Floss Swatch Project

This ongoing project has become my hands-down favourite new obsession!  I was looking for a way to showcase the floss colours I own and play around organizing them in different ways without having to completely pull apart the three boxes of numerically ordered bobbins that I store my floss in every time the whim catches me.

I own almost every shade of DMC's six-stranded cotton embroidery floss - that's more than 400 bobbins of floss and while the storage boxes I use are great for keeping my colours in numerical order, it doesn't make it easy (or all that fun or photogenic!) to play around with new combinations.  I own DMC's floss colour card and while it's a handy, irreplaceable resource, it too doesn't allow me to play around with putting different colours together - and (call me slightly crazy) but I do think that the colour of the floss just looks ever so different when it's stitched up than it does when it's wrapped around a bobbin or just hanging out in a skein - maybe it's the way the light hits the different direction of the stitch 'legs'?

I knew I wanted a stitched record of all the colours of floss I own, and I played around with the concept of one really big tapestry of each colour lined up in one big chart, just like the floss colour card - but quickly realized that wouldn't allow me to move things around and see how colours looked beside each other.  What I really needed were small, stitched cards of each floss colour - like an embroiders version of Pantone colour chips - and so the Floss Swatch Project was born.

I love 14 count white plastic canvas for my swatches.  It's cheap and so easy to work with - and best of all it doesn't fray or get bent or dirty.  You can either stitch your swatches on one big piece of plastic canvas and then cut them apart, or cut small blanks and stitch as you go.  Aida cloth would work too, especially if you used some Fray Check to keep the edges neat and tidy, but I must admit that the plastic canvas is my favourite for this project - it's just so easy!

Right now I'm just pinning the small number I have stitched up on to a corkboard so I can see them in all their glory - but once I have more completed I'll probably sort them by colour and store them in mason jars so they stay dust free and don't get strewn about the house.

Want to start a Floss Swatch Project of your own?  Guess what?!  We put together a resource so you can do that easily - and best of all?  It's FREE!  You can download the FREE PDF HERE  - it includes a chart and instructions to stitch your own swatches and a handy printable chart of all the current DMC 6-strand Cotton Embroidery Floss colours so you can check off your progress - and yes, it includes the new colours released last year.

Don't use DMC floss?  No problem!  You can still use the PDF tutorial to stitch swatches with whatever brand of floss you prefer - there are plenty of checklists available online for each brand of floss, usually there's a free one on the manufacturers website.

Please, please don't forget to tag us on social media (we're @weelittlestitches on Instagram, @weelittlestitch on Twitter, and Wee Little Stitches Cross Stitch on Facebook) and use the hashtag #flossswatchproject and #fsp so that we can see your progress. 

Happy Stitching!  xox J.

- x - x - x - x - x - 

Let's Celebrate Canada 150 (with a FREE PATTERN)!

Happy Canada Day, Stitchy Friends!!  Well... almost - we're a few days early.  On July 1 this fine country of ours celebrates 150 years of awesomeness and to celebrate we wanted to create a quick stitch for you to whip up just in time to party. 

The design will fit perfectly in a 6 inch hoop.  You can download the free pattern HERE.

What are our favourite things about the Great White North? In no particular order: Timbits, universal healthcare, the Blue Jays, double-doubles, toques, moose, hockey, Lake Erie (also half American, so that's cool too), poutine, spelling words with 'o-u-r', summer (short though it may be), Degrassi, back bacon, decent beer, Anne of Green Gables, the metric system, general friendliness, the Rocky Mountains, and Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.  What are your favourite things?

