Tag: Cross Stitch

Posted in Uncategorized

Who is stealing your creative joy?

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone,

I don’t know about you, but life has been one huge rollercoaster for me at least, over the last 6 to 12 months. So far I’ve:

  • Been vaccinated from new diseases
  • Had a long weekend on the Gold Coast
  • Had Covid and recovered with minimal ill-effects
  • Participated in a couple 5km fun runs after recovering from plantar fasciitis
  • Successfully gotten a new job
  • Moved interstate for the new job
  • Started renting an apartment for the first time in over 15 years!
  • Finally been able to increase the amount of running I’m able to do and sticking as close as I possibly can to a training plan
  • Printed many of my cross stitch patterns for sale
  • Opened an Etsy store in conjunction with my regular Hot Cross Stitching store
  • Created more cross stitch charts for sale and uploaded them to the Hot Cross Stitching and Etsy store (with same name)
  • Been consistently inconsistent with my flosstube episodes
  • Had multiple thieves come to visit and steal my creative joy

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Unknown

I’m not sure who said this and I’ve conducted some searches to try and find out! Simply put, I’ve been comparing myself to others and the levels of success my own flosstube channel and cross stitch websites have had with others whom I admire.

The comparison thieves in my mind have me contemplating if a flosstube channel is the right path I need to take to help with promoting the alternate career I’m wanting to pursue. Additionally, the comparison thieves have me thinking that flosstube is like being in school and there’s an invisible popularity contest happening and I’m on the outer circle.

Image says Don't compare yourself to others.
Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Admittedly, there are things in my control with my flosstube channel that I may be able to do to improve the situation. The questions however are:

  • If I become consistent now, will that help to improve my current stats on the channel?
  • What content do I need to create to remain interested in creating it and interesting for people to watch?
  • Should I start over?
  • Should I just abandon the channel?
  • Why did I start the channel?
  • How do I find joy in the channel again?
  • What is my gut or intuition about this?
  • Would collaborations with others help my flosstube and Hot Cross Stitching?

Regaining inner confidence and getting to know my audience again

Depending on the day (and time of day for that matter!), my head, heart and gut are saying Yes. No. Maybe. Just stick your head in the sand and pretend everything is okay.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

I need to remember that this is just temporary (hopefully!) and that I am not everyone’s cup of tea. Like with anything, there are ups and downs and the social media side of things is just a minute aspect of the bigger picture. It’s important – don’t get me wrong – having a digital footprint is important and the success of that footprint can make the world of difference with regards to what I’m wanting to achieve.

My questioning of things comes down to the bigger picture of whether I’m on the right track and if I’m not, how to get to that right track!

It’s a bit like any aspect of changing careers. There are good days and bad days and the challenge is to not allow those good days to be out weighted by the bad ones. Now the challenge is to remember this on those bad days!

Obtaining feedback and working with it

Talking to my viewers will certainly be another positive step forward and getting some feedback on what they want to see from me. Just assuming what they want to see and what types of patterns people are actually interested has not been the right track to date and it may be a small pivot that needs to be made.

It may be that cross stitch charts aren’t the way to go, but selling photographs are! Perhaps I’m suited to continuing to work in the background and have someone else be the face and voice of my flosstube channel?

Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com

What’s the lesson in all of this?

It’s really hard not to compare myself to others and their achievements and wonder why I’m not seeing the same success. There will be good days and bad and I need to be comfortable with those bad days and the good. Allowing those thieves to creep in though, is something I need to keep an eye on and potentially create a cross stitch pattern out of it to serve as a reminder of how important joy is to my overall wellbeing.

Additionally, there’s been a lot going on and the stresses involved with those activities are bound to take a lot of energy out of me. So I need to give myself a break (to an extent) and figure out where my energy needs to be focused to be okay and stop those thieves at bay!

What do you think? Have you had the creative thieves creep in? How have you recovered from them?

Posted in Tips and Tricks

5 Things I’ve learnt about Flosstube as a content creator

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

For a bit over a year now, I’ve been regularly-ish (roughly every 2 to 3 weeks) creating content for my flosstube channel – The XStitching Runner. Similar to this blog, my channel predominantly is about cross stitch with some life stuff thrown in. Some weeks I’m full of enthusiasm and excitement. Other weeks not so much. But that’s life right!

As the title of this post suggests, this is all about the things I’ve learnt about Flosstube as a content creator. I’ve also published a video on my channel about these things as well. Check out the link at the end of this post for more!

1. It’s all about the numbers

To some extent, anything that goes up on YouTube is a popularity contest – regardless of what anyone else says. Over time, the more comments, shares and views you get, the more subscribers you get and the higher up the pecking order you go. Your content is recommended more to others who may not of heard about your content and there’s a chance they may be interested in it and become another statistic. All of this is part of the algorithms (I’m told) of how YouTube works.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

The other extent – in my view – is personality and what your intentions are for your channel. There are millions of wonderful creators out there and every single one of them brings a unique twist to the table because of who they are. It’s their personality we are engaging with, their life experiences and their ability to convey a message to camera. This – at the end of the day – is what the numbers are measuring, to enable your channel to grow and potentially make money out of it, if that’s something you’re interested in.

