Cross stitch thread winder pocket – 3

Assembling the thread winder pocket wasn’t as traumatic as I’d thought – the backstitching around the edge of each piece just needed to be laced together, so as long as each side was lined up carefully, the actual lacing together was simple. A cardboard stiffener is included in the kit, to put inside the larger  square end of the winder pocket, to give it substance.

It’s a beautiful little ’embroidered small’ to add to my collection. A very pretty item from Just Nan – the first I’d made from their range.

The butterfly winder fits neatly inside the pocket.

This is the reverse of the winder pocket, showing the tiny white beads.

The press studs are sewn on last, to hold the small flap in place against the larger piece.

My ‘quick project’ finished!

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Cross stitch thread winder pocket – 2

As I’d hoped, this little cross stitch project is progressing quickly, so it’s keeping my interest.

The cross stitch on each panel can be completed in a couple of (longish) evenings. Each panel is then backstitched around the edge using fuchsia pink – this bit is important, as the backstitching is used in constructing the pocket. The yellow Symrna crosses and tiny opalescent beads finish off the cross stitching really well, and then I’m back to my non-favourite bit….assembling it!

I cut pieces of iron-on interfacing, to fit just inside the backstitched outline on each of the three panels. Then I finger-pressed the spare fabric to the back, and mitred the corners of the seam allowances (quite loosely), tacking them in place for now.

A tricky part was attaching the houndstooth check wool fabric to the smallest of the three areas of stitching with buttonhole stitch, carefully concealing the seam allowances as I did so – I seemed to need four pairs of hands to hold everything together as I did this, which I wasn’t expecting, but it worked out OK in the end.

Now I just need to lace the rest of the pocket into shape……

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Cross stitch thread winder pocket – 1

Now that I’ve finished the stumpwork Bride’s Bag, which was lovely to do but took absolutely AGES, I feel I want to make something simple but quick. I hadn’t done any cross stitch for months and months, so I sorted through my ‘kits waiting to be started’ drawer (quite a full drawer, that one), and dug out this kit:

It’s a little pocket for a vintage style thread winder – both kit and thread winder are sold by Just Nan (if you’re in the UK, then buy both from www.sewandso.co.uk, and save yourself a fortune on shipping from the USA!).

There are several styles of thread winder available (such as a cute owl, and an oval ornate pierced design), but each would  fit in the finished pocket. I chose the butterfly, as that’s what the image on the front of the kit showed, and I love butterflies.

The pocket measures about three inches square when finished, with a fold-out flap where you can keep a few needles. The kit contains the fabric ( a lovely pale green 28 count Zweigart fabric called ‘Angel Song’, with subtle twinkly bits woven in it), chart and instructions, some tiny beads, two press studs, a small piece of Weeks Dye Works wool fabric for the needle-holder flap, and a length of gorgeous overdyed silk thread in shades which vary from turquoise to fuchsia pink to jade green. What you need to supply are the ‘main’ threads – DMC shades are suggested, buy I prefer Anchor stranded cotton, as that’s what I use in the embroidery kits that I sell on my website, so I just took some colours from my own stock. You’ll also need a small piece of iron-on interfacing.

I started stitching from the bottom edge of the chart, and worked my way up. The design grows quite quickly, and there are only eleven shades, plus the variegated one, but they are used really skillfully in the design. The variegated thread is used for edging the design with one row of cross stitches, which pulls the whole design together, and is very effective.

It’s going to be a nice ‘quick project’ to complete  🙂

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