> , ss > ey "4 , ISSUE 15 . THE 70S . #XSTITCHMAGXSTITCGE AMODERN CROSS STITCH MAGAZINE JAMIE CHALMERS. STACY GRANT. SUSAN DAVIES. 2S = DANA BATHO, CASSANDRA CAVALCA CONFORTI, MARIA DIAZ, LUCIE HEATON, ANGE IRELAND, TOM KATSUMI, AMANDA MAE MACNAUGHTON, CHARLIE MANKIN, GINA NICHOLS, ANNA PAVLYUK, CHERRY PARKER, ROMINA PETRUCCI & DINO PROS. CLARE BRAY, NANCY MEFFE, RHYS TURTON & GRACE WHOWELL. SHERONA BAUCKHAM, SHARON BOSWELL, LAURA BOYTER, DEBBY BRISTOW, SHARON CHAMBERS, SANDRA DOOLAN, MARY FOULERTON, STEPH JOHNSON, JAMES NUTTALL, GRAINNE REDMOND, ANGIE SANDERS & KIRSTY TORRANCE. 2 PAWEL CZERWINSKI, HEATHER FORD, ADRIEN GUH, WILHELM GUNKEL, JASON LEUNG, DANIELE LEVIS PELUSI, EFE KURNAZ, WESTON MACKINNON, AJEET MESTRY, AVI NAIM & TOOLS FOR MOTIVATION. CHARLES HOSKINSON. COPYRIGHT © 2020 BY XSTITCH LIMITED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MAGAZINE OR ANY PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR USED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT FOR THE USE OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS IN A BODK REVIEW. ALL DESIGNS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE LICENSED FROM THE DESIGNER AND MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PERSONAL ENJOYMENT, NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. BE COOL. XSTITCH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY XSTITCH LIMITED, 14 WINDSOR ROAD, WISTASTON, CREWE, CHESHIRE. CWe 8JN. UK. HELLO@XSTITCHMAG.COM SALES@XSTITCHMAG.COM #XSTITCHMAGag aan aR ene a ae ‘Wool In The Wood - Let’s Jam.__24. icie Cre -Hop od ae : ves bee Farr Urs ee =— "3 bee Ce Tag Baby 52 1 9.0e Ce -Charger — Pes 58. itches - Freaky non ae . aL rere Hanging By A Thread ee ial Stitchsperation - Follow T: Bgscd EES= Let Lucie Let Loose! FU XStitchers of re oa Stitches Finishing Moves : "42 pare pC Se ree oe Counted be Society of America Newsletter Issue 2/3 ; 63 XStitcher of the Month-Tom Newson 78 The Libidan Lecture 82 Techniques BY | Nancy Framed Us! 109 She A = 115 CPS Ce: Vane Fae 146 ete FACEBOOK & SAAN] #XSTITCHMAG gSOU SO MUCH TO OUR PATRONS! 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DANKE!emer Welcome to Issue 15 - the ‘70s! It’s a groovy collection of cross stitch inspired by one of the most radical decades and in this issue we've got designs that will tick all your retro buttons! Whenever I launch a theme I never know what's going to happen and who will be inspired to create a design for you, and in this issue ‘we've got some truly mind-blowing designs that are some of the coolest I’ve ever seen! Cross stitch magazines were not commonplace back in the 1970s, and it wasn’t easy to find inspiration, but while researching the decade I discovered the newsletter of the Counted Thread Society of America and, to help you appreciate how far we've come, I’ve reprinted their second newsletter! Be sure to check out the hand drawn charts - old school excellence! We've also got our usual mix of articles, including a designer discourse with fan favourite Clare Bray from Climbing Goat Designs, as well as plenty of thoughtful content for you to enjoy! Be sure to click all over the mag, as there are links to our designers, to YouTube content and much more, and don’t forget to join our Facebook group and share your stitching adventures with us! The only thing we love more than cross stitch is you; thanks for making XStitch part of your world! Jamie Chalmers, Founder - XStitch Magazine and big fan of the Cooper Black font! — ompeed 11111} 1,-1.2 o eeei e1e\s (Om ne A yellow combined with a jarring set of mismatched patterns - and you NEV aii Sa Bates Cen iTS OT at TS a aa Le] TOU DN TAY lee AT se oun te (gm Usa ee) AUS ee. peeere a OCC platform shoes. (©) nvsvausstoy BJ nvsvousaroo 7 PSB MTT ny SMOWSTIOOlSES SHS SSH StS SH StS st St st #a@EE ES See Ee SS AES See ee ee ge eee ee eo) St Ot St st st sett ott tt ON i | +90 70K EE SS SH SS SF SS SSH SHS mene nen en +3559 =) SSS 0 «9 Sag ane FS ome SSS a0 SS om ole cnn col nel + st ost os nel z «| S| tt St AE SS att ttt tS Sate tt ete SSE SS StS SH SH tt at te wee tse S9) tated So) Saamam FE 0 oo SSS - te Soo aaaaaa aaaaad aaa aS as ass +S nel en eolen) nel neo} +4 al sa | sa st aac ass SS ats se aaa aaa aaa = aaa aaaaac mem nen en mene ne ey as st i So) al al nelen nel len mae oo en mel ol a on ofS «| mene nen onl+3559 5 55] FSS S om oH SSS om ol AA 4 AA AAAA AAAA AAAAAAA A A FS onan SSE ier] 5 0 oR | SH 600 0 eo I co} Focmamme FE 3 oR on efor) SSEES on SSSSS5 « -| Sn STA tt tH aaaaaacel aaaaa ag aaa ast 0S ass 4 ASS tS os 4 att SEES cst og aa Se 1 SES ol) AAS SS ol Laas ol ol aaaadacadal mene nen nen ealen on con ORES en oo} a en eel ol mine mel ol | oo ofS «| a enn en er men nen onl saatBITSY TEENY Wi E ‘FENIE sR. RAD XSTITCH BIKINI The bikini design is based on the crocheted swimsuit and sunwear patterns. of the. 1970s. Ft incorporates craft elements ~. from the era with a nod -to macrame and granny squares. The themes of sexuality, peace and~love-in—the “midst— of on Vietnam War, and the California surfer culture influenced: this design. Tn the end I was really inspired -by vintage Californian ae handicrafts c a ee 6 ANS JOPLIN = ROP sinwienrve) 7m, NOISSCHLIGUY i) NOISSCHLIGUY Ea WOINSISSCHLUGYY Ww N9IS3O HLIGUY ehDESIGNSIZE 52X38 NCHES STITCH SPACE 72 WDE X 53 HIGH FABRIC ZZWEIGART CASHEL LINEN - 3281/77 Sa 0 DMCCOTTONS1S ANTIQUE MAUVE-MDDK OMCCOTTON471 AVOCADO GREEN- VY LT DMCCOTTONGO5 CRANBERRY - VVLT DMCCOTTON712 CREAM DMCCOTTON728 GOLDEN YELLOW DMCCOTTONS37 —_AVOCADOGREEN- NO. DMCCOTTONS47 BURNT ORANGE DMCCOTTONS7| PUMPKIN DMCCOTTONG75 GOLDEN BROWN OK DMCCOTTONS77 GOLDEN BROWN-LT OMG COTTONS776__ MAHOGANY -LT aaa sia = DESIGNSIZE 7.2 X9INCHES STITCHSPACE 100 WIDE X 126 HIGH FABRIC LAKESIDE NEEDLECRAFT RHUBARB & LIME SR 0 MC COTTON WHITE _ WHITE BACKSTITCH THREADCOLOUR DESCRIPTION CJ OMCCOTTONWHTE WHITE mmm DMC COTTONG851__BRIGHT GREEN -LTODERN. CROSS) Sane GHRE Join Jamie Chalmers AKA Mr X Stitch for this inspiring cross stitch weekend retreat based in the colourful city of Bristol which is bursting at the seams with creative inspiration. e Award winning walking tour of ° eam day and one half day cross * Bristol with a local erent aon aN een * Tea/coffee and mineral water during workshop breaks Based in the creative city of Bristol, this 2-night Designs can be created on paper with pens and retreat will give you an insight into Bristol’s then we'll use PCStitch software to translate them history, creative culture and arts scene on into cross stitch patterns, or you can kick it old a guided walk around the city - the perfect school and work it out on graph paper. Whatever opportunity to gather inspiration for your you choose, Mr X Stitch will be by your side to dynamic project. help! Using your visual cues from the world of street If you intend to use PCStitch for your design, art, Jamie will be your guide to all thing cross you will need to bring your own laptop with the stitch, assisting you to create your own urban software already installed. If you use MacStitch cross stitch pattern - a memento of your ona Mac, then this can also be accommodated. weekend in Bristol and time with like-minded friends. < ARENA [sec scene TRAVEL PPS EPr hela owliPae A WORLD OF EXPERIENCEEY VALI (O) BAAMEQW_XSTITCH JAY BAAMEDW qanSassy Jacks Stitchery provides a wide selection of charts, fabric, thread, and notions for cross stitch, : needlepoint, punch needle, and hand embroidery. + JA Symbol-DMC Symbol-DMC = > «310 Bw 87 3 @ 535 B 970 B 726 B 9862s PP u0id Let mocsed TI ri TO LET LUCIE LET LOOSE, WHERE YOU CAN ee THE MIGHTY LUCIE HEATON TO DESIGN THE CROSS STITCH CHART YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED BUT HAVE NEVER FOUND! E “I Love You” in American Sign Language. As a Deaf cross ‘Stitcher it’s been hard to find that!A poster, Art Deco style - cocktail, or cigarettes or a car witha 1920s lady! Ca | DO YOU WANT A CUSTOM DESIGN? NO TOPIC IS TOO RANDOM SO WHY NOT LET LUCIE LET LOOSE ON YOU? EMAIL LLLL@XSTITCHMAG.COM