Update on Sock Monkey Cross Stitch

Well, this is coming along nicely:

Cross stitched sock monkey - almost done!

This is the cross stitch piece that was partially finished (only his arms and shoulders) in my last post. This monkey was originally intended to be a bookmark, from the book "Hold That Thought Bookmarks" by Sandy Orton, but I'm not really feeling the bookmark vibe from him. Maybe I will try to find a skinny picture frame for him instead, or if anyone has any finishing ideas for a tall, skinny piece, I am all ears. I don't really have any significant progress to report on the Celestial Dragon; that thing is going to take forever.

However, I should be done with Mr. Monkey by the weekend. All I have left is some light brown shading along the bottoms of his feet and tail and the backstitching and lettering. This was a quick little piece! I think my next endeavor is going to be something more original, though, and probably ocean-themed, because EtsyNEAT's June challenge theme is "Water/The Ocean."

Until then... less bitching, more stitching!

Updates on WIPs

Not a whole lot to update on today (WIPs = works in progress).  I have been crazy busy with work stuff!

Still stuck on one corner on the dragon.  I finished all of the light gold in the corner and started the inside edge of the border.  It's really hard to get excited about another huge, intricate piece when I have a couple of smaller things in the works.  Plus, I hate stitching in browns and tans - I need some colors!

And here is a new project I started; just something simple.  Does anyone want to venture a guess as to what it is?  Hint: the tweeded (two colors mixed together) color pattern is pretty distinctive!

Real Cameras Really DO Make a Difference!

I finally got my new camera (Kodak EasyShare Max Z990) and re-took pictures of all of my finished pieces, as well as realized that I need to do at least a tiny bit of photo editing before I post them.  As you can see, the difference is significant and well worth the effort!

Here is my cross stitched "Sparkly Pink Cupcake Keychain."  Both pics are taken on my cell phone camera, but the one on the right was adjusted with Serif Photo Plus.

Cell phone camera - un-edited

Cell phone camera - edited with Serif Photo Plus

Not too shabby!  And here is the old camera version compared to the new camera version, both of them brightened:

Cell phone camera - edited with Serif Photo Plus

Kodak camera - edited with Serif Photo Plus

I really like how these turned out.  I didn't realize how much detail and color I was losing by just using my old camera phone!  It just goes to show you - if you put a lot of work into your crafts and you want to show them to other people, it pays to put a little more effort into making them look their best!

Crafting and Copyright - Can I Sell Finished Pieces?

One of the issues that has come up in the past few days is how intellectual property issues can potentially affect your cross stitching hobby.  The issue is that patterns are considered copyrighted designs, and if you sell pieces made from patterns, in some cases, it could be construed as copyright or trademark infringement.  I sell my completed pieces on Etsy, and I was approached by another member saying that I should verify that I was not violating any laws by listing those pieces, so I did some homework.  Now, I am not a lawyer, but I did speak with one (my fiancé) regarding these issues, and I looked at several websites, including designer Teresa Wentzler's own copyright page, Crafts and Copyrights, and Yarn Tree's copyright page to find some answers for my readers.

Trademark versus Copyright
First, you have to determine if your piece is trademarked as well as copyrighted.  A book of cross stitch patterns of cats is copyrighted, but a book of cross stitch patterns of Garfield is copyrighted AND trademarked.  A copyright generally applies to a piece of art (a book, song, or textile art pattern), whereas a trademark generally applies to a commercial brand or line of merchandise (a line of T-shirts featuring Mickey Mouse).  Based on what I have seen regarding derivative works (art inspired by trademarked or copyrighted materials, including finished cross stitch pieces), if you sell something that features a trademarked character, you could be opening yourself to legal action.  I have heard of people being contacted by lawyers for selling girls' dresses made of Disney-printed fabric, for example.  I am a little fuzzier on these details because I choose not to stitch trademarked characters out of personal preferences, and I have heard conflicting statements concerning the legality of this topic.  If you are considering selling finished items featuring trademarked characters, you may want to speak with an intellectual property lawyer first.

So, assuming you are stitching something non-trademarked, what limitations must you observe?

