Pig Cross Stitch

Cross stitch is one of those things that always seems like a good idea when I start and then a day or so later I'm like eurgh....... 

Mainly because what the heck are you suppose to do with them when your finished? Rikkis Nan puts them up on her walls and it looks really nice at her house but I don't think we have the wall space. Also we don't really have a pig themed room? Or a room a pig would look good in?

I know some people put them on greetings cards as embellishment, but that's a lot of work for something that, lets face it most people put it in the bin a few days after their birthday [That said one of our friend mums always makes Lil man cross stitch cards and we have all of them saved and sewn onto a blanket, we are pretty sentimental though!]

But apparently one awful day in winter I forget all of these things and decided to do some cross stitch. This particular kit came from the charity shop and cost me 20p it included all the threads the aida and a needle. 

And I immediately cracked on, which leads me to my second gripe about cross stitch. WHY DON'T THEY LABEL THE BLOODY THREADS! As you can see the pig is made up of shades of pink and cream and beige. All of which looked very similar and had daft names like oatmeal and biscuit and champagne? It probably took me about an hour just to try and work out with colour was which and I'm still not 100% I got it right. 

I did however come up with a genius solution to make sure I wouldn't get confused again. I wrote the name [or at least what I thought its name was] on a bit of paper and tied the threads to the paper. Which now I've typed it out seems really bloody obvious but I've literally never done it before and have been confused so many times. So yeah if your a Muppet like me give that a whirl and see if it helps. 

I also coloured in the cross stitch guide as I went, but that seems really obvious as well.........

I got stuck on the outline [Well I didn't get stuck I was just fed up] So I winged it. But I think it looks okay? 

And yeah that's it. I did find it satisfying seeing all those little stitches build up into a picture and I guess it was nice to do snuggled up under a blanket when the weather was horrible BUT its still not my favourite type of slow sewing. In fact I think I much preferred my Embroidered table cloth so I might have to con Rikki into buying me another kit! 

In other news! 

- I'm on book number 26 of this year. I'm trying to read 50 books this year so if anyone has any suggestions let me know! 

- I've finished my cutting out for my demo on Saturday! So I'm basically ready, just need to pack up some sewing bits and bobs.

- We've had a bit of a grumpy week me and Lil man. Maybe its because half terms over but it just seems so unfair. 

Basically, I wake him up in the morning which makes him grumpy, then we have to get ready for school which makes him grumpy and me grumpy, I throw breakfast at him [he doesn't actually mind this part].

 Then we walk to school which can seem like five minute journey on a summers day and four hours when it rains. Then he goes into school.

 He finishes school and is tired and grumpy and full of all the reasons hes annoyed with me that day [I.E I forgot his hat, I made him wear a coat, his dads on nights, his dad has a headache, why don't I have the car, wheres his scooter] 

We walk home , he has some tea, he's still tired and we both just want to play or watch a film but lo and be bloody hold then theirs the homework. Luckily he only gets proper homework once a week but theirs reading every night and then by the time hes done that its time for bath and bed.

It just seems like the poor little guys getting no quality of life. There's no adventure because we just don't have time. And its worrying how much pressure is being put on a kid, I mean he's got an exam in a few weeks..... AN EXAM for a six year old!

 But at least now we are both really looking forward to the summer holidays where we will be chilling out and doing whatever lil man wants to do! 

So yeah that's my whinge of the day!

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx

I Can't Believe It!

My name is Frankie and I'm a stay at home mum,

 

But I do kind of like to think that there's something else that I 'do'. My name is Frankie and I knit adorable kitsch, kooky original and sickeningly sweet things and when I show people what I make the responses usually fall into one of three categories:

 

1. Oh it's adorable I want one! Please make me one!
2. Oh its lovely, hang on its how much!?
3. You don't sell those? Who buys them? Their awful! Surely they don't sell? 
4. The people who don't get it, but they respect it (Mr Knitwit falls quite solidly into this group)       

Now obviously response 1 is my favourite, usually I respond by blushing uncontrollably, to the point where I look like your nan after one to many sherry's at the family wedding.

 

Response 2 irks me a little. On the one hand, they like what I make, but on the other hand they don't think I'm worth the price. Which to be honest upsets me a little bit, if they don't think I'm worth the price, what about when I've given them as gifts? Are they worth less then as well? Well I've come to realise that these people are just ignorant of the amount of time and effort that goes into making something that's handmade. Sadly I don't knit like one of the shreddies Nannas, it does not take me an hour to whip up an owl, it takes a darn sight longer and that's on a good day. I sincerely hope that these people learn the joy of handing over something well made, original and handmade, or that at least their own family members don't spend hours knitting and sewing should the group 3's ever have a child of their own.

 

Now if group 2 irks me, group 3 sends me into a mild/less than mild rage! For starters please don't comment on my things like your some sort of fashionista and assume that everyone hates them and secondly pleas don't talk about them like that and especially in front of me, trust me I am under no delusions that what I make is everyone's cup of tea. But everything I make has a part of me in it. I give every make 100% and nothing leaves my house till I'm happy with it!

 

 

Which got me thinking (and yes that is burning you can smell) How many people are sat out there able to make things but suppressed by the group 3s of this world? How many Knitting Nanas and young people who can just 'use' a sewing machine people who draw and sketch but won't put themselves out there for fear of rejection?

 

A very wise teacher once told me, "you can call yourself an artist when you've sold your first painting"

 

Well World/internet/blog land/small group of people who return to my little space of the internet that's full of ramblings

 

My name is Frankie and I am an artist and crafter. I paint things and I sew and I knit the most sickeningly kitsch, sweet, adorable and darn right kooky things you can imagine! And they sell, sometimes they sell well, and sometimes I have lulls. But each of my customers is pleased and I always do my best so please don't rain on my parade!

 

And if you are a closet Knitter/sewer/painter BREAK FREE! Put yourself out there! As someone once said , "If you don't reach the moon you might just land on a star!"

 

In other news I made a scarf today (which I was going to blog about but this verbal stream came out instead!)

 

Much Love

 

And embrace your passions!

 

Frankie

 

xxx