Liz and I have been working together to come up with a new stitch-along. Liz had one idea and I had another idea. We ended up messing our ideas together and came up with something that is sure to be fun.
I know many of you are still working on the current stitch-along, admittedly, I am still working on it too. So, you might be wondering why we are starting another one. Easy answer there…supply chain. In the cross stitch world, supplies are still a challenge to get so planning ahead is so important. We will start the stitch-along on June 1st. Liz will start sending kits out around the 10th. We’ll start the stitch-along on June 1st.
We probably won’t start another stitch-along until mid-August or so. We know how crazy summer can get with gardens, lawns, and family. In fact, that’s why we picked a small project for this stitch…but the catch is, we picked two projects. You can stitch them both OR you can stitch only one…whatever your preference.
Liz and I actually have a friendly competition going on with this stitch-along. I said that I would love to stitch the pattern you see below, “The Itch to Stitch”. I suggested that we should do it for the stitch-along. I loved the spools and the saying.
Liz said….
she liked the pattern you see below better. It’s the “Snip Snip” pattern. She thought more people would want to stitch it because it’s more cross-stitch related because you don’t use spools of floss to cross-stitch.
That’s where we sat. I leaned towards one pattern…Liz leaned towards the other pattern.
That’s when Liz suggested we offer both. I told her I thought that would be a lot of work for her. She said she would do it…
So, the competition is which pattern will more people want to stitch.
After that…I laughed and said, well now I want to stitch them both. That’s my plan…I’m going to stitch them both. It’s entirely up to you what you want to stitch if you stitch along. You can stitch “Itch to Stitch” or “Snip, Snip”…be an overachiever, like I plan to be, and stitch them both.
HERE is the link to the page to order.
Once there you will need to pick which pattern you want to stitch. (or both) Put that pattern in your shopping cart.
For floss, there are two options for each of the patterns. You can order the DMC floss…that isn’t variegated. It’s one solid color. It is a little cheaper…OR you can order the overdyed floss for your pattern. You only need ONE floss choice…DMC or Overdyed. (if you are stitching both patterns you need a floss pack for each project)
Then you will need to pick what linen you want to stitch it on. You only need ONE linen/aida choice. (if you are stitching both patterns you need a fabric for each project)
If you’re wondering what I’m doing…
My plan is to stitch both of them. I’ll try to stitch one in June and the second one in July. I’ll use the overdyed floss. I like both DMC and overdyed floss but I’ve been trying to grow my overdyed floss collection so this is a good way to do it. I’ll be stitching on the 40 count linen for both of them so they will be the same size. Liz had trouble taking pictures of the linen. It’s actually a great color of linen and is the linen that the designer stitched her models on.
For those of you who haven’t stitched on over-dyed fabric, now is a great time to try it out.
If you are on the fence and only want to stitch one, I’ll say this…the “Itch to Stitch” design is VERY beginner friendly. There are bigger chunks to stitch and not as much counting. “Snip, Snip” is a little more challenging to count out as you’ll be stitching on the diagonal and will have to count stitches more. It’s still totally doable for a new stitcher.
I think both are going to finish up beautifully…by the way, there is another companion piece to these two…
This one is Tomato Row…it’s from October House as well. I’m thinking I might stitch this one at the same time I stitch the others. I already have the chart…I just need fabric and floss. Hmm. If you’re tempted as I am, you can find the Tomato Row pattern HERE.
That’s what I know about the latest upcoming stitch-along. I’m excited to get our Home Sweet Home project finished so I can be ready when the new goodies arrive.
As always there is no start date or end date. Some people are still stitching on a project from last year and that’s totally okay.
I hope you’ll all join me on this one…Liz and I are both super curious about which chart will be more popular…Even if you’re not stitching along or ordering, I’d love for you to leave a comment and let us know which project you prefer…”Snip, Snip” or “Itch to Stitch”.
I like the “itch to Stitch”. I like the bright colors in it.
I agree.
I already have the tomato pattern and floss – just need fabric – so I believe I will stitch it for the SAL – it will give me a push to get started.
Jo: I have never stitched on linen. How hard is it to stitch on?
I love the Itch to Stitch Pattern!
While I’m not Jo I am a recent linen evenweave stitcher. I prefer it to Aida cloth now which I never in my cross stitch life thought I would ever say. Big help is good light and 4X Magnifying Reading Glasses (available on Amazon).
How is linen evenweave different from other linen? I’m curious because I haven’t tried anything but aida so far.
I like itch to stitch better because of the colors.
Hi, chiming in. Evenweave (like Lugana) is a very perfectly woven cotton/rayon blend. I actually find it more difficult because it’s so perfect it’s harder for my eyes to pick out the correct hole, if that makes sense. In appearance it looks somewhat between Aida and linen. Linen has some natural variation in thread thickness that I find easier and more attractive. If you’re new to it, you might find it easier to use a 28 or 32 count that corresponds to 14 and 16 Aida. I also recommended good needles, like Bohin, which make a huge difference over something like John James. Finally, when using linen it works better to start your first stitch in a hole where the linen thread to the right of the needle is crossing over the thread to the top of the needle. Hope this makes sense and is helpful!
I’m answering this in and upcoming Ask Jo.
Thank you
I like them both equally. I actually do have floss on spools, floss does indeed come that way. I got it from the AdornIT gals last year or the year before. Hmmm now to choose which I would rather stitch…I’m leaning toward the Snip It pattern.
Like others, I like itch to stitch because of the colors.
Itch to stitch. I quilt to so it’s good for both hobbies.
I have never gotten into counted cross stitching but if I were, I’d make the Snip Snip stitchery. Have fun!
Oh both are great options, but I am hearing the call to do, “Itch to Stitch”. My dilemma is what to stitch on. My mind says linen and my eyes say Aida. The tomato chart is speaking to me also. I love to be in the garden as much as I love sewing and cross stitching and reading.
Have a great day everyone!
All three patterns are great, but first would be Itch to Stitch, second Tomato and third would be Snip Snip only because I like the brighter colors.
Just ordered both! Way too tempting. Looking for some small projects for summer camping. So I even your scores! Oh no.
I’ve already stitched Itch to Stitch and it was fun and quick. I know it says to pick either DMC or overdyed so this may not be an option, but — I found the overdyed for the threads perfect with the varigations but for the browns, you only use about one strand of each of them and the varigation doesn’t really show up/matter. You could probably use DMC for those with no change in the overall affect and save a bit of money. Either way, it’s a great stitch!
Count me in to stitch both charts. I already have them plus the Tomato Chart October House had earlier. I hope to do it as well. I am using overdyed floss.
Thank you!
Karen
I just ordered Itch to Stitch–looking forward to it! I’ve never stitched on linen before, so I’ll give it a try.
I would love to join in itch to stitch, I have just received my order and ready to kit it up.
Welcome to the stitch along!!
Love both, the use of overdyed threads for Itch to Stitch, look great. Judy uses spools of threads for cross stitching, think they may be silks? Glad to know you received the chart “and the forest grew” , will look forward to see you updates on this one.
Got my itch to stitch kit today. It took me 10 minutes to figure out where to start that’s after hunting my needles. Then it took me 20 minutes to do 11 stitches. I definitely will have to find my hoop and better readers or magnifying glasses plus a light. It’s going to be slow stitching for me, my eyesight isn’t the best for doing cross stitching.
It will get easier…I promise. I always say that the first stitches are the hardest. After those you can start to anchor your other stitches off of them. You can do it!!