2. Personality and confidence

I have gained more confidence in presenting to camera since I started my channel and it’s had a positive impact on my professional life. Professionally, I spend 99% of my time in front of the computer and 10% of that time is spent presenting training via Microsoft Teams. I have become more comfortable in front of the camera and speaking up in meetings. I haven’t however, increased my conciseness. My flosstube episodes average 40 minutes – usually 60 minutes. I waffle a lot and I have a lot but not a lot to say about cross stitch. I have this feeling of needing to bring something different to the table nearly every time I sit down to film. I don’t want to get stuck in the ‘cookie cutter’ mode of the flosstube recipe of each week showing how much progress I’ve made on a project. What finishes I’ve done and any new starts made.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

My episodes are raw with limited editing. Which is probably why they go for so long! My episodes are an insight to who I am and what I have to say and share with anyone what I’ve been up to with my life and a bit of cross stitch.

3. Knowing my ‘why’.

The down side of trying to bring something different to the table nearly every time I sit down to film is that I have lost sight of what my channel is about. It’s still very much about cross stitch, but I’ve lost the focus of trying to promote my own patterns and my own business – Hot Cross Stitching. I’ve for a little while, forgotten about having fun and improving my ability to be concise and focus on the stitching.

Additionally, over the last month or two – perhaps longer – I’ve started to do a ‘welcome to Country’. It’s an Australian thing that is done at the start of many sporting events and meetings that happen in the public service. It’s possible that it happens in other situations as well that I’m not aware of. The welcome to Country is an acknowledgement of the Indigenous Australians who are the traditional owners of the land we call Australia and the region/area that an event or meeting is taking place. The welcome acknowledges their leaders and elders from the past, present and emerging. The importance of doing this is to aid in the reconciliation between the Indigenous Australians and everyone who has come after them and taken over the land.

Since I’ve been doing this acknowledgement, I feel like it’s unfortunately hurt my channel. I really hope it hasn’t been the case and that there are other factors that are contributing to the downturn in numbers I’m seeing for my channel. I also feel that it would be quite shallow of me to stop doing this, all because I’ve become so focused on the numbers instead of what my channel is really about. Cross stitch and trying to build my side-hustle!

4. Technology and lighting

I have a love/hate relationship with technology and related devices and my boyfriend has been fantastic with trying to help me out with it where he can. Over the last 12 months or so, I’ve had issues mostly with the sound and it not being loud enough. Depending on what camera and microphone combination I’m using, sometimes the sound will start to lag after a few minutes and I’m yet to figure out why. I want to know why, because the little camera I’m thinking of with this problem is really cool! It has a ring light as part of the camera. It’s compact and my eyes feel a little funny after looking at it for so long.

The funny thing is that at times I feel like it’s a huge production with all of this equipment and product around me to help make the magic happen – a little like the image below!

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Then there are times when I remember to try and keep it simple – to the point where I’ve contemplated filming from my phone. My biggest problem with this is storage and the joys of connecting my phone to my laptop to reduce the problem.

At the end of the day, I need to go with what works and pick my timing to do the filming!

5. Craft-avism and stitching challenges

It’s activism via the mode of crafting. As a viewer, I’ve seen this to be quite a fickle thing in the Flosstube world. Over the last 12 months or so, Flosstubers have:

  • Rallied against the owners of the platform Etsy because of the fees that sellers have to pay to use the platform. Resulting in minimal profit margins. The irony is that the people who talk about rallying against Etsy, tend to shop there exclusively if they’re shopping online!
  • Raised awareness of the importance of bees in the ecological system by designing and stitching many bee related projects.
  • Supported the LGBTQI+ community by stitching things designed by people in the community and talking about the challenges people in this community deal with and face daily.
  • Supported Australia’s black summer of 2019/20 by donating money, designing charts that have proceeds that go to specific Australian charities and stitching Aussie patterns, to name a few.
  • Participated in a huge variety of stitching challenges to keep motivated and see progress in the variety of projects we have.

I’ve even become a joiner in some of these challenges and been a supporter of some of these events. I’ve set my own challenge based upon the Australian Football League (AFL) for this year and some of my projects have gotten a lot more attention than I expected! I’m also participating in the 22 in 22 – 22,000 stitches on a specific project in the year 2022.

Reflection

I still have a long way to go with this flosstube thing! At the end of the day I just need to be me and remember that I will never be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay! I will find my feet and have fun while I’m doing it. Because my main goals with this blog and the flosstube channel is to build a brand that is leading to bringing people together from all walks of life, who have cross stitch in common. Who find peace and enjoyment by siting down and stitching and connecting with others who enjoy cross stitching as well, and can learn organically from each other.

The biggest dream is to have two places where people can come to connect and stitch – in the country and at the beach. The places will be able to host stitching retreats that can be for a week or a weekend. People can come and go as they need and participate as much or as little as they want.

I hope you’ve found some entertainment in all of this and learnt something along the way! In the section below, there are some links to my channel and related topics that you may find interesting.

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

References / Further reading:

Aboriginal Australia map – Shows the different countries that make up Australia. This particular blog is written in Canberra – Ngunnawal (pronounced Nunawal or Nunawol) Country.

Hot Cross Stitching website

What I’ve learnt from flosstube so far – my flosstube episode this post is based upon

Posted in Cross Stitch Haul and Stitching Progress

Down the creative rabbit hole of making project bags for cross stitch.

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

The creative writing bug left me for a while and I felt that I didn’t have much to write about regarding cross stitch and what I’ve been doing – especially things that would make any of the posts interesting!

