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Fused Glass in Austin, TX: Helios Kiln Glass Studio

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fused glass for stained glass artistsIf you’ve been reading my little blog here you’ll know I’m planning on opening up my own glass studio. I even think I’ve come up with the name but I’ll mention that in another writing. So I find myself wandering the web look at different studios and noting what I like and sometimes, but rarely , don’t like. I really like this place and think that if I was in Austin I’d spend alot of my time here. It’s the Helios Kiln Glass Studio. Check it out…

There are bunches of great classes, studio time, supplies…good glass times for all. You can learn about pot melts, hot mosaics, cold working glass…I could go on. Check out their web site and if you find yourself in Austin, Texas check this place out. Then go get some barbecue.HOT MOSAICS 06

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Colorful Christmas Tree Cross Stitch Patterns

There’s no rule that says Christmas trees in real life have to be green, and there’s no rule in cross stitch that Christmas trees have to be green, either. While I love a good traditional looking tree (in reality or in cross stitch) there are lots of fun other choices, which we’ll explore here.

Looking for more Christmas tree cross stitch patterns? Check out this post from last year.

I am going to start with a traditional tree, but this one has a lot of color thanks to the lights and other decorations on it. This one is form xCountingtheStarsx, and it uses 20 colors. Worked on 16 count fabric it comes out to about 5.6 by 9.25 inches, or 14.2 by 23.5 cm, with a stitch count of 90 by 148.

These fun designs from Catholic Sprouts have traditional tree shapes but are filled with fun patterns and colors. These would be fun to stitch as a set or you can make each of them and give them as gifts to different people or use as holiday cards.

The Christmas tree shape is a little less literal in this swooping design from Well Stitches. I like this one because it only uses one color so it’s great for beginners, but it still looks dramatic. It is 109 by 155 stitches, which comes out to 7.99 by 11.07 inches, or 19.78 by 28.12 cm on 14 count fabric (dimensions for other counts are also included if you want to make it smaller).

And if you want to go for all color, check out the Merry and Bright Christmas tree cross stitch pattern from Tapestry Barn. This pretty skinny tree is surrounded by multicolored snowflakes. The designs on the tree remind me of knitting patterns. And even though it’s lots of colors, it’s only worked with whole stitches and no back stitching. It looks lovely on dark fabric! The piece measures about 7 by 7 inches, or 18 by 18 cm, on 14 count fabric.