The graphic artist in me really loves bringing graphics to my glass. This class over at Bullseye in Portland and in Santa Fe shows how to do it with powder glass and screens. It’s coming to the Northern California location as soon as that location of Bullseye opens (Can’t wait. I can drive there.). The class is taught by Stacy Lynn Smith. the powder is pressed through the screen and can even be done directly on kiln shelf and then fired to create wafers that can be used in other pieces. All I can say is hurry up and open Northern California and schedule this class!! I’m shouting this!!
Have you read?
Mardi Gras Cross Stitch Patterns
If you’re from Louisiana or just love celebrating Mardi Gras/Carnival season, these Mardi Gras cross stitch patterns are for you.
First off has to be these good enough to eat Mardi Gras cupcakes. The design is from Laser Arts Designs and they don’t say exactly how many colors are in each piece but they range from 20 to 25 maximum. It measures 205 by 126 stitches, which comes out to 14.6 by 9 inches/37.2 by 22.9 cm on 14 count fabric, or 12.8 by 7.9 inches/32.5 by 20 cm on 16 count.
The fleur de lis is a classic symbol of Mardi Gras, even more so when it’s worked in purple, green and gold like this design from Manuels Hobby Barn. This pattern uses five colors and has a design area of 222 by 244 stitches. On 14 count fabric that comes to 15.9 by 17.4 inches, or 40.3 by 44.2 cm.
Speaking of fleur de lis, this Louisiana love cross stitch pattern is super sweet and includes the outline of the state and a fleur de lis. It’s worked in four colors, and the pattern listing says they used 12 count fabric (if you use 14 it will just be a little smaller). The listing doesn’t give the size but you can check it out at Emmas Art and Design Co.
Keep your books in the holiday spirit by stitching up a Mardi Gras bookmark. This one from Povitruly Handmade uses 16 count fabric and 7 colors. It comes out to 31 by 103 stitches and they suggest using a piece of cloth that’s 10 by 20 cm (that’s 4 by 8 inches) and the pattern includes finishing instructions for turning it into a bookmark.
This last one is really just an idea that you can use in lots of different ways for Mardi Gras and beyond. It’s a Mardi Gras bead border that comes from Silverberry DesignsFL, and while it’s shown in yellow, green and purple you could change the beads to any colors you like for other holidays or just to make a fun border on a different project. As shown it is 126 by 98 stitches, which covers 9 by 7 inches or 22.9 by 17.8 cm, but the pattern repeats regularly so you could make it smaller or larger as you need.