Happy Stitching & Happy Canada Day, Hosers! <3 J,C, & E

Join Our Monthly Newsletter Mailing List

Do you ever feel like you're missing out on our social media posts?  Do you never think to check the blog or Facebook page or just pop by the shop to see what's new?  We know you're super busy all the time with work and friends and family and home life so we want to make your life a little easier.  Starting in May we're going to be publishing a monthly newsletter which will be filled with lots of goodies including tips, tutorials, links to the new designs in the shop, sneak peeks at upcoming patterns and life around Chez Weelittlestitches, and every single month there will be a FREE PATTERN that you won't find anywhere else!! Not here on the blog, not on our Flickr page, nowhere! And the best part? All this wonderful stitchy goodness will be delivered straight to your inbox on the first Tuesday of every month.  Just click on the link below to start the process.  Oh, and we promise that we won't spam you with a gazillion emails or sell your addy to anyone - ever!

Sign up HERE 

Nasty Woman - A Free Pattern

Get the free pattern - FREE!!! - here

Free Pattern - Love is Love is Love

It's not often that I use my blog as any sort of soap box.  I prefer to keep my personal opinions about world events and politics separate from my crafting life - in truth, it's very rare that they overlap anyhow.  But every once in a while something awful happens that makes me wish I could do more and the events in Orlando this past weekend are just one of those times.

I was raised in a house filled with love and laughter.  I was raised to accept and respect everyone, even if they were different from me.  I guess that makes me one of the lucky ones because I really struggle a great deal to understand hate like this.  It's such a foreign concept to me that I am absolutely gutted by it.

Like you, I have plenty of friends who identify LGBTQ and the horror and tragedy that community has been subjected to, not just this week but historically, breaks my heart.  I so, so desperately want my daughter to grow up in a world where she feels free and safe to love whomever her heart desires to love without fear and without judgement. And not only do I want that for my daughter and for your children, but I want it now, for everyone, everywhere.  It's 2016 and we are better than this.

As always, when the events in the world get to be too much for me - when they're too big, too scary, too horrible, I turn to my craft.  It calms and centers me and gives me an outlet for my fears and my heartache.  So I did what I am best at and designed myself a pattern to give voice to my sadness and I happily offer it to you too, free of charge (download it here).  Stitch it for your friends, for your children, for yourself.  Stitch it because it's the truth and deserves, no - demands - to be heard.

I honestly, passionately believe that we as humans are here on Earth to create, not destroy. Our hands are meant to hold paintbrush and pen, knitting needle and sewing needle, not guns.

Don't back down my lovelies.  Stand and be proud.  Love is love is love is love.

Want to watch the moment that inspired my pattern?  Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda's beautiful Tony Award acceptance speech here.

Free Pattern for Charity - Pixel People Mr. Rogers

Some days it seems like a really dark world we live in.  As we sit here and absorb the news and images of the tragic terrorist attacks on Paris yesterday, we are reminded of how lucky we are to have woken up this morning with our family and friends beside us.  We fervently hope all our customers in Paris and their family and friends are safe and well.  We stand beside you. 


We are pleased to offer our Pixel People Mr. Rogers pattern for free to you all. (Get the pattern here or here).. It was originally designed after the Sandy Hook shootings as a fundraiser in partnership with the now defunct Kitchy Stitches site, but this morning we thought it was time to bring it out again.  Please feel free to download it and share it with your friends and fellow crafters.  We hope you'll use it as a tool to talk to your children about the good that still exists in the world.  Now, more than ever it is important to teach our children that we are meant to love, not hate.  That we are meant to help, not hurt.  And that we are meant to create, not destroy.

In lieu of payment for this free pattern, we hope you'll consider donating to the Red Cross.  We know first hand the good work they do!

Be kind to each other out there today.  Hug your children.  Create something good.

J&C

Working with Metallic Floss & a Fab Giveaway!

I love designing and stitching with metallic floss - it gives a little extra glamour to my projects that just can't be replicated with regular ol' cotton embroidery floss... but I happen to know that there are many designers and stitchers - both beginners and long-time pros - who would rather have a root canal than stitch with metallic floss...


I hear the excuses all the time:


It snags.

It unravels.

It's a gigantic pain-in-the-butt.


