In this podcast episode I tell you all about how you can personalise your cross stitch pattern.
Personalising a cross stitch pattern can seem quite daunting but it adds such a lovely touch to your work and makes a thougtful gift. Hopefully these steps help break it down for you.
You will need:
- Graph paper
- A pattern to personalise (you can download the Teepee pattern used in this example)
- An alphabet pattern, which you can also download
- A pencil and rubber
How to personalise your pattern
- To personalise your kit I recommend using a pencil, so you can easily correct any mistakes (don’t worry how many you make, there’s lots of room on your paper for them!) First, write out your name and date on the graph paper (or just name/just date etc). If your name is longer than 5 letters I recommend using a capital letter for the first letter and small for the rest like so; “Annie Rose”. If it’s a short one, you can use all capitals if you prefer.
- Now refer to your alphabet chart and start marking out your letters;
put a little “x” in each square and this marks 1 stitch. After your
first letter leave a space of 1 square before starting your next one and
so on. If you are using 2 names leave a space of 3 squares before
starting the second name.
- If you are also putting a date on, leave a space of 2 squares under
your name and start it on the same column as your name. Once it is
finished you can centre it.
- To centre it, count how many squares are left at the end of your
date (it may be before or after your name ends) and half it. If it is an
odd number then you will have to decide whether to round up or down
depending on which looks better, for example, if it is 7 you can round
up to 4 meaning there will be 4 squares one side of your date but only 3
on the other. (Little tip – there is lots of counting and numbers
involved so I find jotting the numbers down very helpful!)
Then, move your date forwards or backwards by this number of squares. For example, if there are 10 squares left after your date ends and before your name ends, move your date forward by 5 squares. Or if your date goes over your name by 6 squares then move it back 3 squares. For me, there was 20 squares at the end of my date so I moved it forward 10 squares. - Now you should have your personalisation ready to put on your tepee
pattern. Count how many squares your personalisation is from start to
finish. If it is longer than 49 squares, count how many more and half
this number. Using that number, count backwards from the bottom left
square of the tepee and leave 2 squares under it – this is where you
will start copying your name/date from the blue paper (where the arrow
points). For example, if your personalisation is 55 squares long you
will start 3 squares back from your tepee (55 – 49 = 6. Half of 6 is 3).
- If your personalisation is shorter than 49 squares, again count how
many shorter and half it. Using that number, count forwards from the
bottom left square of the tepee and leave 2 squares under it. This is
where you will start copying (where the arrow is). For example, if your
personalisation is 35 squares you will starts 7 squares in from where
your tepee starts.
- If you end up with an odd number to half, again you will have to
round up or down depending on what looks best. As a general rule, I
leave a bigger number of squares to the left of the pattern. For
example, if your personalisation is 36 squares long I would start 7
squares in and have 7 squares on the left of my name but only 6 on the
other.
If you’re using a date too, copy it under your name in the same position as you worked out in step 4. - Now you can start stitching! You can download this Teepee pattern
and alphabet at the top of the page, but you can follow these steps for
any pattern! Once you have your personalisation ready, you just have to
put it on the pattern of your choice.
Of course you can personalise all sorts of patterns or make your own from scratch! My Cross Stitch Project Planner has blank grids and spaces to plan patterns or you can download some sheets for free if you sign up to my newsletter.
Although I framed my finished piece in a hoop, you can get creative from yours. Amy, from Coffee Rings And Making Things turned her finished design into a cushion!
If you need any help with personalising your cross stitch pattern, just get in touch and I will help you in any way I can.
Pattern of the month
This months pattern is from Witchy Stitcher on Etsy and I knew as soon as I seen it, that it had to feature on Octobers podcast. It’s called I Practice Stitch Craft and if stitched on 14 count aida measures 6.07 x 5.71 inches.
It
has the words, with a skull, some bobbins and a crescent moon on it.
She includes 2 versions of the pattern so you can stitch it on black or
white aida. This is a great Halloween pattern to stitch this month.