1. No copying the pattern for re-distribution.  This is probably obvious but bears mention.  You are allowed to make one working copy to enlarge a detailed pattern or to mark up the pattern, but you cannot distribute the pattern to anyone else.
2. If you stitch the piece and sell it, you must buy a new pattern for each piece you sell.  Technically, copyright would prevent a crafter from selling a finished piece made from a copyrighted pattern, but practically, nobody is going to hunt you down for only listing one copy (ever) for sale.  An exception to this is Dimensions (part of EKSuccess Brands), which grants crafters permission to produce limited (~50 pieces) copies of their projects for distribution over a limited geographic area, provided the crafters request permission through EKSuccess's Angel Policy prior to sale.  I do stitch a lot of Dimensions products, but I have never stitched more than one copy from a single pattern, so I can't really say anything else about their Angel Policy.  Another exception is Teresa Wentzler's list of free patterns, which she explicitly states can be stitched more than once, although the charts (and, I presume, multiple copies of the finished pieces) cannot be sold.
3. You are also not allowed to take a copyrighted pattern, modify it, and pass it on as your own original work.  The new pattern would then be considered a derivative work, but you are not granted permission to create this type of derivative work from a copyrighted cross stitch pattern (conversely, you ARE permitted to use the original pattern to create an identical finished piece).

What is the absolute safest way to avoid copyright infringment?  Why, create your own designs, of course!  It may take a little longer and require some creative inspiration, but you are free to sell the pattern and the finished piece(s) as many times as you like.  There are many computer programs available for download that can help you - personally, I like KG-Chart, but there are several others.  You can either create sampler-style patterns, or you can convert original photography to portrait-style charts if you are a shutterbug.

Does anyone else have any experience with crafting and copyright?

My first original cross stitch chart - Quincy Bay in the Sun

I decided that I wanted to create an original chart, so I downloaded a free program from the internet - KG-Chart.  Then, I uploaded my own photo.  This is a shot of Quincy Bay as seen from Wollaston Beach, a few miles south of Boston.  The railing in the foreground is a walkway out to the Squantum Yacht Club, which is perched on stilts out by the water.

Quincy Bay - Wollaston, MA

Next, I selected the fabric and final size (12.5" x 7" when stitched on 16-count Aida) as well as the number of colors to be used.  Because this is a fairly limited-color picture, 14 colors was sufficient (I tried 24 at first, but the pattern was pretty near impossible to read).  I also edited out the people sitting on the beach because they were just a black blob in the chart after it pixellated.  The program then lets you export a computer-generated image of what the picture will look like stitched:

Quincy Bay in cross stitches (computer-generated)

And here is a detail of the chart:

Quincy Bay - detail of cross stitch pattern

I think I might actually try stitching this!  I have always loved this photo, and it seems like a good excuse for a new project.  :)  I will use this program to create sampler-type projects, too; I like that it has the complete line of DMC floss and lets you create a color chart.  You can also upgrade to the pay version for extra features (larger chart size and no "KG Chart" byline when printing), but the free version appears totally adequate for me right now.  Two thumbs up!

Instant gratification - sparkly cupcake keychain (cross stitch)

I needed to take a break from the "big stuff" to finish a small project for some instant gratification.  So, I found a pattern for a cute little pink cupcake on Google, stitched two, and made them into keychains.  I changed the pattern a little bit - I made the icing pink and white instead of just pink, and I used iridescent sparkly thread and shiny magenta rayon floss to add some shimmer.  Together, the keychains both took only about an hour and a half.  Here is the finished project:

Cross-Stitched Sparkly Pink Cupcake Keychain

Then, after looking at the pics, I realized that I really need to upgrade to a real camera (I have been using my cell phone camera so far).  I poked around on Amazon until I found one that I liked for a good price - the Kodak EasyShare Max Z990 (about $180).  It has a 30x optical zoom and a manual focus option, so it will really help me to get good close-ups of my work!  It should also help with the colors, because my poor little Droid 3, while it has pretty good resolution at 8 MP, tends to just bleed color all through the pictures (like the pink in the cupcake above).

I will post some new pics as soon as it arrives!

Pillow-Style Hanging Door Ornament with Cross Stitched Owl Appliqué (Tutorial) - Cross Stitch

This is a finishing tutorial for making a pillow-style hanging door ornament with an appliquéd cross stitch design.  It has lots of pictures to show you what to do!  I like this method because all of the stitches are hidden - I use a line of buried stitches to close the last side after the piece is turned back right-side out.  This is a trick I learned in vet school doing intradermal skin sutures!  It is a little tricky but turns out wonderfully once you master it.  If this is your first time making a pillow-style ornament, I suggest using a fabric with a little more body than felt, because you have to tug the stitches tight, and this can pull right through felt if you're not careful.

So, I woke up this morning and found a little blue owl.  (I finished him last night - he is from the book "Hold That Thought Bookmarks" by Sandy Orton)  What should I do with him?

