tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70433473249525353752024-02-08T02:17:28.188+00:00Sheena Rogers DesignsA diary of my cross stitching business pursuitsSheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-796583613093908292016-10-19T14:54:00.000+01:002016-10-19T14:54:22.684+01:00Ghoulish Gallery for Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">If you'd like to stitch these designs for your own Halloween displays, come and visit the Halloween aisle on my WEBsite by clicking on the link below:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Categories/Halloween_Kits" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/Halloween Kits</span></b></a></div>
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<br />SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-54060408507198696832016-06-20T19:14:00.003+01:002016-06-20T19:18:53.006+01:00Projects incorporating my Festive BadgesA new product added to my range recently, features 5 glossy pin badges that are each 1 inch (2.5cm) in diameter. Four of the badges feature miniature versions of my festive cross stitch designs and the fifth badge shows my logo. <br />
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I have had a few requests from customers asking for projects which would incorporate these badges, so I am offering some project ideas here - but of course, there are plenty more used for these little badges, such as pinning them to bags, adding them the centre of one of my mini cushion designs (they fit perfectly in the central circle!) or simply pinning them to your clothes.</div>
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So, if you want to purchase a pack of these badges to use in the following projects, you can find them here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/GS033" target="_blank">Click here for Set of 5 Festive Badges</a> </div>
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<b>Project 1 - Place cards</b></div>
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As an added little gift for friends and family, make little name cards for your dinner table and attach a badge to each.</div>
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For each person, cut a piece of thin card 9cm x 6cm and fold in half lengthways. Cut an upside-down V as shown in the photo below and you can then hook the badge over the ^ and your guest can take the badge with them as a little memento.</div>
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<b>Project 2 - Gift Tags</b></div>
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Buy some brown parcel tags, or make your own from card, then cut small rectangles of felt in co-ordinating colours to the badges. Pin the badge to the felt, then use double-sided sticky tape to stick the felt to the tag. A tag and a gift in one!</div>
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<b>Project 3 - Cross stitch tree decorations</b></div>
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To combine cross stitch with these little badges I have designed this set of four hanging decorations for your tree.</div>
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Cross stitch each square onto pieces of 14ct aida that are approx. 4" (10cm) square using 2 strands of DMC stranded cotton as per the charts and key below.</div>
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Take your backing fabric and place face down onto the front of your stitching and sew the two pieces together all around the edge of the design, being sure to leave a gap in the last edge for turning inside out, and also remember to make a little loop for hanging the decoration and be sure to sandwich this between the two pieces of fabric at one corner.</div>
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Turn inside out a fill lightly with soft toy stuffing, then close up the gap with neat stitches.</div>
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Carefully pin the badge into the centre of the decoration.</div>
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(To print off a full-size version of this chart, right click on the picture then 'copy image'. Open up Microsoft Paint (or other basic package) into which you can copy the image, then print to your preferred settings).<br />
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If you find other inventive ways of using your badges, feel free to post your photos on my Facebook page for all to see here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheena-Rogers-Designs/177609948953965" target="_blank">Sheena Rogers Designs Facebook Page</a></div>
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SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-25105703131347400892016-03-31T11:44:00.002+01:002016-04-07T20:06:11.673+01:00Cross Stitch CrochetWhile perusing the magazine aisles in my local WHSmith (you'll find me in there a lot!!), I came across a crochet magazine which had a free gift on the cover of a pom-pom maker. I had seen these nifty little gadgets used by Kirstie Allsopp on one of her craft programmes and thought they looked really clever, so I bought the magazine and tried it out. I can't believe how much easier it is to make these pom-poms now! I keep looking at things now wondering how much better they might be with some pom-poms attached! <br />
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Having bought the crochet magazine I naturally read through all the loveliness inside, and it 'hooked' me. I had tried crochet many (many) years back and looking at the modern styles and bright colours I thought I'd give it another go. I rooted around my cupboards (a common practice for me!) and found the Ladybird book that I taught myself to crochet from all those years ago. I'm left-handed but I managed to teach myself to crochet as a right-handed person - don't ask me how! I also found some odd bits of wool (I'm so grateful to be a hoarder at times), and with my trusty hook I started making some good old Granny Squares. <br />
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But I couldn't stop there and had to create something else, so I bought a cheap pack of different coloured wool balls in The Range and made this crochet cushion (a full size one too!). And of course, I just had to add some pom-poms made with my new pom-pom maker too. So now, when my eyes get a little too tired for cross stitching at night, I pick up my hook and crochet! <br />
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After having combined two hobbies in one with my 'colour in and cross stitch' designs, I had an idea to combine another hobby with cross stitch - and my new-found love of crochet was where the idea to create my cross stitch crochet designs came from.<br />
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I wanted to create the cross stitch designs so that they gave the illusion of having been produced using crochet, so I needed to study how the light caught the wool crochet stitches and tried to re-produce that effect in cross stitch. <br />
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From the crochet magazine I could see that something called a 'Mandala' seemed to be a popular project for crocheters to work one. These are round designs, made up of rows of different colours and usually, different stitches - an ideal subject to use for creating a vibrant cross stitch mini cushion. When I was cross stitching my Crochet Mandala design, I worked each 'round' of colour in turn from the middle, starting with the blue, then the red, then yellow and so on, just as I would if I was working the design in crochet, which made me feel as if I had really combined the two crafts together. <br />
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Of course, I had to create a mini cushion design using the trusty Granny Squares pattern and I added some little hook motifs around the design, and as these squares are usually stitched together to make larger blankets I created my own miniature versions of them around the sides of the design. <br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">And to complete the set, I designed a matching Granny Square Pincushion too - which could also be used to hold those darning needles used for weaving in those loose ends in crochet. If I had the time, I would love to produce a full-size cushion in cross stitch by repeating this Granny Square design and swapping the colours around.</span></div>
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All of these cross stitch kits can be found on my website via this link: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Categories/Cross_Stitch_Crochet_Collection" target="_blank">Sheena Rogers Designs - Cross Stitch Crochet Collection</a></div>
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I'm wondering now what other new hobby I can discover to combine with cross stitch to create more designs - watch this space!</div>
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<br />SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-71622239207209280982015-12-24T09:30:00.003+00:002015-12-24T09:34:07.014+00:00Season's Greetings and 2015 reflectionsWell, this year has just flown by. There have been mini cushion designs galore, magazine commissions and some surprises along the way! My 'colour-in and cross stitch' designs were a particular highlight of the year for me, as they gave me the chance to just hang loose with my designing and create whatever took my fancy, experimenting with different colour variations within the black outlines.<br />
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The year has seen the end of the popular TV drama series Downton Abbey, so what more fitting way of a send off was there than to design a few mini cushions of the characters. Cross Stitch Collection commissioned a Lady Mary design from me to accompany my Mr Carson mini bust, both of which were published in the magazine. I'm looking forward to further exciting magazine commissions in 2016 too.<br />
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This year I've built up my Etsy shop by adding more of my products to it, so there are more avenues for customers to choose from as I have my main website, this Etsy shop and also listings on ebay.<br />
<script src="https://www.etsy.com/assets/js/etsy_mini_shop.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">new Etsy.Mini(6568519,'thumbnail',3,2,0,'https://www.etsy.com');</script><br />
Christmas is always my favourite occasion to create mini cushion designs for and I produce at least one design each year. But this year, I designed three mini cushions plus two hanging decorations - I just couldn't stop myself! As my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC105" target="_blank">Christmas Village</a> design was so popular from the previous year, I revisited the village theme and produced a new scene, titled <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC129" target="_blank">Christmas Eve</a>. Then I found some Christmas berries in a gift shop and they inspired my 2nd design of <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC133" target="_blank">Festive Flowers</a>. <br />
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The latter part of 2015 also saw the launch of the first issue of my '<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/253536504/cross-stitch-consort-issue-1-pdf-chart?ref=shop_home_active_18" target="_blank">Cross Stitch Consort</a>' magazine. It takes the form of an electronic PDF file, containing a mixture of charts for designs that don't really fit my kit collections. In addition to releasing even more mini cushion designs in 2016, I'm also planning to release more of these 'magazines' too as I have quite a selection of random designs to choose from.</div>
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Finally, all that's left for me to say this year is to thank you for your continued support and friendship, and I wish you and your families a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.</div>
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See you in 2016.</div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-14321264431813129602015-06-12T19:36:00.000+01:002015-06-12T19:37:32.460+01:00The Willow Pattern<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I carried out some of my own research into the history behind the blue and white pattern found on pottery/porcelain that was popular in the 18th century and is experiencing a comeback in modern times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The design originated in the far east and I found this wonderful poem which helped inspire my own cross stitch design:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">Two birds flying high,</span></i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">A Chinese vessel, sailing by.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">A bridge with three men, sometimes four,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">A willow tree, hanging o'er.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">A Chinese temple, there it stands,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">Built upon the river sands</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">An apple tree, with apples on,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.6000003814697px;">A crooked fence to end my song.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what struck me most was the story of the legend of the Willow. So, if you're ready, here is that story (hankies at the ready!):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Willow Legend</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once upon a time there was a Mandarin who had a beautiful daughter named Koong-se and they lived in a palace with a beautiful garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Mandarin employed a secretary, named Chang, who fell in love with Koong-se, much to the anger of the Mandarin. Chang was considered to be unworthy of the Mandarin's daughter and was banished from the palace. The Mandarin built a fence around the gardens so that Koong-se and Chang could not meet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Koong-se was soon dismayed to learn that her father had announced she was to be married to a nobel warrior called Ta-jin. She was full of despair when she heard that Ta-jin was arriving, for she did not love Ta-jin. Her love was only for Chang.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chang heard of the engagement and he stole into the palace during a banquet, dressed as a servant and made his way to Koong-se's room. They embraced and vowed to run away together. The couple ran from the palace but as they were crossing the bridge, Koong-se's father saw her at the last minute and gave chase. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The couple escaped and hid in the house of Koong-se's maid, but the Mandarin's spies had followed them. The spies reported to the Mandarin that a man was hiding in the house by the river and the Mandarin ordered his guards to raid the house. During the raid, Chang had jumped into the raging torrent and Koong-se thought her one true love had drowned. But Chang was to return, bringing a boat to the window and he took Koong-se away to safety.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The couple settled on a distant island and over the years Chang became a famous writer. This was to be their undoing however, as the Mandarin heard of Chang's success and sent his guards to kill him. Chang was put to the sword and a heartbroken Koong-se set fire to their house while she remained inside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The gods, touched by their love, felt sorry for their plight and immortalised them as two doves to fly in the sky together forever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So if you want to cross stitch the story of lovers Chang and Koong-se, here is the link to my mini cushion kit: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC118" target="_blank">http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC118</a></span><br />
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SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-81552609749815148782015-06-02T15:37:00.001+01:002015-06-02T15:37:12.207+01:00Colouring-in and Cross StitchMy local bookshops and newsagents seem to be full of colouring-in books aimed at adults. This is the new craze that appears to be growing and providing a therapeutic and creative release for stress. On social media there is a growing number of cross stitchers who are finding the joy of colouring-in for themselves, so this gave me the idea of combining the two hobbies and my new 'Colour-In Cross Stitch' chart packs were born!<br />
