you like and most importantly - ENJOY :o)

Jenny x

{Almost} Four Seasons in One Day...

Four Seaons in New Zealand

As I type this, it is snowing outside. In over a decade of living here in the States, I don't believe I have ever seen it snow like this in October before - I think I would remember if I had! I love the snow, and usually find the first snowfall of the year quite exciting... but this definitely feels a wee bit too early!

While my little girl is at preschool and my little boy naps, I am stitching. Surrounded by autumnal decorations on display in our lounge, while snowflakes quietly float to the ground outside, I am busy finishing my summery Christmas decoration design that I'm getting ready to release. Hmm, no wonder I'm feeling a bit confused by the seasons at the moment!

Have you started thinking about Christmas yet? What craft projects are you working on at the moment?

Jenny x

A Free Gift: Decorative Cross Stitch Tile Pattern

I am excited to share this project with you as it is something I have been wanting to recreate for a long time now and the story behind it has special meaning for our family...

Decorative cross stitch tile pattern

My husband is Belgian by name and by ancestry, so I like to say that "I am Belgian by marriage" :o) Both grandparents on his father's side came to America when they were young, then met and married over here. Several years ago, we had the privilege of visiting Belgium and staying with a cousin and her family. We fell in love with the country and the experience made me rather proud of my inherited Belgian heritage.

A gift I designed and stitched for my husband's very first Father's Day

During our time in Belgium, we were taken to the site of my husband's grandmother's family home where she lived before moving to America. Sadly, the house had not long been demolished for the purpose of new development and all that remained was a pile of rubble. However, out of the ruins, his cousin had salvaged a number of broken pieces of patterned 'tile' as you can see in the photo below, which I believe originally decorated the kitchen.

Our little piece of decorative tile from Belgium

We were given this piece of tile along with a photograph of the cottage to take home with us and the tile has been an ornament in our garden ever since. It is starting to look a little weathered and worn, now, and since I have always liked the pattern, I have been wanting to stitch up a replica to 'preserve' the design and create another keepsake. I finally got around to charting the pattern a few weeks ago and funnily enough, I realised the colours in the tile are exactly the same colours we used to decorate our daughter's bedroom when she was a baby - I had never noticed before! It will be a nice little piece of family history to hang on her wall. 

Stitched Belgian tile hoop art

I want to include the pattern here as a little gift of thanks to you all for your interest in home♥stitch♥ness. I am not sure how to make it available as a PDF to download straight from the blog, so instead I'm going to post the pattern below and you can click on it to enlarge it, then right click and save it onto your computer and print it out that way... 

Decorative Cross Stitch Tile Pattern

Symbol       DMC         Description

o                  368            Mint Green
+                  725            Sunflower Yellow

♥                  760            Rose Pink
 I                  3865          Snow

optional       3032          Clay

It is a repeating pattern, so you can stitch as much or as little of it as you wish. I chose to work on Wichelt's 28 count Clay linen as the colouring of it is very similar to the clay coloured background of the actual tile. It has saved me a LOT of work not having to stitch in between the decorative motifs, but I have suggested a comparable thread colour for stitching in the 'gaps' if you wish. For my project, I wanted to stay true to the original colours of the tile, but there would be so many other gorgeous combinations you could try - for a bolder look I think Navy, Red, Mustard and Cream would look amazing! 

Obviously, the design is not my own, I have simply charted it so I can recreate the pattern with needle and thread. You are most welcome to use the pattern for your own project and share it with your friends :o) I would love to see what you make with it! 

Happy stitching :o)

Jenny x