WITH YOUR IDEAS OR HIT US UP ON SOCIAL! Ls WANT. ott ¢ * SJ Ar esMA ele Ap a ele) e) E FAIRYWOOLINTHEWOODLET'S JAMI Seo TU) 19 COCALO LU MULT eT ey ap PAS Tee| Um eae Ue OTe IM cL (ore Le et Be eT eS AR Marlee eer eerie (Cn AUS CAAT marzo) TeDn SAMMUT ame ms) 0 ao TT IGHT ORCHESTRA VTOLONOON oe62X49 INOHES NDE FABRIC LAKESIDE NEEDLECRAFT- GRANTE -14CT DCC 18 STEEL GRAY Ta BARNET foment Learn the art of hand embroidery Learn at Hampton Court Palace, Bristol, Birmingham, Durham & Glasgow w:royal-needlework.org.uk e:education@royal-needlework.org.uk t:020 3166 6938 Semeur keen seid secs as acer ets WWW.STACYGRANT.CO.UKE HEATON ) LUCIEHEATON.COM Ei LUCIEHEATONCROSSSTITCH Sy LUCIEHEATON“ a Go PSs oc. ea? 09-0 ae SS ig eee eee ABS aR DS ee SS > Se” =>, oD Se Ores SSeS aS. 8 oS Da aoe S's oO a 3: OO w =e a Bp Voom (aa =} ES: @5-a.: 2. mt OD De oe eee n= 7B ease od @ OO.) co x. ae Go me & 2.0 3 ee. SE ®: NS WHITEHEAD MCFADDE A OW [TNOSTUPPIN USN IC IN0 zz Bacecrraed see ee eee eee = oop SEECE oe aman comes, ame amen aman SsiGieiBieie 0XSTITCHERS | wuesecaeeesess Of iInstadtatea and each issue we'll introduce you to a cross stitching crush of ours. iy seamstress grandmother wi lothing for my dolls allthe way to picking first knits, Cross sti 35 just the natural e fe mixing mediums and am constantly ess my ar! UNORTHODOXSTITCHES E UNORTHODOXSTITCHES el aa ee CU oie oa fe EMAIL HELLO@XSTITCHMAG.COM, 9} gaara @xstitchmag PVR geeseLIFE ON THE OPENROAD I was inspired by the classic VW camper van, that ‘70s icon that was a route to camping Freedom for so many people. Why not stitch yourself an outdoor adventure? SOLANNYL3SMS () SOLANNYL3SMS Ei JANNVISAMS HL a ENN) eeEre ory ATE een O00 mmamaiah ‘ NocosssSea2 =| = i =| =) =| =) =| = Es =| =) =) =) Es =) =| =| =) | =) | =) =) =| =) | =) =) Ee =) =) =) | =) Es =) ESDESIGN SIZE 5855 INCHES Pe 0 OME COTTON 413 1 OMC COTTON 414 2 OMC COTTON 415 3 A DESIGN SIZE ‘STITCH SPACE ©) Fapric An ° 1 2 3 MC COTTON 762 8 OMC COTTON 776 FABRIC POLSTITCHES DESIGNS ~ SKY HIGH - 14CT Penn Pan) OMCCOTTONS325 BABY BLUE- LT OMCCOTTONS341 APRICOT STITCH SPACE 81 WIDE X 76 HIGH Pan) A PEWTER GRAY ~ DK A STEEL GRAY -OK B PEARL GRAY ——-DMCCOTTONS756. «BABY BLUE-UL YLT OMCCOTTON 434. BROWN- LT D ——DMCCOTTONS817 CELADON GREEN- LT 4 OMCCOTTONSE3.—JADE-LT E DNC COTTONS850 BRIGHT GREEN- OK 5 OMCCOTTON741 TANGERINE - MO G DMG COTTONS851 BRIGHT GREEN -LT 6 OMCCOTTON743.—YELLOW-MD H_DMCCOTTONS200 _—_SNOWWHTE Pearoray-V¥U [LESTE TET DESCRIPTION BABY BLUE-VVLT NNN DC COTTONS1. BLACK B1XS.INCHES 7B WHE X 83 HGH ZZWEIGART STERN AD) Pee DMG COTTON 321 OMG COTTON 606 DMC COTTON 740 vc COTTON 777, Mc coTTONe14 Duc corToN 972 706/100- Vac DESCRIPTION CHRISTMAS RED BURNT ORANGE-RED TANGERINE RASPBERRY - VY OK GARNET -OK CANARY - DP| ZWEIGART MADE IN GERMANY 3609 BELFAST 3984 MURANO f' 778 3008 770 5106 For slockists contact Herllage Crafts Tel 01889 575.256 Lakeside Needlecraft lakesideneedecrafi.cowk _Woolwarshouse | woolworehouse.co.Uk Wilow Fobsies | wen. vilowabotcs.com Sichtostic| wevw-stehtasic com www.zweigart.comHOLUSXHA (©) HoLUSKuW BY} wooHousxun NOIRE eT) geace you ‘the eatifacton of a Oye perfect result every timelNOON OMNI MON 0 0 a o 0 fa 0 0 0 Ta 0 0 no o 0 0 0 PUNTA o DONNA H CUNY PONE 0 oy o 00,0 0/0/0/0/0/0/0.0.010 010 OOK Noon NNN MONE OvRCN SL ORO ORAS ARUN AYe RCE MOOR ee UTR Ons DESIGN SIZE ‘STITCH SPACE FABRIC. ANVI COT BLA OMC COTTON 444 LEMON - DK DMC COTTON 79¢ ROYAL BLUE - DK OMC COTT CORAL RED- VY DK OMC COTTOR EMERALD GREE ORANGE OMC COTTON 5200 — SNOW WHITE || DESIGNSIZE 31X43 NCHES STITCH SPACE: X60 HOH FABRIC FABRIC FLA BERMUDA 14CT SU a 0 OMCCOTTONSSO — VMQLET 1 DMC COTTON 740 TANGERINE 2 ov DMC COTTON 742 TANGERINE 4 OMCCOTTONSOO BURNT ORANGE 5 DMC COTTONS67 __APRICOT- YLT EON eS a e DMC COTTONS50 K PRS meee)] @ACCIOSTITCHWITCHERY | SOY MUCH | ISSUES | " @EKC_B | CAGLIOSTRO | XSAL 001 las = = lg i evvN ARS ChAYK UFEONM) 9) ONE DAVID BOW © Pais ) WOIUTEWNLIANSLWYWOL } IWNSLYY WOL = a = a 5 a & = = dg = = 5 wo Cc 2 svThis God-awful small affair only uses 1 colours of thread: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Blach (Hey), blended together in the style of I9/0s screen printing to create the illusion of a variety of shades. fi partial-coverage cross stitch, set on a bactiground of white aida, it shouldn't tatie as long as the size might suggest - so sewing it won't be a saddening bore, even if you mate it ten times or morel fin ideal gift for your mother, your dog and clowns, this would mate a fun retro project for anyone from ys to ite Nlorfol Broads. - Tajo’ Tom Hatsumi"DESIGN SIZE STITCH SPACE 200 WIDE X 150 HIGH FABRIC ZWEIGART STERN AIDA - 3706/1 Sls us aa 0 OMCCOTTONSI0 =— BLACK 1 OMCCOTTONS73 CANARY -BR OMCCOTTON 3805 CYCLAMEN PINK OMC COTTON 3846 BRIGHT TURQUOISE - LT ea a) xySNOISICLYOSINIGWNS a snaisaq.vosNiewno Ey ESN ES} Ee [eA (ota) TTT) os JESIGNER Name Clare Bray of Climbing Goat Designs Website www.climbinggoatdesigns.couk Design aesthetic Modern, bright, fun and varied How long have you been a cross stitch designer? Five years What makes for good cross stitch design? Lack of stray stitches is important - 'm always really careful to make sure my designs are enjoyable to stitch, as that makes it a good design. Cracking whae designs will sell well isa never-ending fascinating puzzle which [don't think I'll ever completely solve What's your one top tip for an aspiring cross stitch designer? Get adog, Everything in life is betrer with adog -D Which designers or artists inspire you? Idon’tknow ~Iscé various design’ love in cross stitch, graphic design and vector illuseration but generally don’t rakein names, I did once see Robert Hooke'sflea drawing in an original manuscript (from 1664), and that was one impressive drawing combining science and art. Do you have any formal art/design training | and if yes, how does it help your design approach? Thave no art training whatsoever ~ I don't even have a normal school level art education as I missed all my secondary education due tobeingill,and haveno GCSEs, I returned to education part-time at A-level and did» sciences and history, and then a physics degree. Now I get to combine my love of science and att doing astronomy stitchalongs which is so much fun. What tools do you use for designing? I draw straight into the cross-stitch program. This which it will be stitched) and disadvantages (too much a 4 ® has advantages (you are alvays working in che format in © mouse usage for the hands). I also use Adobe InDesign | t for some layouts and constructing stitchalongs.LIMBING GOAT DESIGNS | What made you become a cross stitch __ What is your two-minute take on the art designer? "vs. craft vs. design discussion? I got involved with stitching charity Love Quilts UKon on 7 Tdon'emind what people call chings or what they think Facebook, and started designing their charity calendars” about art or craft - so long as everyone does what they for them, and then got hooked into cross stitching some! _™ enjoy then that is fine by me. Something I enjoy about squares for the children’s quilts. Isaw some people buying’ the craft aspect of cross stitch design is how people take ‘patterns from Etsy, and realised that this wasa thing where 4 my designs and make them their own. Then they either you could do workat your own pace (ratherthan point. keep icassomething special they've made, or they give it of sale) and sell the patterns afterwards as downloads. to someone, and the person knows their granddaughter ‘My mind was blown as with my disability this was the or husband or best friend made it specially for them, so it first time, I'd ever seen anything I could possibly do as ajob. Iboughea cross stitch program and caught myself’ ©” than anychingI'd fully made myself could be, and I really everything from scratch, and it changed my life. Five years ¥ love being part of that on I'mstill loving ict : means a huge amount to them, Ie’ more special to them ue os ‘What's your best cross-stitching advice, — either as a designer or a stitcher? “< | Lonce saw the loop start mentioned in a lise of cross- = stitchingadvice. Hooked itup and couldn’tbelieve I'd just - ben spending the last year sewingstitches over the end of _ my thread to startoff when this method was 0 quick and easy! Tid never seen it mentioned in general instructions. I made sure to include ie in-my beginner's cross stitch instructions and have had others say how pleased they were to learn it. io “I bought a cross stitch y program and taught myself ae everything from scratch, and it adi . changed my life.” actlyLY YEAH BABY! T was born in I974 so I have no memories of those Pe but looting at the pictures of my family and seeing those colorful and ee dresses made me ra thin of “groovy baby"... I lite the contrast of the orange with the purple and, since I am not only a ek but also a dyer, I thin that also a “groovy baby” floss will see the light in the near future! 