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Your Questions Answered
The World of Cross Stitching 33
Our panel of professionals are here to help you with
your cross stitch dilemmas – however large or small
Brilliant blackwork beauty
Q
I’m looking for a hummingbird design I’ve seen with
blackwork around it – do you know what this stunning
project is called?
Elaine Ray, via Facebook
A
Heather: This ‘Blackwork Hummingbird’ cross stitch
design is from The World of Cross Stitching issue 231 and
it’s been proving immensely popular lately – and we can see why,
it’s gorgeous! We love the clever shading to create the iridescent
feathers these colourful birds are well-known for. Designed by
Valentina Sardu for Ajisai Press, you can either get hold of a back
issue of 231, as a second-hand copy or a digital edition via our
iPad and Android apps, or you can buy a direct digital download
for this pattern only from Ajisai Press* for €4.99 (approx. £4.40).
You can also find some more of this fabulous range of blackwork
patterns on the Ajisai Press website, too.
Best brands
It’s personal choice as to which
thread brand you stitch withBlackwork beauty
This stunning design is
available from Ajisai PressAsk the experts
(^34) IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Top tip for mounting a
design in a single-fold card
CONTENTS
(^35) WISHES GRANTED
Jenny’s designed a fun
cheerleader for Joan
(^36) FRIENDLY ADVICE
Lots of tips for stitching
for special occasions
(^36) TECHNIQUE FOCUS
We learn about the
railroading technique
(^37) DESIGN ROUND-UP
A hand-picked selection of
perfect pet charts and kits
Best brands
Q
What’s the difference
between the thread
brands you show on the
patterns and which one do
you recommend using? I’m
new to stitching but really
want to get it right.
Adrianne Lilly, via email
A
Hannah: Welcome to
the wonderful world of
cross stitching, Adrianne!
There’s no ‘right’ thread brand
to use – it’s simply personal
choice. We list the three main
thread brands most widely
used in the cross stitching
industry – DMC, Anchor and
Madeira. The brand in the far
left column, next to the
symbols, is the one in which
we have stitched our own
project shown in the
photographs. We then list the
corresponding best-match
conversions for the two other
brands as well. It’s
recommended to use a single
brand to stitch the entirety of
a design though, and just be
aware that the conversion
shades may result in a slightly
different look to your stitching,
as the colours are not always
exact matches between
brands. Do show us your first
project, we’d love to see!
Jenny Barton
Design pro Jenny has
been creating projects
for us for years and is
ready to take on your
design challenges
Katriel Costello
Stitching guru Katriel
has worked in the
industry for years, so
has ample knowledge
to answer any queries
Fiona Baker
Fiona is our Technical
Editor so she’s all
ready to answer your
problems on all things
stitch and chart related
Hannah Kelly
All set to hunt down
those elusive charts
and products, Hannah’s
here to find shopping
answers that you need
Heather Nugent
Heather is our Charting
Editor and is on hand
to answer any technical
stitching questions that
you have