Want to add a little extra something something to your glass? Maybe some metal or perhaps bubbles? I was playing with bubbles today. Love bubbles. My favorite way to create bubbles in fused glass is to take two pieces of reeded glass and place them face to face, criss crossed and then fuse. Perfect bubbles. Rows and rows of perfect bubbles. But what if you want something more random? Try a bit of baking soda. Some people make a thin paste with baking soda and water, such as Susan Hutsko, or you can try what I did, which was sift it on. Tomorrow I’m going to try a thin paste too. I did let the glass get too hot and had some out of control, giant bubbles. Not good. Ask Mr. Google about it and you can find a few sites with information. And check out what some of them say about metals too…
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Cactus Cross Stitch Patterns
It’s the time of year when I can feel summer coming on even though we’re still firmly in springtime. It makes me want to start crafting projects with more of a summery feel to them, which is probably why I was recently drawn to look up some cactus cross stitch patterns.
Witch Stitch has an adorable little cactus in a pot pattern that wouldn’t be too hard for a beginner. It uses seven colors and has a little backstitch for the spikes.
This set of little cacti from Ugly Duckling House are cute all together on a hoop, but they’d also be cute stitched individually on different projects. Napkins for summer picnics, anyone? The full project is about 7.1 by 6.4 inches (18.8 by 16.3 cm) and 14 count fabric, and it uses 25 colors. There’s a little back stitching to make the spikes on a couple of the cacti, but you can leave them off if you don’t want to do it. Note: this pattern is no longer free but can be accessed on their membership site.
Another little sampler of mini cactus patterns is available from Nikki Pattern on Etsy. This design has four little cactus patterns in pots with geometrical designs on them. The set measures 71 by 108 stitches, which is 5.07 by 7.71 inches or 12.88 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric, and uses 14 colors.
Looking for something a little more realistic? Check out this set of four cactus in pots from Goffin Design (which I just profiled the other day). This one uses 20 colors and measures 207 by 108 stitches, which comes out to 4.79 by 7.71 inches or 37.56 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric.
Or if you really want a challenge, try this cactus collection from Patrones a Puntadas. This stunning realistic cactus cross stitch pattern uses a whopping 82 colors in 217 by 276 stitches. This would be a true labor of love for a dedicated stitcher who loves cacti, but how pretty it would be on your wall!
Cute Little Cacti to Cross Stitch