6) EARTH WIND FIRE QQ LETSGROOVE E+) [=] << Ks < 7) ir] FE) ES a [=] 2 7) SNOUWauOSAWOH Fy) uiSNouvauosAWoy WS esBeer SEES ol 54DESIGNSIZE —136X78INCHES STITCH SPACE 190\WIDE X 109HIGH FABRIC ZZWEIGART STERN AIDA - 3706/100- 140 ae Seca 0 DMCCOTTON7I8. «PLUM DMC COTTONSS2 — ViQLET-MD DMC COTTONSO7 LEMON DMC COTTON 740 TANGERINE DMC COTTONGOB BAHT ORANGE OMG COTTON WHITE _ WHITECooled[up! with Grace Prom Beyond Measure! The inuereriouy Maker magnetic ee ore oa yl wd a 4 i=] cs fu b- n — za fa (©) vnaunsvawonox3e BY) yncosensvawonosgedoHs We fely parking pinsland fieédles as you work. > Made in the UK by Gill Flurry, they come in various colours and « z & ») feature an exclusive design created for Beyond Measure. ‘Tins measure cm high, 9em wide. : ow my ~< S 2 So <= nm Bed a Cc esl jm Sc SSStee () PxLcRS FQ Px CRS AO ANOS Ae 58IIs Ws Wels 2) oleleny 2lef2 fon ilunleneeiny nleisels elute) pul Uollejes Uinta UES Tos WF id Os OF ei) | JENNINGS | BOYS 6SoatDESIGNSIZE 114 STITCH SPACE. FABRIC WEIGAF 14 MeO Seca ITTON 946 ON WATE f The LoveCrafts Show PodcastLET THI pees THREAD » Boot andeien, Tae 1 Wee 7 #3 (Combined reprinted Tanvos) Denver, Colemds —Tebrosryatay 1574 We can all be nostalgic for the I170s, a vibrant decade when design, colour and Fashion found a new groove after the swing of the ‘60s, and the patterns in this issue reflect that vibe. But in the world of cross stitch, the modern ways had yet to tale hold, and there wasn't the technology to drive forward the new paradigms in cross stitch design that we see today. The Counted Thread Society of fimerica produced its first newsletter in early I174, and sought to challenge the outmoded thinting about embroidery types lite cross stitch, needlepoint and hardanger. Created by Elizabeth Steers from Denver, Colorado, each issue featured boot reviews, techniques, features on shops and shows, and charts that were hand drawn (something we can barely conceive of these days!) The CTSA went on to produce newsletters well into the 1960s and is undoubtedly one of the first mainstream cross stitch magazines, and so it is with love and ‘thantis that we re-produce their combined second/third issue from February/May M4. Tn this issue you will learn about the Danish Handcraft Guild, an overview of the Materials commonly used in counted thread wort, enjoy two bool reviews and have two charts for your stitching pleasure! IF anyone has any more information on the CTSA, please get in touch with us at hello@xstitchmag.com, as we would love to find out more!QO TH COUNTED THREAD SOCIETY OF AMERICA vou. T Our February 1974 (Vol. I, ilo, 2) iseue highlichted the Dunigh Handcraft Guild, one of the world's best promatore of counted cross stitch. The Guild's design= ers, publications und cross atitch mator- ila al] provide 0 wowlth of information und designs, Tha book report in this i~ sue is authored by one of the Gutid's leading designera, and points up vividly how @ medium confined by lines on a chart und threads in a meteriel cn ba tromend= ously creative. Our my 1974 (Vol. I. No, 3) issue dis- cussed various kinds of counted thread materinis, After all, this is what this society ic about = the encouragement to try ell kinds of counted work, and to make known to you what is availuble. Une of our book roports and olso a TV program by Erica Wileon has prompted us to think about these miterials. fost of us hove worked with counted Linen, and wa do know that it cun be time conauming. But aren't the time consuming projects tha ones uo foel most satisfied with and moat admired by others? Aren't we all turnad off by the quickie projects we see so much of in most nasdlework shops? How many times have you asked for counted crosn stitch in o shop and beon told by the clerk that “it wouldn't sell"? We all appreciate tho efforts of var- ious authors to popularize charted put- terns, but we cannot go along with the idea of doing this work onus large o weave as possible, unless one's time or eyesight precludes the uss of fins weve. can applaud Erica uileon's afforts on her syndicated Ty program to sncourage counted crons stitch, but ut the same time we ore disappointed thet she des~ cribes a Denish bell pull es beautiful while remarking that "it probably would toke o lifetime to do," There is much to do nhoad yet in the field of educating NO. 2 & 5 (Combined reprinted isaues) Denver, Colorado February-toy 1974 8 many parsons as possible work. We have an article in this issus about blackwork, und this reminds us thet cross stitch on which we seam to have concen= trated is just one part of counted work. Future issues will featuro other forms of counted work. about our Elizabeth Steurs Danish Hondereft Guild We would ike to present sone history end information about the Danish Hand= craft Guild, Briefly, the Danish Hend- ereft Gufld was founded in tiarch 1928 in order to revive @ dying textile tradition in Denmark, cross stitch enbroidery being one of the arts renewed, The early yenrs featured workshops ond classes, and ex- hibits 4n Denmark and abroad. The nace- zine was begun in 1934, and in later yeors many other cross stitch publica: tions ware {eaued, Sons of these were "Cross Stitch I" and "Cross Stitch II", "Jul" (Christmas), "Tiles in Cross Stitch 1", "Copenhagen 1467-1967", and the yeer- ly cross stitch celendars.’ Many of these publications ere still aveileble fire, Gertie Wendel became president in 1943, @ post she still occupies today, Besides having display centers and shops in eight Denish cities, the Guild runs embroidery studios and workshops, and o School for needlework teachers and de~ signers, Fer those lucky enough to vieit Dennerk, ba aura not to miss going to tha Gulid'a’ shop at 38 Vinmelakeftet in Copsnhagen. Membership in the Guild is $8 per yeer, end membere are entitled toa 5% dis- count, The quarterly magezine is in- cluded in the membership fee, Itene voilable fron the Guild are finished an- (Continued on Page 2Fobruarysiiay 1974 COUNTED THREAD SOCIETY OF AMERICA 3305 S. Newport Street Denver, Colorado 80222 THE PURPOSE of our group is to encour- age end promote the practice end know~ ledge of counted thread embroidery in ll its forms, We hope to find persons who wish to learn end will exchange their knowledge about it, Editor - President: fire, John Steers Associate Editor ~ Secretery-Treesurer: Mrs, Robert NeGride Danish Handcraft Guild (cont. ) broideries, kits, linens by the yard, Daniah flower thread in 40 yard skeins end catalogues of the Guild's pattern books, The books thet ere recommended ere "Jul", about $4.50, the yearly celen- ders (many back issues are still aveil- able), “Cross Stitch I & II", The count 8d linens ere about $6 8 yard (approx. 60" wide). Linen I hes 35 threads to tha inch; Linen II, 30 to the inchs Linen 0, 18 threads to ths inch: Linen 8, 25 to the inch, and Linen 10.5, 27 to the inch, A free price list of linens and other goods {9 uveileble on request from the Guild, Plense contact your editor if any fur- ther deteils are desired, about the Guild or one may write to the Donish Handcraft Guild at 38 Vimmelskeftet, 1161 Copen- hagean K, Denmark, (26¢ eirmoil) The Guild eccepts personel checks. The Dan- ish kroner (3, kr.) fs about 16¢ at this time (Februsry 1974), s-Constently check the working geinet the chert ond a finished pert (verticelly end horizontally). 