DMC 718 - Sweet as a plum!

I'm in a pretty serious relationship, and it's with the DMC six strand embroidery floss colors. Actually if this were Facebook, I'd say "It's Complicated". The DMC colors are my palette, but unlike a painter if I can't find the color I have in my mind, I can't mix a new one. I'm limited by the 454 colors they produce. So sometimes it's frustrating when the color in my head doesn't exist in thread form. But then there are the colors I find I go back to again and again and again. My all-star team. I thought I'd start a little series of posts celebrating these colors, and how I've used them!

First up is one of my all-time best hitters, DMC 718. The official name of this color is apparently "Plum". I've never seen a plum that comes close to the intensity of this color, but it's almost exactly the same color as the bougainvillea that blooms all over Los Angeles:

source: wikimedia commons

DMC 718 also reminds me of the outside leaves of a red cabbage...

source: wikimedia commons

or this dahlia variety which is charmingly named "Thomas Edison"!

source: wikimedia commons

So how and when do I use DMC 718 in my designs? I love it because it's one of those colors which our perception of changes depending on the colors around it, aka simultaneous contrast (I'm telling you, I'm a color geek!). So 718 can look like a pink-ish red in some circumstances, or more purple-ish in others. That really helps when you're limited on the number of colors you can use in a design, because you can get more milage out of one color.

718 is a clear, intense magenta that "vibrates" very strongly against the complement of purple, which is a yellow-orange. That's how I've used it here in my Forest design (718 is the right side of the "popsicle" shaped tree, the branches of the big round tree, and you can see a bit of it in the upper right):

detail - Forest by Satsuma Street

I used the same palette in my companion design to Forest, Autumn Bird. I especially love 718 next to a nice turquoise or blue, as seen here on the far right:

detail - Autumn Bird by Satsuma Street

718 is basically a pure hue, meaning it doesn't have any white or grey added to create a tint or shade. So I also love how this color looks against both black and white, and here you can see it in the center sail of my pirate ship design, Voyage. The complement of magenta is yellow-green, which I used above and to the right of it:

detail - Voyage by Satsuma Street

In my Elephant Biscornu, DMC 718 takes on a warm Morrocan vibe when paired with orange, pinks, and light turquoise:

Elephant Biscornu by Satsuma Street

Here it's the saucy head of the momma bird in Happinest. Just as with the black background, the raw linen color is a nice neutral that doesn't affect the perception of 718:

detail - Happinest by Satsuma Street

If you don't have DMC 718 on hand, the closest match is DMC 917, which they call "Medium Plum" (go figure). They are almost indistinguishable as far as I'm concerned. I use 917 constantly too, including here in the Pretty Little Hong Kong design, again paired with teal and gold:

detail - Pretty Little Hong Kong by Satsuma Street

So, that's my little homage to DMC 718! It's fun to look back over my designs and see the same color used in many different ways.

Next time: DMC 3819!

xoxo

Jody

Halloween Cat!

Halloween Cat - cross stitch pattern by Satsuma Street

Halloween is such a fun holiday to design for...but my favorite thing about it is that black cats get much more love during that time of year! I love black kitties, and my Garden Cat cross stitch pattern has steadily become one of the most popular Satsuma Street designs. So I naturally had to do a new Halloween design with black cats as the subject.

This sassy black cat might be a witch...but the good kind. Add her two curious kittens, vibrant pumpkins, and a big spooky moon, and it's a stylish and colorful addition to your Halloween decor.

detail - Halloween Cat by Satsuma Street

This fabric is just dreamy in person...it's Weeks Dye Works 30 count linen in "Perwinkle". I love the combo of blue and orange (they're natural complements), and I always love experimenting with bright colors on colored fabric, as I did with my Merry & Bright design.

If you can't find this fabric color, or you just prefer a more neutral choice, I recommend maybe using Cashel linen in "Raw Natural", or a natural colored linen Aida. Whatever fabric you choose, this chart is really fun to stitch and there's plenty of time to make it before Halloween. Buy the instant download of the pattern on Etsy, or contact your local needlework shop to see if they carry the printed chart!

Satsuma Street patterns now available wholesale!

I'm so excited to announce a project I've been working on for a long time...printed patterns for wholesale! I've had a lot of requests over the last few years from needlework shops who wanted to carry my designs, but they were only available as digital downloads. I know there are a lot of stitchers who prefer to purchase printed charts, or want to support their local needlework shop where they can also buy all the materials at the same time.

Now, after a lot of work to redesign the charts for professional printing, I'm finally able to make them available to shops and retailers. In my totally unbiased opinion, the printed charts are really gorgeous! They're printed in full color on heavy cardstock weight paper, so they will last for many years.