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I've created a range of 6" square designs made from black cross-stitched outlines (and some include thinner, backstitched details too), and the aim is for the charts to be coloured-in by the stitcher and then the design can be cross-stitched onto fabric using colours that the stitcher already has in their stash. (Because if any stitcher is like me, they'll have A LOT of threads in their crafting stash!). I really enjoyed designing my stained glass-style designs in the past and working on these is just like that again which makes it a joy to do.<br />
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These chart packs contain 2 designs each and are available from my Etsy shop as digital downloads, or as printed paper versions, here: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SheenaRogersDesigns" target="_blank">https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SheenaRogersDesigns</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiqAJJUBqtNrdWEF4ogOyUB7YFOjxEL4GNaZ5st4oauxBCYbcJkWj-L3clDqWTr5EwNprHQJnqcNt4Z0yg2OtDAJN_0fZ0JIa_6MCGf-ALpRb_ydfhJNk0XVLJzLy3qYDGhtEua4sG2s/s1600/000_Colouring+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiqAJJUBqtNrdWEF4ogOyUB7YFOjxEL4GNaZ5st4oauxBCYbcJkWj-L3clDqWTr5EwNprHQJnqcNt4Z0yg2OtDAJN_0fZ0JIa_6MCGf-ALpRb_ydfhJNk0XVLJzLy3qYDGhtEua4sG2s/s320/000_Colouring+in.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm now planning to design more of these pieces - a project that I might take up is to create enough designs to put forward for collating into a 'colouring cross stitch' book, who knows?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BwvJcPLEc074SpgeDz0qlT90ICUlTjirnJ5XLDPsYqrSNLjrRW6NH2QmvUfBVEe4AfKhvCoqMhYb2L-vwSJGR5V8fODFtj5OHIN6idMpORteUHkmEQ6QCo20tREXcrugX4cZL2q5qnw/s1600/CI003+Colouring+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BwvJcPLEc074SpgeDz0qlT90ICUlTjirnJ5XLDPsYqrSNLjrRW6NH2QmvUfBVEe4AfKhvCoqMhYb2L-vwSJGR5V8fODFtj5OHIN6idMpORteUHkmEQ6QCo20tREXcrugX4cZL2q5qnw/s320/CI003+Colouring+in.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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And in between these black and white designs, I'm still creating mini cushions - working my way through my list of themes. At the moment, I'm designing a mini cushion with an ancient Greece theme. I had always planned to create one like this after I was given a small Greek 'urn' some years ago, and I raided my cupboards to find an old Reader's Digest book all about the country with some great photos included.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt4Narv3ak6J8CZwUk-zyup_RHfn9chriX0i1UUtz92xo95EUlImCA-EFlztPBj_Z3v_UdJHto82yeGkHUaq6MxBvQRDBMS89NugtBSWYNHo9ktj-iuH9HJaHeLsniVbSdrsdkhM_j94/s1600/Greece+2JUN2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt4Narv3ak6J8CZwUk-zyup_RHfn9chriX0i1UUtz92xo95EUlImCA-EFlztPBj_Z3v_UdJHto82yeGkHUaq6MxBvQRDBMS89NugtBSWYNHo9ktj-iuH9HJaHeLsniVbSdrsdkhM_j94/s320/Greece+2JUN2015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although I keep producing these designs, my 'to-do' list doesn't seem to be shrinking! I can't keep up with them as I keep adding more! But at least it keeps things busy and interesting.SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-31544877911381585442015-04-07T15:05:00.000+01:002015-04-07T15:05:47.940+01:00A Touch of History and a Finishing Touch!<div>
<b>A Touch of History</b></div>
When I produced my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC72" target="_blank">Henry VIII</a> and <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC73" target="_blank">Elizabeth I</a> mini cushion designs I knew I wanted to create more based on historical themes and in March, the ideal opportunity arose. For the momentous event of the re-burial of a 15th-century King was going to take place, after Richard III's skeleton was found buried under a car park in Leicester in 2012. A documentary about the 'un-earthing' of the King's remains was shown on TV and I was hooked, following it up with watching the re-interment ceremonies at Leicester cathedral too. With the Plantagenet's family crest and other colours/patterns featured through the ceremony, I had enough ideas to inspire a new mini cushion design. I spotted a special edition magazine in the shops on this very subject, which featured a famous portrait of the King on the cover and as you can see in my finished result here, I've included a mini version in my design too. The kit is available on my website so anyone can now stitch a lasting memento of this amazing event. Click on the link for more details: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC116" target="_blank">Richard III Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXblUbYzSYqVRR05PMTs_pu-iK8S6xl7I9ZCx0_RaUNGHetQFeUJUKCRi1jPQZx8k55qWX05ozDy4vJkOEUJFbWDZlZI1S75VFabrfUd-X1QzF0EjYgH9xy2N1M7QYxG33OoHvwX5QJg/s1600/Richard+III.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXblUbYzSYqVRR05PMTs_pu-iK8S6xl7I9ZCx0_RaUNGHetQFeUJUKCRi1jPQZx8k55qWX05ozDy4vJkOEUJFbWDZlZI1S75VFabrfUd-X1QzF0EjYgH9xy2N1M7QYxG33OoHvwX5QJg/s1600/Richard+III.jpg" height="201" width="400" /></a></div>
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Still residing in roughly the same period as Richard III, but in the different setting of Mexico, comes my new mini cushion design based on the Ancient Aztecs which will be available soon. This one is in the stitching phase and is full of bright colours - a lovely companion piece to my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC95" target="_blank">Day of the Dead</a> design I think.</div>
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<b>What a Hoot!</b></div>
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In the past I had received a few requests to design an Owl-themed mini cushion, so I added it to my 'to-do' list for when the idea took hold. Recently I've noticed many stitchers have been working on Owl designs, either realistic versions or 'patchwork' type designs, which made the Owl subject rise up on my list. I wanted to produce a design which featured realistic versions of Owl rather than the stylised, almost cartoon, versions that I've seen of late so I reached for my Bird encyclopedia and carried out some research online of the different breeds of Owl. </div>
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I thought it would be nice to show different breeds but also different scenarios such as Owls in flight or stationary, and stages of life from the egg to the Owlets to the adults, with a few studies of feathers thrown in for good measure. Hence the title of this mini cushion - A Study of Owls, which is now available as a kit here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC115" target="_blank">A Study of Owls Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfs7nDO78DjdHli_zgo-aHl4H4u_5_BcABdFjddHLRhCi0DEcJ7k8OM7bQwB91lRPQzt4NzcrHI901pN3_uoWoFwE1HDnfsxh8QhVJr6pW6QumDxcGzrFreDl4BYdyYDKedOvOQ3aSO4/s1600/CC115+Study+of+Owls+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfs7nDO78DjdHli_zgo-aHl4H4u_5_BcABdFjddHLRhCi0DEcJ7k8OM7bQwB91lRPQzt4NzcrHI901pN3_uoWoFwE1HDnfsxh8QhVJr6pW6QumDxcGzrFreDl4BYdyYDKedOvOQ3aSO4/s1600/CC115+Study+of+Owls+m.JPG" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
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(The photo above is my second attempt at photographing this mini cushion, since I was photo-bombed by an Owl in the first attempt below!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdOjxzITBKaqCeF9KNNpKboZpj51hoyz0Fo-Uvpl0orMKk_gkuIb3p5tG0c_DHIp5Sxh45_Zigki7LNtmGxXD_r7U6n8EFXNir7PApkcR0LT0rW9QCrkH2WTYREgrlCWrGGYDT7RvcXg/s1600/Photobomb+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdOjxzITBKaqCeF9KNNpKboZpj51hoyz0Fo-Uvpl0orMKk_gkuIb3p5tG0c_DHIp5Sxh45_Zigki7LNtmGxXD_r7U6n8EFXNir7PApkcR0LT0rW9QCrkH2WTYREgrlCWrGGYDT7RvcXg/s1600/Photobomb+m.JPG" height="233" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Finishing Touches</b></div>
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I was recently contacted by a lovely lady from the US who has purchased several of my designs and has shown me her unique ways of finishing her mini cushions. Her name is Judy and I just had to show you her lovely work here. Judy loves to add extra embellishments to the finished mini cushions by attaching little trinkets, such as coins or a pocket watch, and she also chooses backing fabrics that feature designs to match the theme of the mini cushions. </div>
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First, we have the Oh, Canada design with coins attached and Judy has selected a lovely backing fabric to complement this design. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkfhhRXECUTBcvnNphSp11LJPJZOt6SsodbJ-Yrz85tkLaENYuFWGCsv3sjsLErfJNavm9FoDeZPqmztbpLqNIMlEBmHUFgw2-SrBmGVXatT-Qf8aVlnWTYonbcj1EjqgvZXhKUCP5Yg/s1600/Canada1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkfhhRXECUTBcvnNphSp11LJPJZOt6SsodbJ-Yrz85tkLaENYuFWGCsv3sjsLErfJNavm9FoDeZPqmztbpLqNIMlEBmHUFgw2-SrBmGVXatT-Qf8aVlnWTYonbcj1EjqgvZXhKUCP5Yg/s1600/Canada1.jpg" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1QreZDw8vn6rfrBU-IQUqfR3NfIFwcBwK3xcb7m23jINToj1Db1z2IDd9p3J80AOpAAsdsOs3bdegd8wXxgePM3czXK_JXBzAEhlVB73IX_d3oi0DYKB33GiHzcuvGs0SOBoMJlAZ88/s1600/Canada2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1QreZDw8vn6rfrBU-IQUqfR3NfIFwcBwK3xcb7m23jINToj1Db1z2IDd9p3J80AOpAAsdsOs3bdegd8wXxgePM3czXK_JXBzAEhlVB73IX_d3oi0DYKB33GiHzcuvGs0SOBoMJlAZ88/s1600/Canada2.jpg" height="320" width="313" /></a></div>
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Next, we have A Mini Tour of London, and Judy has added a little selection of metal trinkets to this one, including a crown and key. Even thought has gone into the cord loop in the corner, with colours to match the design.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxGA4r1oLbSxhgHLi9_dlhU8uHP_1Ok8NrxV3RXA8xgA1ezUvhM23ID8v8TQCcdmKhwoMz_2wIGG0SXvlS7fSh1Ak2I4it0LDcrpm-zgsJ9gxSr354_8wW-UbUVWvKBNw521Uc08_QP8/s1600/London1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxGA4r1oLbSxhgHLi9_dlhU8uHP_1Ok8NrxV3RXA8xgA1ezUvhM23ID8v8TQCcdmKhwoMz_2wIGG0SXvlS7fSh1Ak2I4it0LDcrpm-zgsJ9gxSr354_8wW-UbUVWvKBNw521Uc08_QP8/s1600/London1.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
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Something else that Judy does to the designs to make them more unique is to stitch the faces in petit point. I love the detailed effect and added texture this brings to the mini cushion. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijA7eYvB5x4tl7kqx4SkOmgnYJkWrEf-IbkRkZE5BjQrAoxnpCVM9SOHwN0vEIKmTkKWGAGWPCTuGv1rtKrBf4u5wsmoG_KVyXgna02G_4PKM3TF3cNnNh2HZB3nUY9xFs9ajlVNzL7Z4/s1600/London2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijA7eYvB5x4tl7kqx4SkOmgnYJkWrEf-IbkRkZE5BjQrAoxnpCVM9SOHwN0vEIKmTkKWGAGWPCTuGv1rtKrBf4u5wsmoG_KVyXgna02G_4PKM3TF3cNnNh2HZB3nUY9xFs9ajlVNzL7Z4/s1600/London2.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIN_Pm0A0GiTHttfYbL1mLpm78Hg6OaiW0Jcw8lBhj6pkVpy929W_rAlHd7xPxHqb3_KfVn0bYAIfesF4NF8kGDfbq5qLz1ET2ddTo961sQwVKZ9OJMJs2IyvselDwc3D2-WxMvkAk0k/s1600/Cowboys2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIN_Pm0A0GiTHttfYbL1mLpm78Hg6OaiW0Jcw8lBhj6pkVpy929W_rAlHd7xPxHqb3_KfVn0bYAIfesF4NF8kGDfbq5qLz1ET2ddTo961sQwVKZ9OJMJs2IyvselDwc3D2-WxMvkAk0k/s1600/Cowboys2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Although I love all of the finishes, I think my favourite has to be the Steampunk design. Those cogs and the pocket watch just set it off a treat. And the inspired backing fabric must make it difficult to choose on which side to display the finished piece! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8eALbvHdp-QRIcPoSBzDlm_IEUGLEo_D64mZB7ajFW9Cm-_zkcc_T58JdBM9jzJ_fqJQpPyWU7N5vUwlSaceo4IQoq5dQ7r2LTnzHVbqmgDFPKQAwfzR1v0iAfl14SvXXlE4Ty6-L68/s1600/Steam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8eALbvHdp-QRIcPoSBzDlm_IEUGLEo_D64mZB7ajFW9Cm-_zkcc_T58JdBM9jzJ_fqJQpPyWU7N5vUwlSaceo4IQoq5dQ7r2LTnzHVbqmgDFPKQAwfzR1v0iAfl14SvXXlE4Ty6-L68/s1600/Steam1.jpg" height="320" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7L1BG-AY7h_lfOWxZ_3XCGRPrE4ddo2Vhx8pQmLSDC70I_YdL6V6N9q99jiOtBx7HJwkNxmip0krtAt73vgkWEgUkb1LbQ0EhW2YpRUofoKtOjT-qDkPDW_CuFarhgDDpfEyCgozW0A/s1600/Steam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7L1BG-AY7h_lfOWxZ_3XCGRPrE4ddo2Vhx8pQmLSDC70I_YdL6V6N9q99jiOtBx7HJwkNxmip0krtAt73vgkWEgUkb1LbQ0EhW2YpRUofoKtOjT-qDkPDW_CuFarhgDDpfEyCgozW0A/s1600/Steam2.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
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I find it a compliment that my designs have inspired Judy to create these unique pieces, which are certain to remain as heirlooms for years to come, and I thank her for agreeing to share these pictures with all of us.</div>
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If you are interested in stitching these designs for yourself, and maybe adding your own embellishments too, they are available as kits via these links:</div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC64" target="_blank">Oh, Canada Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC15" target="_blank">A Mini Tour of London Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC22" target="_blank">Cross Stitch Cowboys Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC63" target="_blank">Steampunk Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-66026599391142904192015-02-25T10:43:00.000+00:002015-02-25T10:43:33.829+00:00A stitch back in timeAt the weekend I discovered an Aladdin's Cave of treasures on the other side of Ramsgate (my hometown), known as the <a href="http://www.petticoatemporium.com/" target="_blank">Petticoat Lane Emporium</a>. It had only been open for a week and there were 170 traders in a 15,000 sq ft building, selling antique and vintage crafts, homewares, clothing or furniture. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdIlKZKz1TkBgEQ1-WRXdEWDXPDLMhzpQDDUvzNdQZZtAhKEg12j2gD-mDmRkhyphenhyphenrUuZBIkoSmSd-XTphegZgaHHWCi9zWcTw_xZi6KakqO36LRidMmD4mML1jSVMl2-di-qauRlfQhfU/s1600/Emporium4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdIlKZKz1TkBgEQ1-WRXdEWDXPDLMhzpQDDUvzNdQZZtAhKEg12j2gD-mDmRkhyphenhyphenrUuZBIkoSmSd-XTphegZgaHHWCi9zWcTw_xZi6KakqO36LRidMmD4mML1jSVMl2-di-qauRlfQhfU/s1600/Emporium4.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
It's open 7 days a week and I spent a couple of hours there wandering the aisles and seeking out little jems of gifts and ideas. Each trader has a small section of the room in which they set up a lovely scene to show off their wares and you can tell each one has put a lot of thought into it. I could just picture several of my mini cushions nestling into each one as I went around as there were styles ranging from the '20s to '80s.<br />
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Here's a taste of how my mind was working as I walked around the Emporium:<br />
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'Oh, look at that rude tapestry! But isn't it gorgeous with all those other bits and pieces though. My <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC111" target="_blank">Sixties Style</a> mini cushion would love to sit next to that tea service in the bottom left of the photo'<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ENRFCtP6oJS1kC4uKRN4T4IwTpKH-cTIlJKZ0sk6b__43irBItclF2hZW2yKJBctKl6eQLjU6VVNi3EShuJLeTHemAdZBlicLV1M8Kirk1MTvmHIw6kwKvxJNHz6jM1lFaDXEa7VclE/s1600/Emporium1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ENRFCtP6oJS1kC4uKRN4T4IwTpKH-cTIlJKZ0sk6b__43irBItclF2hZW2yKJBctKl6eQLjU6VVNi3EShuJLeTHemAdZBlicLV1M8Kirk1MTvmHIw6kwKvxJNHz6jM1lFaDXEa7VclE/s1600/Emporium1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ENRFCtP6oJS1kC4uKRN4T4IwTpKH-cTIlJKZ0sk6b__43irBItclF2hZW2yKJBctKl6eQLjU6VVNi3EShuJLeTHemAdZBlicLV1M8Kirk1MTvmHIw6kwKvxJNHz6jM1lFaDXEa7VclE/s1600/Emporium1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYrbEM-QdZrtPprAJ3OXwfyBMeZWBJj-vCuV3PiXaO2jJZmWgjoqObtCf691yZsfRn0o3CanLMnkIgaH0PW9ow0HUdsxlY6L5rH-h6JZ7jqP6o0atvIO-b-8GRmhafvzYs1AdZ9buEJw/s1600/CC111+60s+Style+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYrbEM-QdZrtPprAJ3OXwfyBMeZWBJj-vCuV3PiXaO2jJZmWgjoqObtCf691yZsfRn0o3CanLMnkIgaH0PW9ow0HUdsxlY6L5rH-h6JZ7jqP6o0atvIO-b-8GRmhafvzYs1AdZ9buEJw/s1600/CC111+60s+Style+m.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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'I know this is a vintage display but with that bodice and solid jewellery I think it has a Steampunky vibe. There are plenty of old watches around and about to add to the theme too. Where's my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC63" target="_blank">Steampunk</a> mini cushion!'</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbjiZYBfT4Bl9Lfl4osnXCQtF6wZ5Y2LDW3yIUTlNns2_SOUGAXFodHXoAdPcM_KsaOQB3zREgJLaorb1shoM3nrBQ1UiFJGGUOb-7TCfEJ_s0a-WTaCdyNhBsXUzK58wE2WYqeq9FRE/s1600/Emporium3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbjiZYBfT4Bl9Lfl4osnXCQtF6wZ5Y2LDW3yIUTlNns2_SOUGAXFodHXoAdPcM_KsaOQB3zREgJLaorb1shoM3nrBQ1UiFJGGUOb-7TCfEJ_s0a-WTaCdyNhBsXUzK58wE2WYqeq9FRE/s1600/Emporium3.jpg" height="320" width="190" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fcMtwntWAklYs8AxxvIu_8MihFHalHMKbaqSWycpUY-giaxXCM45AZT9z60baRXP1LcEH3mDX1CUXT_0QwNo2RVY8-1m45fEaZU8LoL2HewbdzjWzaJZP6rEa3UihYStKYO85l-Hr80/s1600/CC63+Steampunk+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fcMtwntWAklYs8AxxvIu_8MihFHalHMKbaqSWycpUY-giaxXCM45AZT9z60baRXP1LcEH3mDX1CUXT_0QwNo2RVY8-1m45fEaZU8LoL2HewbdzjWzaJZP6rEa3UihYStKYO85l-Hr80/s1600/CC63+Steampunk+m.JPG" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
