Feature Pattern Friday - It's a Slayer Thing

It's Feature Pattern Friday!

Each Friday I am sharing a pattern from my Etsy store - new, nearly new, and were-new-once.

The thirdever Feature Pattern Friday and I'm already changing things.  Today, rather than feature just one new pattern, I'm showing off a set of new patterns.  They're all in the one theme though, so surely that counts (of course it counts - this is my event so I can set and change the rules as I like :))

Today's Feature Pattern Set features quotes from the cult television show Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Buffy and Dawn

Buffy's Valentine

The Slayerettes

Spike and Dru

Spike

Xander

Although they haven't been overly popular on Etsy, these patterns are a big hit at the Conventions.  I'm expecting them to be pretty popular at the next two conventions I'm attending because...

Watch the video here

David Boreanus is coming to Australia!  For the first time!  He will be attending the Gold Coast and Melbourne Supernova Conventions in April, both of which I happen to be going to as well.  Rather excited about that. :)

Happy stitching (and slaying)!

Feature Pattern Friday - Dear Mr Potter

Welcome to the first ever Feature Pattern Friday!

On Fridays I am going to feature one of the newer patterns from my Etsy store.  The pattern may be a recently added one, or it may be one that has been in the Etsy store for a few months but, for whatever reason, hasn't made it onto my blog.  Or it may be one I just love and want to shout about.

If you follow me on Twitter (@fangirlstitches) you'll notice that each day I feature a random pattern in my feed (and occasionally on Facebook too).  That really is random.  I subscribe to this amazing service called Seller Tools which lets me schedule social media posts, keeping me active on those sites even when I don't have the brain power/energy to post myself.  I have it set to pick a random pattern to post each day, and I enjoy seeing what pattern gets picked and how many people respond.  I love it, and it's generated a number of sales (which I love even more!).

On with Feature Pattern Friday (which in my head is said by a game show announcer - it's a very entertaining place inside my head).

This week's Feature Pattern is the Hogwarts letter and ticket (sold as a pair).

Hogwarts ticket and letter available from Etsy

These patterns were originally a custom request from a lady in Melbourne - she knew a couple of people graduating (I never enquired whether they were going from primary school to high school, finishing high school, graduating from an extra-curriculum activity...) and wanted to stitch them a Hogwarts acceptance letter and ticket as a gift.  I loved the idea and it promptly became a listed pattern rather than a customised one.

My stitched version of the letter

I stitched the pattern myself on parchment-like fabric from Sew It All.  It was a great draw-card at the Melbourne Comic Con last year... until it was sold that is!  I'm planning on re-stitching it at some stage this year - at least, it's only the ever-growing list of to-be-stitched projects.

Happy stitching!

Nostalgic Cross Stitch patterns

Christmases at home always make me feel nostalgic.  I remember Christmases spent building cubby houses, watching DVDs (or videos), building marble racing tracks (which my parents had way more fun doing than us kids) and reading new books.  I'm a big one for Christmas traditions, and as my sibblings and I got older I began to long for the gold ol' days - back when my brothers enjoyed the Christmas preparations as much as I did, and joined in, back when everything felt magical and special.  I guess everyone goes through that stage as they get older, hit their teenage years where the magic of Christmas doesn't feel quite real anymore.  It does come back though, and I still find Christmas a magical, fun, traditional time, although not quite in the same way I did when I was 7 or 8.

Christmas nostalgia reminds me of my childhood and the things I enjoyed as a child - the TV shows and the music and the movies and the books I loved.  Which is probably why my latest cross stitch patterns feature these things.

Firstly there is The Incredibles.  I was a teenager when this movie came out, but I loved it immensely and it is still my favourite Disney Pixar film.  I'm always sad that there was only one of them.

The Incredibles, now available on Etsy

Then there are The Rugrats.  Lil and Phil were always my favourites.  In fact, there are two versions of The Rugrats patterns.  Firstly there is Tommy and his Friends, ready for mischief and adventure:

Rugrats now available on Etsy

The second pattern features all of the Rugrats families.  Stitch the whole pattern, or for a quicker project, why not stitch an individual family?

Rugrats Families, now available on Etsy

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays, however you are spending them.

Happy stitching!

Supernatural pattern now available!

The Supernatural alphabet pattern, which I am stitching for the A to Z blog challeng, is now available from my Etsy store!

Visit Fangirl Stitches on Etsy to check it out.

Not long now till the start of  the A to Z challenge... I really need to get organised. Good thing I'm on holidays this week so have some spare time up my sleeve.

Happy stitching!