Each leaflet includes a DMC color list, stitch count, fabric suggestion, and finished size dimensions. In addition, all the city charts include an insert that lists the buildings and landmarks that are featured in the design!

If you're a shop owner and you'd like to carry the charts, you can request a wholesale catalog and ordering info by emailing me at satsumastreet@gmail.com. And if you're a customer who thinks your local shop should carry them, let them know!

xoxo

Jody

Sweet Spring!

Sweet Spring - Easter cross stitch by Satsuma Street

Easter is just around the corner, so I've added this new cross stitch design to the shop to celebrate the Easter holiday and everything wonderful about Spring!

This happy little rabbit is in his element, surrounded by colorful blooms, new veggies, and a pretty butterfly. I've stitched it on Weeks Dye Works "Seafoam" linen, but it would look great on any fabric, especially a natural colored linen or a Fiddler's Aida.

Sweet Spring - Easter Rabbit cross stitch pattern - Satsuma Street

So celebrate the coming season with my modern, folk-inspired rabbit cross stitch design. But hop to it, because Easter is almost here!

xoxo

Jody 

Turn your stitching into a tote!

Here's a family secret...I didn't get my craftiness from my mom! In fact, I always thought the crafty gene skipped a generation in our family. But after I started Satsuma Street, my mom decided she would give counted cross stitch a try, just to see what I was up to. And if you're a stitcher, you won't be surprised to hear that she quickly got addicted!

After she finished the Garden Cat design, she told me that what she wanted for Christmas was for me to turn her stitching into a craft tote that she could use for her growing collection of floss and projects. She loved her gift, and I was pretty proud of it too! So I thought I'd share a few tips for how I did it.

First off, I used this tutorial from Better Homes & Gardens as a starting point. I adapted the dimensions and pockets to suit my needs, for instance instead of a pocket in the center, I put the panel of stitching. If you want a really simple tote design, I like this one from Purl Soho. The body of the bag is made from a heavy canvas "duck" cotton.

Since a craft bag used for cross stitch won't be filled with anything too heavy, I decided to use a fun woven trim for the straps rather than making straps out of fabric. It's made from jute and cotton, so it's pretty strong, but if you were using the bag for books or groceries, I'd recommend making sewn straps (which you could decorate with trim).

If you're going to put a piece of stitching on a bag, it will need to stand up to heavy use, so I recommend using a strong fusible interfacing on the back. That will make your fabric much stiffer and will help prevent stitches from being pulled out.

I always love seeing how other stitchers use my designs, so please share your photos with me on Instagram (I'm @craftnik) or on the Facebook page!

How to finish embroidery in a hoop!

I get asked this question so often: how do you finish a cross stitch project in a hoop? So I figured I should finally write up a post with my method. It's a popular (and cheap!) way to finish an embroidery project for hanging on the wall. This process works for me, but of course you can adapt it to suit your needs and materials. I've illustrated it here using my Impossible project, which was stitched on linen, but the same method applies if you use Aida or any needlework fabric.

For this method, you'll need:
- an embroidery hoop
- a steam iron
- a terry cloth towel
- a piece of felt a few inches larger than your hoop
- a pencil
- really strong sewing thread... hand-quilting thread works very well
- a needle
- craft glue
- scissors

The first, and seriously kids...the MOST IMPORTANT step, is to iron your project completely and properly. I see so many beautiful stitching projects that get framed with wrinkles in them, and it makes me want to cry! Also, if your fabric is at all dingy or stained after working on it, you should absolutely wash it before you frame it.

Many stitchers insist you should wash every project, even if it doesn't look like it needs it, because the oils on your hands can cause stains to appear later. If you use DMC embroidery floss, it's color-fast and won't run when it's washed. Washing stitching is pretty easy, just hand wash in cold water using a few drops of dish detergent (not a laundry detergent like Woolite). Let the fabric soak, swishing it around gently. Don't wring or twist it. Rinse until the water is clear, then roll it in a clean dry towel to remove most of the water. Transfer to another dry towel and let it air dry until it's almost totally dry, then it's time to press it!



I set my iron to the highest setting ("linen" on most irons) and I use steam. But you should definitely check your setting on a scrap of fabric first if you aren't sure, because scorching your project after all that work would be the worst! The main thing about the ironing step is that you want to put your stitching face down and press it into a towel. This keeps the stitches from getting flattened, which I think ruins the wonderful dimensional look of embroidery.