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'Now, this trader has items that I guess we shouldn't really like, but they are just drawing me in. I'm talking of stuffed animals. OK, I know it isn't 'right' and they were 'made' decades ago, but these are just so fascinating to look at. I'm tempted by a stuffed rook, and although I'm telling myself he died of old age, I can't bring myself to buy it! There are trays of pinned butterflies too. So wrong nowadays, and yet so beautiful. It was trays like these in a museum that inspired by <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC80" target="_blank">Butterfly Study</a> mini cushion.' </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGJ3RkLEglCTxcKHGpzscbOK6OCyNYFPQLnPNLdm2idFO1yvaJHOjjC4682n3wFEDaPjfb-1TAdNWwL26ceNWdgK9WxLQti_DmtWyeTpbvOIXtQDNcNUhMk18CGEwVSaL_3VIhfRIYms/s1600/Emporium2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGJ3RkLEglCTxcKHGpzscbOK6OCyNYFPQLnPNLdm2idFO1yvaJHOjjC4682n3wFEDaPjfb-1TAdNWwL26ceNWdgK9WxLQti_DmtWyeTpbvOIXtQDNcNUhMk18CGEwVSaL_3VIhfRIYms/s1600/Emporium2.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XtITFUs8bbJVEYaZhEMpKFO-ENLfd5Y_LJRYVUDpf1XVN3BlyAMGcObMOF1B7EG9CqTLu94RneZwb74GrmZwHLpfyzQQKCWaZ-Hukw0A9tYK7HRYP1LD9eAK9nzorekdVLVviLgjGUM/s1600/CC80+Butterfly+Study+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XtITFUs8bbJVEYaZhEMpKFO-ENLfd5Y_LJRYVUDpf1XVN3BlyAMGcObMOF1B7EG9CqTLu94RneZwb74GrmZwHLpfyzQQKCWaZ-Hukw0A9tYK7HRYP1LD9eAK9nzorekdVLVviLgjGUM/s1600/CC80+Butterfly+Study+m.JPG" height="290" width="320" /></a></div>
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'Champagne? Suitcases? And that hat. Travelling first class are we? But with those blue slat tables I can't help thinking of a vintage family setting off on their journey by train to the beach, with steam floating all around. Just right for my '<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC82" target="_blank">Beside the Seaside</a>' mini cushion kit I think. And there was a trader with some model sailing boats on their stall somewhere around here to pick up as a souvenir of the holiday too.'</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpRT6eGnB_aOl0oWtgmUOaLXyO6pbkHa4A7eTJC3Uz9n4wpcACHuI5S92OsexgM1vs60-TFYnHCIS7M8moVcGoBrMz147LWsGkl56ZgExArPs-dY71qXO-5oUn4dJJQriYZ1nVflJv0M/s1600/Emporium6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpRT6eGnB_aOl0oWtgmUOaLXyO6pbkHa4A7eTJC3Uz9n4wpcACHuI5S92OsexgM1vs60-TFYnHCIS7M8moVcGoBrMz147LWsGkl56ZgExArPs-dY71qXO-5oUn4dJJQriYZ1nVflJv0M/s1600/Emporium6.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsQnf8lTiZlnI7mCZstTGo8T4OSB3nDwPuB-sLmNL24lyiAbyh7yDaLH9P76T6g2sqOLERn9xpexNs7OgWzPQjy2lp5YcC3xKOpIvzVdHyTgB25dZbPr_PbWyW5EneZpNT1IrvJc3DTs/s1600/Beside+the+Seaside+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsQnf8lTiZlnI7mCZstTGo8T4OSB3nDwPuB-sLmNL24lyiAbyh7yDaLH9P76T6g2sqOLERn9xpexNs7OgWzPQjy2lp5YcC3xKOpIvzVdHyTgB25dZbPr_PbWyW5EneZpNT1IrvJc3DTs/s1600/Beside+the+Seaside+m.JPG" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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'So much to look at. There's a tea room upstairs, so I'm on the last of the aisles now and then it's time for tea and cake. But look at this sweet stall first. I can just picture a vintage-style Wedding with bridesmaids wearing these pretty little dresses and the tables adorned with favours and those coloured bottles filled with posies of flowers. And then to have stitched my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC91" target="_blank">Wedding mini cushion kit</a> to have as a ring pillow for the ceremony. How romantic.'</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ThYERMuORgkTHUN6bkOhwkw9bioF_pne1TJJR8cIUAAb19rpwebcbA7gKO5VgUGBkL4IAuxetJuSSlj1YvgYFFY3tUSRWfDfyyK_Y0LXTHH47yHDWADP5FlZl_yrKwVQxw1XIXOlPH8/s1600/Emporium5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ThYERMuORgkTHUN6bkOhwkw9bioF_pne1TJJR8cIUAAb19rpwebcbA7gKO5VgUGBkL4IAuxetJuSSlj1YvgYFFY3tUSRWfDfyyK_Y0LXTHH47yHDWADP5FlZl_yrKwVQxw1XIXOlPH8/s1600/Emporium5.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC91" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8YT7fQdvvQTBMf3trPXElKK4cGt7JqoTVNZIvgv3EIQGsr46TqHwwx2g9wcVBSSTnSExHWrmQ6U6lbcEopwLCv3dc8jPJdfKm0WkfTV89pZvAvrJIsNjyxjmXtZj7IbHIVyQ9EOlQSQ/s1600/CC91+Wedding+m.JPG" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
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Well, that was a quick snapshot of my visit to the Petticoat Lane Emporium and I'm sure there'll be many more visits to come. I've picked up lots of ideas for new mini cushion designs and I'll probably have to venture back there to pick up some bits and pieces to act as props in the photos of my finished mini cushions. If you want to step back in time, pay the Emporium a visit. There'll be things to trigger memories and things to tempt you into buying them - you know you want to!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWTQ9D4ZHPEcf9yMvAB_G6K88EhMLPcrt_ajxnpWKGUTPMlhREbea2q9A9mNTJ3eOO85Th9_QpIUuBw8TFfVtQMqJEsqL5VXA8emi3BmTrJ3aGfsW6xY3pdCxzWLa9oSgPPOMm6RPP_k/s1600/Emporium7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWTQ9D4ZHPEcf9yMvAB_G6K88EhMLPcrt_ajxnpWKGUTPMlhREbea2q9A9mNTJ3eOO85Th9_QpIUuBw8TFfVtQMqJEsqL5VXA8emi3BmTrJ3aGfsW6xY3pdCxzWLa9oSgPPOMm6RPP_k/s1600/Emporium7.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back at home, I'm multi-tasking again! Now that I've completed the last of my Flowers of the Month pincushions for Cross Stitch Collection magazine I'm putting all my efforts into creating mini cushions based on themes that have been sitting on my to-do list for some time. 'Touring the Netherlands' was one of those that had been requested by many people over the past couple of years so I finally produced it and combined the traditional with the modern. The mini cushion kit is available here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC112" target="_blank">Touring The Netherlands Cross Stitch Kit</a>. (The little clogs in the photo were actually picked up on my trip to France many years ago! Not quite a souvenir of France but they've come in handy none-the-less!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz1UmdApTPtEy9dDd7h7k83uEae0flbh72C7640JDGO_wyjRi8GEAltQtDCws8yivAtGM-v7qzBF4OPlnbE0hTgN22FEvcodJ-BK-1iqZR7_JTv5Xg3AZg2IfX1luIYEwmDS_ovq5RQg/s1600/CC112+Touring+The+Netherlands+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz1UmdApTPtEy9dDd7h7k83uEae0flbh72C7640JDGO_wyjRi8GEAltQtDCws8yivAtGM-v7qzBF4OPlnbE0hTgN22FEvcodJ-BK-1iqZR7_JTv5Xg3AZg2IfX1luIYEwmDS_ovq5RQg/s1600/CC112+Touring+The+Netherlands+m.JPG" height="310" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have two mini cushion designs in the stitching phase. One is a '70s style design and the other is.....a secret for now! I've finished designing an Owl themed mini cushion (again, this one has been requested several times), and also an Easter hanging decoration. I have an Aztec-themed mini cushion waiting to be stitched too. I'd better get on with it all now so I shall sign off until next time.</div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-61203781311448780202015-01-19T11:53:00.001+00:002015-01-19T11:53:20.887+00:00Love is in the air....Before Christmas I had designed 5 new mini cushions and needed to decide which I would start stitching first. I chose the one that is made up of a riot of colour and started stitching it through the Christmas/New Year break. Then I suddenly realised Valentine's Day would be approaching in a couple of months and I hadn't designed a lovey-dovey mini cushion for it, so I've had to put my stitching to one side! Each year I aim to design a new mini cushion for the events/special dates of the year such as Easter, Valentine's, Mother's and Father's days etc, and a design usually comes to mind just before the events so I end up having to stop everything to work on that new design!<div>
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<b>Swan Lake</b></div>
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This year, for Valentine's Day I've chosen a pair of Swans to be the theme of my design, because I like the way they form a heart shape when bowing their heads together. I filled this design with heart motifs and surrounded it with a frame of fiery orange and gold colours. As my 'Love Never Dies' design has been one of my most popular with customers, I wanted to see if I could add a little 'goth' touch to this new design but using smokey greys and browns. I tried to do this on the outside border and gave it an almost 'tattoo' feel, which I'm really pleased with. And I really enjoyed stitching that part because it was like working on a colouring book - I stitched the darker outlines of the petals and leaves first then filled them in with the colours. Here is the finished mini cushion which I've called 'Swan Lake' and it is my first cross stitch kit of 2015, availabe here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK26" target="_blank">Swan Lake Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKgFtqhRWwx3p4c1KWBlGebEhxp_Yp3mEI3AZIH4627h9ztx7A0vccJTvifXvSRaiNvIKl6-L1eP6s0lQfTgeLAOe0WDOEefJLD8BM8Z0E_m2Tdo4SGa3DEcp7SZgabOr3WFo1EU5ksw/s1600/OK26+Swan+Lake+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKgFtqhRWwx3p4c1KWBlGebEhxp_Yp3mEI3AZIH4627h9ztx7A0vccJTvifXvSRaiNvIKl6-L1eP6s0lQfTgeLAOe0WDOEefJLD8BM8Z0E_m2Tdo4SGa3DEcp7SZgabOr3WFo1EU5ksw/s1600/OK26+Swan+Lake+m.JPG" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Sweet Squirrels</b></div>
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I've produced a few designs lately which take on the same theme of a central 'picture' surrounded by a patterned frame, and Sweet Squirrels is one of those. I had actually stitched the frame design almost 20 years ago but then put it away as I just couldn't figure what design should feature in the centre. Re-visiting this piece of stitching helped the idea form. I thought of the frame pattern and colours as appearing like Autumnal leaves from an oak tree, and then the idea of Squirrels just seemed to fit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXom-pSe9olCz5fWL_4KwmAp88Q9H8aG25TJ-U-CYU6lIiuFNvN7ytDLge8EW4TXai9MvtM4r1PMeOof_xa7ucYvx0NogMjTpR3j4b3pWKDJDD66LZrFP4mUMu-ilutsmMgr4q1eA5Huk/s1600/OK25+Sweet+Squirrels+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXom-pSe9olCz5fWL_4KwmAp88Q9H8aG25TJ-U-CYU6lIiuFNvN7ytDLge8EW4TXai9MvtM4r1PMeOof_xa7ucYvx0NogMjTpR3j4b3pWKDJDD66LZrFP4mUMu-ilutsmMgr4q1eA5Huk/s1600/OK25+Sweet+Squirrels+m.JPG" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know red and grey squirrels are supposedly enemies in the real world but I wanted to have both appearing in the design and somehow, the two squirrels appear to be playing 'rock, paper, scissors' to see which will win the acorn! To stitch your own Squirrels, the kit is available here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK25" target="_blank">Sweet Squirrels Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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I've enjoyed designing these 'picture and frame' mini cushions so there may be a few more appearing this year - I know I have an idea forming for a Camel design.</div>
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<b>Cross Stitch Collection Pincushions</b></div>
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My series of 'Flowers of the Month' pincushion designs continues in Cross Stitch Collection magazine, with the February design being the latest. Filled with Spring colours, the matching mini cushion kit is also available on my website.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mjhJZVoxQaIOEK1Ma8jMGUy5n1kqDGBGx-sRNULMLGj7wSVCl_Dyu6tNINMUGpemD-SMs86YI5K5yOR8C4LSQ1HnIWib5r9b0LngN0WTWuKQudTXWMRHIn0aGTdgibslyJbFw3Xuum4/s1600/February+set+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mjhJZVoxQaIOEK1Ma8jMGUy5n1kqDGBGx-sRNULMLGj7wSVCl_Dyu6tNINMUGpemD-SMs86YI5K5yOR8C4LSQ1HnIWib5r9b0LngN0WTWuKQudTXWMRHIn0aGTdgibslyJbFw3Xuum4/s1600/February+set+m.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
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SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-22756141117496300722014-12-02T13:54:00.003+00:002014-12-02T13:54:55.688+00:00Inspired by Van GoghMy latest mini cushion design has been the most challenging one to produce to date! I set myself the task of re-creating miniature versions of some of Vincent van Gogh's most famous paintings into my 6" square template. I had been floating this idea around in my head for some time and kept thinking it would be an impossible task, but I finally sat down and started working on each 'mini painting' at a time and I really enjoyed studying each of Van Gogh's paintings and selecting which sections I wanted to use in my design. I first chose the thread colours to closely match the palette that Van Gogh used, then it was a case of trying to get as much detail into each section while still keeping the image recognisable and I didn't want to get into using fractional stitches so the whole design is stitched with cross stitches plus a little backstitch to help give definition to some areas.<br />
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So, here is the finished mini cushion, and it is now available as a kit which includes everything you need to make it (excluding cushion filler, but that is available separately on my website if needed). The link to the kit on my website is here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC109" target="_blank">Van Gogh Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMARWrFvtALhEssLf9yFsWFYkFUCo3X_6t2KZpJRC8AVJLgvEVnYcCTRpGPYqf7tTTI7FXh7qn0mcwPwOSPML4ZUf246_7Wra3RjfTBD0yqNFpHqHUTv_-ynuAbGUjsUkdoIlAjcnX6Q/s1600/CC109+Van+Gogh+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMARWrFvtALhEssLf9yFsWFYkFUCo3X_6t2KZpJRC8AVJLgvEVnYcCTRpGPYqf7tTTI7FXh7qn0mcwPwOSPML4ZUf246_7Wra3RjfTBD0yqNFpHqHUTv_-ynuAbGUjsUkdoIlAjcnX6Q/s1600/CC109+Van+Gogh+m.JPG" height="301" width="320" /></a></div>
And I thought I would put together this picture to show which paintings I took as my inspiration (just in case they were not truly recognisable!):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGR2Y0l4TY0Cx4m-qXOHBBcyECjKOeX8pVhEBAnAlMudFIlNBOw4wvhfDc7hCsEveIYPhzFMaB37bntM0iObeJa89PPzpkYXpWWijME8N3ndujRu-DYL_T8yWq5ivEKP4U_E1gr0-f5Q/s1600/Van+Gogh+inspiration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGR2Y0l4TY0Cx4m-qXOHBBcyECjKOeX8pVhEBAnAlMudFIlNBOw4wvhfDc7hCsEveIYPhzFMaB37bntM0iObeJa89PPzpkYXpWWijME8N3ndujRu-DYL_T8yWq5ivEKP4U_E1gr0-f5Q/s1600/Van+Gogh+inspiration.jpg" height="350" width="400" /></a></div>
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I now have plans for more 'inspired by' designs for the new year, perhaps taking Da Vinci, Monet, Cezanne and Picasso as the inspiration, so I shall have to get studying the paintings!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-15218910947515634192014-11-03T14:34:00.000+00:002014-11-03T14:34:22.691+00:00New for November<b>Flowers of the Month</b><br />
My second pincushion in this series of 12 designs was published in the November issue (242) of Cross Stitch Collection magazine in October and this time the photograph of the finished pincushion is full of vibrant shades of pink. The magazine takes the photos of these pincushions so it comes as a surprise when I see the final photo! I can't wait to see how the December one looks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW5GAT1LVhxpeCunfxeFqzo5GSbm2v5DLgteXmqXD7bBT0qkaHPOL4t53M7bY_BkQbX93AzqvfqNi81uIORjeRUVs35IUHrPftq6U_kYQ0BWtJ5UR6G81nUk-LoxhotueuOfjG-FxQao/s1600/AA+Nov+pincushion+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW5GAT1LVhxpeCunfxeFqzo5GSbm2v5DLgteXmqXD7bBT0qkaHPOL4t53M7bY_BkQbX93AzqvfqNi81uIORjeRUVs35IUHrPftq6U_kYQ0BWtJ5UR6G81nUk-LoxhotueuOfjG-FxQao/s1600/AA+Nov+pincushion+sm.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>In the Conservatory</b></div>