Thankfully it doesn’t mean I’ve been idle, because I cleaned out some of my cupboards and found some quilting fabric I’d forgotten about and tried my hand at making some project bags:

So far I’ve created three bags and thankfully each time I’ve improved and learnt my lessons from the previous bag – to then create new lessons for future bags! The above images show both sides of the bags and the inside of them where I’ve tried to line them with some fabric as a point of interest.

The additional aim of these bags is to help me keep my physical cross stitch patterns organised. The horse, teddy bears and dog project bags hold cross stitch patterns on those things – horses, teddy bears and dogs.

My eventual aim is to attach cards to the zippers that will say what the project is inside, as the need arises.

Lesson 1 – Padding’s a nice idea but the type of padding used is more important, if it’s going to be used

The positive is that I successfully attached my first zip to some fabric using a special foot that came with my sewing machine!

The negative is that I’m not going to use left-over batting I used for my cross stitch quilt! As much as I tried to keep things as lined up and straight as possible, the padding gave the bag a mind of its own when it came time to stitching – even when I was using pins! If I due use padding again, I’ll definitely use something thinner and use special quilting clips like the ones below (that I could purchase from a craft store):

Image of multi coloured sewing clips – courtesy of Google Image Search

Lesson 2 – Securing the ends of the zipper will help with opening and closing

The images below are from the first bag I created and it opens and closes smoothly. The ends however aren’t neat and they need to be. That’s partially due to the type of zipper I used for this bag and the other part is due to me ‘winging’ it and not following a specific pattern. My initial logic was – it’s just a bag, it should be simple enough!

Lesson 3 – Following a pattern and paying attention to that pattern is important

To toot my own horn, I’m good at writing procedures and instructions. I have trouble following instructions and procedures though. It does depend upon what I’m doing and the complexity of what I need to do. If I have to do something practical like making a project bag, then I find it easier to follow a series of images than written instructions.

For the second bag, I tried to follow a tutorial that Elizabeth Ann Can Stitch posted about a year ago. It worked reasonably well to begin with. There was a bit of re-watching certain parts to be sure I was on the right track. The hardest part I found was attaching the front to the back. That was partially due to me getting to the point where I thought that I was okay and on the right track and didn’t need to keep re-watching!

Because of this thought pattern, I had to get creative at times and add more fabric to the bag to make it all line up!

Image of the second project bag – additional fabric added to make it square

This is where and why I can never be a builder or work in construction where supplies are very expensive. As much as I measure twice and cut once, I can measure 10 times and cut once and still get it wrong!

The positive to come out of this bag is my improved zipper attachment to the bag – much to the detriment of a needle on my sewing machine that was sacrificed as part of the sewing process. I had learnt from my first bag to really keep my seams straight and make sure everything lined up. For the majority of the bag I was able to do this and that’s when the needle broke when I was sewing a part of the zipper. However, there was still one part of the bag where I hadn’t quite gotten the whole seam of the fabric, as shown below:

Close up of the second bag where some of the fabric wasn’t captured in the seams – just above the zipper.

Lesson 4 – Converting inches to centemetrs to ensure precision of the pattern

One of the things I struggled with creating the second bag was all of the measurements were in inches. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem because I have a tape that uses both types of measurements. The challenge came when I wanted to use a specific panel of fabric that wasn’t to the inch or half inch and my ability to determine if it’s a quarter of an inch, an eighth of an inch etc. That’s when I started using a mixture of inches and centemetres and noting down the measurements where I adjusted them. That’s when the additional fabric had to be added to the bag!

Lesson 5 – Leaving it to memory then winging it

For the most part, I’m really happy with how my third bag turned out since I had made some adjustments to the dimensions and I was going by memory for how to assemble it. I’m happy with how neat the seams are and I don’t have any frayed edges where I’ve not been able to capture all of the edges!

You may notice that the centre image below shows a yellow vertical strip of fabric just above the Golden Retreaver’s head. That’s where I needed to get creative and try and use some of the fabric I’d already cut up.

Learning my lesson from breaking a sewing machine needle from the second bag, I wanted to be safe than sorry but also have a really nice and neat bag for my third one. I achieved that by not breaking another needle and allowed some extra fabric either side of the zipper to try and make it neat.

Close up of zipper end on third bag

I’m not completely happy with this end, but it may be something for the fourth bag that I can improve on. I could add some extra fabric that covers this end, but something I can easily attach without breaking another needle!

Lesson 6 – Do I dare use clear vinal?

I haven’t purchased any yet but I’m considering it. I’ve seen on Flosstube that some people have project bags that have a clear panel of vinal at the front to help them see what project/s they have in the bag. I’ve even seen one creative endeavor where a Christmas stocking shaped project bag had been made and the creator had included clear vinal but in a pocket format, to enable the user to keep their floss/threads organised. To me that will be the ideal thing to do or / and create a bag that is large enough to fit my fishing tackle boxes that I use to store and organise the thread for my large, full coverage pieces. The box below is an example of how I use the tackle box and I’m using it for three different projects!

Overhead view of the fishing tackle box I use (one of three) for storing floss for full coverage projects.

I hope you’ve found this read useful, if not entertaining! My aim is to write more posts for this year and interact with you all more!

In the meantime, you can catch up with me regarding my cross stitch progress and new patterns etc. on my Flosstube channel, The X Stitching Runner.

Until next time, happy stitching!

Posted in WIP's and Plans, WIPs and Finishes

Why it’s good to Spring clean your craft room

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

It’s amazing what you can find when you’re like me and avoid cleaning out cupboards and doing a really good spring clean!

