My SAL Finish (YAY!), Tutorial ASAP!!!

Just a flying visit to share some exciting news: I finished my bookmark!!! I know the SAL's extended, but I really wanted to make the original deadline, and I managed to meet it just in the nick of time, LOL! The other good news is that I'm currently in the midst of writing up a comprehensive tutorial that I'll post up as soon as possible!!!

I tried something new to me, and I made a padded insert for the bookmark using two layers of quilt batting sewn together. This is a trick I stumbled upon while making ornaments this past Christmas, and while it is a little thick I'm pleased with it :)

The tutorial will include the padding, but you can easily skip it and make an ordinary flat bookmark, like the ones I made for my Grandparents. Truthfully, there's very little to it: sew the sides together, turn it out, and sew up the top! Three easy steps. But I know from painful experience that *so much* can go wrong, so I'm just writing down what I always wanted to know, more or less. I hope it will be helpful!

Confession: I was holding my breath the entire time I was doing the finishing, just *waiting* for something to go wrong. And things inevitably did, but thankfully they were minor and I managed to finagle them. As my Stitchy Guru Mother always says, "The vast majority of crafting is knowing how to fix mistakes!" So very true :)

Since it's time to go, I'll show you my back ;) But only if you can find it, LOL!

If there's a question you'd like to have answered in the tutorial, feel free to ask!

SAL Update & Extension

This is just a quick little post to share some very exciting news - we have our first Final Finish for the SAL!!! The awesome Karen, of Karen's Colourful Creations, has written a wonderful post about the finishing of her most *beautiful* bookmark:

Photo used with Permission

As you can see, Karen decided to leave the light pink thread in and echoed the colour in her lovely Grosgrain ribbon marker :) She says that it looks even better in person, which I can well believe! I especially love the way her Rhodes Hearts turned out with the variegated silk - so elegant and pretty!!! There's lots of great information on her finishing process in her post, so head on over to read it ;) But before you go:

Thanks to the input of SAL Participants and my own feelings on the matter, the SAL Deadline has been Extended. Now, technically, as I've said from the start of the SAL, June 20th, 2013 (the day before the Summer Solstice and therefore the last day of Spring) was only a guide to work towards, rather than an absolute date.

As this SAL is informal and not competitive, it really doesn't matter when you finish your bookmark, but I set the date as a goal to help keep us motivated to do the Final Finish so that the bookmark doesn't become another UFO (UnFinished Object) LOL!

I'm as guilty as anyone else (truthfully, quite a bit guiltier!) of losing momentum on projects and putting off finishing altogether, and part of my reasoning for offering the SAL in the first place was to help me get out of that rut :) Also, I have really fallen behind in writing the finishing tutorials and I really am very deeply sorry for that!!!

As a result, I'm going to add some extra time, but not too much as I don't want to lose my own project focus ;) The new date is July 1st, 2013, because the end of June falls on a Sunday and I'd like to have two whole weekends. I know that's usually the best free time for most people. If you aren't able to finish your bookmark during this time, that's perfectly okay too so don't worry - this is a no-stress thing! But hopefully this little bit of extra time will be enough to catch up for those who want to do so :)

Here is my plan: I will finish the Tassel Tutorial and Bookmark Finishing tutorial this week, hopefully by Friday, which leaves the rest of the month free. And if you'd like to do your own finish please don't hesitate to do so! The upcoming tutorials are only a rough suggestion, meant to show how I'm tackling my own bookmark in case you'd like to do the same ;) Sound good?! Please let me know, by comment or e-mail.

Okay, you can *finally* go and visit Karen now, LOL! Happy Bookmark Making!!!

SAL Update: The Making of a Marker II

I'm SO very sorry for the delay in posting, time just got away from me again!!! I've been feeling under the weather for the last few days, and the weather itself has been horrible (rain, rain and *more* rain). My deepest apologies to those of you who are waiting on e-mails from me too, I've fallen behind there as well but I'm working on it!

A HUGE and heartfelt "Thank You!" to everyone for your patience :)

The good news is that I've *finally* finished my bookmark stitching:

I really enjoyed the Rhodes Hearts...