The 13 Doctors - It's a New Pattern!

When I had a stall at Oz Comic Con last year, I lost count of the number of people who asked if I had a pattern of all the Doctors from Doctor Who.

I didn't.  I also wasn't sure why I didn't.  This is one of my favourite TV shows.  I LOVE Doctor Who.  Why on earth did I not have a pattern of the 13 Doctors??!

I think it was because when I first started designing there were a couple of other patterns of all the Doctors, one of which I had stitched myself, so I didn't feel the urgency of needing to create my own.

Whatever the reason, I didn't have a pattern and you were asking for one, so I needed to design one.

It's taken another few months to get it finished, but at long last I can reveal The 13 Doctors, my tribute to this long running, fantastic television show.

The 13 Doctors, available from my Etsy Store

Enjoy people!

P.S. Keep an eye out next week for some more Doctor Who patterns.  They're very... companionable... ;)

Catching you up on some New Patterns

I mentioned in my previous blog post that I've released a lot of new patterns over my recent 8 month blogging hiatus.  I thought I'd try and catch you up on a few of them.

In celebration of the new Star Wars film, there is the Episode VII: The Force Awakens line-up:

Available from www.fangirlstitches.etsy.com

 Continuing in the Star Wars theme,  is the Star Wars character alphabet, featuring 26 of my favourite characters from the franchise (or the-only-character-that-starts-with-that-letter).

Available from www.fangirlstitches.etsy.com

This pattern was originally designed before the release of The Force Awakens.  Tonight I have released the Force Awakens additional letters!  Now when you purchase the Star Wars Alphabet, you receive a second pattern featuring 5 alternative letters for the main characters of the new film.

If you've already purchased the original Star Wars alphabet, don't worry - send me an email with proof of purchase and I'll send you the updated pattern FREE OF CHARGE!!

Happy Stitching!

Ros

Choose your faction - it's a new pattern!

It took me a while to discover the Divergent book series.  If you've read my 2015 Reading Challenge post, you'll know the story.  If not, let me share it again:

I avoided this series for a long time, book and film.  Some people were describing it as "the new Twilight" (which I refuse to read) and others were describing it as a poor copy of The Hunger Games (which I loved, so I didn't want to read a poor copy of it).  My housemate Bek had bought the book earlier this year and was telling me how much she'd enjoyed reading it.  Note: Bek doesn't read.  She just doesn't.  I can probably count the number of books she's read on my fingers.  For her to a) have actually read the book and b) enjoyed it made me think "I have to read this book".  I borrowed it off her and read it in about two days.  Great concept - a bit Hunger Games meets Brave New World.  The rest of the series has been added to my 'to read' list.

I've since read the second in the series, and watched the first film.  I'm still playing catch-up, however that didn't stop me designing a Divergent cross stitch pattern or 3.

I chose the wrong fabric colour so the white writing only shows up
in certain light/angles.  Whoops.

I went a couple of ways with this new pattern: there's a male and female version, and a combined version. To make things even more interesting, I've done this pattern in two different styles: the standard pixel style, and the more realistic style with quarter stitches, as seen in the Once Upon A Time pattern, so you can choose your favourite.

Male and Female Divergent factions - pixel-style

Male and Female Divergent factions - with quarter stitches

Combined Factions - Pixel style

Combined Factions - with quarter stitches

Happy stitching!

WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday which means it's time to update you all on my latest work in progress (WIP).

This is where I got to last week:

And tonight's progress puts me here:

"Rose Garden" 14 count aida from Sew It All

Hopefully it's becoming more obvious what it's of :)

I still need to work out the letter colouring as my original choice (green) I think will blend too much with some of the characters.  I'm going to wait until the rest of the characters are finished before I stitch the letters so I'll make the colour decision then.

Back to the stitching... if I can dislodge the cat who has decided to sit on my arms while I type!

Managed to free my arms so I could get a face shot - isn't he cute?

Happy stitching!

House-warming new pattern - one for the readers

Just before Christmas, my brother moved into a new unit.  I knew I wanted to make him something for his new place for his Christmas present, but I was struggling to work out what to make him.

My brother has always been a huge geek.  In fact, he's the one who introduced me to most of my favourite fandoms - Harry Potter, Discworld, Star Wars, even (to some extent) Doctor Who.  He also introduced me to Tripod (Australian comedy trio), Lano & Woodly (Australian comedy duo), Umbilical Brothers (Australian comedy duo), Dresden Files (book series), QI (BBC TV show), and more.  G's three years younger than me but clearly has always had good taste.