Press it until every wrinkle is gone! If there are stubborn creases from a hoop, you may need to wash it to remove them. Less intense wrinkles can be worked out by lightly spritzing the fabric with a spray bottle before you press it. Absolutely don't use starch, as this can yellow over time and change the look of your fabric.

Ok, now that your stitching looks perfect, set it aside. Take the inner part of the embroidery hoop (the one that doesn't have the clamp to tighten it) and trace the outside of the hoop onto your felt (NOT your stitching!). Then cut the felt circle out right on that line.



Now it's time to center your stitching in the hoop. This is honestly the hardest part, so take your time. You want to make sure that the grain of the fabric isn't off-kilter, that the clamp on the outer hoop is lining up with the center of your stitching, and that the design is centered both horizontally and vertically in the circle. Don't tighten the clamp down too much while you do this, because you want to be able to reposition it until it looks good.



Once you're happy with the position, now you want to tighten the clamp and really stretch the fabric as taut as possible in the hoop. Tighten a little, tug on all the edges, tighten a little more, tug a little more...keep doing that until the clamp is as tight as it will go and the fabric is as taut as a drum.

Next, trim your excess fabric to about 1 1/2" outside the edge of the hoop. Then, cut a very long piece of the sewing thread...at least a yard long. Make a big knot in one end and start to sew a very large running stitch around the edge of the excess fabric, about 3/4" from the edge of the hoop.



(If you're using linen, you probably want to start by "locking" the thread in place by making a small stitch a couple of times in the same spot. This prevents the knot from pulling through the loose weave of the fabric.)

When you've stitched around the whole circle, pull the thread tight so that it pulls the excess fabric in towards the middle of the hoop. Knotting the thread off while keeping it tight is a bit tricky, you need to keep the thread tight with one hand while sewing a small tight stitch with the other hand, then knot your stitching and cut the thread.



Cut another really long piece of sewing thread and start "lacing" your fabric in place. This is done by making long stitches that go all the way across the hoop from one side to the other, as shown below:



Your lacing stitches should catch the fabric between the hoop and the gathering stitch, not at the very edge of the fabric, or they will pull through the weave of the linen. Lacing the fabric in place helps to prevent it from sagging or relaxing in the hoop later.

You're almost done! Now you want to cover the back with your felt circle. I usually glue mine in place with craft glue, but if the permanence or mess of glue scares you, you can hand sew it instead. You don't need a ton of glue, and if you use thick craft glue, it shouldn't leak through to the other side of your hoop and ruin the front. But do be careful!



If you glue it, it's sometimes necessary to weigh it down with a heavy book to help the edge dry flat. Dry it face up, just to make sure no glue drips end up on the right side of your fabric.

And though it may have seemed impossible, now you're done!



I hope this helped answer your hoop-framing questions. If you have other tips or methods, leave them in the comments!

xoxo
Jody

It's a small, small, small world!

It should be no secret by now that I love modern cross stitch cityscapes... my shop is full of them! But the Pretty Little City patterns can take a bit of time, and sometimes you want a smaller project you can do in a weekend. That's why I'm so excited about my new pattern, the Mini Cities Trio!

The pattern includes mini versions of London, Paris and New York City that can be stitched separately, or combined into one long ultimate skyline. I stitched the combined version on natural linen and made it into a fun bolster pillow.  I originally designed the mini cities for Cross Stitch Crazy magazine where they were stitched on black Aida, which really makes the colors pop!

So whether you're in the mood for a small project or a larger one, this pattern download has you covered! You'll find the Mini Cities pattern set in my Etsy shop here.

Happy stitching!
Jody

(photo credit: Cross Stitch Crazy)

Summer's Flight - Goodbye summer, hello FREE PATTERN!

I'm not sure what it is about September, but it always makes me a little sad...maybe a leftover from childhood and the end of those long summers when you could do whatever you pleased!

So to fight off the September blues, I thought I'd make everyone happy and share a little freebie! I designed this modern birdie to evoke the colors of late summer and the approach of fall. I love pincushions, so that's what I made out of this chart, but it's the perfect size (3" x 5") to turn into an ornament, a cell-phone case, or you can frame it and add a little burst of color to your desk.

You can download the color chart by clicking HERE

Or if you prefer a black and white chart, click HERE

(If you'd like to make a pincushion as shown, the directions are below.)

