Our Correspondents
New Year resolutions from Cross Stitcher readers around the world
Lisa Thomas, Lake Michigan, USA
Happy New Year! My resolution for 2018 would be to finish at least two WIPs. Last year, I was overly ambitious and was only able to finish two projects. I was trying to finish all seven but I was overwhelmed by trying to finish them and I wasn’t enjoying the stitching. My second goal would be to make something for myself. I usually only make things for others. I have no work to show in my home. My dream stitch would be Mirabilia’s Raven Queen { }. Lisa is married to a dairy farmer and has three children. She lives close to the beaches of Lake Michigan, USA.
Alesya Tyshkevich, Moscow, Russia
My resolution for 2018 is to finish any current projects and try not to be sospontaneous in my brief starts. When I’m inspired I can start something new (the size doesn’t matter), and after a couple of weeks I find that there are no finishes, only prolonged processes. I’ll have to do something about this! The dream project for 2018 is the Raven Queen by Mirabilia { } . She’s adorable and mysteriously gothic. Alesya is 29, married and has a baby daughter. Find her YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ricamatrice.
Heather Gibson, Fort William, Scotland
My chosen kit is Labrodor by Vervaco { }. I want to stitch this as my goal for 2018. It sums up my own working labrador completely, when he is awaiting to get his next retrieve while working in the field. The bond between handler and working dog is one that is unbreakable, you must trust each other without question or hesitance. His eye and mind must be fixed on you until you give the command to go out and get the retrieve. Heather is 33 years old, and is a watercolour artist. She lives in the Scottish Highlands, with her partner and stepson, where she also trains gun dogs. www.hgartist.com
AnneMarie Zeltenrijch, St.Ulrich am Pillersee, Austria
Of my many planned projects for 2018, one of the most exciting has to be the ‘large’ CS ideas, that I have stored in my linen cupboard. The problem, after retiring, is not the lack of time, as the choices I have. I could work on a Austrian cottage with 57 colours, or perhaps a pattern I received from a Finnish CS-reader with sauna scene. However, I think I may go for one of my smaller motifs, taken from my favourite store www.bonheur-des-dames.biz called Mountain Accessories { }. AnneMarie Zeltenrijch is Dutch but lives in Austria, with her husband and three cats, Bhumi, Ole and Ully. She retired last year.
Giordana Grossi, Parma, Italy
Last year wasn’t very productive for me. I moved to a new house, so I used all my time and energy for the practical aspects. My goal for 2018 is to finally finish all my WIP and then I can focus on projects for the home. My dream is to start (and finish!) a big kit by called ‘Down The Lane’ by Anchor { } which shows a flock of sheep in a country lane. I think it would be perfect in my living room now that I live in the countryside. Giordana is 39-years-old and lives with her husband and cat in Parma, Italy. Find her instagram account at www. instagram. com/giordana_grossi.
Vicky Cole, Nairobi, Kenya
I don’t seem to have done any cross stitch for months, having been working on the big blackwork project Save The Stitches and then preparing samples for our guild meetings and masterclasses. When I was home in the summer, I bought a cross stitch kit that I have been wanting to do for ages – The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a print by Hokusai. So I hope to start that soon.
My New Year’s stitching resolution is I’m sure the same as everyone else’s – to try and finish some of my half-done pieces… but maybe after The Great Wave!
Happy New Year everyone! Vicky is vice-chair of the Kenya Embroiderers’ Guild and is married with two children.
Joy Snouffer, Hagerstown, Maryland, USA
In the past, whenever I’ve attempted to make a stitching New Year’s resolution, it’s been broken fairly quickly. This year, my only resolutions are to stitch as much as possible, only stitch things that bring me happiness (otherwise, it’s too much like work), and try not to spend too much on new stash. The first part is easier than the second; you haven’t seen my online wish lists! My dream project is Choo, Choo, Chooed Out by Mystic Stitch. My husband and I love trains and dogs. This would be perfect for our railroadthemed game room! Joy is married, a homemaker with a granddaughter, and lives at the foot of mountains west of Baltimore.