"Wise Owl" by Sandy Orton

I thought, "Maybe I'll try my hand at appliqué and turn him into a door hanger!"  First, I ironed him and trimmed him down to size (using very pointy scissors to keep the edges tidy).  Then, I applied Fray Check to the edges to prevent them from fraying.

Next, I cut two pieces of rectangular blue felt and attached him to the center of one of them with fusible webbing and a steam iron.

Next, I cut five pieces of polyester quilt batting (the stuff that comes in sheets, you can use polyfill if you prefer) slightly smaller (about 1/2" smaller on each side) than the blue squares.  I sandwiched the owl on the inside of the two pieces of felt (you stitch the piece together inside-out - if you are using regular fabric, put the pieces wrong-side out), and I used binder clips to hold the fabric in place. Then, using blue embroidery floss that matched the felt, I stitched a running stitch around three of the sides, leaving one of the shorter sides open so I could flip the piece inside out later.  Leave the needle and thread attached (don't cut them off!) so you can sew the last side.

Binder clips hold the felt together while I work a running stitch along the sides

Leave one side open so you can flip the piece right-side out

Next, carefully flip the piece right-side out.  You can use a chopstick to push out the corners and make them sharp.  Hello, Mr. Owl!  Put the stuffing inside, making sure there aren't any folds or bumps.

Flipped and stuffed!

Here is where it gets a little tricky - the buried stitching.  First, take the needle and push it from the outside to the inside of the felt (one piece of felt only) on the open edge.  Then, push it back out from the inside to the outside on the opposite piece of felt.

Stitch from the outside in...

...and then from the inside out.

Now, take the needle back to the opposite side of the fabric, across the edge, and stitch outside-in, inside-out again.

Stitches should go across the seam (two stitches shown)

Once you get a few stitches placed, use a retractable pen or pencil to tuck the fabric edges down into the seam.

Use a pen or pencil to tuck the fabric edges into the seam

After you have placed four or five stitches and tucked the edges down inside the seam, pull the stitches tight so they hardly show.  Then, take the needle and push it through the fabric parallel to the seam on the outside of the piece, about 1/4" from the edge.  It helps if you can get the fabric edges tucked in along the entire seam before you start these stitches - hold it the seam place with your fingers while you stitch.

Push the needle through the fabric, parallel to the seam, on the outside of the piece

Make the next stitch on the opposite side of the seam.  Place the beginning of this stitch slightly before where the last stitch ended, but on the opposite side, so the stitches "overlap" each other as they alternate along opposite sides of the seam (think of how two rows of bricks look next to each other).

Place the next stitch on the opposite side of the seam, overlapping the end of the last stitch

Continue this across the seam until the edge is closed.  The stitches should still be loose at this point.

Continue these stitches across the seam

When you reach the end of the seam, you can use a pencil again to make sure the edges of the fabric are all tucked inside the seam.  All of the stitches should look like this:

Seam closed, stitches still loose

Now, one at at time, tighten the stitches from the beginning of the row to close the seam completely and hide the thread.

Tighten the stitches one by one to close the seam and hide the thread

There!  It's like magic!  That was the hard part.  Now, put the needle back into the seam and tie the loose end to the last stitch to end the thread.  Don't cut the thread yet - we will hide the end later!

Tie the loose end to the last stitch in the seam

Now, this last part is called "smurfing" - it's another technique borrowed from the operating room.   Take the needle, put it back down into the seam, and make sure the point comes back up through the fabric fairly far away from the end of the seam (about an inch or so).  [You can see how the owl's head feather is coming up - I cut a few tiny pieces of fusible webbing to stick under it to fix this.]

Bring the end of the thread through the fabric about 1" from the end of the seam

Cut the thread close to the fabric.  It might leave a tiny tag - if it does, just move the fabric around until the loose end slips back under the fabric.

Cut the thread close to the fabric

The arrow shows my little thread tag - just work the fabric until it slips back under

That's it!  You have now sewn an invisible seam.

To make the hanger, I twisted a cord out of a few of the floss colors used in the design and tacked it around the outside of the piece.

Ta da!  All done!

My cross stitched owl doorknob hanger!

New Cross Stitch Project - "Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler

My next project is probably going to take forever, but this is such a gorgeous design, and my fiancé has an entire house full of furniture made from re-purposed Asian teak wood, so I am going to try to finish this before the wedding.

