Greetings friends - I'm so happy you stopped by for a visit today! Summer months have gotten the best of me and it has been hard to make the time to post on my blog. Of course, I have been creating behind the scenes - working hard to finish up all the
client orders I have on hand and finish up new cross stitch and quilting designs. I am down to just a few client orders and I am excited to get them finished up and be able to focus on my own designs and projects for a while - several recent customer orders have stolen my joy and I am ready to work on pieces that make my heart happy! So, for now, I am not taking on any new clients or client orders - I just need a break to refresh and regroup - and when I do start taking on client orders again, it will be extremely limited and with fresh guidelines. I do have quite a few finishing photos to share with you and I will do that soon, but today is all about my
new Halloween cross stitch designs! I released four new patterns on September 1st and this post will showcase each one. These four new cross stitch designs are all available for digital download in
my Etsy shop...but if you would really like to have a printed paper pattern, please send me an email (I will reply with the details, then send a PayPal invoice and ship them to you - you will be charged a little extra for printing and exact shipping fees). For now, let's get to the fun part - the new designs....
"Happy Boo Day!" features jack-o-lanterns, owls and black birds...while, "Merry Fright Night!" features a haunted house and it's ghosts. This is a two design set - perfect for bowl fillers, small pillows, large ornaments or even small frames. The models were stitched on 28-count Cashel Summer Khaki by Zweigart (but your favorite darker fabric color and count will do - you want to be able to see the ghosts) with
Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (
DMC conversion included). The models use hand-dyed velveteen for the backs and hand-dyed pom pom trim for embellishment - all from
Lady Dot Creates. This chartpack comes with charting for both designs (in color and black/white) along with stitching and finishing instructions. These small designs stitch up quickly and are perfect to tuck into your Halloween display!
Created with children in mind, "Holding The Bag" contains charting for a pair of Halloween bags (One for Treats, One for Tricks), four pages of Halloween jokes for the tricks bag and finishing instructions. I thought it would be clever to have both a bag of tricks (jokes and riddles) along with a bag of treats. The chart pack includes four pages of printable Halloween jokes (10 per page) for the bag of tricks - these printed slips are perfect for handing out with treats, placing in a lunchbox or backpack, or adding to a card or package. The models were stitched on 28-count Cashel Platinum (but, again, your favorite darker fabric color and count will do) with
The Gentle Art Sampler Threads (
DMC conversion included). Finishing instructions are included for making the bags, as shown...I used cotton fabric, wool felt/fabric, and hand dyed rick rack and rayon ribbon from
Lady Dot Creates. These Halloween bags will add a bit of whimsy to your holiday decorations...
Additional details/purchasing information:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1063970040/holding-the-bag-brd-125-counted-cross
Introducing the second set of Rick Rack Rounds! Just like
Sweet Slice of Liberty, these have a stitch count of 48" x 48" and are stitched on 32-count fabric, measuring 3 1/4" round. I stitched "Hitchin' A Ride" (named for the black cat on the witch's cloak) on 32-count Navy Bean by
Lakeside Linens with
Sulky 12 Wt. Cotton Petites (
DMC equivalents are also provided)…and again, almost any fabric color will work for these autumn beauties. The pattern includes complete finishing instructions for my Rick Rack Rounds - and you can insert pins as I did...or they look great with just the rick rack (or trim of your choice). These make great bowl fillers or could be finished as seasonal ornaments. The pattern comes with a plethora creative ideas! I filmed a comprehensive FlossTube video showing how to do the finishing on these, you can find it here:
https://youtu.be/YkBe77naAZI. These Halloween rounds are quick to stitch and easy to finish...and more seasonal Rick Rack Rounds are on the way!
This enchanting wall hanging features two black birds celebrating Halloween with their trick-or-treat candy haul! This happy Halloween design was stitched on 32-count Tarnished Silver (Standard) from
Lakeside Linens with
Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (
DMC Conversions included). The model was finished as a quilted wall hanging and finishing instructions are included...but should you want to frame this design, it will fit perfectly in a standard 8" x 10" frame (when stitched on 32-count fabric). Use your favorite cotton quilting fabrics to complement this design or frame it up for a merry Halloween display - it would also make a fun box topper or spooky addition to a quilted tote bag. This chartpack comes with charting for the design (in color and black/white) along with stitching and finishing instructions.
There you have it - my four
latest cross stitch designs. I hope these designs get you excited for Halloween and inspire you to finish your pieces in new, unique ways!
I have been working on two new sewing/quilting patterns, as well and they will be available in the near future. One is for a retreat mat (small quilt) and one is for a scissor holder/needle case. More details will be posted soon.
I will be filming a FlossTube video featuring the new cross stitch designs in the next day or two, so look for that on my
YouTube channel within the next week. I also filmed two additional videos in August - one with the most asked Blue Ribbon Designs questions and answers...and one with storage solutions...these two should be posted in the next month or so, once I make time for editing. I have several hearing impaired viewers, so it takes me quite a while to correct/write all the closed captions (instead of letting YouTube or speech-to-text automatically generate the captions, which most times are not accurate).
I know that was a lot to cover in one post, but I wanted to get you all the latest design information. The last couple months have been a bit hectic here...aside from all the work in my studio, we managed to go see a Sporting KC (MLS) game, a couple Yankees/Royals games at the K, the Garth Brooks concert at Arrowhead Stadium, and a Kansas City NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) game. Yes, Kansas City is finally starting to feel like home! In a couple weeks, we are headed to Chicago for a wedding...then my mom and Dan are coming for a visit...then at the beginning of October, we are headed to Colorado and Utah for our yearly Jeep trip. Busy is a huge blessing and I am looking forward to sharing more with you!
Thank you so much for visiting with me today and for the continued enthusiasm for my designs. I wouldn't be able to pursue my passion without your encouragement, love and support!
