Thursday, December 20, 2012

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Hello one and all,

Are you ready for Christmas?  I won't mention how many sleeps are left, because frankly I am in denial.  I still have so much to do and I even started early!

A quick post today to share a Christmas Stocking I made using Angel Tilda.

The photos do not do it justice - it really looks much nicer in real life.  Here is a close up of the lovely Tilda, stitched in counted cross stitch.
My Top Tip Tuesday tip is for turning your rubber stamps into counted cross stitch.  First, decide what fabric count to use and then download the appropriate graph paper from CyberStitchers here.  Their charts might not work in all browsers, so if it doesn't work try a different browser.  This is a fantastic free resource.  Next, stamp your image onto the graph paper.  Use a positioner for this step and try to line up as many outer edges with gridlines as possible.  This will simplify things when drawing the backstitching lines.  Colour your image in softly (so you can still see the lines), focusing on shading.  Draw in the lines for backstitching following as closely to the stamped lines as possible.  Decide on colours - using dark and light shades of the same family, select three to five colours to allow for blending.  I found it was best to use colours that are adjacent to each other on the manufacturer's colour charts as this allowed for smoother blending.  Assign symbols to your colours and draw them in following your shading as a guideline.  This part might require a little trial and error.  You are now ready to start stitching!

There are also online programs that allow you to upload a photo, such as a coloured stamped image and they will convert it into a chart for you.  Having looked at some of the charts on a few of those sites, I was not pleased with the end result, but it might be worth a try and could possibly be used as a starting point.  With some editing and fine tuning, it might look really nice.

As I have done all of the trial and error already for my version of Angel Tilda, I thought I would share my pattern with you!  I entered my chicken scratches into a program to make them more legible and took a photo of the screen.  You are free to take this pattern, but please do not publish it in any publication or post it anywhere on the internet.  This is for your personal use, and if you would like to share it with your readers, please direct them here.

symbol    DMC

 ª            930
l               931
µ            932
¼            3752
 ä            3753
!              945
"             951
J             3770
r              754
p             948
=             838
d              839
m             840
P             841
v              842
            712
2             E3747
1                   E520

I do apologize, I will have to come back and add the backstitching colours later.  This chart is sized for 18 count fabric = same size as stamp.

Enjoy!

I would like to enter my stocking into the following challenges:

Magnolia Down Under - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp - Merry Christmas
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Christmas

Thanks so much for popping in and for taking the time to leave a comment - I will do my best to visit everyone over the holidays, but it might take me a little while.  A big thank you and welcome to my newest followers!

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!  All the best to you in the new year!

Hugs, 

Dawn

19 comments:

Debbie Pamment said...

WOW this is just GORGEOUS!!!! I love x-stitch so thank you VERY much for the links and info on how to do this!
AWESOME!!!!
Thanx for joining us at MDUC this week for our Christmas challenge.
xXx

Jessi Fogan said...

omygoodness, Dawn, you outdo yourself every time! What a cool idea, first of all, and how generous of you to share the instructions :) I love the finished project - the blue, the LACE, the superb stitching... total beauty! Santa better be careful putting stuff inside that baby :)

MIE(Mieko) said...

What a beautiful creation! Love it!!!
Mieko xx

hperalta77@gmail.com said...

Wonderfull! I like this technique, thank you

Unknown said...

awww.this is so sweet!!! and I love the idea of being able to stitch Tilda!!!!
might give it a try! :D
hugs and have a lovely xmas!
Clelia

Donna Ellis said...

Dawn, this is one gorgeous stocking! Love your fabric selection, and the gorgeous lace (I WANT that lace LOL), but more than anything - how adorable your Tilda Angel is! You've done a marvelous job! What a wonderful keepsake. ((hugs)) (ps get some sleep LOL)

Lisa Carroll said...

Oh my goodness, this is STUNNING! Beautiful colors, and it is so kind of you to include instructions! :) Thank you for playing along with our "Merry Christmas" challenge this week over at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog! xox

Faye said...

Wow, this is a gorgeous project. Love the colours. Have a wonderful Christmas. X

sharon said...

Your Christmas Stocking is delightful.
I adore the colours and the design.
hugs
sharon

Lisa Minckler said...

Unbelievable work Dawn!! This is magnificent. I think this is the most wonderful Christmas stocking and wow...hand made!!


Thank you so much for playing along with us at Top Tip Tuesday!
Lisa xx

Deneen said...

WOW, what a great 'TIP' for turning stamps into cross-stitch. I love your Tilda, she's absolutely gorgeous on the stocking. Thanks for joining the Anything Christmas challenge at Top Tip Tuesday.

xxxtglxxx said...

What a gorgeous stocking! :) I love the cross-stitched Tilda - she looks ace! :)

Wishing you a wonderful new year,

hugs

xxalisonxx

Jennifer said...

DAWN, this is absolutely fabulous!, and how generous of you to share your pattern. It almost has me tempted to have a go at cross-stitch.

Hugs,
Jennifer. x

Sue said...

WOW!! This is stunning Dawn, I really love the stitched design and the colours are gorgeous.
I hope you had a good Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year
Hugs Sue

Marilyn said...

Gorgeous and what talent! I love that blue colour... so pretty.

Craftdee said...

Wow, what a fantastic project! It looks absolutely fab, and it's so nice of you to share the details. Hope you have a great New Year, Craftdee Donna ☺

Gail said...

I'm sitting and oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing over this BEAUTIFUL winter stocking. This is gorgeous. You are a true artist. What a wonderful, wonderful project. Hugs, Gail

Karina said...

Hi Dawn, I just found your blog and love what I see here. So will come back from time to time to see what's new.
Wish you a Happy New Year!
Hugs, Karina

Natali said...

OMG Dawn, you just kill me!!! This project absolutely amazing!!!!

Happy to be with you on one team at Christmas at Sweet Stampin`!
Happy Hew Year!!!
Hugs
Natali