Here is a link to the chart, a stunning 13" x 17" monster, and a picture of the model piece:

"Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler

Daunting, huh?  Well, here goes nothing.

I am going to stitch this beauty over two threads on 28-count antique white Monaco fabric.  It is important to note that there are some errata in the chart, so make sure to check TW's website before starting (she lists the errata for each piece for reference).  Also, there are some specialty materials involved, so here is where you can find them:

• Kreinik blending filament #002V (vintage gold)
• Kreinik #4 braid #002V (vintage gold)
• Kreinik blending filament #032 (pearl)
• Kreinik blending filament #094 (star blue)
• Mill Hill Petite Glass Beads #40557 (gold)
• Mill Hill Petite Glass Beads #40252 (iris)

In case you are confused, the numbering system for Kreinik threads can be a little problematic.  The braids are described by weight (#4 is lighter than #8, #8 is lighter than #12, and so on up to #32), and the blending filament is a one-stranded metallic thread.  The number at the end is the color code: #002 is gold, and there are various different types (#002V = vintage, #002HL = high luster, #002J = Japan gold).  If you poke around the Kreinik website, you can see what I'm talking about.

First, I whip-stitched the edges to keep them from fraying.  You can just use any spare thread for this.  I used to use masking tape, and whip-stitching takes a little longer, but I don't like the sticky residue the tape leaves on your hands as you work on the piece later.  Here is a piece of the finished edge:

Whip-stitched edge - prevents fraying

For designs like this, I usually stitch the outside border first and make ultra-sure that the dimensions are right before I stitch the inside.  That way, I have a solid, verified reference point for everything in the design.  You can just stitch one leg of each "X" the first time around to save yourself time if you need to remove stitches.  This particular design is wider than my embroidery hoop, so I stitch halfway across the fabric and then place a loose stitch with contrasting floss to mark the halfway point, like this:

Loose placekeeper stitch placed at halfway point to keep track when I move my hoop

When I go back to put the top halves of the "X"s in, I will remove this stitch - it is just temporary to help me count.

I also placed a loose marker "X" in the lower right corner outside of the border (and marked it on my pattern) to keep my piece from being flipped upside down as I work.  It is tough to see, but it's about an inch in from the outside edge of the fabric.

Marker "X" in the lower right corner

Now, I can stitch all around the outside of the design's edge.  Here is what it looks like when I'm done:

Entire edge finished - serves as reference frame for design

For this design, I am going to work one corner at a time until the frame is finished, then I will stitch the dragon in the middle.  So, to wrap up this post, here is a detail of the bottom left corner so far:

Detail of bottom left corner - one color only

Until next time...

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" by Design Works (Cross Stitch)

I finished this piece a few weeks ago for my sister's wedding.  The kit has been discontinued, so it is difficult to track down if you want to stitch this piece (I found it online from Rebecca's Crafts).  Overall, the stitching process was frustrating - the kit originally included two different colors of "light green" floss, and some of the colors were a weird synthetic material that knotted and twisted frequently.  To Design Works's credit, though, once I requested a new aliquot of light green floss, they sent me twelve strands of the same color within about ten days.  Also, the symbols on the chart are TINY and very hard to read!  I saved the chart because the overall project came out so well, but it was a heck of a road to get there.

The image banner at the top of my blog is a detail shot of the border of this pattern.

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - knotwork detail from border

Here are pics from along the way:

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - gold stitches in border only

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - lavender stitches added to border

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - light and dark blue stitches added

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - first corner finished

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - gold stitches in second corner

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - lavender stitches added

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - three corners finished

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - partially backstitched border.
The backstitching really makes the knotwork "pop"!

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - lettering and backstitching finished, unframed

"Celtic Wedding Prayer" - finished, matted and framed

"Byzantine Ornaments" by Teresa Wentzler (Cross Stitch)

These ornaments are two of a set of six by Teresa Wentzler.  They can be found in her Cross Stitch Christmas Collection book, which also has some gorgeous patterns for other Christmas projects.  I have worked all six of them, but unfortunately, I gave them away before I took pictures of the finished ornaments!  I will be making them again this year, though, so I will be sure to include pictures of the finished ornaments, as well as step-by-step instructions for how to make a pillow ornament from a cross-stitch project.

The finished designs are about 3" x 3" each (28-count linen over two threads), although the sizes vary slightly.  They include specialty stitches (mostly eyelets and satin stitches) and gold bead work.

"Byzantine Ornament #4" by Teresa Wentzler

"Byzantine Ornament #5" by Teresa Wentzler