This latest mini cushion was sketched out a few years ago, but I never got round to actually stitching it. So I picked up my needle and finally completed this one, and I'm glad I did as I loved stitching it, especially the backstitching on the flower heads. I think it was the thought of all that backstitching that was putting me off completing this one but once I got started I was a little sad when I finished it all! I was also pleased with the finished effect of the colours I'd chosen, giving this <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC107" target="_blank">In the Conservatory</a> mini cushion a vintage feel of the 1940s. I could just imagine these patterns appearing on curtains and wallpapers of that time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCu7SzYNXc3FrWRhzmORAOwCTyjWtH64xw29L4uk9vrAt6cyAMgNE5HlMA02Ct1XKVHQPkBh6lt_q29zzT2ncCfkWlRPfIQscGEfdc0PaxEFCT8yuwK4J28DuaZMHGcRVT5my6c-yul4/s1600/CC107+In+the+Conservatory+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCu7SzYNXc3FrWRhzmORAOwCTyjWtH64xw29L4uk9vrAt6cyAMgNE5HlMA02Ct1XKVHQPkBh6lt_q29zzT2ncCfkWlRPfIQscGEfdc0PaxEFCT8yuwK4J28DuaZMHGcRVT5my6c-yul4/s1600/CC107+In+the+Conservatory+m.JPG" height="288" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Ladybirds & Bugs</b><br />
I remember when I was at Primary school there used to be a mountain of Ladybird books in the classroom and library and recently in a magazine there was a snippet about it being the 100th anniversary of these great books next year. Now, I had already designed a kit featuring Ladybirds, which was my pincushion kit, and this has proved very popular on my website so I thought I would create a mini cushion with the Ladybirds appearing in a bit more detail. Once it was complete, I couldn't resist digging out my own little collection of Ladybird books that I can't bear to part with and set them up on my bookshelf with the mini cushion nestled in between. I think <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC106" target="_blank">Ladybirds & Bugs</a> looks right at home.<br />
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<b>Crystal Skull</b><br />
In my stash of craft materials I had lots of bags of seed beads, accumulated over several years from one place or another and so I set myself a task to design a mini cushion that would incorporate these seed beads in a major way. As my Day of the Dead mini cushion has been proving very popular I decided to build on the skull design and create my own version of a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK23" target="_blank">Crystal Skull</a>. I used the crystal-type seed beads and surrounded them with smoky greys and a gothic style blood-red border, and the sunlight really catches these beads and makes them sparkle.<br />
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<b>A Christmas Village</b><br />
The last mini cushion featured in this post has to be a Christmas-themed one considering we are only 7½ weeks away for the great day! I always love to produce a new mini cushion for Christmas and each year it becomes more of a challenge to create a design which is different from previous years. This year however, I was given a bit of a prompt because at the start of the year I bought a set of little Christmas trees in the sales, and I told myself I would use them as props in the photo of my next Christmas mini cushion. So what else could I take as my theme but a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC105" target="_blank">Christmas Village</a> covered in a layer of snow with trees and snowmen in the gardens, all 'gift-wrapped' in the wrapping-paper style patterns around the edge of the design. And as you can see in this photo, my sale-bought trees make their appearance to complete the scene, with some added artificial snow sprinkled all around!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUkqUgXmrqM1Y2fQhLBnYy5zAxsn3UxmuZNbUSdULKZlnCKsiq0OUhagbGdARpmWrKOfmjDFtgVNneLtEbo9Y6T9GiqKBZZvoff3yt_s-R3ujYChW8wRFms6QPPemevti7-TvcJTAwwc/s1600/CC105+Christmas+Village+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUkqUgXmrqM1Y2fQhLBnYy5zAxsn3UxmuZNbUSdULKZlnCKsiq0OUhagbGdARpmWrKOfmjDFtgVNneLtEbo9Y6T9GiqKBZZvoff3yt_s-R3ujYChW8wRFms6QPPemevti7-TvcJTAwwc/s1600/CC105+Christmas+Village+m.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Christmas Robin</b><br />
As I enjoyed stitching the wrapping-paper style pattern of the Christmas design, I created an additional piece for hanging on the tree, featuring a little red-breasted <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/X08" target="_blank">Christmas Robin</a>. With adding the 'Merry Christmas' wording at the bottom of the design I thought this would also make a lovely card for someone, by mounting the stitching onto a blank card.<br />
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<b>And next....</b><br />
My notebook is bursting with ideas for new mini cushions as lots of designs have been running around my head lately so I think 2015 is going to bring with it a lot more flowers, vintage 50s/60s/70s style and historical characters just for the beginnings! And in the meantime, don't forget to pick up the next issue of Cross Stitch Collection for my third pincushion design.SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-76764184325362366962014-09-25T11:39:00.001+01:002014-09-25T11:39:43.461+01:00All things Gardening plus an Alien or two!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Flowers
of the Month</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">So
finally my 'secret project' has been revealed with issue 241 of Cross Stitch
Collection magazine. This issue features the first pincushion in a series of
12, with one being published each month. These pincushion designs match
the mini cushion designs from my 'Flowers of the Month' kit collection. I was
so chuffed to finally see the pincushion in print and I can't wait to see the
rest, as the magazine was responsible for taking the photos of each pincushion
and I just love the way they set this first one up.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NAI3RX5hFjIJdJOCJ0HsajQWX-nVo9b7FeEOOeO0QxXbVhpqWm8NImlD6dWA6NtumLB1e_NaOtNdoTVthEkIUYoxIlQXsOH7S3iXxB8oOiOr5mRpeLIJeVWaA0yyAzK1_elu9SQ81cQ/s1600/AA+Mag+Pincushion+Photo+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NAI3RX5hFjIJdJOCJ0HsajQWX-nVo9b7FeEOOeO0QxXbVhpqWm8NImlD6dWA6NtumLB1e_NaOtNdoTVthEkIUYoxIlQXsOH7S3iXxB8oOiOr5mRpeLIJeVWaA0yyAzK1_elu9SQ81cQ/s1600/AA+Mag+Pincushion+Photo+m.jpg" height="320" width="309" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Gardener</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Whilst
on the topic of flowers, this month saw the release of my mini cushion kit titled '<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC102" target="_blank">The Gardener</a>' featuring all things related to gardening.
When I design these mini cushions based on a theme I like to make a list
of all the things I can think of related to that theme. So for this mini cushion I included the tools
of the trade, a hanging basket, a wheel-barrow full of flowers, a garden gnome
and a colourful scarecrow (the idea for the scarecrow came from the little ones
that I’ve often seen stuck in the ground at the country fairs I go to, and I’ve
always wondered if they actually do work at scaring the birds away). Of course, gardening is not just about pretty
flowers so I wanted to include little vegetable patches around the edges of the
design too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZY9ej0UNCeZf2YqGiFj9CdWWcf3BtGv2ukEbMOSSlmjl3o4gMxvEaHMdQcCxKIf1wp4GlfLEBuGuvZtZqk12iEb_T_y7McFssO0fMVWOVz-4AO4oCXC3yiV0wTHMD7GcXE5G1eT7Cxo/s1600/CC102+The+Gardener+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZY9ej0UNCeZf2YqGiFj9CdWWcf3BtGv2ukEbMOSSlmjl3o4gMxvEaHMdQcCxKIf1wp4GlfLEBuGuvZtZqk12iEb_T_y7McFssO0fMVWOVz-4AO4oCXC3yiV0wTHMD7GcXE5G1eT7Cxo/s1600/CC102+The+Gardener+m.JPG" height="296" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Kaleidoscope</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve
managed to hook my mum into cross stitching now and she worked on stitching the
model of my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC103" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope</a> design. To be
honest, this design was created by my playing around with colours and patterns
and it was mum that came up with the title for the design. Now when I look at it that’s all I can
imagine – peering through a Kaleidoscope full of those coloured beads and bits
of glass. I’d like to say that was my
intention all along with this design, but I can’t! Mum enjoyed stitching it though so that’s
what matters.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNlu_YWjq-u5kc5a6tZWXQuWLb5AFR5IxkpyMeHSnEU1Fd6nlkGm2_xjepsdAM5E3RGsyXldPqPQmnf6bZBqDSt5Xmkn53wUHxIPxiLt4tX7nTnBQ0L-8biCoPuFOPElBWs6tR8dkG2I/s1600/CC103+Kaleidoscope+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNlu_YWjq-u5kc5a6tZWXQuWLb5AFR5IxkpyMeHSnEU1Fd6nlkGm2_xjepsdAM5E3RGsyXldPqPQmnf6bZBqDSt5Xmkn53wUHxIPxiLt4tX7nTnBQ0L-8biCoPuFOPElBWs6tR8dkG2I/s1600/CC103+Kaleidoscope+m.JPG" height="281" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Aliens
& UFOs</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After
the success of my, shall we say, more ‘obscure’ or ‘ghoulish’ designs of Zombie
Invasion and Day of the Dead I wanted to come up with another design along
these lines. I wouldn’t say aliens fit
into either category but they are different from the usual flowery designs I
create! Plus, this latest design was inevitable for me really – my dad and
brothers are into this stuff in a fairly big way. I sat down and made my list of all things
<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC104" target="_blank">Alien and UFO</a> related and once I’d got that list it took me a long time to
think how I would convert them into cross stitch! I didn’t want the design to be of
scary-looking aliens nor did I want it looking too childish so I hope I’ve
struck the right balance. (Well, I haven’t been carted off by the men in black
yet so I think I’ve done OK!).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0FNyvYQj9TkWzgdOVzLknQeQXSgQRd1mXTeYKIhRD8-MMf1shQH9BdcwmNl9NxSdd2FEHlDiJOu16Ffido6J602SA5bwdiwQGsJAgnQ4LSLnxC3LJMBNBi5JNPehPxCPQVu3wXIkK_c/s1600/CC104+Aliens+&+UFOs+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0FNyvYQj9TkWzgdOVzLknQeQXSgQRd1mXTeYKIhRD8-MMf1shQH9BdcwmNl9NxSdd2FEHlDiJOu16Ffido6J602SA5bwdiwQGsJAgnQ4LSLnxC3LJMBNBi5JNPehPxCPQVu3wXIkK_c/s1600/CC104+Aliens+&+UFOs+m.JPG" height="292" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>FREE
Gingerbread</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Well,
sort of! With the ‘C’ word coming ever
closer (yes, Christmas), I’ve been thinking of a design to offer as a free gift
with special orders from my website. Several months ago I was given a large
bolt of cream-coloured aida fabric by a very kind lady and since then I’ve been
trying to think of ideas for what uses I could put it to. So, I’ve combined both thoughts and produced
a little gingerbread man tree decoration, using buttons and bows that I have
ample supplies of in my ‘bits and pieces’ store too. Although it uses Christmas colours, there isn’t
anything related to Christmas in the design as such so it could also be hung in
the kitchen all year round. The photo
layout for my Marigold pincushion at the top of this post made me want to try
something creative like this for my Gingerbread man so I gathered some pieces
of fabric, skeins of thread and spare buttons and made this little setting.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwWzbaX6m-AvhOY0rEb49zUyyfUMDLlAzt0g67ZPDiXouVtDbdiL5sqFX6K97nHIcLkIUrC2-rNHWve1uPOhDBzldcbR_u-Gq3ULOVg8Wwsxvnjy4AmSTQe31R_2aLVjGZJMlJyJ2fKg/s1600/Gingerbread+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwWzbaX6m-AvhOY0rEb49zUyyfUMDLlAzt0g67ZPDiXouVtDbdiL5sqFX6K97nHIcLkIUrC2-rNHWve1uPOhDBzldcbR_u-Gq3ULOVg8Wwsxvnjy4AmSTQe31R_2aLVjGZJMlJyJ2fKg/s1600/Gingerbread+m.JPG" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If
you want to get your hands on one of these kits to make your own gingerbread
man, you can by placing an order of £35 or more from my website through to the
end of November 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll most likely be cranking things up for Christmas in my next post so until then....keep
stitching.</span></span></div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-88272369143750456962014-08-25T10:23:00.002+01:002014-08-25T10:27:41.118+01:00Zombie eyeballs and Clarice Cliff!!I guess you couldn't get two more different themes than scary Zombies and classy Clarice Cliff so you can probably imagine the fun I've had working with these two ideas! You can read about those further down, but first....<br />
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<b>New designs on the way....</b></div>
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The design I'm currently working on is titled 'The Gardener' and I'm halfway through stitching it now, but here is a little teaser photo showing the not-so-scary scarecrow! My original idea was for it to be based on a vegetable patch or allotment as these are 'growing' in popularity lately but I thought it may appeal to more people if it featured all things gardeny! So as well as featuring patches of carrots, beetroot and turnips growing in the ground it also includes a garden gnome, watering can and flowering hanging basket and barrow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0h8LmdHHgWZQ143ziFDTmGCYonlFpMZTHt4SEqr9f3yj0yuuMxZQahpJpMfbkIGTRZqEoqCdWtVJDamR_-yhZO0vGnqXQ0B0pvXOaBkcAtGY4TO9LZkg5ziPIWMUxZrduSxJYhIW0eA/s1600/Gardener+19AUG2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0h8LmdHHgWZQ143ziFDTmGCYonlFpMZTHt4SEqr9f3yj0yuuMxZQahpJpMfbkIGTRZqEoqCdWtVJDamR_-yhZO0vGnqXQ0B0pvXOaBkcAtGY4TO9LZkg5ziPIWMUxZrduSxJYhIW0eA/s1600/Gardener+19AUG2014.JPG" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also have a new abstract design in the making which is based along the lines of my Arabian Night design, featuring feathery, flowery petal shapes and a green and pink palette this time.</div>
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And one more thing I'm working on is.............a new idea for a book. And I'm going to leave it there for now! So, on with the Zombies...</div>
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<b>Zombie Invasion</b><br />
I always like to create a new design for Halloween each year and as I had already covered the usual ideas of witches, pumpkins, haunted house and ghosts I wanted to choose something different. And it was Zombies! For some reason the idea of bloodshot eyeballs kept springing into my mind (probably says a lot about the state of my mind!) and while thinking about what would be considered scary and ghoulish for Halloween I decided on the Zombie theme. It was great fun creating these zombies. I just designed the faces as if they were 'normal' then started changing the colours to greys and greens and adding some blood for good measure. On my shelf there is a large cone of shocking pink stranded cotton and I've been trying to use it in a design but never found the right place to use it, but this design was just right - everything else is 'shocking' in the design so the pink fits right in! The eyeballs just topped off the design for me - but I must say that stitching the design was not such a pleasant experience as I had those eyeballs and Zombie faces staring at me all the time! So, here is the completed design, available as a kit here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC100" target="_blank">Zombie Invasion Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCg9kQoxlFdBSj0xej0kWZWeKkq4sD7Wvoiqz_ljTNRnHe0J0mw9lePxRxSf6MrTVo6baGSElEbT-PH7MogA9jaTSnE0_vhoczsJr4hpXCbh_auazQceSScRAqNGSZhaJ4cP703MNQys/s1600/CC100+Zombie+Invasion+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCg9kQoxlFdBSj0xej0kWZWeKkq4sD7Wvoiqz_ljTNRnHe0J0mw9lePxRxSf6MrTVo6baGSElEbT-PH7MogA9jaTSnE0_vhoczsJr4hpXCbh_auazQceSScRAqNGSZhaJ4cP703MNQys/s1600/CC100+Zombie+Invasion+m.JPG" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Clarice Cliff</b></div>
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This mini cushion design was inspired by the most prolific and important English Art Deco ceramic artists of the Twentieth Century and I thought of designing this one after watching a few episodes of 'Flog it' on TV which kept featuring pieces of hers that people wanted to have valued and sell at auction. I looked through some antique price guide books for photos of Clarice's works and looked at the Clarice Cliff collectors club website and found a wide range of designs. My favourite pieces were the ones featuring the little cottages and also the almost psychedelic trees. So I tried to use the same colour palettes found on the pieces and combined some of the pattern ideas into this mini cushion, with my own little cottage scenes. I titled the design 'Art Deco Daydream' and the kit is available here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC101" target="_blank">Art Deco Daydream/Clarice Cliff Mini Cushion Kit</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlf_mDhZuIqINXxkW0XSkjInFvddEODionAwU0ENpNHUQfb1pQKU11AvVjZOxiV_60IfaVh14McyPchX68Ly5frxDZFlH3gYU3K18Q2hhWYzNzsD7eDWVCMQQj_ZepdP3bJQGvLeci6U/s1600/CC101+Art+Deco+Daydream+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlf_mDhZuIqINXxkW0XSkjInFvddEODionAwU0ENpNHUQfb1pQKU11AvVjZOxiV_60IfaVh14McyPchX68Ly5frxDZFlH3gYU3K18Q2hhWYzNzsD7eDWVCMQQj_ZepdP3bJQGvLeci6U/s1600/CC101+Art+Deco+Daydream+m.JPG" height="294" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Scottie Dogs & a Dachshund</b></div>
