The Aurifil Artisan challenge for July is projects that can be stitched on the go, and I’m sharing this cross stitch project that I started in late May!
My creative mojo has been a little wacky this year, so when I felt the urge to do some cross stitching back in May, I quickly decided to indulge those feelings. I hopped onto Etsy and chose this geometric tiles pattern from Axebe. A week later, I found out about the Artisan challenge and took that as a sign from the universe that summer cross-stitching was meant to be!
This is the first cross stitch project I’ve done in many years (the last one was Charlotte’s Christmas stocking) so I was somewhat lacking in the thread department. I considered using Aurifloss (Aurifil’s cotton floss), but ultimately decided to try stitching with 12 weight thread. I hadn’t done this before, but was hoping the 12 weight could essentially pull double duty in my sewing room — for both cross stitching and machine quilting.
Spoiler alert: it works! I am stitching on 18-count Aida cloth, which means there are 18 stitches per inch. I wanted my finished piece to be fairly small as well, and with the 18-count fabric the design will finish at just under 7″ square. I think it would be difficult to use the 12 weight thread on anything smaller, but it works well here and I enjoy the way the stitches are full and thick.
I have noticed that the 12 weight is more “fuzzy” than the DMC and Aurifil floss that I’ve used in the past, and as I stitch, fibers sometimes pull off the loose end of the thread. This hasn’t been an issue; just an observation on how using thread differs from my past experience!
When cross stitching, I also occasionally have trouble with the thread twisting and knotting itself. This is not unique to the 12 wt thread, but rather due to the way I stitch — and it’s a common issue for a lot of stitchers! When I notice my thread is starting to twist, I take a moment to hold my stitching upside down and let the weight of the needle pull the thread down. While hanging, the thread will “untwist” itself, and I can keep going after that. (Here’s a blog post with some other tips if you also have this issue!)
A couple more progress shots…
I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and had to do some unpicking already, but overall I’m making steady progress. As you can see, I decided to stick with just the yellow and red portions for now. Once I’ve finished those parts of all 16 tiles in the design, I’ll go back and fill in with white and various shades of blue.
I may not finish my “summer” project until fall, but I’m enjoying the process and looking forward to seeing the final piece when I get there.
I love it! I’m glad you are finding a way to be creative even if the inspiration to be creative is lacking a bit this year!
Very cool! I really need to get back to work on S’s stocking.
It’s awesome!