I’ve been taking stock of what I have hiding in my cupboards – especially in my craft room – with the intention of determining the following things:

  • Do I need it?
  • Do I still use it?
  • Does it bring me joy?
  • Can I use it for something else?
  • Can I recycle it? i.e. put it into the recycle bin or take it somewhere that can recycle it
  • Can I donate it?
  • Can I sell it and am I confident enough to sell it online via somewhere like Facebook Marketplace?
  • Do I know anyone who I could give it to?

A lot of this is stemming from spending two weekends (nearly) re-arranging my craft room to fit in second-hand furniture to improve the space for my day job. Whilst slowly (like, snail’s pace slowly!) working towards some long-term goals I want to work towards.

The amazing things found as part of clean-ups!

For years I’ve had stashed away in a grey bag, a cross stitch project that I started and may never finish. I’m hanging onto it as a “just in case” project, depending on whether or not my niece really gets into princesses. I may end up de-stashing it before I find out the answer to this one! But that’s beside the point…it’s the other things I found in the bag that has really surprised me:

“May Your Dreams Come True”

“May Your Dreams Come True” was a project I’d stitched for my Nan, but I don’t remember why I never fully finished it or gave it to her. I stitched this project on 18 count Aida and used all of the called for DMC colours and beads. It was intense and I was glad when I’d finished it! I may make a project bag or something out of it. Who knows!

I got the pattern for it out of a cross stitch fairy book I’d bought at a craft show (I think) when I was getting back into cross stitch. Which means that this project was completed in the early to late 2000’s. Because it was well before my boyfriend and I became a couple and well before I moved into my current home.

It’s like hitting the jackpot!

I also found a stash-load of fabric! I am in amazement about this one!

25 to 28 count fabric and many DMC threads

I’m not sure what count fabric this is. I’m guessing it’s 25 to 28 count and roughly 1 metre’s worth! It was definitely back in the early days when I was learning how to kit up my own projects and as I’m writing this, I’ve figured out which project this was intended for. Heaven and Earth Designs “Sampler”, artwork by Selina Fenech:

Coverpage of the HAED “Sampler”. Artwork by Selena Fenech.

I was going to stitch this up for my sister. I may still stitch this. Especially a couple of the middle panels as bookmarks. Then with the alphabet, I have a myriad of options!

…and finding a long, lost WIP.

I fully thought that I’d thrown this project out. I remember stitching this project when my boyfriend and I had started going out and I slowly fell out of love with it. I was trying to stitch it in secret. Which at this stage, was when I was still travelling out to my friend’s place when she lived with her parents. So this project is going back about 9 to 10 years!

It’s a Bothy Threads counted cross stitch kit called “A Dictionary of Dogs” and the pictures are adapted from paintings by Helen Smith. I’m using everything that is in this kit and I may pick it up again in the near future and include it in my rotation. Especially since my boyfriend said that he liked the project and wasn’t too surprised that I’d found these things hidden away.

I’m still blown away that I found these things after all this time!

What things have you found in your stash that you hadn’t expected to find?

Until next time,

Happy Stitching

Posted in Uncategorized

Why you should join a digital stitching retreat

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

With the current climate, international travel and in some circumstances, domestic travel is difficult and wont return to normal for a long time. Which is why a digital stitching retreat is an awesome way of connecting with people from across the country and internationally.

Meeting new people from the comfort of your own home

Pending your personality type, meeting new people can be exciting and fun, nerve-wrecking, curious and cautious or somewhere in-between. Thankfully with the help of technology (and some tech-savvy friends for support if needed), you can join chat groups via social media applications such as Zoom. Where you can choose to have your camera off and microphone on, both feature on or off or any other combination that works for you.

The aim is for you to be able to interact with the other people in a group, whilst stitching on a project and talk (or not, that’s totally up to you!) about whatever you want.

Photo by Lisa on Pexels.com

Personal note: I’m an introvert through and through with socially awkward tendencies – especially when I’m in a room with other people I don’t know at all or very well. Being at home and participating in these retreats was really good because I could talk as much or as little as I wanted and silences are okay. Because everyone is busy stitching on their pieces and no one is worried about superficial things and you can keep your hands busy with cross stitch!

Timing is up to you

Participating in international digital retreats can mean that your time zone may be out of balance with the timing for the event. This is where you can make it your own and participate in events and stitching sessions that work for you.

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

Personal note: Recently I participated in a digital stitching retreat hosted by The Black Needle Society – check out the links at the end of this post for more information – and the timing of the events were based upon Central Time in America. I’m in the Australian Eastern Time zone and that meant I would need to be up at about middnight or 1am through to about midday to 1pm or a little later to immerse myself in the retreat experience.

For my lifestyle, this was not practical, so I made it work for me by participating in the events that I could and it was an amazing experience!

The events and stitching challenges

This is what makes the stitching retreats unique and different. Some stitching retreats are based upon themes such as a television series or a movie franchise. Others may be based upon Halloween, Christmas or specific designer. Each of these retreats will have challenges based upon these themes and the organisers may have prizes connected to those challenges.

For example, one retreat may have a schedule of challenges for specific days and times throughout the retreat, that participants can take part in. The challenges will be specific to the theme of the retreat and there may be a prompt for you to work on a specific project in your collection. This can be a new start or an existing work in progress. Some challenges may have a time limit for you to complete the challenge and the set parameters may put you into the running to win a prize.

