EmnEllie Cross Stitch Blog

  Photo by Elaine Howlin on Unsplash Happy Pride and Prejudice Day! In honor of this wonderful day, I will not only be watching Pride and Prejudice later (the 1995 BBC one) I’m also sharing a list of the Jane Austen, and Austen-ish cross stitch patterns that I’ve made. By the end of this post, you’ll have Mr. Bingley wondering at all the accomplishments cross stitchers have these days ;) Regency Silhouettes: There are two charts here, and I like to think that they’re Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I wanted them to look like the silhouettes that you see on the walls in period dramas.  Available as a freebie, here’s the link. This is a great chart for all bookworms, with motifs inspired by Victorian wallpaper and the covers of vintage books. Caroline Bingley would be stitching this for her library, because we know that she can’t survive without good literature.  Available in my Etsy shop, link is here. I like to imagine Jane Austen staying up late, reading a new book, or adding s...

  Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash A Cozy Evening Dear reader, let me walk you through my idea of a cozy evening. It's a chilly night, and it's raining outside. Not a torrential downpour, but soft, steady rain. You're in your favorite stitchy spot, and your cross stitch is ready to go nearby. All the lights in the room are off, except for the light from your crafting lamp and the fairy lights that you have strung up. You have your favorite snack, for when you feel snackish (remember to wash your hands before you touch your stitching!), and a movie that you love playing on the TV. It's a movie you've seen before, like an old friend who's come to visit you. You're re-watching a movie because science says that this is good for you, but also because it's almost impossible to watch something new while stitching. There's a risk of looking like this:  funny cross stitch meme When you want to look like this:  funny cross stitch meme After you take a sip o...

  Everything is Caramel The seasons aren't the only changes here at the Castle. Another thing that's changing is my coffee flavors.   I know it's pumpkin spice season for many (psssttt ... if you need a free pumpkin spice cross stitch chart , click here). But it's not really a flavor that I like. Instead, if I could make everything into caramel that would be wonderful. My go-to homemade coffee lately has been a hot cup of instant coffee from Germany, with powdered creamer, no sugar, and an amazing new-to-me salted caramel cold foam. If you're like I was a few weeks ago, and have no idea what cold foam is, here's a great article by the website Fluent in Coffee that describes what it is. The article includes a few recipes, but my grocery store sells a bunch of different flavors in spray cans, of which you guessed it, salted caramel is my absolute favorite. I like using the cold foam on my hot coffee and my iced coffee . Besides being delicious it...

  Cross Stitch Meme Phone Stand Project Things have been super busy here at the Castle. I've gone all in on the phone pillow stand project that came to a screeching halt in my last blog post. It required a trip to Michael's and a trial-and-error prototype. A sewing machine needle snapped. But these trials (hyperbole alert) were nothing once I saw my phone and Kindle relaxing on adorable Halloween-themed pillows. There were quite a few photos, so I made a short video:  And here’s the finished prototype!  So, there’s a step in the tutorial where you’re supposed to add the pellets to the bottom of the cushion. I accidently skipped that part… but hey! That’s why you make a prototype. It’s a little wobbly, but that’s OK :) On day two, while the tutorial was still fresh in my mind, I made a second pillow. This pillow is slightly larger than the prototype, because my Kindle didn’t fit in the prototype.  Isn’t that pretty? This time I added the pellets. Here’s a close-up of...

  4 Cross Stitch Patterns for Readers Here are four cross stitch patterns for readers of all ages. Whether you're on the lookout for a bookish Christmas ornament, trying to gift something to a reader, or you're looking for decor for your bookshelves or your favorite reading spot, read on (see what I did there?) to find that perfect book cross stitch pattern.  My Library Cross Stitch Pattern by EmnEllie This is a great chart for all bookworms, with motifs inspired by Victorian wallpaper and the covers of vintage books. The link to purchase this chart is here.   Jane Austen Regency Silhouettes Cross Stitch Pattern by EmnEllie Period piece fans, I've got you covered. Here are two (yes, two!) free cross stitch patterns inspired by the great Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. They are designed to look like classic silhouettes. The link to the charts is here.   Owl and the Pussycat Cross Stitch Pattern by EmnEllie Poetry and cross stitch go together like butter and toast....