In addition to the pattern, I'm excited to be doing a whole month of fun stuff over at the cross stitch forum on Reddit! Throughout the month of September, folks will be doing a stitch-a-long of the new design, I'll be doing a pattern giveaway, an "Ask Me Anything" interview post, and a special discount for Reddit users. You can find the cross stitch community on Reddit here: reddit.com/r/CrossStitch  

I hope you enjoy this little Satsuma summer gift! Please share your photos of finished projects on Instagram by tagging them with #satsumastreet or tag me @craftnik. Or share them in the Reddit forum!

xoxo Jody

Pincushion Directions:

Materials:

- cross stitch fabric for top - 5" x 7" piece of 14 count Aida or 28 count linen

- backing fabric - 5" x 7" piece of any medium weight fabric

- Optional: lining fabric - 10" x 14" piece, similar color to top fabric

- sewing thread

- filling (I use a mix of polyester batting and Polyfil Polypellets stuffing beads)

- pointed stick or knitting needle

1. Stitch the chart on your choice of fabric. 

2. After pressing your stitched piece, trim to 1/2" from the checkered border all the way around. Using that piece as a guide, cut your backing piece to the same size.

3. With open weave fabrics like the linen used in this sample, I like to flat-line the fabric before sewing it up. (If you used Aida, you can probably skip steps 3-4) I use muslin or quilt cotton in the same color as the linen. Cut the lining pieces slightly larger than your top and backing pieces and pin them together, with the right side of the stitching facing up, as shown below:  

4. Using a long basting stitch, either by machine or by hand, baste the fabric and lining together 1/4" from the cross stitch border. As you do this, make sure you are keeping the cross stitch fabric "square"... not distorting the weave in any way. Press your fabric pieces again, and then trim the lining (but not the linen) to just outside the basting stitching (you can see this in the photo below).

5. With the right sides together, stitch the top and back together using a 3/8" seam allowance. Leave an opening of about 2" in one of the sides for turning. Trim your corners close to the stitching as shown:

6. Carefully turn your pincushion right side out. Do this as gently and slowly as possible to avoid pulling any of your cross stitching out!

7. Using a pointed stick or knitting needle, gently push out your corners. Press the whole piece again, this time folding in the seam allowance on the opening.

8. To fill the pincushion, I like a 50/50 mix of polyester batting and Polyfil Polypellets, which are little clear plastic beads. They add weight to the item, which I think is nice with something like a pincushion which you want to sit nicely on your work surface. As you start to add your filling, try to make sure the pellets are mostly sitting on the bottom side of the pincushion and the batting is filling out the top side.

9. Once your pincushion is stuffed, stitch the opening closed by hand. Make sure to use small stitches so those pellets can't escape!

And you're done! Enjoy your new Summer's Flight pincushion, which should keep your craft table happy all year round!

My true love gave to me...

I've always loved the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song, even if I never fully understood it (what would you want with all those birds??). So I've been wanting to do a Christmas cross stitch pattern of the 12 Days for a long time, and this year I finally got to it ... and well before Christmas, so people can actually get it done in time to enjoy it!

 I love making cross stitch Christmas ornaments, so I originally conceived this project as 12 individual designs. Each ornament is 3.5 x 4.5 inches, so they stitch up fast and are just the right size for hanging on a tree. (The pattern includes directions for finishing them as shown.)

Aren't the little people cute? I don't normally do designs with people in them, so this was a fun change for me.

Anyway I love them as ornaments, but then a few fans on Instagram said they'd love to stitch them all together as one big project, so I also include that option in the pattern as well. I added the text at the top and bottom, which I think adds a nice touch.

Satsuma Street - 12 Days of Christmas Cross Stitch Sampler

So it may seem early in the year to be starting your Christmas crafting, but if you start now and make one ornament a week, you'll be done before Thanksgiving! I don't think you'll be able to make only one a week though... they're awfully fun to stitch!

Visit the Etsy shop and get the PDF pattern as an instant download right here.

xoxo
Jody

Learn to cross stitch with Satsuma Street!

I hear from people all the time who tell me that they love my designs and wish they could make them, but they don't know how to cross stitch. I do my best to help beginners through emails, but for some folks the best way to learn is through hands-on, personal instruction. That's why I'm so excited to be teaching a Cross Stitch Basics workshop on May 2nd in Los Angeles at French General!

The class will be five hours long, and we will learn to make the lovely pincushions you see here, which I designed based on an old French motif. You probably won't have time to finish a pincushion in the class, but you will learn all the basics of counted cross stitch: how to read a chart, measure out fabric, divide your floss, start and end your stitching properly, and begin working on one of the charts. I'll give tips for finishing the projects, including how to clean and press your stitching when you're done with it, and how to sew it into a pincushion. I'll also share lots of other tips and tricks that I've picked up for making your stitching as smooth and easy as possible.

The workshop is $65, and the fee includes the pattern and all the materials to make your pincushions. If you've never been to French General, it's a wonderful and inspiring place to spend an afternoon with lots of other creative people, so I hope you'll join us! Space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible!