00 not go too fer afield; it ia better to complete one section before moving on te another eree_or motif. SOURCES (continued) and wools ere sold, as well as 28 to the inch even weave linen ($6.25 yard) Aida cloth end hardanger. The address ist Wooleraft (6.C.) Ltde, 512 Hastings St., Vancouver, 8. C. V6B 1L6, Canada. dung Dole (mentioned in the last news letter) hase leeflet for museum sampler kite, to be done in counted thread on Danish linens, Her kits offer ea beauti- ful slternetive to the stamped cross stitch kits wa see 90 mich of, Her new- est miseum sampler reproduction is from the Sherburne Museum, The catelog can be obtained by sending S0¢ to: June Dole, P. 0. Box 147, Rockville, Conn. 06066. Another of our creative American cross stitch designers is Ginnie Thompson of Pawley's Island, S.C, Her original de- signs include “emergency phone numbers" sampler, wedding sampler, "“creb soup re- cipe" sampler, @ cerdener's mini bell pull and meny others. Her free catalog also includes books, charts and mteriels, She elso hes the Danish Handcreft Guild state flower graphs in color for $1 each. The eddrese is: The Hammock Shop, P. O. Box 308, Pawley's Island, S.C. 29585. Harbinger Designs with Lynn Hookeden as the ingenious designer, has countedthreed cross stitch kits "designed with the fem inist in mind.” TI ere samplers and bookmarks, to be done on herdanger, with quotations for today's woman, for ex- ample, one kit has 8 quote from Ibsen's “Doll Hou A free flyer describing these kits is availeble from: Harbinger Designs, P. 0. Sox 9156, Coloredo Springs, Colo. 80932. Two well-known Canadian designers de- serve our attention. Jeen Nclntosh, a talented nesdlowoman from Winnipes, hes been designing for many years. Her at- tractive catalog includes flowers, In- dians, scenes and animals - to be done in needlepoint or petit point, sll from charts. Incidentally, the cherts are e- vailebdle seperately, as well es with m= teriels. Cenvases, silk screen mash, tapestry wools, etc, are also eveileble. The catelog is priced st $1 from: Jean MeIntosh Ltd., 1129 Emprees St., Winnipeg Manitoba RSE 3H1, Ceneda. Another talented Cenadien nesdlawomn is Alice Godkin, elec designing for many years. Har designs appear in the Wool creft catelog ($1), which shows scenes, flowers, animals and brooch end earring sete. All these items are elso done in needlepaint or petit point from charts. No seperete cherts are sveilable except for bergello charts. Canvases, silk mesh“Book of Danish Stitchery" by Gerda Bengtsson - 1972 by Litton Educational Publishing, Inc. This book {s @ "must" for those of us involved in counted cross atitch, both as a guide to designing for ourselves and helping us to understend the charts de~ signed for us. Gerd Bengtsson has been 9 designer for the Danish Handcraft Cuild since 1940, As @ young irl she had studied drawing and painting in Paris, where she wes inspired by the deteils of dnimal and Flower motifs in old French tapestries, These medieval motifs orect- ly influsnced her leter desianinc, She is best known for her designs of flowers ‘and plants, end her embroideries are on displey in many Europsen museuns, Mire, Bengtsson illustretes how she points flowers and plants in watercolors, then transferring the design to greph pe per in several stages to show how the finished product is arrived at, Chapter one shows meny of ths floral designs she has created - many illustrea~ tions being in color. This chepter also shows the SO state flowers which fre, Bengtsson designed and which were shown in the October 1964 issue of Women's Day. Konses state flower is charted in this book The second chapter describes other mo— tifs by Mire. Bengtsson - inspired by old Danish semplers. She hae designed some of the cross stitch celenders issued yeerly by the Danish Hendereft Guild (1960 and 1962), The little figures in these desions ere enchanting. The heart of this book is Chapter thres “How to Design for Crose Stitch." There are detailed instructions for dreuing on graph paper. Step-by-step illustrations show how fre, Sengtseon progressed from pressed leaves to graph peper to finishad embroidery. The fourth chapter illustrates the use of paper cutouts for cross atitch deaign- ing for those inexperienced in drewing. The printed chert in our newsletter is from this chapter ~ from the paper cutout of a dandalion. Februury-tiey 1974 Other chapters are devoted to embroid- ery (stitchery), description of the 1inen moteriels and flower thread woll a the technique of stitche One very minor error, probably attri- butable to translation fron centimeters to inches, is that Chapter eix describe: Linen TI (Danish Handereft Guild linen) as 16 threads to the inch, wherees it is 30 threads to the inch, Similerly, Linen 1 is 35 threads to the inch, not 18, and Linen 0 fa 18, not 10, We ere grateful to Jacqueline Enthoven ‘nd Ven Nostrand Reinhold Company for re~ questing thet Mrs. Senctsson urite this book for the English spseking embroidery lovers. This book should be an invalu- able tool for all of us interested in cross stitch, we highly recommend it. Foreign Langues Helps A regular feeture will ba foreign words and phreses trensletad for those of you with instructions in a foreign lenguage. Here {8 some Danish: Korasting - cross stitch Stikkosting = straight stitch Sys over 2 tréd med 2 trade 2 threads with 2 threads En trad = one thread Anagergarn ~ § strand thread térk = dork Mallen ~ medium Lys = Light Grén - green Cul - yellow 816 - blue Réd = red Brun = brown Hvid = white Sort - black Syes mad delt carn = ‘sew over w with yarn jplit in half or 3 threeds of 6 strand Stof ~ the materiel Garn = yarn If you feel the need to have a Danish dictionary, write to Hést & Séns Forlag, Copenhagen Denmark for a Denish-Enclish, English=Danish dictionary ~ e “Lommeord— bdger" 6 pockst dictionary, They should be able to cive you a price plus postage.February-May 1974 Under the Wanted column in our Int is~ Sua ue listed a pattern raquest for n 25 wedding onniversery sempler ond tho 50 atate flowers, which were offered in Wo~ man's Day 1964, The Hammock Shop (seo Sources column) has the stato flower oraphs at $1 each. A 25th wedding anni- versary sompler 1s elso available fron The Hammock Shot We have received a long letter from firs, John Rasmussen, 65 Meadow St., North Adema, Moss, 01247, in which sho states: thot sha hes designed wedding sumplere and would welcome requests from menbers. She is looking for a pattern for an Eost= er coffee table runner. She also hos mony patterns she would Zerox for members, Mc CALL'S SAMPLERS A reel chellenge hes besn presented to the counted thread cross stitchers of Aperica by McCall's Neadlework end Crefts Mecazine, Spring-Summer 1974, Three m= seum samplers are shown - the charts ere eveileble from McCall's for 25¢. One of the samplers has @ pacode as the min mo~ tif. The finished size is 12 7/8" by 19 3/4", SUT to obtain this size it is recessery to cross stitch this sampler on even weeve Linan with 54 verticel and 50 horizontal threads to the inch! McCall's suggests obtaining the mterial from Joan Toggitt, Ltd., 1170 Broadway, NeY. 10001. We sent for a sample of this linen, yard. It is fine, and we were eble to do ® few crosses on this materiel only with @ magnifying glass. It is steggering to (Continued on Page 5) =-Don't turn the work sideunys, es one might be tempted to do on a border, ke the work elwoys right-eide-up or up-side: down and adjust your workine habit (the way you complete your crosses) to the pattern, Wet hee been Left out of this combined {geue in reprinting? From Book of Danish Stitchery by Gerde Bengteson, the charte on: Pages 69, 88 and 95 Counted Threod Heteriels Wie shall present to youa brief dis- cussion