Friday Finds–2/3/17

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Friday Finds is my weekly round-up of needlework, textile, books and art links from my wanderings around the web.

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Here are this week’s links:

 

Video of the Week

This week I am enjoying this video of dancers from the NYC Ballet who take over a subway station.

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WIP Weds: Progress on All Shall Be Well

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Over the past week, I spent some time stitching the “All Shall Be Well” Julian of Norwich cross-stitch pattern.

WIP Wednesday logo

When I stitch, I prefer to start at the top left of a pattern and work my way across and down. So, with “All Shall Be Well,” I am starting with the large initial letter “A” in the top left.

Last week I had barely started the top of the A, but now the project is starting to look like something!

In the first photo below started stitching the background yellow color, but then I switched to stitching the dark blue of the letter itself. I decided it would be easier to stitch the letter and then go back and fill in the other details.

initial letter A progress

 

In the second photo, I finished the dark blue of the left “leg” of the illuminated manuscript-style letter A and I am starting to make my way down the right leg of the letter.

medieval illuminated manuscript letter A cross-stitch pattern

 

And, here is where I am at as of Tuesday night as I write this:

letter A progress All Shall Be Well Julian of Norwich cross-stitch pattern

 

I completed all of the darker blue and now I am filling in the lighter blue highlights in the letter.

In my other projects, I have not made any new progress on the “12 Days of Christmas” pattern by Satsuma Street.

New Color Palette and Free Pattern Coming Soon

Next week I plan to feature a new stitchy color palette along with a free pattern to stitch just in time for St. Valentine’s Day!

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What I’m Reading–February 2017

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Every month I share what books I finished last month and what I’m reading now. I also love to hear what others are reading. Please share your own book recommendations in the comments.

what I'm reading February 2017

My reading has slowed down this past month as I focused on completing and releasing my Julian of Norwich “All Shall Be Well” cross-stitch pattern. I only finished two books in January, but they were both good ones!

Finished in January 2017

  • Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hahn. This is a modern classic of interfaith dialogue. The importance of finding common ground and treating others with respect and compassion despite different belief systems is relevant now more than ever.
  • 99 Stories of God by Joy Williams. Hard to describe this collection of short stories. This is the kind of book I want to put in everyone’s hands even though I know it’s not for everyone’s tastes. One of those rare books you know you will return to over and over again.

What I’m Reading Now

  • The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow. I’m an introvert all the way, so I picked up this book for tips on how to get stuff done and still take care of myself.
  • To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue. This is the February book for my church’s book club. I’m really looking forward to reading this collection of poems.
  • The Holy Thief by Ellis Peters. Yes, I am picking up Cadfael again. I’m going to finish this series, darn it!

 

What are you reading? Tell me in the comments or friend me on Goodreads!

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Friday Finds — 01/27/17

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Can you believe January is almost over?

Friday Finds is my weekly round-up of needlework, textile, books and art links from my wanderings around the web.

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Here are this week’s links:

Video of the Week

RIP Mary Tyler Moore. She was also an avid needleworker.

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WIP Weds: Project Updates

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

What have I been up to in the past week?

Last Thursday, my husband and I went to our church’s monthly book club meeting where we discussed Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hahn.

On Saturday, we drove out to see my brother and sister-in-law to see their new house and meet my niece, who is now seven weeks old.

Monday, we went to a concert in Chicago where we heard a wonderful performance of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor.

In between all of that, I was editing my most recent cross-stitch pattern, creating the final PDF, taking lots of photos, and writing the listing for Etsy. (Seriously, no one tells you how long some of this stuff takes.)

But, I still managed to do a tiny bit of stitching, so here are some other project updates!

WIP Wednesday logo

First up is progress on the 12 days of Christmas by Satsuma Street. I am stitching some of the border for the piece, and I’m still obsessively counting every stitch because I am terrified that I am off the count and will end up having to frog parts of the border. But, I think everything’s okay so far. Wish me luck! Here’s the progress photo:

progress on 12 days of Christmas cross-stitch project

Yeah, it doesn’t look like a lot of progress, but it is taking me longer because of the constant counting and recounting my stitches. I should probably just break down and grid my fabric.