Visit French General's website and click on "Workshops" to sign up, and do be sure to check their workshop cancellation policy before you commit. Hope to see you there!

Quit Your Day Job: I did!

Back when I was first thinking of starting my Etsy shop, and I wasn't sure exactly whether I should go for it, I started reading the Etsy Blog for the courage and inspiration to follow my dreams. The stories and advice I found there gave me the push I needed to go ahead and open the doors on Satsuma Street and list those first few cross stitch patterns, hoping that maybe this crazy idea would work out. So two years later when I was contacted by Etsy and told that they wanted to feature me as one of their "Quit Your Day Job" stories, I was so honored and thrilled, I can't even tell you!

I was happy to be able to share any little bits of advice I could with new or aspiring Etsy sellers, and what was most important to me was to share the message that everyone has to find a unique product to offer and a way of working that suits them, rather than trying to follow someone else's path to success. If you're interested in hearing how I turned cross stitch design into a full time career, I encourage you to go read it, and while you're at it, there are lots of other inspiring stories there too!

Satsuma Street wouldn't be anything at all today without the support of all the wonderful people I've connected with through Instagram, Facebook, and all over the world, so most of all thank you to everyone who has supported the shop and reached out to say hello and let me know you like the patterns! It means so much to know that people like what I'm doing, and inspires me to keep going and making more happy cross stitch patterns for everyone to enjoy!

Photos by Erik Valind Photography

Garden Cat!

It's crazy that it took an avowed cat lady like myself so long to do a cat pattern! I suppose it just had to be the right time and I needed the muse to hit me…I was thinking about doing something Spring-y and flower inspired, and I do wish my kitties could spend their Spring days exploring a garden, but alas they are city cats and have to watch the seasons change from inside the apartment windows.

This cool cat gets to spend all his time under a magical sun, chilling with his friend the bee, smelling the amazing flowers and never worrying about a thing. Seems like a pretty good deal, Garden Cat!

Of course my apartment cat doesn't have it so bad either. I only put him to work filling orders on the rare occasion that I take a day off… if you ever get an email from me and it's full of typos, don't blame me…it's probably my assistant:

Head on over to Satsuma Street to find the Garden Cat cross stitch pattern (along with lots of other fun designs). All the cool cats are cross stitching these days!

xoxo Jody (and Stoli)

2015 Limited Edition Tea Towel Calendar

One of my favorite things to collect is vintage Vera Neumann scarves, I try to find them in every thrift store and flea market I go into, but the one thing I've never found found is one of her classic linen tea towel calendars.  So this year, I decided that I needed to design a Satsuma Street calendar and have it printed on fabric and stitched into a tea towel, just like the vintage Vera ones I covet!

I really enjoyed designing this calendar, and building the little cityscape around each month in my colorful, Mary Blair and Small World inspired style!

In a Vera inspired touch, I added a little signature to the bottom corner of the towel with a little satsuma orange.  I guess that's becoming my trademark!

I've decided to make these tea towel calendars a limited edition, so I'm only making 100 of them.  They're already selling pretty fast, so if you want one, get yours now!  You can find them in my etsy shop here.

coming soon...

Though the weather is still in the 90's here in Los Angeles and we haven't even started carving pumpkins yet, I'm busy working on Christmas patterns for Satsuma Street! I've been wanting to do a set of cross stitched ornaments for a while now, so these little cuties will be part of a set of six, and I'm really enjoying how they're turning out! They stitch up so fast, you'll be able to make several in a weekend. A set to give away, and one to keep! Look for them in the shop in a couple of weeks!

Satsuma on the Radio!

I was profiled this weekend on the NPR show Marketplace Weekend as an example of "the new normal"… how people are making money in this economy in new and different ways. Though it might seem strange, the internet is actually making it easier for some handmade artisans to make a living selling their work. Platforms like Etsy have made it really simple to connect with people all over the world who are interested in buying from small sellers like me.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen to the story, it's really well produced and gives a nice little glimpse into a day in my studio. You even get to meet one of my cats! And a big thank you to the lovely people at Etsy and Marketplace who put it together, I'm honored to have been featured!

Satsuma Street Giveaway!

Who doesn't love a giveaway?? I've teamed up with the super awesome craft magazine Mollie Makes to do a little end-of-summer contest and the lucky winner will get FOUR free patterns from my Etsy shop! (And that's any patterns, not just the city designs.) The contest ends September 9th, 2014…so run on over to the Satsuma Street or Mollie Makes Facebook pages to enter or…go right here!