Rachel Dove, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK
My stitching resolution is to finish at least two kit projects this year, and to stitch my own Christmas cards. Lately work has got in the way, and my evenings have been reading other people’s books and writing my own. Years ago, I stitched cards for Christmas all through the year, and the joy of handing them out was amazing. I have a whole year and a stockpile of gorgeous patterns, so I am determined to meet my stitching goal and stitch a
little every day. Winter evenings are perfect for making a start! My dream kit would be the Harry Potter kit from www.cloudsfactory.net { } – I have a space perfect for it in my home and I would earn major points from my kids too! I am a real Potter fan as well. Rachel is married with two boys, writes for Mills & Boon, and is the winner of the Prima Flirty Fiction Competition.
Joanne Hayward, Reading, UK
I cannot believe we are into another new year. Last birthday my husband brought me everything I would need for an Amanda Gregory design, the Spring Flowers Draught Excluder. I fell in love with it, and wanted to stitch it right away. I got started last January and made a good start but sadly other projects and requests got in the way.
My resolution for 2018 is to finish this and get started on the other three in the set, as well as the cushions to match, so I have a set for every season.
My dream project for 2018 would be a kit called First Kiss by Hannah Dale for www.bothythreads.com, featuring two giraffes { } . I would love to stitch it for my younger daughter, Scarlett. She loves giraffes and I would love to make it for her room. My elder daughter, Freya, already has a framed Gorjuss design in her room that she stitched herself and it would be great for Scarlett to have a stitched piece too. Joanne is married, with two daughters. She works in a local primary school as a teaching assistant. Her main passion is cross stitch, but she loves all crafts and is always busy crafting with her girls.
Anuradha Jain, New Delhi, India
I have only one stitching resolution for 2018, and that is to complete all my WIPs, without getting tempted to start something new in between. A difficult proposition!
My dream project for the coming year would be a set of bird cushions for my window seat. I love the folk bird cushions from the June 2015 issue and the adorable seagulls from issue 321 { } . I just hope that I’m not being too ambitious! Anu is a happily married mum of two, and lives with her family in a beautiful, leafy part of New Delhi.
Charlotte McFall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
My new year stitching resolution is to regain a full set of DMC thread and to finish off Aurora Cabin by Dimensions and Ginger Bread Village by Nikki Leeman, and to sort out all my stitching stash which is housed in boxes here there and everywhere all over my house. My hubby has said I need to organise myself better.
I have decided to buy myself a new kit if I complete my list, and so my dream kit would be European Bistro, again by Dimensions { } . I chose it because it reminds me of our trip to Italy and Pompeii and Ercolano and Milan a gift trip from our children.
Charlotte writes under the name of Misty Shaw, and pens romance for My Weekly Pocket Novels and Mills and Boon.
Charlotte Derby, Midlands, UK
At number 1 on my ‘To do list’ for 2018 is The Stitching Shed’s (www. thestitchingshed. co.uk) Circus Sampler { } . I have several friends who are pregnant and this is the perfect excuse for me to create a unique gift to celebrate their new arrivals and get my crafting underway for 2018.
My New Year’s resolutions for stitching in 2018 will be... to complete every kit I start before breaking the seal on the next project. Also to ensure I replace every colour I use back into the appropriate slot on the thread sorter to avoid the inevitable knotted mass of cotton and the hours of unpicking and confusion that result. Finally, I would like to be a little more adventurous with my choice of project. Charlotte, and friends Amy and Nicci, met at work, and now run a closed group called ‘Come Craft with me’.
Michelle Yeoh, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Happy New Year – or as the locals in Malaysia would say – Selamat Tahun Baru! Here are my resolutions for 2018: 1. Incorporate more embroidery stitches and beading into my stitching.
2. Complete a piece larger than A4 size.
3. Make more progress on my 2017 starts.
My dream start for the year would be ABC de la Brodeuse by Jardin Privé (www.jardineprive.com) { & }. It will be my largest piece yet. Michelle is a full-time mum and runs her cross-stitch businesses, Little Pink Factory and MiRuMakes, via Facebook and Instagram. The former produces custom stitched pieces, the latter is focused on Malaysian-themed designs.
Rebecca Rogers, Hull, UK
Next year my resolutions will be simply to not forget to take the hour every day to wind down with my stitching. This year has been a super-busy one for me – with my GCSEs and then starting at a new college, so I need the time to relax! Next year I want to do another Bothy threads design (www.bothythreads. com) maybe the Cut Thru’ Narrow Boat! { }. Our youngest correspondent, at just 16 years, Rebecca loves textiles and history, and is studying for her A Levels.