A Starry Night, a Finish, and Waiting in Line

Starry Night

I love the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh. I’m particularly fond of the swirls and bold colors that he uses. Go and get a pencil or a pen, and draw a swirl. There are few things more relaxing and fun in art. My favorite Van Gogh painting is Starry Night. The night sky is so dazzling, the swirls and colors are almost hypnotizing.

Intrepid people on the internet have created an optical illusion that can make the swirls move (yes, I tried, it works!). Someone gifted me a wonderful laptop lap desk for Christmas that has the Starry Night printed on top. It’s so handy, I’m using it as I write this post. If you want to stitch this, today is definitely your day, as DMC has it available as a freebie chart right now! The link to the chart is here. I like to keep an eye on the DMC freebie portion of their website; there are really great charts offered there, and they rotate them as well. As an extra bit of trivia for this painting, some art historians think that Hokusai and his Great Wave Off Kanagawa influenced Van Gogh when he was painting this. I have a full coverage version of The Great Wave in my WIP pile. If I can get a finish or two this year, maybe that poor WIP can see the light of day again.

WIP Updates

I finished the Phantom!

The Phantom of the Opera Cross Stitch Chart by EmnEllie

Here’s a graphic that describes the different motifs:

I’m so happy that I stitched it on black aida. It gives it a mysterious quality, which is necessary for this perfectly gothic story. People can be intimidated by black fabric, and it certainly can be tricky to stitch on. Here’s a handy article that has a bunch of helpful tips for stitching on it. I wanted the frame around the words to look like the speech cards from a silent film, and a playbill. I could have designed the mask to look like Gerard Butler’s mask from the movie, but I opted for this style instead. It gives the design a nice symmetry. If you would like to stitch this chart, it’s available instantly as a PDF in my Etsy shop, and the link is here.

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel for a video about this chart, where I’ll compile all the pictures I took while I was working on this WIP.

Russian Hunting Cross Stitch Pattern by Riolis

Slow and steady wins the race, and I’m back in the green floss! I still have until the end of February to work on this one. I’ll definitely finish this column before then, but a page finish? Maybe I was too ambitious. We’ll see. There are big blocks of color coming up in the next couple of columns, so maybe I can finish it on deadline day. Time will tell!

Odds & Ends

I love otters, and this made me laugh. - In Otter News on Substack
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and if you want an Irish-inspired cross stitch chart, here’s the link to my Etsy shop. All charts are available instantly as PDFs.

Comments

Gloomy Weather Reading, Phoenixes, and a Promo Code

Photo by Alessia Cocconi on Unsplash It’s a very stormy, overcast kind of day at the Castle as I write this post. It wouldn’t take much to make me think of books I love, but doesn’t a day that makes you stay inside just make you want to read? A few years ago, I read the Phantom of the Opera. While I had seen the Emmy Rossum movie adaptation, I had never read the book, so I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was fantastic, and a real page-turner! While I do have that book as a paper-back, I’m really enjoying reading with my Kindle. I can stay up late (as late as I can before I fall asleep face first into my pillow) and hear the owls hooting or the traffic driving past my window in the distance. If the weather stays as dark and gloomy as the weatherman says it will, then I foresee reading to the sound of thunder and rain as well. What’s not to like about that? It would be absolutely unacceptable if I mentioned the Phantom ...

Jane Austen Cross Stitch Patterns

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...

4 Cross Stitch Patterns for Readers

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....

EmnEllie Cross Stitch Blog

Search This Blog