True. True. And definitely true... but it doesn't have to be that way!  Trust me - I've got a few tips that will help big time and make you love working with metallic floss as much as it do. Heck, you'll be looking for an excuse to use it!

I prefer using DMC's Light Effects brand of metallic floss - it's easy to come by - usually available right alongside the normal cotton floss - and it's pretty cost effective.  At a couple of dollars per generously sized skein, it fits right in with my budget.  But the thing I like most of all about Light Effects is that it works just like regular 6-strand embroidery floss.  It's divisible in the same way your normal floss is and is roughly the same 'weight', so I can use as many strands as I want/need in a project without having to worry about purchasing different sizes of braid like those offered by many other floss companies.  That being said, there a lot of brands out there to choose from and, as always, you should work with the brand you like best.  I've tried them all and each has it's pros and cons.

So let's address all the issues we have with metallic floss...

Excuse #1 - metallic floss snags

Yup, it sure does - but there's a reason WHY - if you look carefully at metallic floss you'll see that it's actually composed of a soft inside core around which is wrapped nylon metallic threads.  It's the nature of that metallic outside thread that it has some rough edges compared to cotton floss and those edges can snag on fabric.  That snaggy metallic nylon is what gives the floss its shimmer and shine, but it's really darn annoying to work with.  We can combat a lot of that snaggy-ness (is that a word? well, it is now) by lubricating our floss and choosing the proper size of needle (more on needles later).

I like Thread Heaven for my lubricator - it really is like magic!  If you're a cross-stitcher, hand quilter, or embroiderer and you don't own a little blue box of Thread Heaven I suggest you run out and get yourself some (I found mine at my local quilting shop).  It's amazing.  I don't use it with my normal cotton floss when I cross-stitch because I don't think it's necessary (although you certainly could and there are plenty of stitchers who do), but I swear by it when using metallic or nylon floss! I don't know what it's made out of... some kind of lovely magic silicon or something, but it works a real treat!  It not only helps to keep the metallic floss from snagging so much, but it also keeps it nice and shiny!   Best of all it isn't sticky, doesn't smell, and doesn't effect the colour of your floss or fabric. I've had my box of Thread Heaven for 4 years now and there's still lots and lots left to work with so a little does go a long way - and trust me, I stitch a LOT more than the typical crafter.

Excuse #2 - metallic floss unravels

Yup, it sure does - for the same reason that is snags -  the outside layer of nylon often separates from the softer inside core.  It's frustrating and upsetting and makes even the most seasoned stitcher want to pull her hair out and run screaming from the room.  So here's where I impart my most secret of stitching tips with you... the true secret to working with metallic floss is all in how you thread the needle...

"But I already know how to thread a needle" you're thinking - you run the floss through the needle, and then leave a little tail hanging down, which you gradually use up as you stitch.  That traditional method works just fine for normal thread or floss, but threading your needle that way when working with metallic floss actually contributes to the unraveling problem - the outer layer of sparkly nylon wraps around the core like the stripes on a candy cane and so is actually much longer than the inside core of the metallic thread -   When we thread our needle the traditional way (with a long tail) and work the thread through the fabric, the pulling friction makes the floss unravel a little more with every pass, resulting with a frayed and messy length of floss which often makes us want to cry.

Excuse # 3 - it's a gigantic pain-in-the-butt

 Yup, it sure is - but only if you let it be.  Let's learn how to tame that metallic thread!

Here we go...

Collect together all the things you'll need to complete your stitching - your pattern, hoop, fabric, thread conditioner, metallic floss, and needle.  You may want to use a slightly larger needle than you normally do when you stitch - or at least one with a larger eye - even if you have to break in to your stash of sewing needles with pointed ends, rather than cross-stitch/tapestry needle with the blunt end that we usually use.  Because metallic floss is a wee bit thicker and not as pliable as cotton floss, it can often be tricky to thread it in your needle - especially when you use the trick I'm about to show you.  If you're having a hard time threading your needle, change it up to one with a slightly bigger eye.