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Around 20 years ago, one of my earlier designing projects featured patterned frames which I had planned to make up into photo frames but never got around to it. Going through my stash of these previously designed pieces I found a tartan frame and a green swirly one, all stitched up but not made up into anything. And then the idea came to me to design a picture that I could stitch inside the frame and as i had previously produced a set of kitten pictures I thought it would be nice to design some canine pieces. With the tartan design the obvious had to be Scottie Dogs! As I like to give my designs a name of its own I put out a request on Facebook for anyone who may have such dogs if they wanted the design dedicated to their poochie. One friend posted a photo of her little cutie and his name was Bailey. He's a white Scottie and I designed my Scottie to try to match him. I designed a black Scottie to sit opposite him and named her Bonnie. And here is the result: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK21" target="_blank">Bonnie & Bailey Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWd8EWue1vzm3DgsPZT9AdWvYZc2hcDKowksZABmTSYrpKzjTq2Akqd8s2oaQk-XA3BUg5MIBJSeOzOJP4RpXXkba3mt6dEWgUnHVnNpG4KZ7RjArIhrVxq8NY7dp-s1RtwfTa42S-AQ/s1600/OK21+Scottie+Dogs+Bonnie+&+Bailey+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWd8EWue1vzm3DgsPZT9AdWvYZc2hcDKowksZABmTSYrpKzjTq2Akqd8s2oaQk-XA3BUg5MIBJSeOzOJP4RpXXkba3mt6dEWgUnHVnNpG4KZ7RjArIhrVxq8NY7dp-s1RtwfTa42S-AQ/s1600/OK21+Scottie+Dogs+Bonnie+&+Bailey+m.JPG" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to go out and buy a box of dog biscuits especially for the photograph!! I only needed 3 biscuits so my brother's dogs are going to be pleased to have the rest! After having a few requests from another FB friend for a Dachshund design I thought it was about time I obliged and after seeing a photo of Snooper Hound, I created this mini cushion design, titled 'Snoops': <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK22" target="_blank">Snoops Cross Stitch Kit</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsB0ZaK1TwLTEco7edcXC89RcPMQP9hMB1zzXciLOIoM-PJDodC4EfRUu_OuNwgUYO0fty-VbaLHnSAVArFFvGwiiNgrx3bdz85xMwTWaOaiv3xBliTFL-lW6oiT-KNXHnIgOVrsSDbY/s1600/OK22+Dashing+Dachshund+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsB0ZaK1TwLTEco7edcXC89RcPMQP9hMB1zzXciLOIoM-PJDodC4EfRUu_OuNwgUYO0fty-VbaLHnSAVArFFvGwiiNgrx3bdz85xMwTWaOaiv3xBliTFL-lW6oiT-KNXHnIgOVrsSDbY/s1600/OK22+Dashing+Dachshund+m.JPG" height="286" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a Jack Russell design in the planning now as I already have a frame stitched and lined up for it.</div>
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<b>New Stitches Magazine</b></div>
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My Henry VIII portrait mini cushion kit made an appearance in the latest issue of the magazine which was a nice advert and give me that little extra design boost.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAq_YsVf_KXa_9Lg9bIDDuvnK5Ie9NznJ9XEmvcGs-vERLtf4_UQSyZX7qoGLrJvXGoydMQPwhI7Faa5HqkneK7M-_8mmqqyx_4l02Hty9W6llP73QnrUTWi6YCi2fBOcsjYfoWx0EsQ/s1600/New+Stitches+257+Sep2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAq_YsVf_KXa_9Lg9bIDDuvnK5Ie9NznJ9XEmvcGs-vERLtf4_UQSyZX7qoGLrJvXGoydMQPwhI7Faa5HqkneK7M-_8mmqqyx_4l02Hty9W6llP73QnrUTWi6YCi2fBOcsjYfoWx0EsQ/s1600/New+Stitches+257+Sep2014.jpeg" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Flowers of the Month & Cross Stitch Collection</b></div>
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OK, the time has come for me to reveal my 'secret' project. I have been producing a set of pincushions to match my twelve Flowers of the Month mini cushion designs and these pincushions will be published in the next twelve issues of Cross Stitch Collection magazine starting with the October design. I had originally been asked to design an additional Christmas pincushion but the magazine had a bit of a re-jig and after naming the last issue 'Late Summer' the issues have been re-organised slightly, so now the Christmas one will feature on the magazine's blogsite as a free chart nearer the time. So, unless there is another re-jig by the magazine you'll be able to see the first pincushion project in the October issue which is out around the 22nd of September (in the UK).</div>
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So until my next post, and in the words of Bruce Forsyth...... Keep Stitching!</div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-79064644885777220082014-07-13T10:28:00.001+01:002014-07-13T10:28:12.774+01:00Tudor TimesI'm all Tudored out this month!! I've completed my Tudor Rose pincushion design AND a new Henry VIII portrait mini cushion.<br />
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<b>Tudor Rose</b><br />
I was watching a programme on TV by Dan Cruickshank recently, called Majesty and Mortar and it featured the inside decoration of Hampton Court Palace - a home of Henry VIII. One scene showed a ceiling embellished with Tudor Roses against a turquoise background with gold filigree edging. Apparently this colour palette was favoured by the Tudor monarch and I just had to create my own version for my pincushion design. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTIRC_8JSVCA-tZ-Cvgu1-fcMBp-5-AwNHh-Lr0wK924v0cVpXtm524LHBazERyXhUWYQU8QyqPBF5fEZ64H4bYJ4SyRlx4IBujOYJtWK7AmTj-Jv2QhSoo17tErPz5P5pxzmVCB1OEM/s1600/Hampton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTIRC_8JSVCA-tZ-Cvgu1-fcMBp-5-AwNHh-Lr0wK924v0cVpXtm524LHBazERyXhUWYQU8QyqPBF5fEZ64H4bYJ4SyRlx4IBujOYJtWK7AmTj-Jv2QhSoo17tErPz5P5pxzmVCB1OEM/s1600/Hampton.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here it is and it features that exact colour palette - I can see it nestled on a little side table in the palace with one of Henry VIII's wives seated next to it working on her embroidery! The kit is available via the following link and includes a small bag of filler so you'll have everything you need to complete it: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK19" target="_blank">Tudor Rose Pincushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCCAaq5Dg1elTQt4qdYFOqQoZBmJOKpXDHNUU2biyQ7nrf5wZcIpAu-VXmEXfoKxRav6NGLT9VxlNCrnRZIkEeqk_iQLeiL7rzy6okjALnuYC-0ME-dmqqFMQurRbNyUowny0YKHUQbg/s1600/OK19+Tudor+Rose+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCCAaq5Dg1elTQt4qdYFOqQoZBmJOKpXDHNUU2biyQ7nrf5wZcIpAu-VXmEXfoKxRav6NGLT9VxlNCrnRZIkEeqk_iQLeiL7rzy6okjALnuYC-0ME-dmqqFMQurRbNyUowny0YKHUQbg/s1600/OK19+Tudor+Rose+m.JPG" height="276" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Henry VIII Portrait</b></div>
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Although I have already produced a mini cushion kit featuring <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC72" target="_blank">Henry VIII and his six wives</a> the design didn't allow me to capture the opulence of the clothes and jewels of the period so I designed a new <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC99" target="_blank">Henry VIII Portrait</a> design along the lines of the Elizabeth I design. I had great fun working the glorious golds and rich reds into the design and I just had to use that deep turquoise shade that featured in the pincushion design as a background to Henry. When I'm stitching I don't like to work on large areas of one colour so I try to design in a way that will keep the stitcher interested, but not for them to get annoyed at keep having to change colours in their needle! It's a fine balance to get the colour usage right, but then that's the fun of designing.</div>
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Here is Henry VIII in all his glory, standing next to <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC73" target="_blank">Elizabeth I</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZoR94xtnBqAIy-PX6aXkxtHcYnv6-bEABdA7WDfOfgy2kHof8cZR37B7-NUvfi4Y9HGbO_lH7L8Suy_XENY0dSOG2ECI5X5YIEN_t0na35jKJKQ0lg9i-RhYAdrx5X94LShz6fKLI7Y/s1600/Henry+&+Elizabeth+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZoR94xtnBqAIy-PX6aXkxtHcYnv6-bEABdA7WDfOfgy2kHof8cZR37B7-NUvfi4Y9HGbO_lH7L8Suy_XENY0dSOG2ECI5X5YIEN_t0na35jKJKQ0lg9i-RhYAdrx5X94LShz6fKLI7Y/s1600/Henry+&+Elizabeth+m.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I do wonder whether to produce more designs along this style, featuring the six wives of Henry. But I also have an idea to produce a Queen Victoria design. Most pictures of this Queen are usually greyscale and dull, with her dressed in black so I would like to brighten that image and perhaps design her in a regal white/silver dress.</div>
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<b>Highland Stags</b><br />
Of course, Tudors enjoyed hunting so there is a tie-in with my next design here. I so enjoy working tartan-style patterns into cross stitch designs and for this design I wanted to get the feel of heathers and thistles blowing in the winds of the Highlands of Scotland so I used a palette of violets and mauves to create the tartan check pattern and gave the Stags a background of cold and misty blues and dusky greens. It made a nice change to use this type of palette in my designing after the rich golds and reds of Henry!<br />
The kit is available here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC97" target="_blank">Highland Stags Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIq2r4IsvREEUFHlB8rSSV_Y0TvohieLKhrHqzDkfNxy2oyBc-ozijwEQ6ggXJaUPXzTHCaj7qIRah3tIxY4_2Lj9t9kvBg5W4rfycGj2JLf3TBrm2iBIVL5v5b3YHkp4iL06bzEbpqI/s1600/CC97+Highland+Stags+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIq2r4IsvREEUFHlB8rSSV_Y0TvohieLKhrHqzDkfNxy2oyBc-ozijwEQ6ggXJaUPXzTHCaj7qIRah3tIxY4_2Lj9t9kvBg5W4rfycGj2JLf3TBrm2iBIVL5v5b3YHkp4iL06bzEbpqI/s1600/CC97+Highland+Stags+m.JPG" height="293" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Wrest Park - Italian Garden</b><br />
My last design for this post is titled 'Italian Garden' as it was inspired by the gardens in the grounds of Wrest Park which sits in Bedfordshire, UK. The gardens are styled in the same 'four-petal' shape that I use in my mini cushion designs so I just had to capture the garden in cross stitch. Here is the Italian Garden in front of the house:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhYsG11u3TK2LzWEypHnIj-m8vngI-N99szXnwtskGcEuDK-IkfnLeJ4sU7XKeXkOJZR6qb5PlqducUTzSckbw0BooWIO1goRqmUxZTiwtwqkQ-TJBE-wBhaes3iN-BgWMVb0a2pEOeE/s1600/Wrest+Park+Italian+Garden1+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhYsG11u3TK2LzWEypHnIj-m8vngI-N99szXnwtskGcEuDK-IkfnLeJ4sU7XKeXkOJZR6qb5PlqducUTzSckbw0BooWIO1goRqmUxZTiwtwqkQ-TJBE-wBhaes3iN-BgWMVb0a2pEOeE/s1600/Wrest+Park+Italian+Garden1+-+Copy.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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A different selection of flowers are planted in the garden each year and when I captured it the flowers were in shades of purple with bright red blooms bursting up through them. There were yellow flowers edging each of the 'four petal' shapes and a grassy path separated the sections. Plants with silvery leaves lined the whole area. As there are four squares to the garden I wondered about creating a larger cushion by repeating this design four times and stitching a 1 inch border of sandy stitches around each. This is my finished representation and it is available as a kit here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC98" target="_blank">Italian Garden Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY7vbzrjKRYjxqo5Xh3F3OvcNzYLVtUy07v0EE3DVbYndhk5vOzTZdyg4y6H04ACOMHlviLIA8DpmUSyJGE-UFkxrRvFmheU2Zeg5QR8KYy94sZfaQt1MQ3fEe8g252PAIjEOxJ8cJh4/s1600/CC98+Italian+Garden+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY7vbzrjKRYjxqo5Xh3F3OvcNzYLVtUy07v0EE3DVbYndhk5vOzTZdyg4y6H04ACOMHlviLIA8DpmUSyJGE-UFkxrRvFmheU2Zeg5QR8KYy94sZfaQt1MQ3fEe8g252PAIjEOxJ8cJh4/s1600/CC98+Italian+Garden+m.JPG" height="320" width="319" /></a></div>
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<b>And finally....</b></div>
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A mention must go to Cross Stitch Crazy magazine before I sign off this post as the kindly featured my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC47" target="_blank">Liquorice Allsorts kit</a> in issue 193 (Sep2014) and also included my website as their Website of the Month. A big Thank You to them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xAmWfIBvjqTms4SI2vcFMIUrKJCDp_pOn5wN1X6WECWU_uYtOCsd37flZPIKb_pb0s325gr-fxlhRWPTVbi6h1O0WFEVLBWDTEc_F6sf22BnZJbnRjSsH9D9xFKmvW156fZVgF7YQlU/s1600/CSCrazy193++Sep2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xAmWfIBvjqTms4SI2vcFMIUrKJCDp_pOn5wN1X6WECWU_uYtOCsd37flZPIKb_pb0s325gr-fxlhRWPTVbi6h1O0WFEVLBWDTEc_F6sf22BnZJbnRjSsH9D9xFKmvW156fZVgF7YQlU/s1600/CSCrazy193++Sep2014.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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My next task is to complete a new Halloween mini cushion. I've designed this one with a Zombie theme - so look out for the bloodshot eyeballs coming atcha! And I have a Clarice Cliff inspired design which is such an uplifting design to stitch with a variety of light and dark colours. My magazine commissioned projects should start appearing in a month's time - but I won't tempt fate by saying anymore yet, maybe in my next post....so I'll leave that to tease and tantalise until next time! </div>
SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-15003511495574369922014-06-20T11:28:00.001+01:002014-06-20T11:28:58.757+01:00Screams, Vikings, Tigers and Death - A Cross Stitch Thriller!No pretty flowers, sugar and spice and all things nice this month! It seems my designs for May-June have taken on a slightly darker side, but I've tried to bring some colour into these themes to turn them into something with a smidgen more fun.<br />
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<b>The Vikings are coming....</b><br />
At school I HATED History lessons as they consisted of a teacher standing at the blackboard (how old am I??!) talking and chalking for 40 minutes about something that happened hundreds of years ago which I was convinced had no bearing on where I thought my future would be going. Facts only ever seem to sink into my brain if I can see evidence of them or conjure up images, and with those lessons I could do neither! My designs are influenced a lot by what I see on TV or read in magazines and even by places I visit (examples being my Tudor designs of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I), and recently I noticed a lot of History magazines in the newsagents and they were full of colour which instantly drew me in! <br />
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I bought the May2014 issue of History Revealed magazine which had a pair of menacing eyes on the cover with the words 'The Vikings are coming' emblazoned across the front. And now I'm hooked! I can't get enough of History and I'm finding that it's firing my imagination to create many more designs and I used this new interest to create my latest mini cushion which is full of the motifs of the Viking era.<br />
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Here's the cover of the magazine with the beginnings of my cross stitch design:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSya611QW0VKvTzFMqHeV3alxdtecOoOLZdjIjCSBNT3e7bY_Oql2od16tWLfu86lqiXcXwcwUiPz5lyOiag-TBKXdEb0V0oXT8RYlYjSUwdv4gSRV5RrJOj6MrY2QaXo4W-pIIVN4Gls/s1600/Vikings1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSya611QW0VKvTzFMqHeV3alxdtecOoOLZdjIjCSBNT3e7bY_Oql2od16tWLfu86lqiXcXwcwUiPz5lyOiag-TBKXdEb0V0oXT8RYlYjSUwdv4gSRV5RrJOj6MrY2QaXo4W-pIIVN4Gls/s1600/Vikings1.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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The magazine had a huge feature about the Vikings and I found plenty of ideas for the little motifs that would fill the mini cushion, including the shields, weapons and longboats plus the Vikings warriors themselves. And I even learnt that the Vikings not only used coins for trading but also beads, so I had to include a little motif of a pile of beads in the corner of the design!<br />