However, he moved to Brisbane and then Melbourne a few years ago, and I move to England (and back to Aus), so I was a bit out of touch with what he was in to these days:

(I may have lied a bit about the "very cool idea" - not sure 'random cross stitch of some sort' really fits that description)

At any rate, reading I could work with and so I created the "A House is not a Home without a Bookshelf" cross stitch.

And now you can create your own because I've finally managed to get the pattern uploaded to my Etsy store!

What are some of your "a house is not a home without..." sayings?

Happy stitching!

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-nana - it's a new MINION pattern!

You know the Minions, the cute yellow henchmen from Despicable Me?

Did you know they have their own songs?

Did you know they have a song about bananas?

Did you know this song has actual lyrics, so you can sing along?

Did you know that these lyrics are now in cross stitch form so you can create your own sing-a-long picture?

Now you do!

My ex-housemate and good friend is totally Minion-mad so for Christmas I designed her her own sing-a-long piece, and now you can join in the fun too.

Introducing the Minion Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-nana Cross Stitch Pattern

And because the piece is predominately back-stitch, it's very quick to whip up so you can make one for all of your minions.

I've got so many Minion-themed cross stitch pattern ideas racing around my head at the moment - I just need to find the time to get them down on paper.

Happy Stitching!

P.S. For those who haven't seen the Minion's song yet (or who want to sing along!):

I Know - it's a new pattern!

A good friend rang me up one night:

"I have an idea for a new pattern for you: you should do a Star Wars Wedding pattern" she said
"That's a fantastic idea!" I replied
"I know" she quipped.

I did run into a small dilemma - do I use Anakin and Padme, who actually got married in the films, or the cult classic Leia and Han Solo?  I put the question out to Instagram, and the response was unanimous. I don't even know why I asked really.

And thus (several weeks later) we have the Star Wars Wedding cross stitch pattern!

Now available in my Etsy store. :)

Happy Stitching, and may the force be with you.

WIP Wednesday

This week I've started work test stitching a new pattern!  This one has been in the design stages for almost a year but I finally managed to finish the pattern last week with a bit of input from a couple of friends.

I started the piece on Friday, and this is where I've gotten to today:

I'm stitching this on "Rose Garden" 14 count aida from Sew It All

Not the fastest of stitching, but I've been working on a few other new patterns as well - which is why they take so long to design - I keep distracting myself!  On that note, stay tuned - I've added several new patterns to my Etsy store and will be detailing them in full over the next few blog posts.

Any guesses as to what this one might be? ;)

Happy Stitching!

How To... Make Biscornu

I've been having fun making biscornu this week and want you all to share the fun so I've made this handy guide.  Have fun!



1. Stitch the two halves of the biscornu - make sure the two squares are exactly the same size.

Don't forget the backstitch line around the boarder - this is really important for joining the two halves together.

2. Trim the two halves, leaving a 1/8" boarder - I found a 3 square boarder worked well.

3. Fold down all edges.  Make sure you create a sharp crease - this will make your job easier.

Depending on your design you may also want to fold one side in half in order to find the middle of the edge for the next step.  The lines on the back half of mine made this step easy.

4. Use two strands of the same coloured thread as the backstitch line.  Tie a knot in the strands (the only time I ever recommending using knots!) and push it through a corner of one side of the biscornu.  Then push the needle through the middle of the edge of the other half.  Use the picture as a guide.

Bring the needle back to the front of the biscornu by coming out one square below.

5. Bring the two edges together and line up your back stitch lines.  Thread the needle through the back stitch lines, working your way along the edge

6. Watch your corners - if you just keep taking it one backstitch line at a time you will be fine.  Eventually your biscornu pillow will start taking shape, turning into an 8 sided square.

7. Leave yourself an opening - I left one side (or two half sides) open

8. Stuff your biscornu with wadding.  I find the stuffing from a cheap pillow works really well.

Then finish stitching the edges together.

9. At this point there are two different ways to go, depending on how long the remainder of your thread is.  If your thread is pretty short, thread the needle back along your seam tos ecure it before cutting off any left over bits.

With a new double thread, push your needle in through the seam and then out through the centre of the cushion - this is to attach the button (as per step 10)

10. If your thread is still long enough after finishing the seam, push your needle into the finished pillow and bring it up through the centre of the piece.

Attach a button to either side of the pillow by pushing your thread from one side to the other.  Do this several times to ensure it is secure.

If you are making a pincushion, end by bringing your needle back out through a seam before trimming the thread.

11.  To make your biscornu into a hanging decoration, bring your needle back out through one of the corners of the biscornu, and then tie the ends of the threads together to create a hanging point.





