You Are My Lobster

In the run up to Valentine’s Day it seems the perfect opportunity to share with you this little cross stitch lobster I designed last year for Lakeside Needlecraft’s Summer Cross Stitch Book.

Stitched in just one colour of embroidery floss over two threads of 28 count Cashel linen or one thread of 14 count Aida this fellow measures approximately 11cm x 11cm when finished and you may already have the materials you need in your stash.

This project is perfect for squeezing into a weekend … In fact, my good friend Lesley, who stitched the sample, managed to fit in 14 miles of Nordic walking and cooked dinner before whipping this critter up in the evening!

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Charity Christmas Ornament

I am so fortunate to be part of an International community of needlework designers http://www.ourcommonthread.com and we are celebrating Christmas by each designing a charity Christmas ornament chart.

The simplicity of traditional Scandinavian design lends itself perfectly to the theme so I have designed a cross-stitch ‘Pear in a Partridge’ on perforated paper. However, make the design your own, raid your stash and work in needlepoint, patchwork or intarsia knitting.

The pattern is yours for a small charity donation of £4 and all funds raised will go directly to St Catherine’s Hospice – providing end of life care and support for families in Sussex and Surrey.

To download the pattern head over to http://www.annsorchard.co.uk
To see the other designs as they appear over the coming weeks head over to Instagram and use #chartsforcharity

An Easter Bunny Basket

Thank you all for your continued support for my little needlework business in these uncertain times. Normally the cat and I lead rather a solitary lifestyle, working from home in a barn at the end of the garden. So it has been quite a shock that social distancing has meant so much more company at home now that my husband is not longer jetting worldwide, my daughter has returned from University and my son is home schooling. Everyone has found themselves a work space and hooked up to a computer so we seem to be muddling along and I have been able to get on with the new website and a range of new designs.

Fingers crossed the new website will go live towards the end of the month. There may be a few glitches but once they are ironed out I hope to be able to offer a much wider range of products as well as instant PDF downloads and possibly, if I pluck up enough courage, some instruction videos.

In the meantime I have designed an Easter bunny basket to keep you busy. It is a relatively simple pattern if you have some experience of the basic crochet stitches, but if not what a great opportunity to learn! There are some fantastic kids’ books on the subject and a whole selection of YouTube videos which are perfect for winding back and forth to see exactly what to do with your fingers, hook and yarn. Start with a granny square and you will soon be hooked!

Easter Bunny Basket

Crochet Christmas Pudding Bauble

It is almost the end of another year during which I have been so grateful for all your support and encouragement.

This year, as a very small thank you, I have designed a crochet Christmas pudding bauble. It is made using DMC natura cotton and you should be able to get three or four from a single ball of yarn. However, feel free to raid your stash, use some chunky yarn for a full size pudding, add some beads to give the impression of dried fruit or make lots to create a garland. At only 2.5″ in diameter you should be able to squeeze a few in before Christmas – this year!

For full instructions and pattern please click on the link to the PDF file.

You are very welcome to share this pattern with family and friends.

Crochet Christmas Pudding

You Know You Are a Maker When …

Darn you Pinterest for tempting me…

You know you are a maker when, despite being swamped by an array of projects, you are tempted to learn a new craft having been seduced by the most glorious images on Pinterest.

This morning’s temptation is rug hooking. There seems to be such a wonderful flow and freedom in the designs and they are very reminiscent of the paintings by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell.

I did have a chicken rug hooking kit many years ago but I cannot think where it has gone otherwise I would have rummaged around and pulled it from the back of a cupboard. So, with a birthday looming, I think it may be time to build a rug frame and invest in new Oxford punch needles, monks cloth or burlap backing and rug yarn. For inspiration and guidance I will be heading over to http://www.amyoxford.com and http://www.rosepearlman.com as well as wallowing in Pinterest. For supplies in the UK then the best site I have found is Cilla Cameron at http://www.ragrugsuk.co.uk

An Apple for Teacher

I seem to be having a reasonably productive week….. The end of the school year is fast approaching and I thought I ought to design a little something special to thank my son’s teacher. If you would like to stitch this little apple please click on the picture for the chart and some suggested materials.