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Here's more of the inspiration I found from the magazine:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglsefo1tSEMXF-Ll4ILilgzffIj0Wl952IqasPArSL6hhmq4Gg-KSxvj-9v6cFF0oHkHLzpVW834StXqeaVHTH076hUxrX1fUgt1iO4ZL26ikc1W3L4iBugeeW0KZLA5tBltsdOP8Sh0/s1600/Vikings2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglsefo1tSEMXF-Ll4ILilgzffIj0Wl952IqasPArSL6hhmq4Gg-KSxvj-9v6cFF0oHkHLzpVW834StXqeaVHTH076hUxrX1fUgt1iO4ZL26ikc1W3L4iBugeeW0KZLA5tBltsdOP8Sh0/s1600/Vikings2.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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And below is the finished mini cushion, available as a kit here: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC96" target="_blank">The Vikings are coming Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a>. With all the violence typically associated with the Vikings this could have been a very dark design, but I used a rather colourful palette of threads, while keeping the earthiness of greens and browns, to create what I hope is an eye-catching piece of stitching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiqwC6PYV47Ie5oCOqgUKIM6TD6ClZ3DnQoRoRLsjl1tmYd2MpbEBDwlDwvC-K32UYRt2QDKsl9boWnTRi5zvD2Vi5vBf8-iK3plH3WkPQYs6oHGg1NP0fmEjEj5vSl6cSlcQ1K37tBE/s1600/Vikings3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiqwC6PYV47Ie5oCOqgUKIM6TD6ClZ3DnQoRoRLsjl1tmYd2MpbEBDwlDwvC-K32UYRt2QDKsl9boWnTRi5zvD2Vi5vBf8-iK3plH3WkPQYs6oHGg1NP0fmEjEj5vSl6cSlcQ1K37tBE/s1600/Vikings3.JPG" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Day of the Dead</b><br />
On the flip side of the bloody and savagely violent deaths caused by the Vikings, there is an altogether different approach to death known as 'The Day of the Dead' which is primarily a Mexican tradition celebrated throughout Mexico, and around the world in other cultures, and focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for, and remember, friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place around Halloween time and traditions include building private alters and honouring the deceased by leaving brightly decorated sugar skulls and vibrant marigolds at the graves of the deceased. It was these colourful skulls and flowers that inspired my creation of this mini cushion which I see as a celebration of both life and death. I just loved going wild with colour in this design, decorating each skull with a different combination of patterns while using every colour of the rainbow!<br />
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Some photos showing the colourful Mexican celebrations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQAmk-xfwZWQnWzD7Bh_U4eeW89-JenUD2yIYMYz744arK2zT2bePXE-arC1f2lNKzYF6QovDCTQqHQyTV2DqcWNoQgnzJ9N5h-1Tl9CSGp2zJHWIaGooaw5MmkqkSPNWGa5Iz5sXgyY/s1600/Day+of+the+Dead+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQAmk-xfwZWQnWzD7Bh_U4eeW89-JenUD2yIYMYz744arK2zT2bePXE-arC1f2lNKzYF6QovDCTQqHQyTV2DqcWNoQgnzJ9N5h-1Tl9CSGp2zJHWIaGooaw5MmkqkSPNWGa5Iz5sXgyY/s1600/Day+of+the+Dead+1.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's the completed mini cushion design available as a kit via this link: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC95" target="_blank">Day of the Dead Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7iXnLl_lhJO1SLytxhI8mPXu_KHDq7VYq6W0DTjP2KoiA61fM6F9elqjnbvMZ-cztLqxuiuaB6WOlxh9lOfH_Z-ytWYUZ_f_9D3562M33uK9TNxCl6Qfuzn4nnhgtJFmXvc_pXxuNtU/s1600/Day+of+the+Dead+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7iXnLl_lhJO1SLytxhI8mPXu_KHDq7VYq6W0DTjP2KoiA61fM6F9elqjnbvMZ-cztLqxuiuaB6WOlxh9lOfH_Z-ytWYUZ_f_9D3562M33uK9TNxCl6Qfuzn4nnhgtJFmXvc_pXxuNtU/s1600/Day+of+the+Dead+2.JPG" height="311" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Eye of the Tiger</b><br />
When I was stitching my Tiger mini cushion from my Wildlife Collection, I loved how the eyes were staring realistically at me, and I started to feel an idea for another mini cushion. I let the idea run around my head for a while until it settled into a design I could use and that was how this Eye of the Tiger mini cushion came about. I took the section of the Tiger's face with the eyes and nose and repeated it in the four 'petals' to create an abstract design, and I added more eyes in the corners of the mini cushion. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r0gtP_Xh4VQPJDyJThY6fDpNcd-Kg6QAxY36m5jl02AEPw4EzboSzV94xYXM2gXbnZ_fpy09AZPtmrYBczYKeK3hSDDaVZ7tE3ohxq7cJ7g6LHlzzJ8dXD3GSAmWte36o6Te8xIRmDs/s1600/Tiger1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r0gtP_Xh4VQPJDyJThY6fDpNcd-Kg6QAxY36m5jl02AEPw4EzboSzV94xYXM2gXbnZ_fpy09AZPtmrYBczYKeK3hSDDaVZ7tE3ohxq7cJ7g6LHlzzJ8dXD3GSAmWte36o6Te8xIRmDs/s1600/Tiger1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I used a palette of dusky blue, rusts and earthy tones to add some safari heat to the design and here is the finished piece, available as a kit via this link: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC94" target="_blank">Eye of the Tiger Mini Cushion Cross Stitch Kit</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpt8t9a_Bg9AtRGLHNfqdrwQP5buOvOha8nx7AK4zy7P9MjBpyhRXbMCYO08IAUqb7UkiDGVsuLQ086J5OdVkepJRgIsYoG0bmvorQzo2_O0Bph4xgfaHZE_ytc3hOzDIkmeFhGIjSGo/s1600/Tiger2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpt8t9a_Bg9AtRGLHNfqdrwQP5buOvOha8nx7AK4zy7P9MjBpyhRXbMCYO08IAUqb7UkiDGVsuLQ086J5OdVkepJRgIsYoG0bmvorQzo2_O0Bph4xgfaHZE_ytc3hOzDIkmeFhGIjSGo/s1600/Tiger2.JPG" height="310" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>A real Scream!</b><br />
My last new kit for this post is my pincushion kit titled 'The Scream'. I thought I would create a fun version of Edvard Munch's 1895 pastel artwork as I often wondered what was making that character scream and the thought came to me that sticking pins in them would probably do the trick! Maybe I've been reading too much about the sadistic side of Vikings! So I created my own version of the artwork in cross stitch with the warning 'If you stick pins in me I will have to scream'. Thing is, will anyone want to use it as a pincushion for fear of hurting it?! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P4vjS7T2hOP0sEhsobXavvJ-wdu-9StU5q_A-lIONOH1tHYIBNM8SJoCBV_rPJmRTOyCL-yPJgiqkXcJ-muUDbAKTGBTX5uyb2e1IGMMVznwKeR3AZnHc71HHFzw4IPXLZjJkbNu0bM/s1600/The+Scream2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P4vjS7T2hOP0sEhsobXavvJ-wdu-9StU5q_A-lIONOH1tHYIBNM8SJoCBV_rPJmRTOyCL-yPJgiqkXcJ-muUDbAKTGBTX5uyb2e1IGMMVznwKeR3AZnHc71HHFzw4IPXLZjJkbNu0bM/s1600/The+Scream2.JPG" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
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Considering that the original artwork sold for $120 million in 2012, this pincushion kit is a cheaper way of owning your own version! The kit comes with everything you need to make the pincushion, including a bag of filler, and is available via this link: <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK18" target="_blank">The Scream Pincushion Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdOU4xLTMAVl_V_gDfeLmvzqK0Xb3j-ZD3FOaPsA7bGyP-mDg262Xv9JNvrUXkp_qdFjU9GDujpz27lvTdaRiSLkQm9tkdRc7ar7Eu6V9RXzEuqzXFQA5Oe71IsRfi9iFluBiQt9489A/s1600/The+Scream1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdOU4xLTMAVl_V_gDfeLmvzqK0Xb3j-ZD3FOaPsA7bGyP-mDg262Xv9JNvrUXkp_qdFjU9GDujpz27lvTdaRiSLkQm9tkdRc7ar7Eu6V9RXzEuqzXFQA5Oe71IsRfi9iFluBiQt9489A/s1600/The+Scream1.jpg" height="289" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>What's next.....</b><br />
One of my Facebook friends asked if I would be designing any more Tudor designs and I replied that I had been thinking of doing more but that I have a list of others to do first so it may take some time. However, with getting hooked on History and now there's a new Dan Cruickshank programme on TV about Britain's Great Palaces, I can't get the Tudors out of my head! With all the oppulant jewels, decorations and fabrics of the time how can I resist? So, look out for a new Henry VIII design and a Tudor Rose pincushion coming soon!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-7454820550215389102014-05-15T14:15:00.001+01:002014-05-15T14:17:58.112+01:00A Journey into Space with a Posy of Pansies!<b>Space Travel</b><br />
Recently on TV there was a live show broadcast from the International Space Station and an idea popped into my head for a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=34627792&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Space themed mini cushion</a>! The 'four-petal' template that I usually use in my designs was just right for this theme because there were so many small motifs relating to Space that I could fit into the small sections. As each of our planets have a broad range of colourings and patterns they made perfect subjects to include and then I added some space dust and a swirling vortex, with the edges of the sun and moon also appearing. In the central part of the design I included an astronaut and a space shuttle and of course, I had to include the ISS which originally inspired the design! I really had fun putting this one together as it was quite a change of theme from my other designs. So now I'm adding more of these 'unusual' themes to my list - ones which you don't often see created in cross stitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHYVLxn_86JMdNf6TnexwfoHnqpWwWw1d3LIGMNvNTGH-0ZjZRpQuA15fsn7DnmzRMk57WQgcIwdyOFyWaxX4ZQ-yBsKwETbNR-kS8H8SEv8JvsBtrdXhGJuWuR_45c123u0wr5fn3XE/s1600/CC92+Space+Travel+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHYVLxn_86JMdNf6TnexwfoHnqpWwWw1d3LIGMNvNTGH-0ZjZRpQuA15fsn7DnmzRMk57WQgcIwdyOFyWaxX4ZQ-yBsKwETbNR-kS8H8SEv8JvsBtrdXhGJuWuR_45c123u0wr5fn3XE/s1600/CC92+Space+Travel+m.JPG" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wonder if you could cross stitch in space? I guess you'd have to be careful where you left your needle and scissors - I mean, you wouldn't want those flying around, would you!!<br />
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<b>A Posy of Pansies</b><br />
Going back to my roots of designing floral mini cushions, I realised that in all the flowers I've designed in cross stitch I have never produced a Pansy cushion. These flowers have always seemed popular, and it was even a favourite flower of Queen Elizabeth I, so I just had to create my own mini cushion featuring them. I took a trip to the local garden centre to get a closer look at the real flowers but it made things all the more complicated because I just couldn't decide which colour-way to choose as there were purple pansies, yellow ones, white ones, reddish-mauve ones and ones with a combination of those colours! Each as beautiful as the next. Then I thought, why did I need to pick just one colour-way? To create this mini cushion design I would add Pansies in all of the colours I'd seen to create a central '<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=34742557&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Posy of Pansies</a>', and here is the result:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MPI7RhbDQT4BOXymx7WV7HE6Li-hFNmVQ2TEyP4i8MIiqfeA-xgXBIH8dAilgBBKeAsqV_mxl_CzongIAamnrXVf0xlVnZvnwKMWzXP_AuPOee1m49Jkny7UsE2n_Xyo6hxxKnOc0t8/s1600/CC93+Posy+of+Pansies+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MPI7RhbDQT4BOXymx7WV7HE6Li-hFNmVQ2TEyP4i8MIiqfeA-xgXBIH8dAilgBBKeAsqV_mxl_CzongIAamnrXVf0xlVnZvnwKMWzXP_AuPOee1m49Jkny7UsE2n_Xyo6hxxKnOc0t8/s1600/CC93+Posy+of+Pansies+m.JPG" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Flower Power Re-Vamp</b><br />
I like to re-visit some of my earlier mini cushion designs from time to time to see if they give me any further ideas for matching items or whether I could photograph them differently and one of those this month was my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=20688693&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Amazing Gazania mini cushion</a>. This cushion is slightly larger than my usual ones (by about an inch all round), and I thought the setting of the original photograph didn't really show the design off to its full. So I set up a new background and I think it's helped the colours in the design really pop. Here's the original photo on the top and the new one underneath. What do you think?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK7SscRfx_bFBwDPwczPVbUn5v0pWsWxvJFpjN1lPc9iR3OnmKiOEewEu6wDqI2gSXoaoKRNJMwCXi35-QggJ733Fqo1pAphiDQVlT5bS-c8cP9tobNH5eMhyClRdu1eV8oqf_tnBir8/s1600/Gazania+cushion+7x7(small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK7SscRfx_bFBwDPwczPVbUn5v0pWsWxvJFpjN1lPc9iR3OnmKiOEewEu6wDqI2gSXoaoKRNJMwCXi35-QggJ733Fqo1pAphiDQVlT5bS-c8cP9tobNH5eMhyClRdu1eV8oqf_tnBir8/s1600/Gazania+cushion+7x7(small).jpg" height="190" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgku3RJFiSalirW6wFTbLeaoxxoD8wLPVsacRfRoCZgFYky8Sou5XkaglowLYiqhoC5Y82t3w0VgoOLJMJ4VrMIodNqd9Fj-_6w9BZrnETcPHIc4QuASTjscT-0n0M4lo10ETjCkuyuOBc/s1600/LC01+Amazing+Gazania+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgku3RJFiSalirW6wFTbLeaoxxoD8wLPVsacRfRoCZgFYky8Sou5XkaglowLYiqhoC5Y82t3w0VgoOLJMJ4VrMIodNqd9Fj-_6w9BZrnETcPHIc4QuASTjscT-0n0M4lo10ETjCkuyuOBc/s1600/LC01+Amazing+Gazania+m.JPG" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
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I then had to take a group photo with a couple of my other mini cushions that feature large blooms as I thought they looked great together, and here it is:<br />
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<b>Magazine Features</b><br />
This month I've had two mentions in stitching magazines. The first is my England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales mini cushion which featured in issue 191 (Jul2014) of Cross Stitch Crazy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGqz67GxBMo04bDR2f_kHPcm7Ui9ZA7Rg4sfRqn1Ply-uhHMCKUDtZszgZZmJoddF87GZBFoAIfSFMGHwahgGdPaQk3zpJ_0FIUGywVruYFOgt4qO-ICybLXj-JWaalNtz0WAtnvUqqw/s1600/CSCrazy191+Jul2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGqz67GxBMo04bDR2f_kHPcm7Ui9ZA7Rg4sfRqn1Ply-uhHMCKUDtZszgZZmJoddF87GZBFoAIfSFMGHwahgGdPaQk3zpJ_0FIUGywVruYFOgt4qO-ICybLXj-JWaalNtz0WAtnvUqqw/s1600/CSCrazy191+Jul2014.jpeg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
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Then a few weeks ago I was contacted by a nice lady from New Stitches magazine as she was interested in featuring my Patron Saints Collection, so I supplied a high-res photo of the group of mini cushions and it has appeared in issue 254 (Jun2014).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK2N9powRHrwnAQNFYyrt7aM7NYY8dv7q58zBmmdGAawUJXcOdUmp0an1xCTX_o6pop_1WNo10M-NiIfrR0zKGrB_KcgHQqCy5z7oqv_bl2W56UfCAYXxt4gFmx7shEeIGqPrarqMawI/s1600/New+Stitches+254+Jun2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK2N9powRHrwnAQNFYyrt7aM7NYY8dv7q58zBmmdGAawUJXcOdUmp0an1xCTX_o6pop_1WNo10M-NiIfrR0zKGrB_KcgHQqCy5z7oqv_bl2W56UfCAYXxt4gFmx7shEeIGqPrarqMawI/s1600/New+Stitches+254+Jun2014.jpeg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>And finally....</b><br />
I have a new mini cushion appearing in kit form soon which is kind of an abstract design based on my Tiger mini cushion. I was struck by the eyes of the Tiger when I was stitching that one when this new design popped into my head. Keep an 'eye' out on my website for the kit! There will also be a new pincushion kit soon which is a real scream! Can't say any more!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-307590544208745172014-04-29T13:07:00.002+01:002014-04-29T13:07:43.117+01:00Wedding Fever!<b>Wedding Fever</b><br />
With the Wedding season approaching I was determined to design a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=34456239&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Wedding themed mini cushion</a> this year! I had planned to design such a mini cushion over previous years but never managed to do it as other designs took over, but this year I achieved my goal. I knew I wanted the design to be full of traditional motifs and I wanted to use a palette of pretty pastel colours. I gave some thought to the colour scheme of the design because I know a lot of brides like to have a set colour scheme running through their Wedding celebration so I tried to design this mini cushion using 'neutral' colours, meaning that it could fit into most settings but also allows for customisation if necessary. For example, for a purple and gold themed wedding, the pink shades in the flowers could be replaced with purple shades of thread. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5z1J6MpZNTNdZZG9ihYNQvXHpIeuGOqcTrwFHaL1YN7Tyd5DGTKc0vaZUtua1SIeof2UethTozlrugwYb5_7MK_dSC07AaHneeDXEo00AtTau6UqQxiGQCkcvUFmiJtpef6FppqmEYw/s1600/CC91+Wedding+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5z1J6MpZNTNdZZG9ihYNQvXHpIeuGOqcTrwFHaL1YN7Tyd5DGTKc0vaZUtua1SIeof2UethTozlrugwYb5_7MK_dSC07AaHneeDXEo00AtTau6UqQxiGQCkcvUFmiJtpef6FppqmEYw/s1600/CC91+Wedding+m.JPG" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
