C is for Coolness and Cedric

A to Z Challenge - C

C is for "Bowties are Cool"

According to Matt Smith's Doctor, anything he wears is cool: hats, bowties, stetsens (I apologise for the spelling!), fezes, you get the picture (and yes I realise hat-type items are 3 of the 4 things I listed!).  In the original cross stitch pattern, this one actually says "It's so cool" which is another thing he says, however the person I am making this cross stitch for listed "Bowties are cool" as one of their favourite quotes so I changed it.  Like "Bad Wolf", "bowties are cool" has become one of the most iconic sayings of New Who.  A fez and a bowtie mean Matt Smith, in the same way that the paper 3D glasses have become David Tennant.  I think Peter Capaldi should just be represented by a pair of bushy eyebrows.

Thoughts: should there be a hyphen between 'bow' and 'ties'?
I think it looks okay but spell-check disagrees...

C is for Cedric Digory

*spoiler alert if you haven't read/watched Goblet of Fire*

I'm not a Robert Patterson fangirl.  I've never seen/read Twilight.  I didn't drool over Cedric Digory in the films.  In fact I didn't particularly even like him in the film - he was just such a nothing character; a bit self-centred but otherwise nothing much.  I liked him more in the book.  You got a better sense of his conflict over Harry being chosen "as well" and the battle between wanting to win vs wanting to pay Harry back (I mean in a positive way).  I remember back before I first read Goblet of Fire, there was an interview with JK Rowling where she said "a well loved character will die" in the book.  I felt kind of cheated that it was Cedric.  He wasn't a well loved character for the reader.  First time I think I've felt cheated that a character's death in a book wasn't more significant.

For a character I don't overly like, that's a fairly long description!

Remember to check back in to see the progress of my alphabet stitch :)

Happy stitching!

B is for Bad Wolf and Bellatrix

A to Z Challenge - B

B is for "Bad Wolf"
The saying that repeated and re-appeared throughout season 1 of the New Who series.  The saying that became synonomus with Rose Tyler, that was used to indicate her presence or her link to the Doctor (Bad Wolf Bay in Norway where the Doctor crossed betweenthe parallel universes, the message Rose gives to Donna to warn the Doctor).  Billie Piper's character in the 50th anniversary episode was known as Bad Wolf.  Basically, in any blog/article/cross stitch pattern about famous/top/important Doctor Who quotes, Bad Wolf has to be near the top of the list.

Here's a bonus picture for you - Bad Wolf as played by Billie Piper in the 50th anniversary in cross stitch :)

B is for Bellatrix Lestrange
I have to admit - in the books, I didn't take a liking to Bellatrix.  Not that you could take a liking to someone so completely evil and unlikable, but the character didn't have a lot of depth.  She hated non-pure wizards and loved Voldermort.  That's about it.  She was married in the books (did you know that?) but her husband doesn't get much of a look in.  I liked Narcissa so much more - she at least had a purpose and a motivation.  However, I absolutely adore Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of her.  Bonham Carter is so good at being evil and insane and disturbing; and is such a mesmerising actor.  She's also very good at being good (Queen in "The King's Speech").  Her dress and hair are amazingly wild and creative in the movies - I hope I've done them justice.

Remember to check back in to follow the progress of my cross stitch ;) 

Happy Stitching!

A is for Angels and Albus

A to Z Challenge - A

It's time to start the A to Z blogging challenge! Welcome to all those readers popping by on the stroll around the blogosphere.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am going to be stitching the Doctor Who Alphabet of Quotes from my shop, as well as sharing some of my Harry Potter characters.

I've decided to stitch the pattern onto black 18-count aida because
a) I think the pattern will look very effective on the black, and
b) 18 count aida was the only black fabric I had on hand!

I'm also changing the colours to what is in the pattern on my shop.  I love the look of variegated threads and have struggled to find a pattern where they will work effectively.  This pattern, because it is an amalgamation of different quotes, will work perfectly... I hope!  26 different letters gives me a great opportunity to explore 26 different DMC variegated threads.

A is for "Angels have the phone box"
Which comes from the episode "Blink".  This is my hands-down favourite episode of Who.  I love that the main characters are such strong, intelligent characters who go about solving the mystery with the Doctor playing a supporting role (and there's still enough Tennant to satisfy).  I love the concept behind the Weeping Angels.  I don't like what they were turned into in Matt Smith's era, but that's another story.  This episode made me question every stone angle statue going.

Do you add a space between 'phone' and 'box' or not?
I've seen it both ways...

A is for Albus Dumbledore
Professor Dumbledore (I feel rude calling him Albus) initially comes across as your typical strong-father-figure character in epic fantasy novels.  However, he has so many more levels ("layers" as Shrek would say) than that.  There were several moments in the earlier novels that made me stop and go "what did she [JK Rowling] just write?  What was that meant to mean" - looks and fleeting glances that made no sense until the 7th book.  I also really liked Michael Gambon's portrayal of the almost hippie-esk quality of the great wizard.  Nothing against Richard Harris, I just preferred Gambon.

Remember to check back in regularly to stay updated with my stitching progress!  The patterns are available in my shop if you're looking for them ;)

Are you stitching for your blogging challenge?  Let me know - I'd love to find some more crafty people to follow!

Happy stitching :)

How To... Stitch With Variegated Threads

Have you ever used the colour variation threads?  Colour Variation or variegated threads are multicoloured threads that are dyed to gradually change colour along the length.  I find them a great way to add a little demension and flair to my stitching, although I often find it difficult to identify an appropriate pattern to use them in!  One of the joys of designing my own patterns I guess :-)

DMC Colour Variations

For a long time I was put off using variegated threads - how do you use a thread that changes colour as you stitch?  How on earth was I meant to make that work?  Then I stitched "Wizard in a Magical Land" by Cross-Stitch Collection which used variegated threads in both the moon and the boarder, and a whole new world opened up to me.  It took me a bit to get used to this strange floss, but I learned some tricks along the way and thought I should share them with you.

The moon and boarder from
"Wizard in a Magical Land"

 1. Identify the colour pattern along the thread - variegated threads have a repeated pattern, fading from one colour to the next - sometimes it's hard to identify (depends on how the threads was dyed).  Try to cut your length of thread at the end of one of the repeated patterns.  This way, when you cut the next length the pattern should be the same and you can continue stitching without a massive jump in colour.

2. Don't double your thread over - as in don't use the loop-start method.  You need to keep the two threads together so that the pattern will show up.  Use the starting method where you secure the end as you stitch.

3. Stitch each cross individually.  Normally when cross stitching, you stitch the bottom half for a whole row and then come back and do the top half.  When using variegated threads, it is better to stitch each cross individually so that the colour pattern shows through.

4. When you have to start a new length of thread, try to match the colour as much as possible, keeping in mind the ends from starting and finishing off the length

5. Identify if there are any folds, double backs etc in your stitching.  For example, when stitching the Breast Cancer Ribbon, the ribbon is meant to look like it folds back over itself.  Keep this in mind when stitching and try to follow the direction of the ribbon - stitch around the ribbon as if you were laying it out on the table, rather than just stitching whole rows.

6. Just have a go!  Don't be put off - have a go and see what you can come up with.  You never know what you might discover.

Looking for a project to try out your new skill?  The Breast Cancer Ribbon and Cinderella's New Shoes patterns are designed using variegated threads.  

The Breast Cancer Ribbon jewellery

I'd love to see what you're stitching - why not post a photo on my facebook page?

Happy Stitching!