Tasha Sews

Pattern Review: SonofaCrossStitch - Pride Tattoo PDF Pattern I am back with some instant gratification cross stitch. This simple pattern is from SonofaCrossStitch  and is the PDF Pride pattern .  This is a really simple pattern that I bought as a stash buster. I had some 16 count aida purchased during a clearance sale and I used up some of my leftover threads from previous projects. The pattern does have suggested fabric and thread suggestions, should you wish to follow them. It is also available as a kit, which would make nice present.  I have tried various finishing methods for my cross stitch, and decided on trying the felt backing method for a hoop, found in my Cross Stitcher Magazine. It is a neat method and prevents anything showing through from the back of the cross stitch project.  The was a really fun quick project and the PDF pattern is very affordable. I am planning on buying a couple more as they will be excellent travel pr...

Pattern Review: Tree of Life by Textile Heritage I have been busy in my sewing room these past couple of weeks, but here is a simple cross stitch project. I picked up this Textile Heritage cross stitch kit for a mere £1 from a Cancer Research UK charity shop.  I have to admit that I stitched this in December 2017...! Once the stitching was finished it sat in a drawer waiting to be backed and finished. It was a bit of a faff as the ribbon that they supplied to back the bookmark was slightly too small. Whilst clearing out my cross stitch drawer this weekend I saw that I had collected all of the items (including some scrap card) to go inside the backing and decided to finish it!  This is a very easy pattern and was a perfect project for travel. It's not the most exciting pattern to sew and personally I find Textile Heritage designs a bit traditional for my liking...but it was super quick and I ended up donating a small amount of money to charity in the process :-) ...

Pattern Review: Rose Cuttings by Dimensions Two years after making my first stitch I have finished this cross stitch project! This was a lovely Christmas present the family. It is the Rose Cuttings cross stitch kit by Dimensions, currently available on Amazon here .  This is a relatively large design ( 14" x 9"), but small enough for me to take it to my stitching group. The set comes with 14 count Aida which is a relatively large count for projects that I have been working on recently. The pattern was relatively easy to follow and there are no complex stitches, only full cross, half cross and backstitch are included. The kit came with plenty of thread and I think that the shading adds some lovely depth. The only thing that is annoying with so much shading in a project is that at times it feels like you are constantly changing colours.  I enjoyed stitching this and would recommend it for anyone past beginner stage that would like to take their stitching to...

Pattern Review: Cross Stitcher Bird Needle Case, May 2018 My PC is broken so I haven't been able to blog too much at the moment. In the meantime, here are a few snaps of my latest finished cross stitch project. This is a needle case from the May 2018 edition of Cross Stitcher Magazine. It was a free mini kit that came with the magazine. I have no idea why it took me over 2 years to finish. I started it and then popped it away in my bedside table where it languished. Two weekends ago, I decided I had too many cross stitch UFOs and completed this whilst watching Saturday Kitchen. I trimmed my felt too much, so you can see the stitching from the front. However, it is still 100% functional and I now have somewhere that I can store my cross stitch needles. A collection from my cross stitch kits had been building up in my pin cushion, so it's great that they have a home now.  I have a bookmark that I finished at Christmas that just needs the back sewing o...

Pattern Review: 3 Birds Bookmarks I have been suffering from a bad cold virus over the past week. I wanted to keep myself busy but didn't want to concentrate on anything complex. So I stitched up these simple bookmarks!  These cardboard bookmarks were a lovely present from Santa. There are 8 bookmarks that come with a piece of bakers twine. In the pack there is a little booklet to help beginners who have never stitched and contain three different designs to choose from. I stitched two of the three designs. The third one is a of a house and I felt it was a bit twee for my liking.  Photo courtesy of Amazon.co.uk I initially had in mind that I wouldn't follow the patterns as these bookmarks would be to use up my leftover threads from previous cross stitch projects. However, when I looked at the patterns included I realised I pretty much had very similar colours in my stash so it worked perfectly! This design above stitched up really quickly. As mentio...