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Personal note: Recently I participated in The Black Needle Society’s Retreat in a Box called “Autumn in Stars Hollow” that’s based upon the television show “Gilmore Girls”. There was a schedule for when the challenges were going to take place and each challenge was based upon a specific episode from the series. Additionally, each episode took place during the season of Autumn and Gilmore Girls is set in a fictional township of Stars Hollow.

For each challenge, we had an hour to put in as many stiches as we could on a project that related to the theme for a specific episode. For example, the first episode of the Gilmore Girls (aka the trailer) had the theme of laundry day. Therefore, the prompt for our cross stitch project, had to have clothes in it. We were required to take a photo of our piece before the challenge started with the name of the name of the project we were working on and a password we were provided 10 minutes before the challenge started.

At the end of the hour, we counted up the number of stitches we had done during that hour. We had to note down what that number was on the same piece of paper that had the password and name of the project and post the pictures to the social media platforms nominated by the organisers. We earnt points or a number of entries for a lucky dip that was drawn by the organisers of the retreat, and the lucky dip was drawn in the town hall meetings that started 15 minutes after each challenge ended.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Final note

I really enjoyed my first international digital stitching retreat that was hosted by The Black Needle Society. I’m a huge fan of the television series Gilmore Girls and I had heard about this retreat in a box through a flosstube channel called The Steel City Stitchers who are representatives of The Black Needle Society boxes.

In a future post I’ll share with you the pictures of the items in the stitching retreat box. If you can’t wait for that post, check out my flosstube episode #9 on Youtube, where I’m also known as The X Stitching Runner!

Each stitching retreat is different and unique and it’s important that you find one that fits your needs and interests. Below are some links and resources to help get you started and hopefully you’ll find one that works for you!

Links and resources to other stitching retreats:

  • Stitching for wellbeing by Fiona Doubleday – a virtual stitching retreat based in USA
  • The Black Needle Society – a stitching retreat in a box based upon different themes
  • Linen & Threads – this is an Australian based stitching retreat. The link will take you to the page for an even that has already happened. But it will give you an idea of what’s involved with a physical stitching retreat.
Posted in Hot Cross Stitching Business, WIPGO 2021, WIPs and Finishes

Hot Cross Stitching Holidays and WIP Updates

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve posted something to this blog – 20th June was the last time! Sooo much has happened since then!

Life update

My boyfriend and I were due to go on a holiday up to Queensland at the start of July and the pandemic had other plans for us. The short story is that we decided to cancel our holiday and we’ll reschedule for a later time either this year or next year. I was going to participate in the 5km event of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon weekend and the event got cancelled because of some outbreaks and lockdowns that were happening in Sydney and the Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast areas. Before we were due to fly out of Canberra, the lockdowns for Brisbane and Gold Coast were going to be for three days and there was no guarantee that it would be for just three days. Brisbane’s lock down was extended for an extra few days and the Gold Coast was lifted on Friday 2nd July at 6pm.

We were relieved that we had decided not to go to Queensland for our holiday, as it lifted a lot of stress we were feeling about the unknown. We had decided to cancel the holiday before we knew about the running event being cancelled – though it looked like a sure thing before anything was formally announced. I’ve still taken my scheduled leave as I had been in the headspace for having a holiday for a set period of time and I knew that I wouldn’t be in the right headspace for work if I had made other changes.

It was also meant to be that we didn’t go on our holiday or for me to participate in any running events, because on Saturday 3rd July, I sprained my left ankle and I couldn’t properly walk on it for about 3 days. It’s still a bit swollen and bruised, but I can do most things on it now with minimal issues!

Because of all of this, I have been stitching and designing patterns for Hot Cross Stitching like there was no tomorrow!

New Patterns and finishes

Flosstube Made Me Do It

I have had the phrase ‘Flosstube made me do it’ in my head for a long time it’s taken me a while to find the motivation to stitch any of the designs based upon this phrase. I’m going to create a new series out of this phrase and my ‘stay-cation’ has helped me with this! The image below is my first finish for this series:

‘Flosstube Made Me Do It’ by Kristen Gawronski for Hot Cross Stitching

This piece is stitched on 14 count printed peach marble Aida, using DMC threads. I’ve framed it in a 16″x12″ black frame that I got from a dollar store from my local shops. I’ve removed the glass from the frame and it’s hanging up on the wall in my craft room/office (aka ‘Croffice’).

The chart for this piece is available for purchase via the Hot Cross Stitching website as a PDF download. It’s fully compatible with the android application Pattern Keeper. If you would prefer a paper pattern, you can contact me via the Hot Cross Stitching website.

Stitching Enabler

I have regularly heard on a variety of flosstube channels, that someone has been enabled by someone else because of an episode they have watched. This typically means that someone has loved a pattern or fabric, floss, frame or something that another stitcher has shared on their flosstube and the viewer ‘just had to have it’. I’ve definitely been enabled by a few flosstubers and I know it will continue to happen for as long as we all share our love of cross stitch! That is the inspiration for the next pattern and finish:

This pattern will be available on the Hot Cross Stitching website in coming days and it will be available as a PDF download. It’s fully compatible with the android application Pattern Keeper. If you would prefer a paper pattern, you can contact me via the Hot Cross Stitching website.

I’ve stitched this pattern on 28 count evenweave using DMC threads. It’s framed in a 16″x12″ frame from my local dollar store. I’ve left the glass in the frame for this project. That may change over time as I may change my mind regarding the way I have it framed.