A bigger eye also has another benefit - it widens the hole you're passing the floss through ever so slightly, meaning that the metallic floss has more room to pass through - so it reduces the friction of floss against fabric and therefore reduces the snagging (see, I told you we'd get back to this).  I normally use a pretty small needle when I cross-stitch - I like a size 28 - but when I stitch metallic floss I go up to a size 26, or even a size 24 if I'm having a hard time.

 Cut yourself a length of metallic floss - I actually like to keep my floss pretty short which helps to reduce the tangling issue.  We're going to double up a single strand of floss though, so cut a length which is twice as long as you'd like your working floss to be - for me that's the length of my arm to almost mid-chest - 22 inches (yes I'm short) - giving me 11 inches of working floss, a length I find just perfect.

Separate a single strand of floss and run it across your Thread Heaven - I pass it over twice, once in each direction, sandwiching the floss between my finger and the Thread Heaven - and then run the strand through my fingers a few times just to work the Thread Heaven in.  You may find that the floss is already starting to unravel a little at the ends - don't worry, we're going to take care of that.

Fold your floss in half - lining up the two live edges.  When I thread my needle I like to work not from the end with the live edges, but from the loop end - it's a lot easier and you don't have to worry about trying to get all the fraying live edges through your needle eye at the same time - what a headache that would be.  By using the loop end to thread our needle we can stay away from the fray... plus, we want the needle to be at this end of the floss.

Okay, this is where things get different than normal - we actually want to knot the loop end of the floss through the needle eye in such a way that it holds the floss completely in place - this is the secret of how we keep it from shifting and unraveling as we work.  


I've taken some photos using a larger needle and yarn so you can get a better idea of how this will work - it's a lot easier to see at a larger scale. Click on the photo to make it bigger and walk yourself through the steps...

 

the 'knotted' thread and needle eye

See where I'm going with this?  With your metallic floss basically knotted on to the eye of your needle it can't go anywhere - that means that you've just cut out the shifting/unraveling problem.  By threading your needle this way everything will stay perfectly in place you start to stitch because it has no where else to go! 

This is actually my preferred method for threading my needle when I stitch - I often thread my normal floss this way too, especially when I'm stitching in a hurry - if you're the sort of stitcher who has a hard time keeping your floss on their needle or keeping your stitches even then you may want to consider always stitching like this.  It's also a great method for when you're teaching young kids to stitch as they can't lose their needle.

Then all you need to is trim the live ends of the floss so that they're all even and start your stitching, anchoring those pesky live ends under the first few stitches, just like you do when you're cross stitching with normal cotton floss (remember, we don't knot the end of our thread when we cross-stitch).  By doing it this way you have completely eliminated those live ends so nothing can unravel.  There's no fraying because there are no live ends!  

Here's a little free pattern for you to practice your metallic stitching with.  You can stitch it in any colour you please!  It's a quick little project you can finish in easily less than half an hour.

I had help with mine. Also, yes I do take all my photos on my livingroom floor!

What you end up with a sweet little project with a pretty sparkle that's completely stress-free!




The great thing about this method is that you can use it for regular embroidery too!  Just knot the live ends of the floss together and start stitching.


 
And the best part?  You can win one of two metallic floss gift packs (4 of our favourite colours of metallic floss and your own box of Thread Heaven!!) as a gift from us!  Just leave a comment on this blog post and we'll draw two winners on February 7th!

leave a comment below to enter to win!

 Happy Stitching!!
<3 J.

Free Buddy the Elf Pixel Person Patterns + a Giveaway + a Wee Tutorial

 

Here at Chez weelittlestitches we just love Christmas! It's the time of year where we can get crafty and make some really fun gifts for all the important people in our life.  In the past those people were limited to our family and friends, but a few years in to this Etsy thing and now those important people include you!!  Because we have such lovely and supportive customers we're able to make a go at this business thing, and because of you we've seen this venture grow every year.

