This one looks like a lot of fun for those that are readers. Here is the link:http://www.everythingcrossstitch.com/pc-4384-156-snowman-medley.aspx?AFFILIATEID=10101

All embroidery projects are absolutely beautiful on their own, and often need no form of enhancement. But for that extra special finish you can add beads and sequins to your embroidery.
There are a few ways to add these extra special touches to your embroidery projects. You can incorporate them in to your stitches as you are creating your embroidery piece. To incorporate beads and sequins in to your embroidery stitches you will need very tiny beads and sequins, look in your local hobby store for seed beads and matching sequins. When attaching something as small as a seed bead to any project you will need to make sure you have a small enough needle, so make sure you purchase a beading needle.
You can also add beads and sequins to your embroidery projects once you have finished them. For example, you may only wish to add a few beads or sequins to highlight an area, such as the sparkle on a start or the twinkle in a characters eyes. This finish is very understated, but it will add just that little touch of perfection many sewers seek in their embroidery projects. You may wish to use a clear thread for this, so as not to disturb the colors of the embroidery or the sequins and beads.
Another method for attaching beads and sequins to embroidery is by using surface embroidery. This is a little more technical than simple sewing the beads and sequins directly onto the fabric. With surface embroidery of any kind the idea is to create a pattern on the top of the fabric, with minimal wastage of thread on the reverse, it can also cover a large area very quickly, where are sewing on individual beads and sequins cannot.
There are many methods of surface embroidery, although for attaching items such as beads and sequins I would recommend trying a crochet method. You simply use a tiny crochet hook to pass the thread though the fabric and when it comes back through, you make the next look and also attach a bead or sequin. This is also known as surface crochet, and can make your embroidery projects very original.
If you are looking for an even more amazing finish to your embroidery projects you could consider adding specialty threads, such as metallic threads or even embroidery threads made of special fibers such as silk or mohair.
Written by Laura Marsh. Did you find the information on beads and sequins with embroidery useful? You can find out more about enhancing your embroidery at http://www.simplyblackwork.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Marsh

Pillow cases can be fun to do. Even if you use the pillows as a decoration on a bed.

Contrary to popular belief, cross stitching can be interesting. Cross stitching can also add interest to a room in several ways. One way is to repeat elements that are found in a detailed cross stitch pattern and place these elements throughout the room. Another way is to set up part of a room to look exactly like a pattern. Finally, a third way is to have a picture converted to a cross stitch pattern and then display both the picture and the finished cross stitched piece.
One way you can add interest to a room is by building upon a pattern that you like. Once you find a cross stitch pattern you like, take several smaller images found within the pattern and cross stitch each image as a separate piece. You have two options of how to treat these separate pieces. One option is to frame each piece and hang the frames around the original cross stitched pattern. For example, in a pattern that has several different flowers, each flower could be cross stitched and framed individually. The second option is use the separate pieces as accent pieces, such as pillow cushions, drawstring bags, or miniature wall hangings. For example, if the pattern has several phrases or sentences in it, each phrase or sentence could be cross stitched on its own pillow cushion and placed on chairs in the same room as the original design. Both options will make the room more interesting because people will want to look around to find where the smaller images have been placed. Make it a game and see who can correctly guess how many smaller images there are in the room!
A second way to add interest is to take your favourite design and repeat it in real life. For example, if the design has a white blanket draped over a wooden rocking chair, then choose a room and place a white blanket over a wooden rocking chair. Next, cross stitch this design, frame it and place it in the same room as the rocking chair and blanket. The design doesn't have to be complicated; it can be something as simple as a flower. When the design is simple, or small, just remember to place the finished cross stitch design beside the real life object. To add even more interest, repeat this idea for several small designs in the same room, or throughout the house. Have fun decorating!
A third way to add interest is to have a picture converted to a cross stitch pattern. There are several businesses that offer this service or you can buy software and create your own pattern. When you are finished cross stitching, frame the finished piece and hang it beside the actual picture. A good quality pattern will make the cross stitching look exactly like your picture. Plus, it's a simple way to get people talking!
I hope you have found these ideas interesting and helpful. Not only will they help to make a room more interesting, but they are also conversation starters.
Visit http://www.beautifulcreations.ca to see unique and interesting patterns, plus check out our free newsletter, project ideas and cross stitch tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Jones

This is an interesting article. I still like the counted cross stitch the best. Happy reading.