of the kinds of materiels avil- able, and we hope this might help you in planning counted thread work. Gensrelly, counted materials are linen, cotton and wool. Linen even weave con= sists of single threads woven so that there ere on equal number of threads in each direction. Linen is aveiluble in thread counts of 18 threads to the inch = also 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 and 36, It is aveiloble sven finer, aa wo have dis- cussed in the column on jicColl's somplers, Tha common form of cotton counted mat~ eriel is Aida cloth, which {s woven and counted in blocks of threads. Aida cloth is uvaileble in at least thres counts ~ 5 blocks to tha inch (conres Aida), 11 to the inch (raguler fida) end 14’ to tho inch (fina Aida), Othor miteriels in blocks of threads are Bincn = 5 blocks to the inch, Bincurattn ~ 9 blocks to the inch, and four square mesh = 2 blocks to tho inch, Panuma cloth comes in 6 blocks to the inch, Another cotton materiel, which is woven in pairs of threads, i hardanger. It is used for hardangor ombroidory, but algo con be used for cross stitch, It comes in threa guoges - 18, 22 (most conmon) und 24 pairs of threnda to the inch. There ore other single thread evenwoave cottons such as fave cloth ~ 21 threads to the inch, and Clonshee (evuilable in England) = 16, 18 and 26 threads por inch, Wool evan wanve cones in 13 and 18 thrends to the inch, and wool Aida is a~ veiloble in tho 9, 11 and 14 blocks to tho inch. Gther counted thread materinls aro the needlepoint and petit point canvascs most of us aro familiar with. As we continue our investigations, wo shell let you know in later isauen about other countad materials, le also shall discuss whet threods to use with thess moterte: (Some of ths above information cane from catalogs from: Tha Needlewaman Shop, 146-145 Regent Ste, London WIR 68 -75¢; fece & Neirn, 36 Crone St., Salisbury, Wiltshire SPI 2PY - (prics list); Danish Handcraft Guild ~ (price list.)We might as well begin to think {n tho metric system, as it {8 coming. If wo deal with European shops wa should be fn~ milfer with the metric count of avenweave Linen, We shall list bolow ths most com- mon counts of linen = we hope you can fa~ milferiza yourselves with these equation, Remember thet there ore about 2.5 cm. (centimetres) per inch. 7 th. per om, = 18 th, to the inch 8 * 20 or 21" 40 25 ® 10.5 27 * 12 30 . 14 36 n In Europa linen is often metre - this is 35", If the width io stated as 180 cm. wide, thon divide 180 by 2.5, and the width is 72". Often Aide cloth from furope is ordered ‘is: coarse Aido - 9 blocks or holea to the inch, regular Aida - 11 holes and fine Aide - 14 holes to the inch. sold by the MC CALL'S SAMPLERS (continued) think that in the solid arena of this ampler, there are about 625’ crosses. to ‘tha inchl Thie pagoda sempler was done oricinully on even finer linens 56 vertical end 52 horizontel threads per inch, It is poss ible of course to do this perticular san= pler on linen 28 threads to the inch, but then the sempler would be twice as lercs. This kind of thing reminds us how re- morkable our great-grandnothers ware to do work on linen this fine, without the electric lights of today. Moreover, muny mplers were done by very young girl shown in this is= gue of McCall's (a red brick mansion) or- ‘to the inch, and was worked by @ nine year old! We would bs interested to know if any of our membre or anyone elas thay might know ore doing these samplers. ——— In the class Aide cloth was use: Design wes worked in one strond of six strand floss Dividing lines were worked in thres strands Februsry-fay 1974 TEACHING EXPERTENCE We would like to pass along to you an experience we had late this winter in teaching six sessions of counted work to 8 class of 14 "Y" wives, These women, as Par a8 we knew, had minimal experience with needlework. Cur main problem at the baginning wos jut how much materiel to present in the given period of time, ost of these women had never seen counted croas stitch ond did not even know it ox- isted, Of course, oll of them hed seen ‘stomped cross stitch, In the six seasione of tuo hours each, we presented two cross stitch piecer and one smoll piece of blockwork, which we felt would more than occupy these women in the time available. But wa could hove used even more projects ns thay took to it repidly, The black work waa a little frustrating, howsver. After thay learned what they could do with crosa stitch, they were eager for sources of materials ond other patterns. Wa can feel sncouragad that almost anyone can become interested in this counted work, contrary to whet we ere told in the shops. Ue hopa some of cur members con become teachers, If you ara thinking of teaching, be prepared to be swept along in the anthusiosm of your class, end do not underestimate then, design used in the clessFebruary-tiay 1974 SLACKWORK LESS: BLACKWORK LESS! It is essentiel to use an avenly woven Linen and elthough © loosely woven one is mostly used nowadeys thie is not ne~ cessery, fi closely but evenly wovon fabric mey equally woll be used, A fine tapestry needle (average size 24) is most satis- factory, as the blunt end does not aplit the threads, The size will depend on the fabric and threed being used, The threads will vary according to the fabric being used, AS @ general guide the thread should not be thicker than the woven threads of the backcround materiel, There is no need to restrict the work to only one type of thread; others con be introduced, Although blockwork got ite nome from the colour of the threade used, plensing results can be obtaine: either by the introduction of @ second colour or by workin: the entire embroidery in enother colour such as deep rod, dark brown or nevy blue. There is no reason 9 Light tono of thread should not be worked on’e dark fabric. Patterns ore formed by making a series of stitches, keap- ing the stitch on the back 9 small ns possible. Sometimes it will be found eusiest to work the pattern using tho double running method but more often using back stitches, Outlining is not essential but outlining stitches con in- clude chain, whipped chain, back stitch, stom etitch or corel knot, and different weights of thread will help to give variety. Both beck stitch and double running have their oun adven= tages and the individual worker will hava to experiment with gech to find which suite her purpose beat, There is no reo- son both stitches should not be combined on the sone piece or work, double running stitch aiving p flowing pattern lin ‘ond back stitch a mors angular offect. Occasionally included in blockwork fillings 18 cross stitch. Additional outlina stitches might include Pekinese, Couching and running. Pattern dozning “may be combined with blackwork fillings to give @ more Golid offect in places. DESIGN The success of a blackwork design must 1ie in an emphasis on the importance of areas of tone, end the shapes of these ress in reletion to one ancther,...Glackwork designs are essentially composed of arsas of flat patternins, ond it is the arrangement of these pattern which is really of primory concern, They impart @ cherecteristicelly formol, flot, static, austere quality to the desicn....designs which can be interpreted by means of pottern messss are what is re~ quired. Tho designer is restricted to rather simple shapes, and the skill lies in the subdivision of these shapes into arses of differing proportion and tone,! For a beginning lesson use nawspepers and/or magazines ond cut e voristy of shapes. These printed materiele cive o variety of tone value 8 well as suggest patterns for the stitchery, Arrange and rearrange the shopes until a setis~ factory composition {8 reached, Transfer the outline ond basic inner lines to even weave fabric and fill in with pot~ tern stitches, Vith the use of different weichts of threed » pottern can be enriched or diminished in tone os it ie worked. Reducing the thread thickness as the pattern is worked ‘gives it a (Plense turn page)od appsaronen nnd helps it to morce araduslly inte the oround, wherc thio is roquired by the dasign..,..onclosing every unit ond sapurnte araos gives a dated ap- pearence,...uhan on outline is nddod, it often helps if the thickness is oradunted by varying the working thrend, This will prevent it from looking too mochunienl, and add liveliners and interest to the work genorally.’ Bibl {caruphy February=fay 1974 Before starting a danign, it is suo- apsted that 6 sampler of pattern stitches be worked, Along the marain nt the be- ginning of this lesson are printed » var= jety of stitches. Vary these by thrond thickness, by size and by udding or sub- trocting parts of the desicn, Notice the "dark" patterns, the "madium" patterns und the "light" pattern, Use this tone informition when working tha lesson, 7 Blockwork Embroidery by Elisnbrth Geddes and Woyrn McNeill (out of print) 2 Embroidery Bock by Erica Wilson 3 The Croft of Embroidery by Alison Liloy 4 Blackwork (pamphlet) No. 19 (seo below) Dasigns can be found in: Couts & Clark's Sook No. 214 Embroidery Neadicwonun fingnzina No, 129 and 131 ‘Coats Sewing Group Book No. 1125 Embroidery from Spuin “imchor Enbroidery Sook No. 755 Federn Spuniah Blackwork xCoats Sewing Group Book No, 1102 Counted Thread Enbroideries *Avadluble through Neodlewoman Shop, England (Ina lotter from The Embroidorere! Guild, have Jenrned thet leaflet no, 10 is being reprinted, and that London wIh BAX, we these items arc 73 wimpole St., available now: 6 blackwork patterns by Sentrice Seward - Northfield Series, price 41,10 plus postace; a set of B curds of blackwork filling stitches, price per set is 50¢ pl (Do you understand?) In this issua we present some German worde pertaining to counted thrend anc onbroidery. Stickerei - embroidery Krauzstich - cross stitch Steppatich = back atitch Fiidan ~ threads (in matarin}) Garn = thread or yarn Stoff - material Muster - pattern ZMhimuster = counted thread pattern dunkel = durk mittol = middle or medium hell = light rot = red arbin = green blau = blue braun ~ brown Enolish=German dictionaries are rendily vuiloble wherever pocket books are sold, A good example is “Putnam's Contemporary German Dictionary" for 5c. Ramanber that: Sticken = to embroider Stricken = to knit gelb = yellow woiss = white schwartz = bli Recommended iden Svenske heme10jdefSraningarnas riksfor- jtureanten 25, 114 36 Stockholm magezine appeors 6 times e yeer for $7.50 ($9 airmail), Although they request no persone] checks they will secept ons if you explain difficulty in obtaining international money orders. Text is in Swedish, but many pictures, some colored, and captions are in English. **Hgedlewonan fo wm, Srigge & Co. Ltd., Bromley —fr088, BOLTON 6L7_9PA, England — _ _ Quarterly, ¢ 71.0% per yeor (33.15), charts and transfers included. Each {issue contains an article with pic- ‘tures of en old estate, feeturing the embroidered items, zines: **Embroidery, 73 wimpol London W.1m BAX, Eng= ir year. Officiel magazine of the Embroiderers' Guild (of England).Februry-Ney 1974 "American Cross-Stitch" by Hildy Paige Burn and Kethleen Thorne=Thomsen = 1974 by Von Nostrand Reinhold $8,95 104 pages, 77 charts on 87 pages B pages and jecket covers in color Here at leet {8 8 book for North Ameri- con cross stitchers with designs by tuo tolented American designers. Published in April 1974, it iu 8 mervelous selac- tion of charte with patriotic and nostel- gic subjects, The cherta ore in black and white with symbole for the colora vsed. Also for each designe fabric is suggested. Among the subjects in the charte are: Pennsylvania Dutch church sampler, Abraham Lincoln, George Weshing~ ton, Uncle Sam, wheling ship, BSoston baked beans, bassbell, vintage cars, L'il Orphan Annis, Indien designs, western scenes and more, ~ The authors ere well qualified. Hildy Burns is a graduate of the Rhoda Ielend School of Dasign and Kathleen Thorne~ Thomsen 9 graduate of the Institute of Design in Chicago, Both have applied their telenta to crafts ond embroidery, Luckily for us they have used their skill to produces thie fine book on counted thread deeignt Ons small disappointment must be noted. Wp feel the list of suggested materiale should have included (besides Aide cloth, herdanger, rug canvas end cross stitch canvas) more emphasis on sven weave linen, cotton and wool, The work on these lot~ ter mterielé {s described as "neticulovs and time consuming” by the authors, tfuch beautiful work ts done on counted linen and not ell linen is so fine es to be considered time consuming, Of all the counted fabrics, linen has the crestest Tanga of guages, and this should offer enough versetility for all cross stitch- ers. This book is moat impressive and highly (next column please) “Flower Desions in Cross Stitch" by Gerda Bengtsson and Elsie Thordur- Hensen - 1973 80 pages Von Nostrend Reinhold Peper Ed. $3.50 Cloth Ed. $6.50 This book, compiled from the 1965, 1957 end 1969 Daniah Handcraft Guild calendar booklets, is valuable udditton to your cross stitch library, many of the colen- ders, begun in 1960, ere out of print, although the years mentioned may be still available. This beok consolidates these three colender booklets nicsly. Flowers sre featured in the 1966 celendar,wreatha in the 1967 colender and birds in trees in the 1963 calender, All 12 flower pic- tures sre shown, while 9 wrenths are shown (Jon., Feb. and Sept. are missing). Eleven of the 12 birds are pictured uith December absent. (Ses our Vol. I, No. 1 ieaus for this Dec. chert.) Tha charts are in bleck and whits, while the designs are in marvelous color. We hove anthuateatically described irs, Bengteson's designs in previous newslet- tars, and in this book the flowers and wreaths further demonstrate her genius. The birds were designed by Eleie Thordur~ Hansen, another fine Guild designer, In- structions as well as suggestions for use of the deaigns are included, One important comment about the explen- ation of the even weave materiel must bo made. In this book linen type II is de- scribed os 18 threada to the inch, and linen type I ie 30 threads to tha inch, However, the Denish Handcraft Guild sells 30 thread linen as Linen Il, 18 thread linen a8 Linen D, and 36 threads to the inch as Linen I, This minor fault in “Flower Dseigns in Cross Stitch" could leed to possible confusion when ordering from the Danish Hendcreft Guild, All of us who do counted crows stitch cen be thankful for these two designers and the publisher, Thay ere brasking ground in @ field of enbroi= dery largely untouched in this country. recommended,9 ¥ Fobruary-jiay 1974 Ht aH BT Southern Belle” from "American Cross-Stitch" by Hildy Paize Burns and Kathleen thorne-Thonsen by Litton Educational Publishing, Inc. @ Reprint~ | ed hy permission of Van Nostrand Reinhold Conpany os Suggested fabric is: Aida cloth, und the color numbers fefer to J. P, Coats 6 strond cotton. Colonial Brown &1-A Treeleaf Green 28-B Charcoal 211 Silver Grey 70 Past Red 100 Nid Rose 46-a Deep Bose 59-A Eeru 61 soa ZNxe I outline stiten for mouth, Deep aose French knots for eyes, Colonial srownFabruary-iiay 1974 turtium = reprinted by permission Varden", Forlagehuset 4/5, Copantage: d materiel: even weave Linen to the inchy desion will Fit of meteriel 7.5" by 7.5", (Finished 6" x 5"), If 25 threads to the inch cut 8 piece of materiel 11" by 11%, ome m=3348 X23347 N= 3345 320 921 725 an 970 900 606 742 B14 902 3348 Light green Nadium oreen Derk green Gray green Rad brown Yellow Yellow-green Light orange Orenge Derk orange Yellow Dark red brown Red straight stitch in flower Light green straight stitch in learNS FREAKY DEA ISSn il ES = =} i=} 7 | | a Bs m a The ‘70s were full of psychedelic patterns, funy fashions, and far out tunes. Hypnotic wavy prints and very strange or “treaty deaty” parties were all the rage. This full-coverage cross stitch oer is an ode to the popular slang and lifestyle of the times. DESIGNSIZE —_S8X38INCHES STITCH SPACE 81 WIDE X S2HiGH FABRIC ECLYPSE'S COLOURS - SABBIA LINEN -300T SS) 0 DMCCOTTONSII NAVY BLUE-MD 1 DMCCOTTONSI9 §— SKY BLUE 2 DMCCOTTON743.