Table of contents for June 2016 in Cross Stitch Gold

We’re in a floral mood here in the Cross Stitch Gold office! We love celebrating this time of year when the garden is packed with life and colour, so this issue, we’re in full bloom with floral-rich designs to bring some sunshine to your stitching. We have Angela Poole’s sweet vase of sunflowers over on page 12, Kate Knight’s cute, flower-trimmed bird cushion on page 52, a picturesque garden scene in Joanne Aston’s country cottage design (p28) and of course, we have our beautiful cover star, Lesley Teare’s Victorian lady sporting a rose-laden hat (p4). She brings an elegant touch to any home, particularly framed and adorning a dresser. You can also recreate lovely seaside memories with Durene Jones’ beach sampler (p38) or perhaps stitch Lucie Heaton’s adorable dinosaur picture,…

Fanciful flapper When I retired three years ago, I took up cross stitching, which I now absolutely love. I find it so relaxing. This is a photo of my latest project from issue 125 of Cross Stitch Gold – I’m really pleased with it! I am now planning to stitch the elegant geisha, also by Lesley Teare, from Cross Stitch Gold’s 128 issue. I can’t wait! love the fact that these designs fit a standard size frame, which I can purchase from a local store. Keep up the good work. Janet Wood, Poole, Dorset Zeena : This is fantastic, Janet – we love it! Please keep us updated with the geisha, which I’m sure will turn out beautifully. Going for Gold! I am an avid cross stitcher and when…

Create a card Let your cross stitch creations come to life by pairing them with elegant papers from Kaisercraft. Always and Forever is the paper collection you need in your life if you’re making cards this month – we especially love the romantic roses and elegant doily motifs inside this pack (£9.95). The colour palette is nature-inspired and feminine, and would work particularly well with garden-themed designs. Choosing the right background is key when making cross stitched cards – and this is easily our top pick for that job at the moment! Buy from www.merly  impressions.co.uk Paper perfect Master the art of cross stitching on paper with this invaluable new booklet by Meg Evershed of The Nutmeg Company! Bringing together a lifetime of her expertise into one easy…

Meet the designer Gail Bussi Gail has followed in her mother’s footsteps to become a cross stitch designer. She lives and works in South Africa The phrase at the centre of this design is one that I truly believe in – it doesn’t matter where you live or how long you’ve been there, as long as the house is filled with love and laughter then it will always feel like home. I created this design as a little reminder to hang in your home and to help give each day a positive start. It uses a gentle palette of pretty colours and charming motifs to give a homespun look – I love traditional samplers and American quilts, so I draw my inspiration from those when I’m designing. Blue floral fabric,…

Stitcher’s challenge I love designing large pieces – something challenging that you can really get your teeth into. This rural cottage scene is certainly full of challenges, with a variety of stitches, a large palette of colours and a densely stitched finish. I hope you’ll find it interesting and engaging – the finished result will be worth it! Have a break The thatched cottage roof is probably one of the trickier bits of this design because of all the brown shades involved – and let s face it, brown isn’t the most beautiful colour to work with! When I’m stitching a difficult area, I try to have a break every so often and move over to an easier or more interesting part of the design for one evening. This gives…

A good balance I started off by creating the patchwork ‘grid’ for this design, then filling in each square or rectangle with a seaside motif. I spent a bit of time rearranging the different motifs to create a nice balance in terms of colour. Once I was happy with the arrangement, I added the stripy border around the edge. Personal touch I like the idea of replacing the wording at the bottom of the design with a special date or a family name, to give this beach sampler a personal touch. Why not give it a try!…

Young at heart I love designing for children and always try to have at least one kids’ project on the go. It allows you to express your inner child, and it s great to let your imagination go wild with colours and crazy characters! You can find lots more childrens designs, from fairies to teddies, on my website, www.lucieheaton.com. Fab frame This green frame works really well with my design – it s simple and ties in nicely with the areas of green stitching. You could choose a different colour to match a child’s room, or just pick their favourite colour. You can also use a mount if you like, for a more grown-up finish.…

Less is more I have been quite conservative with the backstitch in this design as I felt it didn’t need too much, especially the flowers. The lady needed some definition in her features, but the lace glove and bodice are where I used most of the backstitch. Remember to check the key carefully, as the white backstitch uses two strands for better coverage. Lady of leisure Unlike working-class women of the Victorian era, this lady would have enjoyed a very wealthy lifestyle, filled with traditional pastimes such as embroidery, reading, music and taking tea. Dressing the part was also very important – throughout the 19th century, clothing became more and more lavish until it was covered with lace and beading.…

Creature comforts I love to add little creatures to my designs, whether it s birds, bees or butterflies – in fact, this design includes all three! They really help to add a sense of movement and are welcome additions to my garden, as well as my stitching. To me, a homely design like this one would be a bit flat and lifeless without them. Celebration cake I’ve decided to stitch the floral border at the bottom onto aida band, and make a pretty cake band from it. It will be perfect for summer birthdays and afternoon tea parties.…

THE EXPERTS JO BENNER Jo is an experienced stitcher and crafter, who writes for several cross stitch magazines. She can help with chart queries and stitching know-how, as well as product questions. FIONA BAKER Fiona is the Technical Editor for Cross Stitch Gold and our sister magazines. She is a talented cross stitch designer, too, and can answer any of your stitching queries. SARAH TREVOR Sarah has worked on cross stitching and craft magazines for over six years. She’s an avid stitcher, and is ready and raring to help you with any of your craft or cross stitch dilemmas. THRIFTY THREAD! Q We are starting a kids' cross stitch club and would like to buy threads in bulk in primary colours to make up some kits. What is the best…

Sampler style BIRTH CLASSIC (ACS31), Anchor, £21.25 What’s in the kit Black and white chart14-count cream aidaAnchor stranded cottonTapestry needle Size of finished design 28.5x20cm (11x7¾in) Stitching this kit Those looking for a more traditional kit will love this one from cross stitch stalwart, Anchor. It’s pitched at the intermediate stitcher, who will use whole cross stitch and some backstitch to recreate the cute motifs. The main chart is printed on one A3 sheet, so it’s really easy to keep track of where you are. There’s also an alphabet and number chart for personalisation, on one A4 sheet. If you’re working with a particularly long name, you can leave off one of the teddies, and there’s also potential for adding in the baby’s birth weight if you fancy adapting the…

Dedicated stitchers As a non-stitcher, I’m in awe of the time spent creating beautiful cross stitch designs. I sometimes take up to a couple of weeks on one of my pieces of art, but to spend months, or even years, stitching one design is really quite impressive! Floral inspiration When I lived in Edinburgh, I would walk to my studio each morning and pass through Princes Street Gardens and past two amazing florist shops. It was a joy to see the beautiful arrangements the gardeners and the shopkeepers had put together, and I always had my camera at the ready to capture an idea that I might see.…

How to read our charts All our charts are printed in both colour and symbols. Each square on a cross stitch chart contains a symbol, and each symbol corresponds with one stitch. The key that accompanies the chart tells you what thread colour each symbol corresponds to, and how many strands to use for each cross stitch, backstitch or French knot. It also gives you the design's dimensions – you'll need these to cut your fabric to size. The thread numbers listed in the first column of the key refer to the brand that we've used to stitch the design. Conversion numbers for two other brands are given, but they're not always exact equivalents. Avoid mixing more than one brand in the same design. Sometimes you'll need more than one…