Wattle Biscornu

The idea for this pattern has been playing on my mind for the last 7 to 8 months. My biggest struggle point has been getting the flowers to look like the image I have in my mind’s eye. To help with this struggle, I have drawn upon inspiration from nature and existing cross stitch patterns like the Australian native flower sampler by Fiona Jude from Country Threads. Below is my first Hot Cross Stitching biscornu finish:

I’m really proud of this finished piece. It is really cute and small and I learnt a lot as I was assembling it. You may notice in one of the pictures, that one side of it looks a little off. I made the wonderful error of not leaving enough of a fabric margin when I cut the two pieces in half. The images below will show you what I mean:

This project was stitched on 28 count evenweave and the fabric frays very easily. I could have used some form of adhesive to stop the edges from fraying and reduce the risk of the brown back-stitches from starting to slide off the fabric. I’ve also learnt that this is a potential flaw in my design as well and I’ve updated the pattern to prevent this from happening to others.

This project was stitched in all DMC threads and the pattern will soon be available on the Hot Cross Stitching website as a PDF download. The pattern is compatible with the android application Pattern Keeper.

WIPGO WIP Updates

For the month of July, the Black and White Rolled-up Daisy (designed by Kristen Gawronski for Hot Cross Stitching) and 12 Days of Christmas (designed by Rhona Norrie) have been called:

I’ve added some stitches to the 12 Days of Christmas project. I’d like to add more before July is over and I’ll share my progress with you in a few weeks time. The same goes for the Black and White Rolled-up Daisy!

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Related reads and links:

Posted in Cross Stitch Haul and Stitching Progress, Hot Cross Stitching Business

Haul and New Pattern Progress

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something and I can’t wait until the end of June / early July to tell you all about some of the things that have happening in my world of cross stitch!

Haul

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Crafty Frog store in South Canberra and I picked up a few things I can’t wait to use on as many projects as possible. The image below shows overall, the things I purchased:

Haul from the Crafty Frog store

What you see in the picture

Starting from the bottom of the picture:

Easy Grab Ball Tip Needle – sizes 28 and 26. I’ve never used these types of needles before and I’ve heard a bit about them on a few Flosstube channels (I can’t remember who exactly, as it’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone talk about them). The special thing about these needles is that the ball tips are meant to make it easier for cross stitchers, embroiderers and hand-sewers find the holes in the fabric they want their thread to go through. The other special thing with these needles is that they are not pointy in any way, shape or form because of the small ball at the end of the needle. Which should mean that I don’t poke myself any where near as much as what I’m doing at the moment! I’m also hoping that I can use these needles when I fly up to Queensland in two weeks time. I’ve never stitched on a plane and there are some strict (understandably so) rules in Australia for having or using certain sharp objects in carry-on luggage.

Heart-shaped pendant – is deceiving because it’s also a thread cutter! Towards the pointy end of the pendant are small indents on the sides that can be used to cut the thread I’m using for my projects. I’ve been aware of this type of product for a a while, because I’ve seen it in some cross stitch magazines and craft stores. By memory DMC have similar products to the pendant you see in the picture. I’m also planning on wearing the pendant on a necklace and using it as part of my trip to Queensland!

Fabric – The pink fabric is 32 count linen that’s hand-dyed and has a marbled colour to it. I have a few ideas of what I’ll stitch on it. At the moment I’m thinking I could stitch the elephant biscornu on it (also picured) or a couple of other patterns I’m charting up, soon to be released!

Underneath the pink fabric is 25 easy count Lugana. The grey squares you see are gridded at 10 by 10 which will make it even easier for me to work on some full coverage projects I’m chomping at the bit to start!

The fabric the heart-shaped pendant is resting on is 28 count Lugana Brittney Gold. My eyes lit up and did an internal squeal when I saw this fabric. I have seen people on Flosstube use similar fabric and I have wondered how they have come across such fabric and I wasn’t sure if I would ever get to see such fabric in-person. The holes on this fabric are quite small for 28 count, so the ball-tip needles will come in handy when I start stitching on it! At the moment I’m not sure what I’ll stitch on it because the fabric is so pretty to me – it glitters in the light! I could stitch the lion biscornu (also pictured) or see if there’s anything else in my collection that could do the fabric justice.

Lion and elephant biscornu patterns – The first time I went to Crafty Frog and had a really good look at what they had, I had a fan girl moment when I saw that they stocked Tiny Modernist’s patterns! I have seen and heard many people talk her patterns and stitch them and I’ve really liked them. I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to buy any of the patterns. The other cool thing with these patterns is I’m looking forward to stitching up some more biscornus because they are fun to stitch and I love seeing it all come together!

Threads – I bought two colours/threads from the Brindabella Threads range, one thread from Cottage Garden Threads (CGT) and one from the WonderFil range (the one on the spool). I really, really love the WonderFil thread because it feels so nice and silky!

I’ll most likely use all of the threads on a couple of charts I’ve got planned – one of which I’ve already started stitching…

New Pattern Progress

I haven’t quite decided what the official name of this project will be, but it is going to be part of the Flosstube Made Me Do It series. The project below is just a prototype and the finished project that will eventually be made publicly available may look different:

‘Flosstube made me do it’ series – prototype – designed by Kristen Gawronski – Frog by Rucni Prace

This project is stitched on 14 count light blue / baby blue Aida that I’ve had in my stash for a really long time. By memory I bought it from Spotlight or Lincraft – one of those stores. The border and frog are stitched in DMC threads and the words are stitched in the Cottage Garden Threads Oxalis Pearle 8.

