Sequestered in the Studio

It's another hot and humid day in Kansas and I have been in my studio working on needlework finishing since early this morning. So while I grab some caffeine and take a short break, I thought I would share a few recent client finishes. Thanks to the pandemic and stay-at-home stitching, Blue Ribbon Finishing is flourishing right now - seriously, I have never had so many finishing orders and new clients! First, I will share some cross stitch ornament finishes, then a large cross stitch wall hanging...again, these are not my designs or my stitching, just my finishing work...

These ornaments were all stitched by the same talented stitcher - and each was a joy to finish (lucky for me, this needleworker gave me minimal direction and let me be creative!). This particular stitcher (a new client) asked for both flat and pillow finishes and let me choose all of the materials. All of the cording is custom made with DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss and my Kreinik Custom Corder....and it is hand-stitched in place (I don't use glue on any pieces I finish - just my personal preference) - I also hand sew ribbons, trims (visit Lady Dot Creates for THE BEST trims) and embellishments in place. The fabrics shown with each ornament were used for backing...

Santa's Helper by Mosey 'N Me - 2013 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue

Ewe-le Tide Greetings by Mosey 'N Me - 2013 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue

Deck the Halls by Little House Needleworks

Glitter House 9 by Country Cottage Needleworks

Gingerbread Village by Little House Needleworks

Needlework Shop by Little House Needleworks

Coffee Shop by Little House Needleworks

Finally, here is a large cross stitch piece I finished as a quilted wall hanging. This piece was a bit of a challenge, finishing at 24" x 36"...probably the largest piece I have finished in this way. This is Julian Giraffe from WooHoo Textiles. It was stitched on washable grid aida fabric by a new cross stitcher, who is just learning - I thought this was a very impressive piece for a beginner! I was able to soak out the grid...then found (what I thought were) the perfect fabrics at my local quilt shop (The Quilted Sunflower). I did very small stipple quilting in the border...and attached pockets on the back for a wooden slat with with sawtooth hanger. For the size of the piece, I was extremely pleased with the outcome...

I hope you are inspired to work on something creative...and I'll be back with plenty more cross stitch  finishes in the very near future...

Oh...and stay tuned - I'll show you the cross stitch piece I designed for the Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2020 Special Collector's Issue...yes, I designed a special Halloween piece that can be made into a quilted wall hanging or fit in an 8" x 10" frame. This annual publication is just starting to ship to shops and mailboxes, so I will be back with images and all the scoop VERY soon!