Finished Project: Companion Cube in 3 Dimensions

I had to take a break from the giant Helix Nebula to work on something short and sweet. This need perfectly coincided with picking up Portal 2 again, after taking a five year hiatus (I had stopped literally during the final fight, much to the annoyance of my spouse). Well, the good news is that I finished both the game and this three-dimensional cross-stitched companion cube.

The cube is stitched flat with two strands of floss on a scrap of aida (I think 18 count but I’m not sure). After stitching, I cut around the stitched area, folded it into a cube shape, and sewed the edges shut with black thread. It’s stuffed with leftover thread pieces. It’s tiny, about 1.4 inches on each side (3.5 centimeters).

The cube now lives in my cubicle at work, and occasionally gets loaned out to coworkers having a difficult day.

The free pattern is available on pdxstitch.net.

 

WIP Wednesday: Helix Nebula #2

With just a week left in #30for30crafting, it looks like I am going to meet my goal of finishing the first page of my Helix Nebula cross stitch.

Incidentally, it is nigh impossible to photograph this thing because of how much black is in it. Unless the light is just right, it looks like a big dark blob.

But I’ve only got a few big sections and all those scattered stitches left to go to finish up the first page! At the current rate, I could probably finish the entire thing in less than a year. Even though it’s as large as the X-Files project, because there’s so many different colors and shapes, so it keeps it interesting.

Finished Project: Water is Life

Happy Friday everyone, I’m back with another politically-minded embroidery project.

This one is done with three strands of floss in different shades of blue on what I think is cotton (it’s a random fabric from my stash). I intended the concentric circles to represent ripples on the surface of water. I also learned that I can’t freehand draw very even circles.

The finished hoop is available for purchase in my Etsy store. If you like this project, consider donating to Earthworks or Charity:Water, which both work to provide clean and safe drinking water to people throughout the world.

No Ban No Wall Embroidery Hoop

Following up on my No Ban No Wall cross stitch pattern from a while back, I decided to get back into freeform embroidery and make something similar. I stitched this on some loose-woven linen from my fabric stash with cotton embroidery floss.

There’s nothing quite like stabbing something a bunch of times to sublimate rage at the state of the world. I stitched this in late February, mostly while watching old (pre-election) episodes of Last Week Tonight. Who knew I would have nostalgia for the summer of 2016?

This completed hoop is available in my Etsy shop.

 

Finished Project: Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Hoops

I finished these hoops ages ago but never posted them, and that is a crying shame because look at how adorable these little kitties are!

These peeping kitten hoops are just 4 inches wide. My favorite is the calico, it just turned out so well (and I love calico cats in cat-form, too). They are quick to stitch, too, because they are so small.

Buy the pattern on Etsy and visit the pattern page on Textillia!

 

Finally Finished: Hand Embroidered Notecards

In anticipation of holiday-related social calls (read: people coming to our apartment), I’ve been cleaning up around the place. Last night I went through the big bookcase, finding treasures (and plenty of junk). Among the treasures: a tiny dried out gingko leaf, and these embroidered notecards I made back in 2012 or 2013.

I completely forgot that I made these until I found them in a paper bag tucked inside a book. I’d already done the hard part of embroidering through the paper; each card just needed a piece of cardstock glued on the inside to hide the messy backs of the stitches. I took care of that and now they’re ready to go!

Each card is about 4 by 6 inches, typical notecard size. The elephants, tortoise, and single sloth are my own design; the sloth with baby is a free pattern from Wild Olive.

Hooray for cleaning up!

Finished Project: Let’s Blow this Popsicle Stand

It’s already August; I can hardly believe it. The summer here in Portland has been very strange — cold and rainy for so much of June and July that it almost feels as though we haven’t had a summer yet at all. Hasn’t stopped me from eating popsicles, though, or from designing and stitching this popsicle cross stitch.

This is one of my favorite ways to say “let’s go,” but I have never heard it used seriously. It is almost too ridiculous. There are also many variants: blow this pop stand, blow this hotdog stand, blow this popcorn stand. So many stands to blow!

I backed it with part of a variegated orange print that I got in a fat-quarter pack from Joann. It was the most popsicle-y fabric I had.

The pattern for this one is available on Etsy, as is the completed hoop.

Finished Project: Sleepy Fox

After a long hiatus of not posting because I had no finished projects to share, I finally finished something! I’ve been working on this cross stitched fox for a long time (it was supposed to be for a friend’s birthday, which was in August).

I guess it will just be an early present for his birthday this year!

The pattern is from Daily Cross Stitch.

Finished Project: Silver & Gold Hoop Art

I made some more sparkly embroidery hoop art along the lines of the Get Schwifty hoop from last year. One is inspired by the X-Files, and the other by a lyric from Twenty One Pilots’ song “Stressed Out.”

Buy this “The Truth is Out There” hoop on Etsy

 

Buy this “Wake up you need to make money” hoop on Etsy

Both of the new hoops are available in the PDX-Stitch Etsy shop, and I made another Get Schwifty hoop if you missed buying this first one. Get yours now!

WIP Wednesday: Simpsons Couch #4

More Simpsons couch gag cross stitch updates means more colors on the project:

I got a new needlework stand this past weekend which is translating to faster stitching. But I will probably have to take a break on this for a while because I have several sewing commissions to take care of first!

What are you working on this Wednesday?