There are lots of biscornu patterns available on pinterest, Esty and other on-line locations (I've seen some Doctor Who ones with weeping angels).  I'm also working on some patterns for my Etsy store (I'll keep you posted!).  In the mean-time you could always try my very basic pattern to get you started.

Happy stitching!

Star Wars Day... it's a new pattern!

Happy International Star Wars Day!

To celebrate, I've released a new pattern, featuring Princess Leia in her complete costume collection from the three films:

I'm very excited about the new Star Wars films coming out in December, especially since I heard several of the original cast are returning.

Apparently, once the film is released Princess Leia will become the oldest Disney Princess of all time.  How's that for a record?

As my present to you on Star Wars Day, if you use the code MAYTHEFOURTH when buying one of my patterns, you will receive a 10% discount!

May the Fourth be with you all.

I know I used this picture last year, but it's so cute!

Happy stitching!

It's a Finish! Once Upon A Time Sampler

I've finally had a finish for March!  Hurray!

The Once Upon A Time Character Alphabet cross stitch is done and dusted.

This is the only project I have worked on all month (apart from designing custom pieces) and it went down to the wire to get it done by the end of March - 10pm Sunday night I finally put it away.

I really enjoyed stitching this pattern and watching the characters come alive.  I backstitched them all, and I think that added a whole new dimension to the pattern, unlike some of the other pixel-style people where I've only used backstitch for added detail. I think in future all the pixel-style ones will have backstitch - it defines the characters so much more and makes them 'pop' as one of my American friends would say.  The other difference in this one is the use of a  lot more half-stitches to give a more curved look to the face and clothing.  I think this has also worked really well - the characters don't look as harsh, and have a more 'real' quality to them while still looking cartoon-ish.

The fabric was hand-dyed opalesence evenweave from www.sewitall.com.au.  The threads were all DMC.

This was my entry for A Lovely Year of Finishes as well as being my only finish for OPAM for March.  I'm just glad it's done!  You can read about my start to the project here, and there's an update photo with a close up of a lot of the letters here.

Now I just have to find a frame for it.

Once Upon A Time Character Alphabet - it's a new pattern!

Today's new pattern was suggested as a comment on one of my blog posts - Kellie asked if I was going to do a Once Upon A Time character alphabet, as she wanted to stitch one for the April A to Z blog challenge.  My first thought was "what's the A to Z challenge?" (which I've also now signed up for); my second thought was "That's such a cool idea!".  So, after a OUAT marathon to remind myself of the characters (and to catch up on season 3) I now give to you

The Once Upon A Time Character Alphabet!

I couldn't choose between the Enchanted Forest and the Storybrook versions of the characters, so instead I used both.  And it looks so much better that way, in my opinion. :)

A is Princess Aurora
B is Belle and Belle French
C is Cora the Queen of Hearts
D is Prince Charming and David Nolan
E is Emma Swan
F is the Blue Fairy and Mother Superior
G is Rumplestiltskin and Mr Gold
H is Robin Hood
I is Ingrid the Snow Queen and Sarah Fisher
J is The Mad Hatter and Jefferson
K is Captain Hook, originally Killian Jones
L is Grumpy and Leroy
M is Henry Mills
N is Baelfire and Neal Cassidy
O is Pinocchio and August Booth
P is Peter Pan, originally Malcolm
Q is the Evil Queen and Regina Mills
R is Red Riding Hood and Ruby
S is The Genie/Magic Mirror and Sidney Glass
T is Tinkerbell
U is Ursula the Sea Witch
V is Victor Frankenstein and Dr Walsh
W is Snow White and Mary Margaret Blanchard
X is Felix the lost boy
Y is Jiminy Cricket and Archie
Z is The Wicked Witch and Zelda

Happy Stitching

The Mario Alphabet

Time to show off another new pattern - this time one designed for my bible study group.  It's The Alphabet according to Mario.

When I first moved back to my home town in 2009, I started a bible study group with my fellow young adults (aged 18 to "I feel too old"). We'd meet on Thursday nights to have dinner together and do a reading and study (if there was more than 2 of us, which often there wasn't, there being only about 5 of us at the time). After I moved overseas in 2011, this group more and more became Mario Kart. It was refered to as "The Gospel According to Mario".  When I returned again in 2014, I found Mario Kart had become Thursday Night Dinner as other people had left and joined our little group (which is now up to about 10 or 12 people - huge!) but it is still occasionally referred to as Mario Kart by some of the older members of our church.

This alphabet is for them.

Cross stitch pattern now available on Etsy.

Happy Stitching!