Project Lugia ... DONE!!!

Woo, he's finally finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed working on this one and feel a bit sad now he's done.

I've also done "Ho-oh" and hope to be able to start stitching him really soon!

Don't forget to check him out on my deviantART page too!

Well that's me done posting for a while now, till next time ... Keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xx

Project Lugia -- WIP #04

Time to catch up with my Lugia design:

Picture Reference date - 29th August 2011

The background is complete!!
Picture Reference date - 1st September 2011

The background blackwork is worked in one strand of DMC light effects - I have used three different shades.  When I originally designed this project, I was going do the background in cross-stitch but I felt this could be time consuming and all that cross stitch in light effects would possibly drive me crazy!!!  Blackwork in light effects is no less daunting, but it's much quicker to do and I think it gives a better finish!!!

All that remains is the back stitch which I started yesteday so this may well be the last work in progress I post -- this of course depends on how long the backstitch takes as I'm finiding it difficult to stitch it at night under my craft lamp!

Whatever I decide to do, this should be finished by the end of the week!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross stitch!!! xx

Project Lugia -- WIP #03

Slightly later than planned, here is my current progress to date:

Picture Reference date - 21st August 2011

Picture Reference date - 23rd August 2011

Picture Reference date - 25th August 2011

I managed to resolve the stitching disaster quite quickly and now I can crack on with the metallic elements which I anticipate will take another week to finish.  Of course, that is dependant on how often I get to my frame, as I don't always stitch every evening.

More updates will, as always, follow in due course!

I've had quite a few emails recently from people who've been stitching my patterns, and all being well  I shall get these featured on here shortly!

Well that's all for now, have a great weekend (and for those in the UK, enjoy the Bank Holiday!)

Till next time ... Keep Kalm and Cross-stitch! xx

Project Lugia -- WIP #02

Well, it's been a busy week, and I've not done so much stitching, but this is what I have done so far:

Picture Reference date - 17th August 2011

Picture Reference date - 18th August 2011

Since the last image was taken, I've had a bit of a disaster which has meant some serious unpicking!!!   It's going to take me a while to rectify and I suspect this may delay future updates.  I've decided to have a break from it at the moment to up-load this, but it should be resolved in the next day or so.

All being well, I'll have another update mid-week.

Until then, I hope that wherever you are in the world your weekend is relaxing! 

Till next time ... Keep Kalm and cross-stitch!!! xx

Project Lugia -- WIP #01

Yes, I'm double posting today!

I apologise now if this annoys anyone, but I have a hectic schedule this weekend and I wanted to post this now.

So, to catch up ... we have finished with the charting and can now start with the stitching.  The following image has been exported from Pattern Maker to give you an idea of what it will look like when finished:

The total stitch count is 98(w) x 110(h).  It is being stitched on 14-HPI marble blue aida (ref#3325) using Anchor threads.  The border circle will be worked in DMC light effects shade no E415.  The blackwork area is worked in DMC light effects shades no's E317, E3843 and E3849.

As always when working with metallic thread, a conditioner such as Thread Heaven is essessial to prevent wear on the thread!

So I started working the project on the 1st August 2011, and this is what I have accomplished so far:

Picture Reference Date - 3rd August 2011

Picture Reference Date - 9th August 2011

Picture Reference Date - 10th August 2011

So that's all from me now for this week.  All I can say is, have a great weekend!  As it's my birthday next Tuesday (16th), I am having a birthday bash tomorrow and on Sunday I'm going out for lunch with my partners family!

It's gonna be crazy and I don't expect to do much stitching!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch!

Project Lugia

Hello again!

Time for some more Pokemon goodies!  Yes, I know it's not July anymore, but those little critters are still trying desperately to get my attention!!!

So here's my next 'BIG' project featurning my favourite Pokemon - Lugia!

I had been wanting to design something for a while and after the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver last year, I was determined to do something featurning my favourite Legendary.  I had considered using the boxart images, shown above, at first, but then I changed my mind and went for this:

I came across this rather cool image whilst doing a Google search and immediately decided that this would be my reference design!  As always, here's a low down on how I turned it into a cross-stitch pattern.

This design started life back in April 2010.  It was a slow project to get going on thanks to my depression, and it was not until July/August time that I went back to it.  As always, all my projects start with pencil and ink sketches:

Once I have an ink sketch I'm happy with, it's time to start charting:

Once I'm happy with that, I choose the threads I want to use:

This design uses a mixture of standard stranded thread and DMC light effects -- blends are also playing a part in this design for shading purposes.

Then then tricky task of starting to chart the design into my Pattern Maker software can begin.  When I first started desiging my own patterns, this was the tricky bit. My Sonic themed 'Flying Hedgehog' was particularly difficult, so for future designs, I have decided to start the design by drawing a grid:

I've found that this makes charting large projects so much easier!

I would always recommend using a colour for the grid that isn't featured in the finished design so that it stands out.  Here, I've used a red grid line, which I will delete when the design is finished.

Once the grid is finished, you can start filling in:

When the filling has been completed, delete the grid line.  I initially saved this as two separate projects, one without the backstitch and one with.  I always add the backstitch last -- leaving the colours behind the symbols turned on helps with this!

When the backstitch work is finished, turn the colours off:

And there you have it...the chart is complete, and now the fun can really begin!