The frog you see in this picture is a free download from the Rucni Prace website. I’ve modified it a little to help it fit into the space I needed it to be. The rest of the design is all me with some creative guidance from by boyfriend.

I really struggled to get the circle to meet up properly and there was a lot more frogging (un-picking) in this project than I would have liked. A lot of that was because of the way I had printed out the pattern for the circle and the symbols were way too small for my liking. The words I had changed significantly and I’m quite proud of how they have turned out – especially since there’s a larger gap than I would normally like between “the” and “circle’s” – but I think it really ads to the piece and the amount of ‘mistakes’ that are in it. I’d like to think that many cross-stitchers, embroiderers and crafty people alike will be able to relate to this project and see the humor in it!

Final note

Before I sign off for today, I just wanted to let you all know that the website Hot Cross Stitching is back up and running. On the site you will find:

  • full coverage cross stitch patterns for sale
  • classes you can sign up to, to learn how to cross stitch
  • links back to this blog post

Until next time,

Happy stitching!

Posted in Cross Stitch Haul and Stitching Progress

May stitching update and new to Flosstube!

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

It’s been a while! Since my last post, I’ve been working on a variety of projects and filmed two flosstube episodes – one of which is uploading today (29 May 2021)!

Flosstube

I’ve decided to start up my own flosstube channel on YouTube as a way of starting to promote my Hot Cross Stitching website and this blog to a new group of people to see how things go. My first introduction episode is very quiet, so you’ll need to have the volume up very high for it. I’m hoping I can upload a replacement episode with improved volume, so that when you go to watch it, you won’t be straining to hear what I’m saying!

Stitching update

Currently I’m at the coast and I don’t have all of my projects with me. Since the start of May I’ve been working on:

  • Ryan’s been a good boy (Christmas project)
  • Pisces
  • Jaffy – a new start
  • Gundaroo Mini Mushroom
  • Blue Mountains Walking Trail

Ryan’s been a good boy

I’ve made some progress with this project and I’ve made an error along the way. I’ve some how mis-counted a part of the project, which in some ways is a good thing, because it means that I’ve not got as much to stitch. It will mean that I’ll need to fudge things when I go to do the backstitch. I don’t have any pictures for this project to share at this point in time. Hopefully later this year I’ll have it completed!

Pisces

I’ve run out of the DMC colour 3808, so I’ll need to get creative with how I stitch some some parts until I pick up a new skein. I’ve also come to realise with this project, that I’m going to run out of fabric because I’m stitching it two over two on 25 count fabric. I could get creative and stitch the fish two over one or one over one or adjust how much I’m stitching so that I still have enough fabric to frame it.

Jaffy

This is one of my own designs. At the moment it won’t look like much and I could have it sitting in any direction and it could look like it’s almost any part of the picture!

Jaffy
Progress of Jaffy as of 29 May 2021

I’ve started in the middle of the fabric and pattern because I don’t think I have enough for this project and I want to see how it will turn out on 18 count Aida. With this project, I really want to focus on Jaffy’s face and a little bit of the background.

Gundaroo Mini Mushroom

I’ve just started stitching this one again because it’s been too long since I’ve worked on it. I’ve probably not worked on it since some time last year. I’ll have to go back through my log to see when I last took a photo of it and talked about the project.

That said, this project has been called for the June WIPGO board! I’m really happy about this, because I’d really like to make some progress on it. The images below show my progress so far, where I’m currently up to and what it should look like when it’s complete:

Current progress
Progress from last time
How it will look at the end (something similar to this)

Blue Mountains Walking Trail

This is my own design and I’m stitching it on 25 easy count fabric. The pink squares are 20 stitches by 20 stitches, so I need to be careful and not have a lapse in memory, thinking that they’re 10 by 10 and misread the pattern!

Blue Mountains Walking Trail – how it should look when finished
Current progress as of 29 May 2021

I started stitching this two over one out of curiosity and I quickly learnt that one over one was plenty of coverage! It was also getting too thick and making life difficult to stitch. I have fallen in love with this fabric though. It really is easy to stitch on because the holes are easy to access with my needle and thread.

June plans

For WIPGO, the two numbers called are connected to my projects the Gundaroo Mini Mushroom and the Three Dogs (aka the Three Labs as I’ve nicknamed them). I’m hoping to make some progress on both projects that will be noticeable.

The Three Labs

It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on this project and as long as I don’t get too annoyed with it – mostly because of thread breakages – I should be okay!

The three labs – what it should look like and my progress so far

Related Links

Posted in WIP's and Plans, WIPGO 2021

WIPGO 2021 – February Achievements and March Plans

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

I’m not sure about you, but for me, February felt like a whirlwind! This had a bit to do with it being a short month, but more to do with the projects I thought I was going to work on for WIPGO. I ended up changing my mind on some of the projects and I started a couple of new ones!

February WIPGO

In my post for the end of January, I noted that the patterns/projects Autumn Castle and Rainbow Zebra had been called for February. Knowing that February is a short calendar month and how socially busy I would potentially be, my goal changed for what I wanted to achieve for the February projects. Rather than 250 stitches per day for both projects, I wanted to at least get a page finish which I did and I was able to make a start on a new page for Autumn Castle. The first two images below show what the project will look like when it’s completed and what it looked like at the start of February.