If you go into a typical craft store, you will see the supplies for many types of crafts. For cross stitching, you will find thread, beads, fabric, patterns and kits. Looking at the cross stitch kits, you can see that there are several different types to choose from. Below, is a quick description of each type of kit and the main advantage and disadvantage for each one.
Counted Cross Stitch – Stitches are done on a piece of blank aida cloth. By using a pattern (also called a chart) you have to count the squares on the cloth to know where to place your stitches. For example, if you start with a symbol in the middle of the pattern you will place the corresponding stitch on the middle of the aida cloth. From there, count how many stitches there are of that symbol on the pattern and place them on the cloth relative to the first stitch.
The advantage of this method is that the look of the finished piece is uniform for the whole piece and many stitchers like this look the best. The disadvantage of this method is that it is easy to lose count of the stitches, resulting in an error in where the stitches have been placed on the cloth. To correct the error, you would then need to pull out the incorrect stitches.
Stamped Cross Stitch – The design is printed on the fabric, usually in colour, which will tell you what colours to cross stitch and where. I find that stamped cross stitch works best when the design is simple and you only need to use a small number of colours.
The advantage of this method is that you don't need to rely on a pattern or chart to know where to place your stitches, which can result in fewer mistakes than counted cross stitch. The disadvantage is that if the colours printed on the fabric are very similar, it can be hard to distinguish what colour to place where.
Embellished Cross Stitch – A design is printed on fabric and only a few parts on the finished piece need to be filled in or accented with cross stitching.
The advantage of this type is that it is faster to cross stitch an embellished fabric because you do not need to cross stitch the entire picture. The disadvantage of this method is that sometimes the pattern that is printed on the cloth is not printed straight. Also, some people think that the finished piece is not as pretty as pieces that are not embellished.
No-count Cross Stitch – Outlines are printed on the fabric and a chart shows what colour to fill in with x's.
The advantage of this method is that it is supposed to be faster than counted cross stitch, as you don't have to count to find out where each stitch should go. The disadvantage is that, similar to embellished cross stitch, sometimes the pattern that is printed on the cloth is not printed straight.
Every stitcher has a preference in the type of cross stitching that they like to do. Their preference is based on how much time they have to cross stitch, the end result and the ease of cross stitching that kit. Explore the different kits available and see which one you like the best.
For more cross stitch information and project ideas, please visit http://www.beautifulcreations.ca
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Jones

Coffee Menu
coffee, latte, mocha, espresso, dark roast, hazelnut, vanilla, cappuccino, Irish cream, people sitting at a table drinking coffee
Designer:

Little House Needleworks
Product Type:

Book or Leaflet
Price: $8.00

With Fall being upon us, I thought it would be nice to share some fall patterns.


Cross Stitch Lite #1 Fall
Country designs for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Designs include Cornucopia, The First Thanksgiving, Give Thanks, Happy Halloween, Happy Halloween to You, Halloween Treats Breadcover, Be Thankful Breadcover, and Ghost Crossing.
Designer:

Graph-It Arts
Product Type:

Book or Leaflet
Price: $5.00

Follow this link to purchase these patterns:

http://www.everythingcrossstitch.com/pc-10259-118-cross-stitch-lite-1-fall.aspx?AFFILIATEID=10101

Designer:

Imaginating
Product Type:

Book or Leaflet
Price: $6.00

Click on this link to purchase this item:

http://www.everythingcrossstitch.com/pc-21182-80-cardinal-hang-up.aspx?AFFILIATEID=10101

Aside from the beauty of nature, your own personal style as well as your unique individuality can be reflected in any form of art, including the laborious art form of embroidery. Embroidery is an art form that uses needles and threads to make designs and patterns on any piece of cloth or fabric by weaving or sewing. It entails clear eyesight and dexterous hands to do the intricate details of designs and patterns. There are several types of customized embroidery that can surely reflect your total personality type.
Custom embroidery can be done either traditionally by hand or by electronic embroidery sewing machines operated and controlled by computers. Hand designs are truly difficult, especially if you desire a specific design that will involve complicated sewing and weaving of threads. There are several types of hand designs that can be used to make custom embroidery. A few of the things you can use are the famous Assisi design, Blackwork, Counted Thread, and Whitework.
Aside from hand made designs, custom embroidery can also be done through embroidery sewing machines. This type can give you many varied custom designs. You can also give your own design that can very well express your individuality, which can be easily crafted since it is done with the aid of computers. Unlike the hand designs, computer made custom embroidery can be done without going through much difficulties.
Besides the traditional embroidery makers or stores near you, the Internet can also be an avenue for you to have the type of embroidery product that will match the specific details that you desire. You can browse online for embroidery stores that you can trust. Just make sure that the on line store that you decided to transact business with are indeed reliable and authentic.
Embroidery provides detailed information on Embroidery, Embroidery Machines, Custom Embroidery, Embroidery Designs and more. Embroidery is affiliated with Used Embroidery Machines.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Bailey

When you think of embroidery, you probably think of your grandmother knitting you a pink bunny rabbit outfit for Christmas. Embroidery just might be the domain of your grandmother, but it still had plenty of people who are interested in getting started in embroidery. There is a real generation gap between today’s youth and their grandparents. Teenagers seem to be more interested in their Sony PS2 and AOL Chat than learning about hand made crafts. However, the tradition is alive and well on the internet. After all, embroidery doesn’t change every six months and embroidery has been here for years. How long has the PS2 been out again?
As far back as Egyptian and Hebrew times individuals decorated their clothing with rich embroidery. The 18th and 19th Centuries brought embroidery to a whole new class of people, and even today, it seems that the craft has successfully migrated to cyberspace. Unlike a lot of other industries including travel agents who have seemed have missed the boat.
The internet has allowed hobbyists and professionals from all over the world to mingle and discuss their latest embroidery projects. There are dozens of custom embroidery websites and people are always looking for free embroidery designs.
In fact, A Google search for the term “embroidery” shows more than 70 merchants advertising their embroidery related products. Bidding for competitive terms can become fierce very quickly. But clearly, at least 70 advertisers think embroidery is a term worth pursing.
Overall, while embroidery might not be a rock’n’roll type hobby (was it ever?), it certainly has gone the way of the Dodo. If you like embroidery, there are a lot of online resources for you to explore.
Tim Branch is a contributing author at http://www.katesembroidery.com. Kates Embroidery has embroidery and embroidery designs. information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Branch