...although I had a little bit of trouble with the curliques at the top of the first bracket and had to take it back because the bottom leaflets were turned the wrong way:

Also, I made a minor change in the spacers - I filled in the diamonds:

Like the pink flower centers, I added Upright Cross-Stitches for extra colour since they just weren't showing up well on the yellow. Plus, now the diamonds match ;)

I had hoped to have at least one good tutorial to show you today, but I just haven't been able put one together yet. However, I did take some quick photos while I was making my ribbon marker, and so I have a sort of mini-tutorial I hope will be helpful!

I first made one of these for my Blackwork Bookmark, way back in 2011, which you can see here. And, as recently shown, I've since made a few of these for family gifts.

Simple ribbon markers like these only take a few minutes to make and need very few supplies. The ribbon you use and the beads you choose will make the most impact :)

To share, please use this graphic and link back to this post! Thanks :)

My finished marker is roughly 9 inches long, which seems like a lot of length but at least 1 inch on the bottom will be sewn into the bookmark during finishing. To be on the safe side, always add an extra inch or two if at all possible, as the ends do fray a bit and need trimming. You can cut your ribbon down but you can't make it longer :)

You can easily vary the width of your ribbon, the ribbon material (e.g. satin, velvet, brocade) and the beads you use, but keep in mind that you'll need a double-faced ribbon since the back shows! Grosgrain is great to start with because it's low-fray.

When looking for large-holed beads, look for "pony" or "crow" beads, which are usually acrylic but also come in wood (like I used) and glass. These are most often used with leather cording and natural fibres like hemp, so check the Macrame and Leather Crafts sections of your craft or fabric store (if there is one).

Materials:
~ 1/2 meter of 1/4" wide Grosgrain Ribbon (at minimum)
~ Matching Sewing Thread
~ Six large-hole Wooden Beads (Mine are 6mm rounds with 2mm holes)
~ Sewing Needle (I used one from my Singer Hand-Needle Assortment)
~ Sharp Embroidery/Fabric Scissors
Optional: Thimble for hand-sewing

The first time I tried this, I used lots of extra ribbon and sewed one end first, before I added any embellishments, and this turned out to be fortuitous since I had to cut that end off twice before the third time was the charm ;) So leave some wiggle room, LOL!

Ready to go? Okay!

Make an overhand knot at least three inches from one end of your ribbon. Be careful not to pull your ribbon too tightly or the shape will be distorted: I've learned by error that it's better to give several gentle but firm tugs rather than one hard yank :)

Fold the end of your ribbon together into a point, and then thread the tip through your first bead. This may take some finagling, so don't worry if it doesn't work on the first try! Bring your bead down against your knot, and test the knot against the hole to be sure that it will serve as a stopper. Repeat with the next two beads.

At this point, the end of your ribbon will start to fray, but don't worry about that right now. If you cut it, it'll only start to fray again!

Nestle your beads tightly together and then tie another overhand knot:

Try to keep both folds facing the same way if you can, with the flat parts of the knot together on the "front". The ribbon marker twists with use, so it's not a big deal if your knots aren't aligned, but it helps the ends look a little bit neater if they are.

Select your sewing needle - one with a small eye and sharp point - and thread it with a length of sewing thread (I usually measure mine off roughly from wrist to shoulder).

Fold roughly a 1/4 inch of ribbon towards the side you've designated as the back of the ribbon (ideally, you should leave a little bit more length than I did at the end for trimming!), anchor your thread at the side of the loop and sew across the ribbon, following one of the Grosgrain lines as a guide. Here's a *really* close-up look:

You can see where I anchored my thread at the bottom edge (using a loop-knot); then sewed over to the other side, worked a loop-knot over the other edge and came back.

Don't end your thread yet! Use your scissors to snip the frayed part off just beneath the stitching. Then, from the front of the ribbon, fold about 1 1/2 inches of ribbon into a larger loop. The smaller loop you just made will be sandwiched in between the layers of this large loop. Pick up your needle again and sew through the previous line of stitching, passing through the edge of the small loop at the front of the ribbon:

I sewed back and forth twice to make sure the join was secure and ended by weaving between a few stitches on the back and then taking my needle into the seam of the small loop between the layers and out on one edge. Cut your thread closely.

