Our Correspondents

Ever wondered what stitchers like us are up to in different parts of the globe? We’ve asked readers from near and far to become correspondents for us and share with us their cross stitch news…

News and views from CrossStitcher readers around the world

Charlotte Darby, Stourbridge, West Midlands

Whatever you may call it, a quotation, a saying or a proverb – we all have our favourites. Some may be inspiring, some may be reassuring and some can be just plain amusing, but I am sure we all have a few that we find ourselves using in our day to day lives. Having done a bit of recent research into the history of cross stitch, it came as no surprise that many of the old Victorian samplers that were stitched contained biblical quotes and words to live by. Once finished, the sampler would act not only as a decoration, but also, as a timely reminder that all thoughts and deeds at that time needed to be Christian and God fearing.

This idea of traditional sayings often still features in designs however it has also been expanded upon and brought ‘bang up to date’ by several cross stitch kit designers and I have seen more and more designs appearing that, while ‘in keeping’ with the traditional design of a cross stitch sampler have a much more 21st century appeal!

I recently attended the Stitch show at Birmingham’s NEC. A regular stall holder there is ‘Itching to Stitch’. The lady who owns this small brand has taken both traditional and more contemporary quotations and adapted them into beautiful kits and charts and I always ensure I pay her a visit. I bought one of her new designs to stitch, as the quote brought a smile to my face!

One of my other favourite companies for modern style quotes are the many charts that Lizzie Kate have created over the years. Their charts are always beautifully styled, lettered and coloured, are also relatively small and give a quick finish. These charts are a great choice for those just embarking on their cross stitch journey.

My recent delve into more modern cross stitch quotations was primarily sparked by a ‘Secret Santa’ gift purchased for me. The book entitled I Got 99 Problems But A Stitch Ain’t One (not for the easily offended) contains some hilarious modern words and phrases surrounded by typical traditional sampler style borders, merging the ‘old and new’ in a witty and clever manner. It has also provided me with an amusing dilemma as to who to gift which finished sampler to! So in keeping with the theme of quotes I shall end with one of my favourite traditional ones for this Christmas season, ‘God Bless us Everyone’, Tiny Tim, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I’m loving the modern take on traditional sayings, bringing cross stitch into the 21st century to Charlotte, and her friends Amy and Nicci, met while working at the same school, and now run a closed group called ‘Come Craft With Me’.

Lisa Thomas, Lake Michigan, USA

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Michigan. It has been a mad dash to get my projects done before Christmas. I’m really trying to get a few more of my work in progresses done before the New Year. Where did the time go? It

seems like yesterday that I was planning what I would do throughout 2018. I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped, but I just keep plugging away on my projects.

The last couple months have been enjoyable here in Grand Rapids. We have an event called ArtPrize which is an independent international art event that takes place for 19 days in September. Art is exhibited around the downtown Grand Rapids area. A few of the venues include parks, restaurants, museums, bars and hotels, to name a few. In 2018, there were more than 1260 works of art by 1400 artists. The artists were from 41 states and 40 different countries in 165 venues. Visitors are able to vote for their favourite works along with a juried panel that picks their favourites. There’s more than $500,000 in prizes awarded every year. I have not seen any cross stitch yet at ArtPrize but I’m sure it would be well received. One of my favourite ones that won a few years ago was actually a quilt! I hope to see some new and exciting art this year, and maybe even some cross stitch. My daughter Madeleine in front of an ArtPrize exhibit A pencil drawing of Jesus at ArtPrize Lisa is married to a dairy farmer and has three children. She lives close to the beaches of Lake Michigan, USA.

Carol Smith, Aberdeenshire, UK

Inconceivably, I have been invited back again to bring you more news from North East Scotland, as we head into autumn and get ready for Christmas stitching.

I have been keeping up my Ready Steady Stitch challenges with the Halloween task and chose to incorporate a cat, spiders’ webs and falling leaves in my design with the very cute pumpkin button. I’m just starting to think about designs for Christmas cards and am deciding what to do with the latest Ready Steady Stitch challenge that incorporates a small wooden wreath… I am thinking of something with a Georgian door, or maybe a wee dog peeping through the wreath.

I have recently bought two Mill Hill Bead kits for autumn and winter with a Scottish theme. One is called Paisley Pumpkin which has amazing colours, and the second is called Celtic Santa.

I have also been doing lots of different crafts at Madhatters in Turriff including teddy bear making and zentangle. That has inspired me to start thinking about the fabulous Christmas Zenbroidery designs by DW Crafts, another one to consider for Christmas.

The Rainbows for Peace and Comfort cross stitch group which I belong to on Facebook is making great progress. We have almost completed our target of over a thousand pieces to make wall hangings for victims of the Pulse Nightclub. We are now moving on to new projects to support the Parklands, Las Vegas and Ariana Grande tragedies.

As we head towards the dark nights in North East Scotland there’s lots to look forward to. In Turriff, our department store Celebrations always has a big window display with dancing snowmen or Santas and very cheery music up the high street.

Down the speedy new Western Bypass to Aberdeen there are lots of activities coming up such as Firework Night, St Andrew’s Day, the Christmas Market and Lights. A big highlight is the Doric Pantomime which this year stars Lee Mead in Snow White – last year we had Jimmy Osmond, and I don’t know what he made of the North East Scottish accent. I am originally from Essex, so I only get some of the jokes – but I’m learning fast! My Ready Steady Stitch design Christmas Zenbroidery Mill Hill Beads project Carol lives with her husband and their springer spaniels Dougal and Zebedee. She is an accounting manager at Aberdeen City Council and is addicted to cross stitch.

Katie Clifton, Bagdad, Southern Tasmania

Greetings from Tasmania! Well summer is here and the days are longer now due to daylight savings. We have our veggie garden all prepped for potatoes, carrots, leeks and tomatoes (which no one in Tassie dares to plant before Hobart Show Day!) Then we will have fresh veggies all the way through summer.

My favourite thing about living in Australia is our summery Christmas! I love a warm, balmy day, and instead of roast and veggies, our Christmas lunch will include prawns, a barbeque and pavlova for dessert... yum! It’s also the time of year when we have a glutton of fruit and I like to make preserves… jam, sauce, relish, chutney, pasta sauce... you name it, we make it! We always try and make enough to last us throughout the year.

I like to try and make a Christmas sampler each year, something new to add to the ever growing Christmas display. This year I am hoping to finish Holly and Hearts by Lizzie Kate, which I started a few years ago. It will be great to finally hang it on the wall!

It’s also the time of year to make teacher gifts for my girls, as our school year ends in December, ready for summer holidays! I always like to stitch them something as a reminder of the wonderful job they do teaching my precious girls. This year I’ve picked Whimsical Teacher from Peppermint Purple on Etsy. Fingers crossed I will get two done before Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! Our veggie garden freshly planted My work on Holly and Hearts Katie is married with two young girls and loves all crafts. She lives on a farm in Bagdad, Southern Tasmania, with her dog Twinkle Toes and pet sheep Minnie, Spike, Misty and Coco. She is a medical receptionist at the local doctor’s surgery.