Pattern Review: Vervaco Butterfly on Flowers I seem to be storming through the cross stitch projects at the moment! Either framing ones that I finished ages ago, or in this case, finishing this year's mini cross stitch project. I purchased this Vervaco pattern when visiting one of my good friends in Germany this New Year.  It is a really small project as it is only 3.2" x 4.8". However it does make up with it in stitches as it comes with an 18 count aida! As you can probably tell the most interesting bit of this project is the butterfly. I like the autumnal colours but they definitely dominate the project.  This was a good portable project that went on many a train journey. It also reminded me of my really fun trip last New Year which made me smile whilst stitching. As you may have guessed from my previous posts , I do like stitching flowers and butterflies! And this projects combines the two! This would be a good project for someone that it j...

Pattern Review: The World of Cross Stitch Nov 1999: Christmas Table Linen Yes, this is a Christmas cross stitch pattern, but too be honest it isn't very Christmassy. It is also very far away from table linen. Behold a seasonal coaster and bookmark! First up the bookmark. The original design was for a seasonal cake band. The design on the bookmark was to be repeated as necessary to make the length of the band. I have never used a cake band in my life, let alone a cross stitch one. Since I read a huge amount,  a bookmark seemed about right.  This was a really enjoyable simple cross stitch, and some much needed relief after my complex cross stitched Mai . I interfaced the back of the bookmark and lined it with some cotton lining from my stash.  The coaster was originally designed to be a candle stick holder. Urm...what? Who has a candlestick holder? Doesn't everyone just use empty wine bottles these days?? Anyway, I thought that it would work well instead...

Pattern Review - Dimensions Gold Petite Counted Cross Stitch: Mai Believe it or not I have a back log of cross stitch projects to post! I finished this back in mid-December just before the Christmas holidays. I worked on this on and off on this project for just over a year.  It was a project that I often took on work trips and to my craft group meetups. Although this is from the Dimensions Petite range (the finished project measures 5x7"), the project was fairly complex. There is a large amount back-stitching to give definition to all of the details, especially the kimono. Lazy daisies and satin stitches are also featured in the design.  The kit comes with 18 count ivory aida, needles and plenty of thread already on a thread organiser. I didn't run out of any colours which is always a plus for cross stitch kits. That said you can always purchase the readily available  (for the UK anyway) DMC threads should you need any more. I would recommend this as...

Pattern Review: Framecraft Handbag Mirror My sewing mojo is still firmly in the gutter so I thought that this severely belated post about an instant gratification cross stitch project might make me feel better. This was a lovely birthday present from some friends. It is a pocket mirror that comes with the patterns for every letter of the alphabet. You can currently purchase this online here.  This was easy to complete and I did most of it on the train home to Bristol for Christmas.  It was a great in between project as I started on my next large cross stitch project: Maia Fan Fair This will take me an age but I am really enjoying it so far. This is what the finished project will hopefully look like! Wish me luck! And also pray that my sewing mojo returns swiftly. Happy Stitching

Pattern Review: Dimensions Crafts Oriental Butterfly Counted Cross Stitch Kit  My sewing blog has been pretty quiet recently as I have been travelling a lot with work and my sewing mojo is at an all time low. However I am delighted that I have (finally) finished my recent cross stitch project.  I purchased this Dimensions  cross stitch pattern  for just under £11 in October 2014 and have been working on it on and off for the past year.  My first cross stitch project  was very much a beginner project and I can tell that I am more confident and used to following patterns. I am really pleased with the finished product and for the price it is excellent!  I have to admit I go through a love/hate relationship with cross stitch. I like having a project always on hand to take to my craft group and I like that I can do this no matter how stressed or poorly I am feeling (unlike sewing). However, at times I really struggle with how long it...

Pattern Review: Flower Fairies Zinnia Bookmark Cross Stitch Kit My sewing mojo has been pretty much non-existent since I got back from Chicago in mid January. I have been really busy catching up with family and friends and to be honest I haven't made sewing a priority.  All of the busyness has meant that I came down with a nasty cough and cold. I don't know about you guys, but I really can't sew when I am feeling under the weather. That said, cabin fever struck and I decided to finish my first ever cross stitch project! I actually finished the cross stitching towards the end of the summer, but it has been languishing in my sewing basket waiting for me to sew on the backing.  I learnt cross stitch when I was tiny and in Primary school and hadn't really thought about it since. However, when I joined my sewing group a couple of years ago I saw some great designs and I thought about having a simple project to keep my fingers busy when I couldn't take ...