Voila! You have a finished double-loop ribbon end :) Repeat on the other side:

Fold your marker together, right sides facing out, and take up your needle and thread again. Sew up the bottom of the ribbon, for roughly an inch:

This will keep your marker together and make it easier to sew into your bookmark. Also, since this stitching will be hidden, you don't need to worry about neatness :)

ABRACADABRA! You've Magically Made a Marker :)

Here's my marker with my bookmark-to-be for some perspective:

The chunky wooden beads picked up the pink thread really well, and the marker goes well with my simple stitching, but you could fancy it up anyway you like!

Marker Love! I just couldn't resist, LOL ;)

So there you have it, that's how I've been making my ribbon markers! Hopefully, I'll have the Tassel Tutorial finished soon for those who would rather not use ribbon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask :)

What type of marker do you prefer, ribbons or tassels or something else entirely? Or do you like markers on your bookmarks at all?!

For SAL Participants: I really apologize for the delay in posting up finishing tutorials. The end date of June 20th was more of a goal than a deadline anyway, but I'd like to know - would you like more time, say until the end of the month? Any thoughts are appreciated :) You can also e-mail me to let me know if you'd rather! Thanks ;)

SAL Update: My Bookmark WIP

Hello, hello! Sorry for the delay in posting. I am working on that Tassel Tutorial and the Finishing Tutorial, but in the meantime I thought I'd share my own progress!

It was a lovely sunny afternoon today, so I spent a happy few hours with my needle and thread and managed to get the center square finished! Here it is in process:

And here it is completed:

I ended up filling in the centers of the pink flowers with simple upright cross stitches because the outline faded against the yellow Aida. I'll do that to the others too :)

I'm stitching my bookmark in hand rather than in hoop, hence the wrinkles! Argh.

While I was stitching, I decided to take step-by-step photos of the way I worked the Center Diamond, because I think it's a really neat stitch. There is a specialty stitch diagram for it included in the SAL pattern, and most stitchers have already worked it.

But for those who haven't had the time to join, or who weren't interested in the SAL, this is a nice quick stitch that is a lot simpler than it looks and is a striking addition to any stitch repertoire. So I'm going to post the diagram and the photographs up as a guide :) Like all ES pictures, when clicked the large view will open in another window!

I call this a Variation (I continue to be amazed that any happy mistake can easily be called a "stitch variation", LOL!) because it differs from the usual Rhodes stitch in its backstitched border and in the working method. Instead working the laid stitches consecutively around the shape, three pairs of elongated cross-stitches are layered and then tied in the center. Here is the SAL diagram for clarification:

If you have any trouble viewing, please let me know. And if you do stitch your own version of the SAL Center Diamond Rhodes Variation, feel free to share! I think it has a lot of possibilities for use, and that's something I'd like to explore more myself in future. Plus, it's really fun to stitch! The whole Rhodes family is very interesting.

A few months ago, I came across this excellent Rhodes tutorial by Cheryl Fall, the former Embroidery Guide at About.com. Several different shapes are graphed in colour, including the conventional Rhodes Diamond and even a Clover/Shamrock!

Also at About.com, the former Cross-Stitch Guide (Connie Barwick) has a very simple step-by-step Rhodes Square tutorial, and one on the Vertical Half Rhodes.

Elsewhere online, Nordic Needle has a beautiful Rhodes Butterfly and Rhodes Heart (this is the diagram I learned from!). Needlelace's Stitch of the Month Archive has a smaller Rhodes Butterfly, a Half Rhodes with Stitched Bar, two sizes of Rhodes Hearts and an Irregular Rhodes! The sky is the limit with this stitch it seems ;)

When I was designing Spring Garden, I experimented with the order of the stitches, and discovered that the way you layer your stitches can give a completely different look! You can see how I slanted the top-most stitch in each Algerian Cross here:

This is a really fun and easy way to make even basic specialty stitches more versatile!

Now I'm ready to move on to the "brackets" at the top and bottom of the bookmark, and I hope to get some more quality stitching time in tomorrow :)

Confession: I just noticed today that I forgot to draw up a Specialty Stitch Guide for the spacer Lozenges, but the working order is similiar to the Center Diamond and it looks like no one had any trouble thankfully! But I do apologize for the omission.