We truly wish we could stitch something from the heart for each and every one of you - but since we can't, we'll have to settle for the next best thing.  We might not be able to make you a hand-stitched gift, but we can give you the means to make one for yourself (or for someone you love). The holidays should be about kindness and laughter and love -- they should be about giving a little part of yourself to the people who are important to you.  

So, in the spirit of the season we're giving you 3 free patterns featuring the very sweet Buddy the Elf from the Will Ferrell holiday movie Elf!

download pattern here

download pattern here

download pattern here

And to really make things exciting we're also having our very FIRST giveaway... (giveaway now closed - thanks!)

We'll be making a draw for this finished Pixel People Buddy the Elf stitching on December 14th, 2013.  Want to win him?  Just leave a comment on this post and we'll choose one winner randomly!

Want to know how to make your own cute Quoteable hoop??  Here's how:

Stitch Buddy on a piece of coloured Aida and the quote on a separate scrap piece of white aida - this is a great way to use up all those extra little scraps that always seem to be lying around.

Apply a liquid fray check product - we love Dritz' version - all around the outside edge of the quote, making sure you get every corner really well.  You want to apply the fray check to the fabric, not the stitches.

Alternatively, you could stitch the quote on white 14 count plastic canvas and skip this step altogether!


Wait for the fray check to dry and then carefully cut out the quote, leaving at least one row of squares between the stitching and where you cut the fabric.

Following the pattern, figure out where you'd like your quote to sit in relation to your stitched Pixel Person - pin it in place and then secure it with backstitching.  I like using invisible thread for this part - it's a transparent nylon thread sometimes used in quilting.   I purchase mine at the fabric store.  You could also use black thread to make a noticeable outline around the quote bubble or white thread if you'd like it to blend in.

Then just sit back and enjoy the festive cuteness!! 

And check out our other Quoteable Pixel People and Pixel People In Love designs for other patterns which would be super adorable done this way.

Happy Holidays  xox J&C

More Free Patterns!

Long, long before Pixel People were a thing, and long before weelittlestitches ever existed, I was still a cross-stitcher.  I've loved the craft almost my whole life but have always struggled finding patterns to stitch which reflect my own (slightly weird) tastes.  I used to be quite active on Flickr before I got super busy with the shop, and you can find some of my old patterns there - happily, for free!  So if you're looking for a change from Pixel People, might I suggest these?

 chart

 

chart 

  

chart  & chart

 

chart 

chart

There are a few other 'freebies' to be found on my Flickr too - so please help yourself!  Just remember, these - like all our patterns - are for personal use only!

Happy stitching!!

xo. J.

Free Pattern - Futurama

Hey All!

It's been a while since we've had a blog post.  The holidays were extra busy for us this year, as I'm sure they were for many of you.  As things are starting to get back to normal, we're finding ourselves with time to stitch again (finally!) and thought that perhaps you might be too... so as a belated New Year's gift from us here's a free pattern: 

Futurama! (link)

We'd like to remind you that (as always) our patterns are for personal use only!! :)

Happy stitching!!

Free Pattern - The Avengers

The holidays are fast approaching and we're heavily, heavily into the Christmas crafting here at Chez WLS... and based on how busy the shop has been the past few weeks we`re guessing you are too!

In light of the upcoming season and all the warm and fuzzy feelings it brings - and to thank you all for being such wonderful supporters of us and what we do - we`d like to share a pattern with you... for free!

I give you... the Avengers pattern! (link)

I`d like to take the time to remind you that our patterns are for personal use only - please feel free to share the link with all your friends, but please don`t sell the pattern or the finished product.

Happy holidays!!

Because We Love Love

In honour of our impending wedding anniversary (it's tomorrow... and it'll be six years we've been married) we wanted to share a little of the love with you.  So... free patterns!!

And remember... feel free to share the love... but don't sell it ;D