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An idea I had of customising the mini cushion was to add ribbons trailing from each corner and it could then be used as a ring pillow during the actual ceremony. The little motifs of silver bells, champagne, lovey-doves and lucky horseshoes could also be stitched on the their own to make matching little gifts for the bridesmaids, or stitched to make a matching card.<br />
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Of course for the less, shall we say, 'traditional' wedding there is still my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=29209522&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Love Never Dies mini cushion</a> which has been very popular since its release a year ago. I had to chuckle at a comment from one customer who stitched this design for her friends' wedding as she said they would love it because they are into 'zombies and dead things'! I love that description! It seems to be a growing craze so it warms my cockles to hear this design is meeting with such approval.<br />
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These Wedding designs inspired me to add another idea to my list of mini cushions, which is to create a series of 'wedding anniversary' designs. I've also had a birth/christening design on my list for an age so perhaps that one should be my next goal, though seeing as it took me a number of years to get to this Wedding one, the goal posts may be moved another year or two!!<br />
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<b>Father's Day</b><br />
With Father's Day coming up in June I'm thinking of making some adjustments to the mini cushion I designed for the occasion last year, so that it is more of a match for it's partnering <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33753512&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Mother's Day mini cushion</a> which I 'revamped' this year too. Maybe add some stars in place of the pointy flowers or something like that. I know I need to get my skates on with that one though.<br />
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<b>Other projects</b><br />
I have four mini cushions all drawn out and ready and waiting for me to stitch - I don't like to offer them over to another stitcher to make them for me because my design process usually involves changing colours and sometimes parts of the design while I'm actually stitching so that I can get the design exactly right and make sure the colours work together. Sometimes colours I've pictured in my head and drawn together on paper just don't work together when stitched so it's an ever changing process until the mini cushion is complete. My next mini cushion to be made available as a kit though is likely to be a bit of a surprise to some as it is of a different theme to any I have produced before. Now that's got you guessing!!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-40830836316075382272014-04-10T14:35:00.002+01:002014-04-10T14:35:42.170+01:00Patron Saints and Easter Treats!<b>Patron Saints</b><br />
The third <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Categories/%22Kit%20Collections%22/Patron_Saints" target="_blank">Patron Saint</a> in this new range is now stitched and available as a kit. I really enjoyed designing this Saint (<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK16" target="_blank">St George - England</a>), especially creating the 'shine' on the armour and the chainmail pattern using backstitch. There is still St Andrew, for Scotland, to be completed and then my original plan of having the four Saints for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the range is complete. Since publicising these Saints I have had a few requests to add more Saints to the range, including St Francis and St Michael. I've added them to my list so maybe in a few months I may look into designing mini cushions. But for now, I have plenty of other designs on my 'to do' list, the most pressing being a Wedding mini cushion as I've been wanting to design one on this theme for years but have never managed it. So now it is designed and I've started stitching it too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfsBqIy48rd6kJxW-0AaufnLHKZbjhzIfUpoFCOVQuCAsWza24-oZUcUjYJdGvfJWK3suy2cKG2BiHkzK6DAAG0JKDVgUvMgqbYkBcVBiw5I68LIelKvSCznDDWctBNsyLhDcCpYFKGQ/s1600/Patron+Saints+3m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfsBqIy48rd6kJxW-0AaufnLHKZbjhzIfUpoFCOVQuCAsWza24-oZUcUjYJdGvfJWK3suy2cKG2BiHkzK6DAAG0JKDVgUvMgqbYkBcVBiw5I68LIelKvSCznDDWctBNsyLhDcCpYFKGQ/s1600/Patron+Saints+3m.JPG" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Easter</b><br />
With Easter approaching it's put me in the mood to have a special offer on my website. So with my new <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33885740&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Easter Garden</a> mini cushion created this year, all customers who order it up to the 20th of April 2014 will also receive a free Easter Chick kit, which includes the little fluffy chick to stitch on top! I think the pair of Easter decorations go together very well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9deifmlKlVFTPlPJdCvuhYqIN46qea0PrmEjwQV0UAYmsQ5rE7OvenIVxHOSkHejFu4ivkhpwZ3lvEZfxtGUIzT99JMofBUlvvZS4nRzTYyBIi-sjrUW00YXruxpScSWn6_D3sAR0QUY/s1600/Easter+free+gift+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9deifmlKlVFTPlPJdCvuhYqIN46qea0PrmEjwQV0UAYmsQ5rE7OvenIVxHOSkHejFu4ivkhpwZ3lvEZfxtGUIzT99JMofBUlvvZS4nRzTYyBIi-sjrUW00YXruxpScSWn6_D3sAR0QUY/s1600/Easter+free+gift+m.JPG" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Ladybird Pincushion</b><br />
This little <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=23453366&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Ladybird pincushion kit</a> has been gaining some popularity recently and has appeared in both Cross Stitch Crazy and Cross Stitch Collection magazines this month. The kit includes the filler so everything you need to complete it is packaged together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUrca0oSKGgx26uvc0Krd3_GWj2tsPbSBAWc1DP8-l118dEfdUNN_OBR36efHr4rUwVO0kxre7e2Ggqf7-pioqcKfGegNPSonSrRxyy26MxDmSca_VXD4KpnavlB8bnKKf3Q0n54lpeM/s1600/OK01+Ladybird+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUrca0oSKGgx26uvc0Krd3_GWj2tsPbSBAWc1DP8-l118dEfdUNN_OBR36efHr4rUwVO0kxre7e2Ggqf7-pioqcKfGegNPSonSrRxyy26MxDmSca_VXD4KpnavlB8bnKKf3Q0n54lpeM/s1600/OK01+Ladybird+sm.jpg" height="301" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The British Craft Awards 2014</b><br />
After winning a runner-up award, my local newspaper, the Thanet Gazette, ran an article on my business, with a photo too. On Saturday a letter came through the door with 'House of Commons' printed on the envelope. My first thought was <i>oh no, what have I done, have I done something wrong! </i>Then when I opened the envelope inside was a lovely letter of congratulations on my award from my local MP Laura Sandys, printed on House of Commons headed notepaper no less. Politics is not my thing, but I thought it was such a wonderful surprise that someone 'in authority' had taken the time to write this letter to me, so I've been feeling rather chuffed this week :-)SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-49239234435241326522014-03-25T09:07:00.002+00:002014-03-25T09:07:43.337+00:00An Award and some new designs<b>The British Craft Awards 2014</b><br />
First of all, I'll start with my most exciting news! I won the Runner Up Award in the 'small business our readers love to support' category of The British Craft Awards 2014. It was voted for by readers of Immediate Media's craft magazines (World of Cross Stitching and Cross Stitch Crazy) so it means a great deal to me to know that my designs are being enjoyed out there in the 'stitching world'. Of course, I had to have a photo taken of me with my shiny certificate so here it is!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy50cCZinuP9-N_qeKaX16M56bF-Hj_3EuJAbxUnLnjusvJd3f86zxxvj0n73e4eDrAhZ9ldoGdQ9CIsD1_LVvAGXsutVgWiboG4bq7V-rHUPQun6tZOKpTbK7eq6WdTlGUK356QgYlxQ/s1600/Runner-up+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy50cCZinuP9-N_qeKaX16M56bF-Hj_3EuJAbxUnLnjusvJd3f86zxxvj0n73e4eDrAhZ9ldoGdQ9CIsD1_LVvAGXsutVgWiboG4bq7V-rHUPQun6tZOKpTbK7eq6WdTlGUK356QgYlxQ/s1600/Runner-up+m.JPG" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
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I was sent a 'runner-up' logo too which I've put on my website as it's the first time I've been given some official recognition for my work so I want to show it off! The local Thanet Gazette newspaper have said they will run an article in the next issue too so that will be a nice piece of publicity.<br />
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<b>Patron Saints</b><br />
I've been progressing well with my new collection of <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Categories/%22Kit%20Collections%22/Patron_Saints" target="_blank">Patron Saints</a> designs and now have a friend for <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK14" target="_blank">St Patrick</a>, as I've completed the <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/OK15" target="_blank">St David</a> mini cushion, Patron Saint of Wales. Both kits include display stands (made from card) so the finished cushions can be displayed anywhere and don't need to be leaning against anything. St George will be the next Saint to be completed, followed by St Andrew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DbiIeqdfuWYPFw5IdiyD80Yg5ko4sxapUA8D3VXcUlNtzHk8ujhEwslOwr4gYuVepzLsHLqeT1HazoiScQUc_I3Tq2dXR9pjDPR6mHy8GwzwHVNv4r2b-ZgA4JvWMAlgCHMfSshsiuE/s1600/Saints+pair+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DbiIeqdfuWYPFw5IdiyD80Yg5ko4sxapUA8D3VXcUlNtzHk8ujhEwslOwr4gYuVepzLsHLqeT1HazoiScQUc_I3Tq2dXR9pjDPR6mHy8GwzwHVNv4r2b-ZgA4JvWMAlgCHMfSshsiuE/s1600/Saints+pair+m.JPG" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've had quite a response to these designs after showing them on Facebook with several requests to add more Saints including St Michael and St Francis of Assisi, so I may need to expand this series as I had only planned for four designs!<br />
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<b>Vintage Ladies</b><br />
I've had some fun with this new design! I was inspired to create it after buying Woman's Weekly's Vintage View magazine. It was full of illustrations showing the fashions of the 1900s-1920s and I love the 'tea-stained' appearance of these old pictures. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbx6xjRpqgdAdmfBqwiOhHxu1x3Zlv1vVUqJLFTvkpSOjy7Xe9tT3KKnvBgPLWm7LJSJ_0vbYXYsFFbcsnk9Xu-ace5iG5SqVx3jwYq-RuEFRHa7NzPnqBBmHa1nih4lm__8KDOIgW1w/s1600/A+vintage+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbx6xjRpqgdAdmfBqwiOhHxu1x3Zlv1vVUqJLFTvkpSOjy7Xe9tT3KKnvBgPLWm7LJSJ_0vbYXYsFFbcsnk9Xu-ace5iG5SqVx3jwYq-RuEFRHa7NzPnqBBmHa1nih4lm__8KDOIgW1w/s1600/A+vintage+view.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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So I put together a palette of biscuit colours and began designing my own version for this mini cushion. It contains a heap of backstitch and the most enjoyable part was seeing how this backstitch brought the characters to life after all of the cross stitch was complete. With the cross stitch on its own it was hard to tell what the design was going to be. So I posted this photo on Facebook to see if other stitchers could guess what it was:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGnfoizt80B_g2zaI8Rxz2cM4gUASYcGu5Eo2jjm2Y20OPU13oahsqzg-RGtHbtq1KZA2ekJw4P6xVKtOwkPkzyDlrG3johXZhEwykdDVZ8YBqyhu-nWc6qg_hCuOSrAZEIMKaK7ZRWE/s1600/CC90+Before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGnfoizt80B_g2zaI8Rxz2cM4gUASYcGu5Eo2jjm2Y20OPU13oahsqzg-RGtHbtq1KZA2ekJw4P6xVKtOwkPkzyDlrG3johXZhEwykdDVZ8YBqyhu-nWc6qg_hCuOSrAZEIMKaK7ZRWE/s1600/CC90+Before.JPG" height="290" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lots of imaginative suggestions were put forward such as Native American Indians, Egyptians, Kings and Queens and even Eskimos!<br />
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The design features 8 ladies all dressed in the varying fashions of the time, such as a young lady in a sailor suit, a maid, a flapper and a lady in her nightcap ready for bed. Here is the finished <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=34118578&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Vintage Ladies</a> mini cushion:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi350dllshbvl77RTmxuvaSzmvaZjhn__PIIDG8QXfU8-jrhyhRGvcscgmSsUIqMSgi4DSSaZS4dyrDP5M1ZYbszHtt60oLEOSGa58MfDg7QaqJagghZu7dFADBkGZWGDlpy3tYPhAqSVw/s1600/CC90+Vintage+Ladies+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi350dllshbvl77RTmxuvaSzmvaZjhn__PIIDG8QXfU8-jrhyhRGvcscgmSsUIqMSgi4DSSaZS4dyrDP5M1ZYbszHtt60oLEOSGa58MfDg7QaqJagghZu7dFADBkGZWGDlpy3tYPhAqSVw/s1600/CC90+Vintage+Ladies+m.JPG" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm planning to design a matching pincushion too as I have an idea to approach Woman's Weekly magazine to see if they would be interested in featuring an article about my designs as they were inspired by their magazine. We'll see how I get on!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-38712952222305743852014-03-06T19:15:00.002+00:002014-03-06T19:15:32.415+00:00Fame, Mother's Day and Easter!<b>Mother's Day</b><br />
With the two events pf <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33753512&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Mother's Day</a> AND <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33885740&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Easter</a> coming up I just had to produce two mini cushions for the occasions! So, for <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33753512&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Mother's Day</a> I went back to a design I produced last year and 'updated' it by bringing in the use of white seed beads and more use of the pink shades, giving the piece a pretty and delicate feel. I also adjusted the wording because I wasn't really happy with the previous backstitched version so I made the 'Mother' word bolder by designing it in cross stitches. Another reason for changing the format of the wording was so that it matched its companion design for Father's Day. That one will be appearing nearer May time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33753512&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoB3zLHOlQJ7ZZuRxhId6W2Lroju4e-5hoYkL7-ZddHXcJFEJ0oPv6GVulQZt1TOnMqFJQMGQs3p_PD-xl2ro_UdWJyZXWtZxoHFBYis-BkVN7HcdvN1f-FwuUG1lVzdS2DYQHl3STA/s1600/CC88+Mother's+Day+sm.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Easter</b><br />
Each year I've been wanting to design an Easter themed mini cushion but never managed it as other more pressing designs seemed to appear, but this year I did manage it and I really loved working on this one with its palette of pretty colours and Spring flowers and I gave it the title of '<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33885740&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Easter Garden</a>'. (I find part of the fun of completing a design is then working on what to name it!) Of course, I had to include some cheeky little chicks and bunnies and I added little decorated eggs all around the edges of the design.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVMUYnvLhWxnJOAByRJHC9MhOEWn76bnUfMT-PrX6ELviU6QkzZ-eUCC7xejthI6XQQHyhSQxVk0NXS40_R6GBxBZAF8Tznnse-qTuSEuW4ml7LXCVgprAP7iLqKueKSGZKcSqB9Tow/s1600/CC89+Easter+Garden+sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVMUYnvLhWxnJOAByRJHC9MhOEWn76bnUfMT-PrX6ELviU6QkzZ-eUCC7xejthI6XQQHyhSQxVk0NXS40_R6GBxBZAF8Tznnse-qTuSEuW4ml7LXCVgprAP7iLqKueKSGZKcSqB9Tow/s1600/CC89+Easter+Garden+sm.JPG" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Fame!</b><br />
Yes, this month has seen my full-page interview printed in issue 214 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine so I'm feeling a touch of fame about me!! The article features the background to my Mini Exhibition of Mini Cushions at The Beaney that was held over the Christmas period, and there are some nice little photos in there too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV4yk4fZFRsbalKF60odYo0qjOG__k_QsFLHIqZa1y98CGdiSNhTS7XX7VEo4354do4sz_WLTepTp33g4WHpSn5vUxVGeuq-Uzj6DNfTYe2R4Mk_uO4b5pqpg5Oi8qxBfZXrCGDFQXA/s1600/WOCS214(Mar2014).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghV4yk4fZFRsbalKF60odYo0qjOG__k_QsFLHIqZa1y98CGdiSNhTS7XX7VEo4354do4sz_WLTepTp33g4WHpSn5vUxVGeuq-Uzj6DNfTYe2R4Mk_uO4b5pqpg5Oi8qxBfZXrCGDFQXA/s1600/WOCS214(Mar2014).jpeg" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a lot of new designs drawn out but I need the time to stitch them now so I shall have to get on with it!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-35137444628318286912014-02-22T09:08:00.002+00:002014-02-22T09:08:51.893+00:00Cricket and St Patrick<b>Howzat!</b><br />