SAL: A Tale of Two Bookmarks

Image courtesy of  Anat_tikker / Freedigitalphotos.net 

Book Love! :)

In the comments on my Backing Fabric post, Karen asked a really good question - How, exactly, did I intend to finish my bookmark anyway? And she went on to add:

I'm assuming you sew the backing to the bookmark like you would with an ornament? With a piece of interfacing maybe to make it a bit stiffer?

Exactly!!! This sentence explains the entire process much more succinctly and clearly than if I had written paragraphs! Karen has a real knack for that, LOL :)

That is the method I've used the few times I've made bookmarks, except I haven't added a stiffener in the past, mostly because I was working with fairly stiff Aida.

However, I know that there are tons of ways to finish bookmarks, and I had hoped to have some to share with you today. In fact, this post was supposed to be chockablock full of links to excellent tutorials showing all kinds of different methods for finishing a cross-stitched bookmark. In truth, I spent all yesterday and most of this morning searching for such links in vain! Oh, there are plenty of bookmark finishing ideas.

It's just that most are only that - a sentence or two with no photos! And most of the "tutorials" I have seen involve using pre-finished bookmarks (like these) or using Aida band strips (like these). In the latter case, the finishing consists only of the top and bottom ends, usually by fraying. The rest generally involve glue. Lots and lots of glue. Fabric glue, school glue, gluesticks etc. Sadly, I'm not even joking here.

Now, I'm sure that gluing can work fine! I have used glue in projects before, such as stiffening crocheted snowflakes. Sometimes it's the only reasonable option. But since most glue is not washable, and is frequently used with cardstock or cardboard (to stiffen the bookmark) which is also not washable, the obvious drawback here is that your bookmark will not be washable either! And this is a problem.

Bookmarks are generally given as gifts to, or used by, people who love books, and people who love books read a LOT. So the first issue is frequent use. The second is handling - oils from the skin inevitably get on the bookmark when it's taken in and out of the book by hand. And third, books are inky and that ink tends to rub off on the bookmark, and in the case of fabric and floss stick to the threads! Yuck.

So, this all adds up to the fact that it may be necessary to rinse off your bookmark once and a while to keep it looking like new :) Especially if it's a favourite!

This would be a great time to share my own tutorial, except I don't have one. Yet! I'm working on it, I promise :) But in the meantime, I do have some photos that will at least show you what the heck I'm thinking about for my own SAL bookmark finish!

Some backstory: Way back in 2011, not long after I started ES, shortly after my success with Monarch and my Blackwork Bookmark, I decided to make something special for my Grandparents' birthdays that year. So I made blackwork bookmarks!

Grandpa's is on the left and Grandma's is on the right :) The background is the fabric I used for the back of each bookmark, both were 100% Cotton prints. The patterns have different stitch widths and heights, as I didn't try to keep them the same, but share the concept of repeated motifs in square borders with spacer bars in between.

As you can see, the shape is basic and really simple - just a rectangle, with the ribbon marker at the top. Both of these were sewn on the machine due to lack of time and the emphatic advice of my Stitchy Guru Mother, who thought it would take forever for me to stitch these by hand. She wasn't wrong, because I am very slooooow at it ;)

But I have since done more hand-sewing, and while it does still take me quite a while I think it is worth the time. I plan to hand-sew my SAL bookmark, for practice, and because I know not everyone has access to or is comfortable using a sewing machine.

For the photos of both bookmarks, please keep in mind that since these projects are personal and I never intended them to be blogged, my photos were just quick snaps for future reference, and so are not up to my usual quality. Sorry!

I hope to have a tutorial up soon with details on my construction method, although the process is very simple and you can probably figure it out if you're in a hurry :)

Grandpa's birthday comes before Grandma's on the calendar, so I made his first :) After I wrote this post, I knew I had to make him something with stars, LOL, and a full five stars at that! For the design, I started with the beautiful eight-point star motif in Jeanne Dansby's free "Braid" (available for download on WyrdByrd's Nest) and adapted the lozenge motif at the top of this free chart on Jos Hendricks' site.

