Intermediate backstitch techniques: handling long runs
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Sometimes you look at a pattern that has a lot of backstitch and you’re like “ohhh noooo, what did I sign myself up for?” Particularly if the backstitch doesn’t follow the exact colours or outlines of shapes, it can seem … Read More

Beading embroidery and cross stitch: how to add bling to your projects
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Beading embroidery and cross stitch projects doesn’t have to be hard, and it can add a wonderful flash of bling to your pieces. This cross stitch tutorial demonstrates the various kinds of needles you can use, how to stitch your … Read More

Cross stitch gridding with fishing line
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If you’ve ever seen a picture of what looks like thread running in a grid on a cross stitch project, it’s likely that the stitcher did their gridding with fishing line or something similar. Using fishing line is great as it won’t … Read More

Washing cross stitch and embroidery
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Washing cross stitch and embroidery projects is sometimes seen as a difficult, or unnecessary task at the end of a stitching project. So why should you wash your projects? Washing cross stitch removes the oils that have accumulated in the … Read More

Embroidery stitches: blackwork
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Blackwork is one of the oldest embroidery stitches in the world, and also one of the most beautiful. In this video tutorial, you’ll learn a few basic blackwork patterns and see how easy it can be! There’s even a free … Read More

Metallic thread for cross stitch and embroidery
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Metallic thread can really add a lot of pizzazz and sparkle to a project (and if you’re a magpie like me you love anything sparkly and blingy). The pattern I’m working on in the video below is the first time … Read More

Cross stitch pattern design for beginners
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Why do cross stitch pattern design?   It can be daunting to try and design a cross stitch pattern for the first time, especially if you’ve seen how complicated some patterns are. A cross stitch pattern chart is usually made … Read More

Manbroiderers – Men who Stitch
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“Manbroiderers”, or men who stitch, are thankfully becoming much more common and are coming out of the woodwork. One thing I’ve been noticing recently is the number of men who are watching my YouTube cross stitch tutorials and subscribing to … Read More

Backstitch video tutorial
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  In this video, I demonstrate how to do backstitch, which is such a handy stitch to know. This stitch is pretty common in many cross stitch patterns and can be used in many ways and different types of embroidery. … Read More

Tips before starting a stitching project
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As a follow up to my last video about bobbin winding, this video goes through a few tips that might make starting a new stitching project easier. Of course this information is more geared towards those who are beginner stitchers, … Read More

Start of a journey with blackwork patterns
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Recently as I’ve been finishing up my big Michelangelo cross stitch (which still has a bit to go but is almost there), I’ve been thinking about other ways to render drawings in stitching. I really like the way the cross … Read More

Parking versus cross-country stitching
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A few months ago I wrote a couple of blog articles about the techniques of parking and cross-country stitching. These articles generated a bit of feedback in some of the cross stitch groups I belong to online, so I thought … Read More

Beginning and ending threads in cross stitch: loop method & pin stitch
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I was online this week participating in one of my cross stitch Facebook groups, and several people were asking how to anchor their thread. I mentioned that I use the loop method to start, and a pin stitch to finish. … Read More

Gallery
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Welcome to my art gallery!   These images are spanning the last two decades or so of my work, and show some of the variety of media that I’ve explored. I’m heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance and Ancient Greece, … Read More

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