After a number of requests from customers I've finally produced a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33643797&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Cricket</a> mini cushion! I had started it back in the Summer of 2013 and promised to complete it by Christmas of that year but other designs just over-took me and so following another request for it I thought I'd better complete it! It was rather tricky designing this one trying to fit the little characters into the small sections and still make them look recognisable as the different types of players but the use of backstitch to define the details made it work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gREpEXyOJv1kMSzX5vpYnPLRIXQIxT2QI6tiZDT4ilB0pIJWtv_rloR3JzfRH07wHvHvzAze0zlpoiRAUfSFPWcMuZhccf7q1FMYp54Dsvhdlt_MvOXaCKRarbaYK9yHtAhht19yBfE/s1600/CC87+Cricket+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gREpEXyOJv1kMSzX5vpYnPLRIXQIxT2QI6tiZDT4ilB0pIJWtv_rloR3JzfRH07wHvHvzAze0zlpoiRAUfSFPWcMuZhccf7q1FMYp54Dsvhdlt_MvOXaCKRarbaYK9yHtAhht19yBfE/s1600/CC87+Cricket+m.JPG" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Patron Saints</b><br />
This month I launched the first kit in my new Patron Saints range of mini cushions. As I had enjoyed designing my Stained Glass mini cushion so much I wanted to design more using this style but I needed to find the subject matter. I looked at more stained glass images available on the net and saw that patron saints featured a great deal, so there I had my next idea! I knew all four countries of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales had their own Patron Saints but I didn't really know much about them so it was fun researching each one and finding out why they were Sainted and what 'deeds' they had done. Then it was a case of bringing in those features into each mini cushion design. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggghseDjbGB6BsXGl8DmTFVST2cXe67cfyzZPytIR01pYEkC7yqoPNPI25KfetT03OQ_wf_4xunFNkAo-Kh0VKaUDm9umgw7gT55UIKEJCKh1JWavs3PJrIWBg8WoVVdaiupLsuJ5EdjE/s1600/OK14+St+Patrick+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggghseDjbGB6BsXGl8DmTFVST2cXe67cfyzZPytIR01pYEkC7yqoPNPI25KfetT03OQ_wf_4xunFNkAo-Kh0VKaUDm9umgw7gT55UIKEJCKh1JWavs3PJrIWBg8WoVVdaiupLsuJ5EdjE/s1600/OK14+St+Patrick+m.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=33577191&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">St Patrick</a> is the first Patron Saint that I've made available as a kit. He's the Patron Saint of Ireland and his day is celebrated on the 17th of March each year. I wanted this design to feature gold and green quite heavily and included the famous Irish Shamrocks throughout, with snakes at the feet of St Patrick because legend tells he banished them from Ireland. Because this mini cushion is taller than my usual square ones I decided to include a card stand in the kit (as seen in the photo) to help display the cushion anywhere around the home. St David, St George and St Andrew will all follow as mini cushion kits through the rest of the year.<br />
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<b>Other news</b><br />
My <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=23453366&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Ladybird Pincushion kit</a> has become rather popular lately with a couple of stitching magazines wanting to feature it in their 'best buys' sections so I'll keep an eye out for those and will post on here which issues it appears in.<br />
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Also, I have some exciting news about The British Craft Awards 2014 which I can't wait to share, but I will control myself and share it next week!SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-46016047601579293642014-02-02T09:00:00.002+00:002014-02-02T09:00:56.792+00:00Shakespeare plus some EXCITING news!!<strong>New Mini Cushion</strong><br />
The first mini cushion of February to be released as a kit is my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC86" target="_blank">William Shakespeare</a> design. I loved the challenge of designing this one, as I wanted to put a lot of detail into the mini cushion and feature lots of recognisable scenes/characters/places relating to the Bard. It was while doing some research for my next series of designs based on Patron Saints that I came across lots of important date milestones and one of those was related to Shakespeare, being that April will be the 450th Anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. So that put the idea in my head to create this mini cushion. <br />
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I used quite an earthy colour palette and used the same swirly background pattern that appears in my <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC72" target="_blank">Henry VIII</a> mini cushion design so that the two compliment each other. I have built up a nice little Tudor collection of designs now so I think I'll have to put them all together for a group photograph.<br />
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<strong>Butterfly Study</strong><br />
This mini cushion has been getting rather a lot of publicity lately! After designing it specifically for my mini exhibition at The Beaney museum in Canterbury it has now been featured in both Cross Stitch Crazy and The World of Cross Stitching magazines. The article in The World of Cross Stitching also mentions that there will be a full-page feature interview from me in the next issue (on sale 27th Feb 2014 - UK) about my inspiration for <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=32344123&ViewAction=ViewProduct" target="_blank">Butterfly Study</a> and the story behind the mini exhibition.<br />
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<strong>New Patron Saints Collection</strong><br />
I'm now working on a series of 4 mini cushions (though they are slightly larger than my usual 6" square ones) which are of the Patron Saints of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All four have been designed in a 'stained-glass' style as that was something I enjoyed using when creating my Nativity set. <br />
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I'm also working on a Van Gogh mini cushion which is EXTREMELY challenging as I'm trying to fit in my version of some of his most famous paintings into such small areas of the design! Here is my version of his Starry Night painting which I think has worked OK. I want to put the Sunflowers, his self-portrait and the Irises in there too.<br />
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There will be some other mini cushions being produced inbetween these too, but I shall leave those as surprises!<br />
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<strong>EXCITING NEWS!!!</strong><br />
OK, I've left the best till last! A new series of 13 of my designs, based on my Flowers of the Month mini cushions, are going to published in one of the cross stitching magazines later in the year. My lips are sealed about which magazine it is for now but I am busy stitching up the designs and writing the instructions. I shall of course provide more details about these in a few months time, nearer the publication date of the first piece.SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-21973570637911694122014-01-19T10:18:00.000+00:002014-01-19T10:18:25.894+00:00Tudor Amulets, Chocolate AND Cross Stitch!<b>New mini cushions</b><br />
The first of my new mini cushions is titled <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC84" target="_blank">Tudor Amulets</a></b> and I produced this one because I so enjoyed designing my <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC72" target="_blank">Henry VIII</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC73" target="_blank">Elizabeth I</a></b> mini cushions but I couldn't really show the finer details of the jewels over the costumes so I focused in on the heavy oppulence of the jewelled necklaces and created a design full of vibrant colours with chain motifs linking the gems together. I'm thinking of producing more Tudor designs, maybe focusing on each of Henry VIII's wives in more detail, along the lines of my Elizabeth I design.<br />
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My latest mini cushion is very close to becoming my all-time favourite as it combines two delights - cross stitch AND chocolate! With Valentine's Day nearing I wanted to produce a design with a touch of romance in it and I had already produced a design for this occasion previously which featured <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC32" target="_blank">Romantic Roses</a></b>. So when thinking of something else classed as 'romantic' I came up with a <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC85" target="_blank">Chocolate Box</a></b>! This was really fund to design, creating my own layer of luxury chocolates! I wanted a rich shade of brown around the chocolates which would help the gold ribbon edging and bows to stand out, and I also added little sprigs of red flowers with green leaves to each corner of the mini cushion and little silver hearts hanging from the bows. I love those special little chocolates that are wrapped in gold or red foil so I placed one of those in the centre of the design. <br />
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The way the finished mini cushion has turned out also makes it a nice 'Thank you' gift idea or even a 'get well soon' gift for someone who maybe is unable to eat chocolates (or is on a diet!).<br />
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<b>Magazine Feature</b><br />
I received a lovely note from the team at Cross Stitch Collection magazine to say that my <b><a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC74" target="_blank">Vintage Flowers</a></b> mini cushion kit was being featured in the new products sections of the Spring 2014 issue of their sister magazine Cute Cross Stitch. I love to see my designs being featured in this way and it makes a nice surprise to see them suddenly appear in my favourite magazines.<br />
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<b>What's next?</b><br />
I'm now working on a mini cushion range using the stained glass style that I loved using when creating my Nativity set of designs and the theme of this range has led me to do some fun research so I can be sure to capture the right details. More will feature about these in my next blog.SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-40055861024113488672014-01-06T15:29:00.000+00:002014-01-06T15:29:04.318+00:00First kit of the yearI have started the year off as I mean to go on, with yet more mini cushion kits being released! The first one for 2014 is this traffic sign design which I've titled <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC83" target="_blank">'On the Road'</a>. The big challenge was designing the motorbike and bicycle in such small areas of the design! But I got there in the end and this turned out to be a fun design to stitch as it only uses 7 shades of thread so didn't involve many colour changes.<br />
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Now I'm working on THREE new mini cushions! The first is 'Tudor Amulets', which as the title suggests is inspired by the large jewelry of the Tudor period. The second is a new take on my Tiger mini cushion, as I've taken pieces of that design to create an abstract mini cushion. And the third......well, I shall keep that one under wraps for now!<br />
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<b>Frogging</b><br />
I also slipped in a new design as an aside from my mini cushions which is 'An Ode to Frogging'. As a member of many stitching groups on Facebook I noticed that Frogging tends to crop up a lot (where stitchers make errors and have to 'rip it' out), so I thought it deserved its own little poem! It's available as a chart only pdf from my shop on Etsy, via this link: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/174485355/an-ode-to-frogging-cross-stitch-pdf?ref=shop_home_active">http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/174485355/an-ode-to-frogging-cross-stitch-pdf?ref=shop_home_active</a> I just hope that stitching this design doesn't cause any frogging to occur!<br />
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<b>Mini Exhibition of Mini Cushions</b><br />
My exhibition at The Beaney museum has come to an end and today I collected all of my mini cushions from the museum - now I need to re-arrange them at home. I've written an article about the exhibition, with extra photos, and have submitted it to The World of Cross Stitching magazine as they are interested in publishing it in a future issue, so that will be something to look out for.<br />
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Now, which mini cushion shall I work on.......SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347324952535375.post-60882531456763179652013-12-22T09:58:00.001+00:002013-12-22T09:58:22.225+00:00Merry Christmas & Happy New YearWell, this is my last post for this year. I've released my last mini cushion kit for 2013 too. But never fear, there are going to be plenty more releases in 2014!!<br />
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So, now an update on my previous post.<br />
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<b>The Beaney Exhibition</b><br />
My Mini Exhibition of Mini Cushions is well under way at The Beaney museum in Canterbury and The World of Cross Stitching magazine will be featuring an article about it in the new year. The Gift Shop of the museum is also stocking some of my kits from my Nutcracker range so maybe that will lead to more product placements next year. Here is a photo of me standing proudly beside one of the two glass cabinets - my other photos have been saved for the magazine article. The exhibition runs until around the 5th of Jan 2014.<br />
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<b>Butterfly Study Mini Cushion</b><br />
The Beaney museum not only runs art exhibitions but also has a static display of various artefacts, including mounted butterflies, and these butterflies inspired me to create a mini cushion for the exhibition, which is also available as a <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC80" target="_blank">kit</a> from my website. It features patterns from the wings of butterflies, hairy caterpillars and a variety of complete butterflies.<br />
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<b>Craft Fair</b><br />
Unfortunately the fair in Ramsgate was a disaster! The organisers had not advertised it and the venue was off the beaten track so we only had about 5 visitors! Learnt my lesson there - enough said!<br />
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<b>Beside the Seaside</b><br />
With Christmas just around the corner I had a real change of direction in my designing and produced this <a href="http://www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk/epages/es121892.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es121892/Products/CC82" target="_blank">Beside the Seaside</a> mini cushion! It was very strange working on a bright and Summery design when the weather outside is so wet and dreary. But since launching this kit on my website in the week it has already proved a success with many orders received. I think it may be because I've crammed so many beach-themed motifs into the one little mini cushion that there are so many details to see in it and it therefore makes the design an interesting one to stitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6GPpZNAaLMEi8_nbV47pOhhTmk9BQfLUPQpC4phecJlBMTe5gZfxHb5SsEwBeTrpZMmxC0ZZ2_Bubi2zBq7Ob4_aWuh1At_jtp0J9ISPpA5-Qrg2_ERcSdOlEUZmjrfnS7hx-EveIrQ/s1600/Beside+the+Seaside+m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6GPpZNAaLMEi8_nbV47pOhhTmk9BQfLUPQpC4phecJlBMTe5gZfxHb5SsEwBeTrpZMmxC0ZZ2_Bubi2zBq7Ob4_aWuh1At_jtp0J9ISPpA5-Qrg2_ERcSdOlEUZmjrfnS7hx-EveIrQ/s320/Beside+the+Seaside+m.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>And finally....</b><br />
2014 will see many more mini cushions being launched as kits and charts on a wide range of themes, with Traffic Signs and Dinosaurs just being two of those themes! So all that's left for me to do is wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year and I'll look forward to keeping you informed about my cross stitch news in 2014.<br />
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<br />SheenaRogersDesignshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440091738912867391noreply@blogger.com3