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!

it's never too early...

to get a little spooky! I decided to get a jump on the holidays this year, and I love Halloween so I went crazy and started stitching ghosts and black cats in the middle of summer! It's hard to find modern, sophisticated Halloween counted cross stitch designs, so I wanted to make something different and fun but still classically Halloween!

I love how the strong black and white typography sets off against the bright candy colors, and since the whites are all left unstitched it's a surprisingly fast project for how large it is.

I couldn't resist finishing it as a funky throw pillow with some crazy pom pom trim, but I also considered framing it in a gothic-style black frame for a great way to greet trick-or-treaters!

Add some punch to your Halloween this year with this crazy mixed-up colorful design, only from Satsuma Street! 

Happy Fishy Friday!

Just thought I'd share a little sneak peek at a new pattern I'm working on.  Should be in the shop in a couple weeks!

Amsterdam!

The summer after I graduated from college, I spent a couple months backpacking around Europe by myself.  It was an amazing experience, but at times it was scary and intimidating to be alone in these big cities where I didn't speak the language.  The last place I visited before heading back to London to catch the plane home was Amsterdam, and I fell in love with the city.  It was so welcoming and beautiful, and the people were so nice and helpful, I almost stopped being homesick!  I haven't been back to Amsterdam since, but I knew I wanted to pay tribute to it with a Pretty Little City pattern.

Amsterdam has been one of my most requested cities, so I know I'm not the only one who has a special affection for this lovely place.  I hope I get to go back someday, but in the meantime I can look at my cross stitch and remember the wonderful memories I made there.

Pretty Little Amsterdam, available in the shop now!

tips for cross stitching with metallics

If you don't follow me on Instagram… well why don't you??  I LOVE Instagram, it's been such a fun way to connect with my customers and find a community of cross stitchers who share my love of modern design and crafts.

I love responding to questions about my designs, my process, and cross stitching tips on Instagram too. After I posted pics of my new design, Arcadia, I had several requests for tips on working with metallic threads.  Metallics are a great way to add some sparkle and life to your cross stitch work, but they are a PAIN to deal with.  Metallic floss seems to have a mind of its own and staying on your needle and laying nicely on your fabric are just not always what it wants to do.  It also gets weakened and frays quite easily, and then you end up with a mess.

I used to dread working with metallics as much as anyone else, until I learned this technique which completely changed my mind.  As several of my Instagram followers claim, this is a game changer!

First I should state that in my opinion, all metallic accents should be done LAST.  Seriously, finish all your other stitching first, and then do the metallics.  It's hard to wait because they are so pretty, but metallic threads are more fragile and more likely to get snagged, and if you are still working on your fabric for a while, the metallic stitches are going to end up looking raggedy by the time you're done.

OK, so photographing a single strand of metallic floss is basically impossible, so in the photo below, pretend that the red floss is just ONE strand of metallic thread:

Step 1: cut 16" of metallic floss and pull out a SINGLE strand, not two. Fold that strand in half and thread the folded end into your needle eye.

Step 2: pull enough of that folded end through the eye until you can flip the looped thread over the sharp end of your needle.

Step 3: While hanging onto the doubled part of your floss with one hand, pull the needle to tighten that loop and slide the loop towards the eye of the needle. You are basically making a half-hitch knot at the end of your needle.

Step 4: pull the knot tight until it sort of "locks in" at the point where your needle ends. Now you just stitch as you normally would, essentially stitching with two strands. This method keeps the floss from sliding and twisting around, and all the fraying should happen right at the base of the needle which won't get used anyway.

This does mean that you're stitching with only 8" of floss at a time, but with metallics, anything longer than that and you will get frayed spots for sure.

If you find that pulling the little knot through the fabric is difficult, try going up to a larger needle size than you would normally use.  That will help stretch the holes out a bit, which will help the rough thread go through easier.

If you haven't tried this technique before, I hope you give it a try!  And if you have other tips for working with metallics, I'd love to hear them!

my blue heaven...

Sometimes I just have an idea in my head, and I can't rest until I see it materialized.  That was this case with this new pattern I've released, which I'm calling Arcadia.  It was inspired by one of my favorite concept paintings by Mary Blair, of white buildings on a blue background.  I thought it would be fun to try that palette in cross stitch, and when I came upon this fabric by Charles Craft, I just had to do it!

This design was just begging to have some accents of metallic threads added, so in addition to the neutral color palette, I used three shades of DMC's Light Effects threads to add a little special sparkle to the project.

I'd love to see this pattern on other colored fabric besides blue... I think it would look great on pink or mint green, and absolutely smashing on black!  As always, I love to see my customer's project photos, so please share them on the Facebook page or on Instagram using the tag #satsumastreet!