This achievement gave me the excuse (as if I really needed one!) to start a new project because I really wasn’t feeling Rainbow Zebras – as colourful and beautiful as it is – I’m wanting to make some more progress on stitching my own designs. My other excuse is February is my birthday month and in the cross stitch world, I’ve noticed that some people choose to start a new project on their birthday or during their birthday month.

February new starts

Pisces drawing and quote

The image of the two fish and the Pisces symbol I found as part of a Pinterest search and I downloaded from the website www.rawpixel.com as a free image. Over the top of the Pisces image I’m going to be stitching the following quote that I found on Pinterest as well:

Pisces

Not everyone gets the same version of me. One person will tell you I’m a beautiful soul. Another will tell you I’m an ass-hole. Believe both. I act accordingly.

– Unknown

I’ve tried to find out who originally said this and I’ve found slight variations to the way the quote is written. There have been suggestions that the actor Tom Hardy had said words along these lines, but I’ve not seen any confirmation, so I’ve attributed the term ‘unknown’. This quote may seem a bit brash and harsh, yet when I first saw it as part of other searches I was doing, it resonated with me.

I’ve chosen to stitch this pattern on 25 count (I think) fabric that may be ivory or white. At the moment, I’m stitching around the letters and words of the quote. I’m not sure what colour I’ll use for the words yet, as I’d like them to stand out but not take away too much from the beautiful artwork!

Pink Bottlebrush Mini

This pattern is 100% my own and will be available on the Hot Cross Stitching website for purchase. I’ve named the flower a bottlebrush, even though I’m aware the flower type may actually be something starting with ‘G’. I’ve got the name ‘geranium’ on the brain and the image searches confirm it’s not right!

At the moment the picture looks like a lot of random pink stitches scattered across the black fabric I’m using. I still have a lot of colours I need to purchase! I’m stitching the pattern on 14 count black Aida and I’m not sure if I will have enough fabric for it, but I really needed to make a start on it. I’ve been eyeing off the full size pattern for a while and editing the mini edition off to get it to look the way I wanted.

February WIPs

Aside from the new February starts, I also did some work on Gundaroo Mini Mushrooms and Dew Drop Daisy. Below are progress shots of both projects as of February 2021:

March WIPGO Plans

The numbers 10 and 24 were called for March for the WIPGO Board (see below), which means that I should be working on Black and White Rolled-up Daisy by me and Moonlit Waters by Heaven and Earth Designs.

Since these two projects have been called, I’ve been focusing on Black and White Rolled-up Daisy. I’m really happy with how this one is going and I’m debating whether or not I’ll work on Moonlit Waters this time around. If I don’t work on it, I’m contemplating working on some of my own designs, but I’m not sure which one.

Black and White Rolled-up Daisy

As slow going as my motivation is for this piece, it’s nice to see some progress being made.

Progress of Black and White Rolled-up Daisy as of 14 March 2021 – Designed by Kristen Gawronski

Aside from seeing the progress on this piece, another part of my motivation is to have something significant to show on my website. Currently the site is offline as part of some significant changes that need to be made.

Moonlit Waters Fairy

I’ve barely worked on this project, so I’m not going to include any progress pictures here. When I did recently put a couple of stitches into the project, it felt strange to be working with one strand over one 25 count fabric! What I like about this project and many of the others I’m working on now, is that the pattern is on Pattern Keeper!

Well, that’s it for me this time. I do aim to publish some more posts soon,

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Posted in Hot Cross Stitching Business

New Hot Cross Stitching Pattern Releases

Posted on by Kristen Gawronski

Hi Everyone

We’re coming up to a month since the Hot Cross Stitching website went live and I’ve released some more cross stitch patterns to the site and joined Instagram!

January 2021 Releases

When Hot Cross Stitching went live, the following patterns were immediately available to purchase as PDF downloads:

Cover images for Hot Cross Stitching patterns

For the regulars of my blog, you will know that I’ve been working on the Mini Mushrooms picture for a while now. I’m hoping that it will come up soon in WIPGO (see related reads for more information) so that I can get some more progress on it.

I’ve also been working on Dew Drop Daisy and Black and White Rolled-up Daisy for parts of last year. Also, as of yesterday (Saturday 20 February 2021) I’ve picked Dew Drop Daisy again because I’ve been itching to be working on some of my own patterns again!

February Releases

Because many of the releases in January are plant based, my aim for February is to keep with this theme and include some buildings and scenery/landscapes to give people some variety.

Cover Pages for February 2021 pattern releases

Because I’ve been working on all of these patterns to get them ready for the website, when they are ready, I just want to stitch all of them! So much so, I’ve made a start on the Pink Bottle Brush Mini project on black Aida as part of one of my WIPGO squares. This pattern has a lot of confetti in it and it’s fully compatible with Pattern Keeper which is a huge blessing and making my life 10 times easier to stitch it!

One of the other really cool things is that when I was working on the Lily pattern, I hadn’t realised until much later that there’s an insect in it! My eyes keep being drawn to the yellows and purples and blues.

Plans for future patterns

Birds, New Zealand landscapes, Australian beaches, cats and dogs, old buildings and ruins to name a few are patterns I want to release for March and future months.

Based upon what you’ve seen so far and what my plans are for future patterns, is there something specific that you would like to see as a pattern?

Related Reads and Links