Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - June

It's been a few months and I'm finally getting a chance to share the June box of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club!  This is the final box for the 2025 monthly club.  The June project is called Flamingo Floatie, a perfect theme for the summer season!  

The size of the cross stitch pattern is 45w x 56h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 151, 310, 562, 598, 893, and B5200.  Below is a closer view of the needle minder! 

 

An added bonus to this box is a quilt pattern named Starlight Stitches, sized 52" x 68".  This is another finishing idea for anyone that would like to put all 12 designs together in one project! 

Although the 2025 needle minder club has ended, another has started for 2026!  Check Shabby Fabrics or Fat Quarter Shop for information to join as well as perusing through their current stock of some remaining 2025 monthly kits available for individual purchase.

Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - May

I received the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club kit for May!  It's this pretty floral design named Keepsake Bouquet! 

The size of the cross stitch pattern is 45w x 56h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 209, 320, 602, and 605.  Here's a closer look at the needle minder! 

Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - April

The Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club kit for April was delivered!  Spring has sprung and this design, called Polkadot Peep, is perfect for the season!  A chick sitting in an egg, so cute!

The size of the cross stitch pattern is 61w x 41h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 210, 317, 744, 3761, 3825, and B5200.  Here's a closer look at the little chick! 

Happy Spring stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - March

The March Needle Minder of the Month Club shipment has arrived.  It's a quilt design called Stitched Starburst to celebrate National Quilting Month. The color palette is very pretty and perfect for Spring.

The size of the cross stitch pattern is 43w x 43h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 335, 703, 904, 3326, and 3821.  Below is a closer view of the needle minder! 

Happy stitching!

Flaming Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - February

The Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club kit for February has arrived.  It's called Tweet Hearts, a cute image of two birds atop a teacup.

The size of the cross stitch pattern is 55w x 55h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 347, 413, 760, and 3713.  Below is a few more pics of the goodies! 

Also, as I perused some sites today, I discovered a few kits from previous months that can be purchased.  Check Shabby Fabrics or Fat Quarter Shop to see what is available.

Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - January

The Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for January has arrived.  It's a cute penguin named Frosty Penguin, perfect for the winter season.  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 55w x 55h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 310, 720, 931, 3811 and B5200.  Below is a look at the goodies! 

Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - December

This is the reveal of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for December.  A cute design called Reindeer Wishes showcasing a few holiday elements!  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 63w x 38h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 310, 436, 666, 911 and B5200.  Below is a look at the goodies! 

Happy Stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - November

This is the reveal of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for November.  The design called Blue Willow Pumpkin is inspired by vintage China patterns!  A touch of autumn with a pumpkin and blue leaves is a unique combination!  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 63w x 38h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are Ecru, 434, 816, 930, 3727 and 3755.  Below is a look at the goodies! 

Happy Stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - October

This is the reveal of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for October.  Halloween is the theme/inspiration for this design called Groovy Ghost!  A cute little ghost decorated in flowers and a head bow!  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 63w x 38h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 151, 310, 741, 744 and B5200.  Below is a look at the goodies! 

Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - September

This is the reveal of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for September.  The theme is Apple Picking.  An apple needle minder with a quilt block and flower designed into the shape, how fun!  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 63w x 38h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are Ecru, 666, 910 and 3821.  Below is a look at the goodies! 

Flaming Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - August

This is the reveal of the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club for August.  The theme is Booked for a Nap.  The inspiration for the theme was International Cat Day (August 8) and National Book Lovers Day (August 9).  I like the color combination of this design.  The size of the cross stitch pattern is 63w x 38h.  The embroidery design is to be stitched on a 10" square of fabric in a 6" embroidery hoop.  The DMC floss colors are 04, 163, 168, 3326, 3813 and B5200.  Below is a look at the goodies!  Stop by Flamingo Toes to see the designs stitched and embroidered!

 Happy stitching!

Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club - July

I'm participating in the Flamingo Toes Needle Minder of the Month Club!  Each month for a year, a box of goodies (all a mystery) to include a custom-made needle minder, a coordinated cross stitch and embroidery pattern, and embroidery floss will be sent to club participants.  July was the first month and the theme was Summer Sailboat.  Pictured below is the needle minder, pattern and floss that came in this box.  The size of the cross stitch design is 63w x 43h.  The floss colors are DMC 02, 321, 931, 3811, and B5200 (the chart shows Blanc but it was substituted).  

Visit Bev of Flamingo Toes to see the design stitched and embroidered as well as her finishing instructions! 

Happy stitching!