Here it is before I did the colour filling, on the left, and at right is a close-up view of one of the motifs before filling and after. The before shots were taken with flash at night, which is why the colours are so different; the little white specks are the holes in the Aida showing up against the lighter fabric behind it :)

I choose my colours and designed my pattern to match my backing fabric, which was a tiny piece my Stitchy Guru Mother has had in her stash ever since I was a child :) I've always loved it, but it was too small to make anything much out of, so I was thrilled to have the chance to use it in this project!

Entirely by coincidence, I read an interesting post this morning about making more of an effort to use stashed fabrics, and that applies equally to all stitchy stash really. Although most of my stash is from, and still shared by, my SGM, *I'm* the one who's always putting things back because they're "too good to use". It's something I'm trying to work on, LOL! Small projects like bookmarks are a good way to use special fabrics up, and like in this case, you still have a bit leftover to keep and dream with :)

And here's a view of the back, I didn't realize it would blend in so well!:

For Grandma's bookmark, I also used the backing fabric as my colour source, it is also a stash piece, more recent although no less loved :) For the design, I used the same border from Grandpa's bookmark, and I adapted one of the motifs in Jeanne Dansby's intricate scrolly free pattern "Stroll" (also available on WyrdByrd's Nest).

I forgot to take before-and-after pictures for the fill, which was more fiddly this time, but I did remember to take one after I finished the center motif:

This was my first time using floss for the blackwork elements, usually I like to use pearl (perle) cotton, like the white I used for Grandpa's bookmark. However, at the time I couldn't buy burgundy DMC #8 (it's come into Michaels in the last month or so, and I have my eye on a ball!) so I substituted three strands of floss.

I do really like the look of the burgundy on the light pink Aida and I think it brought this project together, but I still like the ease of PC for blackwork since you don't have to worry about the strands twisting or splitting while you stitch.

For the metallic accents, I used a pretty pink this time instead of the gold I used for Grandpa's, since I already had light yellows in the border. I only used three motif repeats here, and made the spacer bars (the hearts) wider to add some length.

Here's the back of the bookmark:

And here's a close-up view of the bottom of the ribbon marker, where the the stitches are more visible than on Grandpa's bookmark:

Another wonderful thing about grosgrain ribbon is that since it is horizontally striped, it is easy to follow one of the lines while you're stitching as a guideline to keep your stitches straight! I do find it hard to stitch in a straight line, LOL ;)

I have some more information about making these kinds of markers here.

So this type of bookmark is what I'm aiming for with my SAL finish. I was intending to finish my Blackwork Bookmark as a tutorial for the SAL, but I made a mistake in using such a small remnant of fabric. The border is nearly non-existent, and it's too small for turning like my Grandparent's bookmarks. I'm still going to try and figure out a way to finish it, but it will be a one-of-a-kind rescue, not an everyday solution :)

Happily, I do have another blackwork bookmark (yet to be named!) that I started before Christmas, and I will try and work up a tutorial for that one soon. As a bonus, I've already made a tassel for it and took lots of photos, so that may be helpful too!

Before I go, Erica (at Erica's Stitches) has a great new SAL post up where she shows off her beautiful start (and more pretty tulips bulbs)! Unfortunately, she had to change fabrics a few times. I forgot to mention in the pattern that the reason I favour Aida for blackwork is because the tighter weave hides the threads at the back better, so that's something to keep in mind. Erica is also making adaptations to the stitches as she goes along, and her simplified center diamond is brilliant!

Also, Erica is making her own substitutions for the Rhodes Hearts, and I can't wait to see what she creates! As I mentioned in my reply to her post, it would be very easy to substitute a center diamond (or variation) in for the Heart as the stitch height and width are the same :) So if anyone else isn't feeling the Hearts, feel free to try something new! That's what the Custom graph paper is for ;)

EDIT: I just noticed that Lisa, who is in the Flickr NEwVP group with me and hosts one of my new favourite embroidery blogs Stick Stitch Cut, has a really great post up mentioning ES and yours truly :) Lisa has been working on some lovely embroidered Audrey Hepburn cards for a stitchy swap, and she shares the gorgeous results along with photos of a cute hooped design she stitched for the same recipient. The way she's backed and finished her design to fit the hoop is *genius*, and the idea could be adapted to cross-stitch too ;) It's a very modern finish! Thanks so much Lisa!