Next up, I started stitching a model for “All Shall Be Well.” It’s fun to stitch one of my own patterns, but it’s also funny — just because I designed it, doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes while stitching it. I had to frog one row because I miscounted some of the blue stitches! :D

Here’s my start:

start on All Shall Be Well cross-stitch pattern

Hope everyone is having a productive crafty week!

 

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New! “All Shall Be Well” Cross-Stitch Pattern

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.”

English mystic Julian of Norwich wrote these words over 600 hundred years ago, but they continue to inspire and encourage.

This quote had been kicking around in my head for a long time, and I knew I wanted to design a cross-stitch pattern for it. If you’ve been following this blog for a little while, you may remember I showed a little preview of this pattern way back at the end of September. Now it is finally completed.

All Shall Be Well Julian of Norwich Quote Cross-Stitch Pattern

The pattern is available now at Rabbit Girl Crafts on Etsy.

The design is 151 stitches wide by 161 stitches high, giving it a finished size of approximately 10 3/4″ x 11 1/2″ if stitched on 14 count Aida or 28 count linen/evenweave. So, this is not a small pattern!

It uses full cross-stitches, fractional stitches, backstitching, and two French knots.

I recommend DMC threads in the pattern instructions, but it might be fun to use an overdyed thread for the lettering. The subtle variations in an overdyed thread might give it a more medieval manuscript kind of look. You could also have fun experimenting with a hand-dyed fabric to get the look of parchment.

 

 

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Friday Finds–01/20/17

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Hey, I’ve survived the first week of the spring semester at work. Huzzah!

Friday Finds is my weekly round-up of needlework, textile, books and art links from my wanderings around the web.

friday-finds-2017-template

Here are this week’s links:

 

Video of the Week

This tribute to “Singin’ in the Rain” is so much fun. I feel like an old geezer for saying this, but it’s heartwarming to see young people still tap dancing. Also, the outtakes at the end are great. Jumping onto that couch isn’t as easy as it looks!

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Free Snowflake Cross-Stitch Pattern

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

As promised, here is a little free cross-stitch pattern I designed using some of the colors from the winter color palette I shared on Monday.

Winter Snowflake Pattern Graphic

This simple snowflake pattern only uses three colors, and it should be a quick stitch. You could finish it as an ornament, add a pin back and make a brooch, or stitch a card for a winter birthday. The possibilities are nearly endless.

You may save the image below, or you can download the winter snowflake cross-stitch pattern in PDF format.

free winter snowflake cross-stitch pattern

Design Size:        35W x 35H
Design Area:       2.21″ x 2.21″  (31 x 31 stitches)

winter-snowflake-legend

I plan to share more color palettes and little free patterns throughout the coming year. I hope you enjoy them! If you stitch any of the patterns, drop me note or comment and let me know!

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Winter Cross-Stitch Color Palette

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

This is the first in what I hope will be an occasional series of posts of color palettes to inspire cross-stitch, embroidery, and other needlework projects. There will be two parts to this. Today I am featuring the first color palette. Then, later in the week I will share a free cross-stitch pattern using colors from the featured palette.

I hope this will be fun. It gives me a chance to practice my photography, which I am really, really trying to improve this year. And, I get to design, stitch, and share some fun, simple cross-stitch patterns.

Winter can seem like a drab time of year for color. But, this color palette is inspired by the blues that appear at dusk in wintertime.

Winter Cross-Stitch Embroidery Color Palette

All of that glaring white snow fades into dusty shades of blue as the sun goes down.

This Winter Needlework Palette use DMC threads. The threads used are:

DMC#               Color Name
Ecru                  Ecru
762                   Very Lt Pearl Grey
3747                 Very Lt Blue Violet
3840                 Lt Lavender Blue
3325                  Lt Baby Blue
3807                 Cornflower Blue

Winter Cross-Stitch Embroidery Color Palette

 

Later this week I will share a simple cross-stitch pattern inspired by this winter color palette. Let me know what you think in the comments, and stay tuned!

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Friday Finds–01/13/17

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Rabbit Girl Crafts

Friday Finds is my weekly round-up of needlework, textile, books and art links from my wanderings around the web.

friday-finds-2017-template

Here are this weeks links:

 

Video of the Week

Listening to some Imagine Dragons this week. Kind of a guilty pleasure. :)

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