—YELLOW-MD 3 DMC COTTONG26 —BLUE-NO 4 DMCOOTTONG#53 AUTUMN GOLD - DK 5 DMC COTTON WHITE _WHIE SSHOLUSCOWMAS (©) s3HoWscoMmas Ey sshowwsconmas WS KY\xstitcher ‘is ris NOG Tel Bs yourstisching stays Istarted cross stitching late 70's early 80's. I went to asmall Christian school in Miami. Was in the cub scouts and I knew liked working with my hands because we did a lot of projects from our scout books. As I got older Iwould watch my mother on her knees cutting and pinning dress patterns to make clothes for my sister. © As got older I tried our for baseball in seventh y grade and quickly found out Thad very good arm. # Acsome pointin 8th - 9th grade I seen a diagram at >) Johann Fabrics. My moth ee inset St and I seen a packet and she bought it for me. At Sy this point I was sowing buttons on and repairing my ‘own game socks and and learned how to re leather my old baseball glove (we had no money). So I got home and stitched. I was extremely busy playing ball and singing in school. My Home Economics teach- ers kept us busy as well. [DID NOT dare tell the others I stitched. Anyways one day while bussing to a game I had a tiny stitch in my bat bag, It was a three hour drive and Iwas 500000 bored. I busted it out and go Or Othe mor Name: Tom Newson Location: San Diego, CA Favourite Book: The Ransomed Heart by |) John Eldridge u Favourite Movie: The Truman Show Favourite Band: Stryper ~ i i basted, My catcher of four years stood up for me and that was that. I miss him even at the age of 55 now what a wonderful support friend, So moving forward I was still living at home after Highschool with my parents when I was warm- ing up before a game and I just passed out, When, Icame to it felt like I got hit in the face with a foul ball. [had fallen flat on my face. My buddy gor me home. I was rushed to the hospital and, long story short, found out I'd got Crohn’ disease, My life was upside down. It changed forever and I’ve suffered ever since. This is when eros stiech really reilly wasasafeplace for me, [could just disappear. apBe] y- sot married in 1991 bought my first house and in '92 Hurricane Andrew literally destroyed EVERYTHING. And I'mean everything. Was like a nuke hie us. So as we worked on rebuilding, we lived in a 20 foot Winnebago for over a year. My wife with Cystic Fibrosis and me with Crohns. I was able to recover a pack or two of cross stitches and worked them. All the while dealing with such direy situations, At some point I ended up in the hospi- tal from the stress. My sister Amy scrolled in‘and was like, ”Tom, your poor hands and you are so thin and and, here I got this for you” It was a stitch pack of a rabbit wiping ‘out on snow skies. It said "Break A Leg” I did it in less then a day. told her and she returned with a 5x7 strawberry patch to stitch up. I did that in a couple of days. I was in for three weeks could not even have chopped ice, finally got back home to the trailer. The house was complete and the firststitch I did in my rebuilt home was the Bible verse Psalms chapter 13 verse NS 4 "Love is pale ARS fused ribbons and such, The first large onc ever. r ~ VTS [ll cut it short here for now, But I've done hundreds, There is one I was very proud of just because a woman bought it from me, She has a family seafood restaurant inlthe Florida keys, Itwas an underwater seen of coral and all types of fish doneon the Blue Aida. Ie’s was huge. Ipaid 50 for the packetand she paid 300, got it framed and hung it in her restau- rant. That was in the 90's. 7 was always worried about being a guy and stitching but through the years I've gotten over it. Ionly stitch with someone ‘on my mind or if it represents some- thing in my life that has touched me. When you get to the point where ”Yes I'm always learning but have the basics down I can stitch anything” it becomes more personal and meaningful for me.FOUGHT THE LAWN AND: y THE we. What's your best advice for stitchers? Dontbe critical ofyourself Stitch because you can and you want. Dont be affaid to veer away from somebody's elses diagram, Throw your own colors in their change chem # up make iepleasing to your eyes the way youlike it. Andmoscofall donotworryabouthcback ofyourstitch no one’ gonnasee itanyways Right? » Tell us a joke! . Whats the diffcrence between a marine [ NN biologistandadog? One wags his tal and the other one tags his whale!di! Tes epee Gore, founder of Needle Love Studios bests. Sp gee alee} pared nite fon erm ‘sab the ages. machine applic ee t oan, oaal Neeanor Shop in Nashole Prandin rd Spey | ll teedlelovestudio.com Heads Above The Waves is a not-for profit organisation that raises awareness of depression and self-harm in young: people. We promote positive, creative ways of dealing with the bad days. Self-harm affects around | in 12 young people, yet it remains an issue people oa talk a Ct struggle to handle, about, and understand. Sometimes, helping can be barista as simple as having a conversation, but a study by YoungMinds found that 71% of A young people, 40% of parents, and 60% of payed gt hl teachers say they don't feel able to actually talk about self-harr In the last 10 years, hospital admissions as a result of self-harm in the UK have risen by 689, and this figure is predicted to keep rising. By getting people to talk more openly about self-harm (in the same way that we do drug use or unprotected sex) and making people aware of the help that exists, Heads Above The Waves hopes to reduce hospital admissions as a result of self-harm.IE LIBIDAN LECTURE LI Fl qT 28 When itcomesto the'70sand cross stitch thercis only one thing thatcomes to mind. The one thing that is most coveted by all cross stitchers, even if they don't really know ie yet. A prize so valuable that Indiana Jones himself would have to track it down across the Indian plains, encountering secret cults and eventu- ally having to seal ie from within some weird giant stone booby trap thing. A prize thatis said to mele the faces off hose whoarentfollowers of cross stitch, a prize hac willlterally costyouaweck’s wages ormore, aprize thatcan onlybe called one thing... heark of the...vait.. mean Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men,THE GODFATHER OF MODERN GROSS STITCH Today, we take you on the story behind the most coveted of cross stech memora bilia,and why cis very magand every cross stitcher reading it, owes a debe to Rosey G The book itself forthose unacquainted, isncedlepoint rather than crossstitch,and i is les say ‘uniquely 705 Bue the boo importancinitsel£ buewhac ierepresents is, Tohelp exp: this,weneed ro go back to nd hobbies like needlepoine were just stare- atimewhi roles were fixed, where ing co take off, and when the very idea of ancedlepoine book for men was laugh ingstock. “Ifanyone would have told me that 1 would go from football to needlepoint, would have laughed in their face... bue if you ery itonce,youll keep on coming back for more.” The 70s came hot on the heels of a 60s decade of radical thinking, Many coun- tries had got over the economic cats, but despite forward in some areas, others struggled. the post-war This was feleserongly in less mobile indus cr nd che'70ssawmajorevents,suchas the3-dayweek and rolling blackoursin the United Kingdom and strikes worldwide. But despite this, new technologies such ing as washing machines were in incr volumes of households, and house’ (and only the wives) had more time on their hands.vs eis the tackle In one of the many renaissances of cross stitch, the 70s sawthe hobbybeing picked up by women everywhere and iterulybecameahobbyinits own right. ewasalso atimeof the consumerism and many celebrities were being heralded in their own rights. Thisis where we irsepick up the story of Roscy Grier, with hislong and distinguished American football career. For those non-US amongus, Iwoniefocus but needless co say, American foorball- cts were seen even then as the toughest of the tough, the macho of the macho, bare