56 The World of Cross Stitching http://www.gathered.how/woxs
Our Design Library motifs can be a great source of inspiration, but
did you know you can make your own unique samplers with them?
fabric for framing. Lightly mark your
aperture size with tailor’s chalk or use
pins to mark out the area. If you don’t
yet have your fabric, cut out a piece of
paper to your intended aperture size
to use as a template (use newspaper
for larger samplers). Our example uses
nine designs along with a backstitched
date and initial for a square sampler
measuring 15x15cm (6x6in).2
Now the fun can begin –
choosing your motifs! You can
select your favourites, pick ones that
go together to make up a scene or
simply leave it to chance for a fun
creative idea. Draw around them in
pencil, so you don’t forget which ones
you picked. It’s also a great idea to
add your initials and a completion date
too, to turn it into an heirloom piece.
Each Design Library comes with a
backstitch ABC, which you could plot
out on graph paper before you stitch.3
Next, work
out the
design area of
each of your
chosen motifs.
Simply count how
many stitches
high and wide
they each are,
divide each
amount by your
fabric count (14
for 14-count aida)
to calculate the
measurement in
inches, and then
multiply by 2.54
to convert to cm.4
Make paper templates of each
motif using your measurements
and approx. design shape. Label each
template, so you don’t forget! You can
then arrange these within your
aperture space on the fabric or paper
template – have fun playing around
with what design works where,
ensuring there’s a couple of cm gap
between each. Pin them in position
when you’re happy with the layout,
then lightly draw around them in
tailor’s chalk or mark with pins.5
You can now start stitching,
following your guides for
positioning. You may find it easier to
find the centre of each motif on the
charts, so you can position them
accurately onto your fabric. You could
also use Zweigart Easy Count aida for
extra precision when counting stitches.
Your sampler is sure to be a
unique piece, so once completed share
your creation with others on our
community Facebook group: cross-
stitching.com. Have fun!T
hese versatile sets usually
contain between 30-50 motifs
every issue, giving you a hugecatalogue of designs to choose from.
You could mix and match or stick to
one set to create a stylish themed
sampler, such as my example from this
issue’s beautiful Art Nouveau Design
Library, found on page 47.
Creating your sampler is a great
way to personalise your work and is so
easy to do, just follow my step-by-step
guide from selection to stitch:
1
After you’ve picked your Design
Library(s) theme, you’ll need tothink about how big your sampler will
be so you know how many motifs will
fit. Maybe you have a frame picked
out already, or know how big a wall
space you want to fill? Cut a piece of
fabric 15cm (6in) larger on both the
height and width of your intended
design. This gives you enough extra
MOR E: Fiona, if you don’t know her, is our
amazing Technical Editor and also a talented
cross stitch designer. You can find her work at
http://www.fionabakerdesign.etsy.comFiona’s focus on...
MAKING YOUR OWN SAMPLER
Planning process: Create a paper template
of each motif you wish to use and play around
with positioning them onto your chosen fabricPutting it all together: Here is Fiona’s
sampler made up of some motifs from this
month’s Art Nouveau Design Library (p47)