The World of Cross Stitching - UK (2020-03)

26 The World of Cross Stitching http://www.cross-stitching.com

Pet of the Month

Pet of the month

We know you’re huge fans of pets, so have us design a cross stitch of a beloved animal!

Q

Dear Durene, my

son Richard is

getting married to Calli

next year in July. They have a lovely dog

called Rupert, who is a Japanese spitz. I

would love to stitch a picture of him for a

wedding gift. Please could you come up

with a cross stitch for them? Many thanks.

Karen Walker, via email

A

Durene says: Well thank you for

writing in, Karen. Your son and his

fiancé’s adorable Japanese spitz was a joy

to design. No wonder you chose this

photo of him for me to convert into a

chart – he is so serene and fluffy looking.

This will make a sweet wedding gift that

I’m sure your loved ones will keep forever.

Is Rupert going to be at the wedding?!

For this design, you’ll be using whole

stitch, fractionals and backstitch. I wanted

to keep Rupert’s fur looking really downy

and white, so I’ve only used a small

amount of grey on his coat. I just love the

tiny details on the ears and collar.

The finished design measures 8x8cm

(3x3in), which can then be placed onto a

square frame and mount of your choice,

with a minimum aperture of 9.5x9.5cm

(3¾x3¾in) – you might even want to

match the colour of the wedding theme.

Design

my pet!

Project

• While most dog breeds come in
  a variety of colours, interestingly, all
  Japanese spitz are white.


• Their fur contains natural oils
  that prevent dirt sticking to it, making
  grooming them surprisingly easy.
  
  
  • This breed have one of the
    longest life spans, with an average
    age of 10-16 years.
  
  
  • They have a triangular, fox-like
    face. One Chinese owner discovered
    her ‘puppy’ was actually a fox!
  
  
  
  

Fun facts about Japanese spitz

PE

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PE

T

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No.^1

pet

Shopping list

Zweigart* 14-count white aida measuring

15x15cm (6x6in)

Stranded cotton as listed in the key

Size 24 tapestry needle

Frame and mount of your choice with a

minimum aperture of 9.5x9.5cm (3¾x3¾in)

Thread & fabric cost

Approximately £14

*For stockists see page 90