chests and bushy moustaches (and thankfully che now forgotten speedo fashion trends) ‘on this too mucl ButRosey.lefe football bhind inthe ate"60sand eurmed his hand oacting. Heacted in films, did commercials and even hosted his own TV show in America. But arguably hhemightbebest known in the'70s fr hissubduing of the asmedassassin of Robert Kennedy two yearsearlier despite notbeinghis bodyguard. Rosey truly was,a respected icon onand off thepitch “Before I gor into needlepoine, threading the needle is something just used to do on the football pitch” And then he ‘threw it away. Atleast, chats how his foor- balling friends saw it, Grier is brutally honest in his book, discussing the shame and harassment he received. He even calls people out in his book who treated him this way. Now, for many, the idea that a black man in the US, in the 70s chose to take a stand isnt surprising, there are many instances where black men stood up for the end of racism, But Rosey stood up for something different; gender neutral needlepointPhotograph 35. Matt Robinson ight) and Jimmy Smith are two good pals who enioy Akins of atneves snd gameplaying, Hore they working on another favorite pastime ‘neadlepalnt, This eruly was a monumental occasion too. In this new renaissance of cross stitch, Rosey was the first man to stand up and say I stitch? The idea thata man doinga woman’ hobby was’sissy" and he doesnt shyaway from saying that, butits also clear thathes proud and unashamed. He took TV interviews, there were adverts where the book was ‘man stitch- mentioned and where you sce (date I say it) ing, The book stood outassomething different, and itwas accepted, rather than ridiculed Thisgoesfurther as well with his book containing photos of other male stitchers, those who stood up with him, in analmost Spartacus moment. But what aboutits legacy? Well, not many other male stitchers held their head up until the 2000s in the ‘modern movement of cross stitch, but actually, without Rosey book, many wouldnt exist les pages contain design ideas such as gangsters, samurai, “Rosey stood up for something different; gender neutral needlepoint.” bold geometric patterns and themes most cross sticchers wouldnitbe seen dead stitching; but these pattern themes arcin his very magazine, These are the patterns that make up the pages you're reading, and sure, these aren't male pateerns bue without Rosey Grier, would argue none of uuswould be stitching che pateerns we want, We oweadebr of gratitude t Rosey Grier, the godfather ‘of moder cross stitch. As a result, his book has become rather popular. However findingbooks from the 70s, lecalonein the rela tiveniche of needlepointisahard task Picking up a book nnow-a-daysis akin toa pilgrimage, and one that will likely cost you around the £100/$150 mark. Butitsa book that isntlike others, its not simply a book of patterns or tech- niques itsa pare of cross stich history ¢spres@ntsNS 2 ) MARIADIAZDESIGNSCOM Ei MARIADIAZDESIGNS oO) MARIADIAZDESIGNS = i 4 BY A40 ETE 0 eee ee eee: oe He: \ amen anume aes ee aaa sosccsccodescooSmrraenrar Issoscococdecoccs Seaarna pccscecedecseee SecaeseeeeS ISssccacosdesccosccsdearzxom. SS5555555 2 =vpeyqmemees = ==> >>> =) S2tt r= cree ees nnn cu EeeEee Seer ae N- oe 22: yee Se: scesedd See ees: es - eS oy eMMeAODM AMM MMMM M M 8 8 BAIN SL 8 MM Mat M ALM isis Roi BACs Bb BAM SiN 8 BB MMIC Sssscssscmmmal 770HULK K KKIKKEKK eur mau rze =rz} zea zexa Ee Seeseane- as sccgeiretccc ° psceseeseq| fraxneaere sscscscsocesodransuuurs w of 2 - ° 05 eeyanudsss sob! Ae 555522 cmimemososcons INDESIGN SIZE A 0 ic} INCHES Pee DMC COTTON 165 OME COTTON 166 Mc COTTON 304 MC COTTON 310 OME COTTON SI7 MC COTTON 318 OME COTTON 415, DOMC COTTON 433 DOME COTTON 436 DMC COTTON 436 ‘OMe COTTON 606 MC COTTON 741 MC COTTON 743 EONS) Mc COTTON 310 STITCH SPACE 42 WIDE X 42 HIGH Pa MOSS GREEN - VY LT MOSS GREEN - MD LT CHRISTMAS RED- MO BLACK PEWTER GRAY STEEL GRAY -T PEARL GRAY BROWN MO BROWN- WYLT TAN BURNT ORANGE-RED TANGERINE - MD u YELLOW - MO v MC COTTON 745 OMc COTTON g21 OMC COTTON 938 OMc COTTON 948 OMC COTTON 950 wc coTTON 970 OMC COTTON 3078 OMC COTTON 3341 OMC COTTON 3770 OwccorTON 3772 Owe corToN 3799 wc COTTON 3849 OMC COTTON WHITE Pa ES) BLACK OME COTTON 162 NC COTTON 310 OMC COTTON 3772 FABRIC ZWEIGART STEAN AIDA -3706/100- 14CT YELLOW -LTPL COPPER COFFEE BROWN - UL DK PEACH - VY LT DESERT SAND - LT PUMPKIN -LT GOLDEN YELLOW - VY LT APRICOT TAWNY- WYLT DESERT SAND - V¥ DK PEWTER GRAY - WV DK TEAL GREEN- UT WHITE Pa BLUE - UL WT BLACK DESERT SAND - V¥ OK2 \coum Bum NN CONNNNN ENNIENN CIIBCNNNNNDN ByMERD | NEBMENNCMIBN Ne BBBCCEDNN| NWBCBCDDDDNN Nec c DD CHCBIBINC NNN N/DIBINN NE BB Paeee Lf ae if ee ties sd . 2 Peers ex. See 16a Bit’ Pee, DoodleCraft Design tinymodernist cross stitch EWEN) SGHINDERMAN NOEs AUBREY Bee | LONGLEY | (¢ Bad STS es = Say Rissi 5 x on) BCE ike Picareiae Srinsiss *S oc Lucie He Pr sv Sweet TOM KATSUMIaX JACQUELYN ROVAL , Magis Diag) (rventeeahnl J KER ewe aS an * = Smart Cross Stitch ~*~ &s65 Nee @eg gies), PEACOCKANOFIGCOM [FJ PEACOCKANDFIG (O) PEACOCKANDFIG ‘i50 2 0 ae feel Ts . i los Sees es Ss Sec oe Sec os Secscscececccccccs om ° | "aaa * “se 5 “se 5 Seccsessscecscccses a esess ees ces “= “= Seccscssssssssssscs 5” nEBEEGew of Euan 'Szuneslsusntousespmgueoumonenane _GSSSHeGeeereeeeeeee | fo eaamce ess ees a lee Sessscssss5- ss2222=2| & * * @ ® ws aS Se5e5 lessens lscccoses Seese essssce ees sos jeeeccsces ees oe SeeSee STITCH SPACE 117 WIDE X 161 HIGH be] FABRIC ‘ZWEIGART STERN AIDA - 3706/10 - 14CT UC Be THe seat 0 DMC COTTON 340 WISTERIA VIOLET. 1 DMC COTTON 844 PEPPER BLACK 2 DMC COTTON 3712 BLUSH PINK 3 DMC COTTON 3812 DARK TURQUOISE DMC COTTON 844 PEPPER BLACK SE MS URE sat BLUSH PINK Taiiders Shop our range of mini cross-stitch kits from £5, perfect for on-the-go stitching Up to 50% off and an extra 10% for all XStitch readers and followers. Use code Shopl0 at checkout. Five worldwide shipping for orders over £100.00 wwwflanderstapestrycollection.com"ie "e ete el RY ~ JULIE JACKSON | YHO WON'THE ® {te A ae EMBROIDERY 5 _ GROUP BOOK _ FROM LAST ISSUE! yd Taye PhS J be Es a mS OAS) THIS BOOK? pO e/VcIn (Meo CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK efaMIeT Sui uilelNy >. ee Se Ca‘S0il Hi, T'm MR ¥ STITCH AND I'M HERE TO TEACH YOU THE BASICS OF CROSS STITCH, YOU'RE IN LUCK, IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE LONG FOR VOU TO GET THE HANG OF IT, $0 LET'S CRACK ON! BEFORE WE START, IF YOU'VE NEVER CROSS STITCHED BEFORE, STOP AND HAVE A LOOK ‘AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU FOR A MINUTE. IT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE FOREVER..! Ca Cea Na TO MAKE LIFE EASY, WE'LL START WITH THE LOOP TECHNIQUE! YOU'LL NEED A LENGTH OF THREAG NO LONGER THAN YOUR FOREARM, AND YOU'LL WANT ONE STRAND. EMBROIDERY FLOSS HAS SIX STRANDS, BUT IN MOST CASES WE USE ONE STRANG FOLDED OVER TO TWO PLY. TO PULL OUT ONE STRANG HOLD ALL THE THREADS BETWEEN YOUR THUMB AND FOREFINGER, FIND THE STRAND YOU WANT AND PULL IT OUT, WHILE STILL HOLDING THE OTHER THREADS. FOLD THE THREAD IN HALE AND PLIT BOTH ENDS THROUGH THE NEEDLE, $O YOU'VE GOT A LOOP AT ONE END. YOU NORMALLY START IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATTERN, $O YOU DON'T RUN OUT OF SPACE, AND SO YOU NEED TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF STITCHES IN THAT CENTRE SECTION AND BEGIN STITCHING. START ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FABRIC AND COME UP THROUGH ONE OF THE HOLES IN THE FABRIC - BE SURE TO GO THROUGH THE HOLE RATHER THAN THE FABRIC - MAKING A FORWARD SLASH TO THE HOLE DIAGONALLY UP AND RIGHT. WITH YOUR FIRST STITCH ONLY, ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC, PUT THE NEEDLE THROUGH THE LOOP AND PULL GENTLY. TT'LL SECURE THE THREAD IN A NICE NEAT WAY. TASTY! IN THIS INSTANCE I'M STARTING WITH FORWARD SLASHES, BUT IF BACK SLASHES ARE MORE COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR BOTTOM STITCH, GO FOR IT. WE WON'T JUDGE YOU. Oitienens