Create Every Day cross stitch

My recent crafty creation is the fully finish of my Create Every Day cross stitch piece.    This is a freebie pattern designed by Teresa Kogut and can be found on her website here or also on the Fat Quarter Shop website here.

 

I stitched this design in 2020, set it aside, and last month finally had an idea on how to finish it.  The finishing piece is a wooden hanging plaque from Michaels that I painted using Folk Art wicker white acrylic paint.  I covered the plaque backing piece with fabric called Spools Allover Blue, from the Sew Little Time collection by Danielle Leone (Wilmington Prints).  I fused a piece of interfacing behind the stitching, backed it with a piece of chipboard and laced it up before gluing to the plaque.  Other details:

Fabric

14 count white Aida

Floss 

words - Sullivans 45226 (similar to DMC 825) (Note: lots of stitches-used almost the whole skein)

needle - Sullivans 45090 (similar to DMC 414)

thread details - Sulky petite 12 wt. blendable color 4030

Happy creating!

 

Sweet Summer cross stitch (Cherry Hill Stitchery)

Well, summer may be winding down but it was time for me to fully finish a cross stitch project I completed last September.  It's the Sweet Summer pattern by Cherry Hill Stitchery. 

The easy part of the process was picking a wall decor sign from my supply collection to use as the display piece, and painting it white.  However, it took me many days to decide on the materials and layout for this finish.  I auditioned several different fabric options for the backdrop and didn't like any at all so I thought well let me look through my collection of scrapbook paper.  Well that was it!  I found two pieces of coordinating paper by My Mind's Eye that complimented the colors in the stitched piece!  I cut the green polka dot paper for the bottom layer and the coral colored polka dot for the top paper layer.  After those were adhered to the sign base, I was then able to complete a final layout with added embellishments to display this project!  Following are the details of the supplies used.

Cross stitch fabric: 14 ct. Beautiful Beige Aida cloth

Floss:

Sullivans 45339 (substitution for CC Ladybug)

Sullivans 45279 (substitution for Steamed Broccoli)

Sullivans 45002 (substitution for DMC B5200)

DMC 729

DMC 310 

Other:

wall decor sign

white acrylic paint

rick rack

My Mind's Eye patterned paper

ribbon

Happy finishing!

 

A little bit of Spring

 

To add a little bit of Spring indoors, I stitched the letters from the design Spring Freebie by Little Stitch Girl.  The size of the finished stitched piece measures 6 1/8" tall by 2 3/4" wide.  I added a strip of batting behind the stitching and adhered the two layers to a piece of chipboard.  I used the crop-a-dile corner chomper tool to round the edges of the chipboard pieces to make it easier to wrap the fabric.  I added white rick rack that I colored using Copic marker Y13, color name Lemon Yellow, behind the stitched panel.  I was happy to find use for some crafty items that have been sitting on my shelf of craft supplies.  I pulled some Prima flowers and floral brads (used for the flower centers) that closely matched the thread colors.  The flowers and finished stitched piece was adhered to a piece of chipboard that I covered with fabric.  To add a bit more embellishment, I adhered a ribbon bow to the top of the stitched panel

Cross Stitch Supplies

Fabric:  14 count white Aida cloth

Floss:

Sullivans 45338 (equivalent to DMC 3326) - used for letter S

Sullivans 45172 (equivalent to DMC 727) - used for letter P

DMC 3348 - used for letter R

Sullivans 45468 (equivalent to DMC 153) - used for letter I

DMC 3825 - used for letter N

DMC 598 - used for letter G

 

 

 

 

Autumn cross stitch

My latest fully finished cross stitch project is the freebie Autumn cross stitch pattern by Tiny Modernist.  I stitched this up last year and put it away until I could figure out what to do with it.  I initially wanted to finish it on a wooden pumpkin piece but it was just a tad too large.  So, the next best finish was to make it into a pillow.  

 

Here are the details:

Cross stitch fabric:  14 ct. off-white Aida cloth

Pillow size:  approx. 6 1/2" x 7"

Cotton trim: orange rick rack (from Sew Vintagely)

Pillow fabric:  Adel in Autumn collection by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs

    front fabric panel:  SKU #C10824 (chocolate)

    backing fabric:  SKU# C10822 (chocolate) 

Floss:  DMC 729 & 720; Sullivans 45170, 45242 & 45268

 Happy stitching!

 

 

One Stitch at a Time

My latest fully finished cross stitch project is the One Stitch at a Time pattern by Tiny Modernist.  I completed the stitching in July and periodically I would think of finishing ideas and recently I finally came up with this clean and simple finish.

Here are the stitching supplies and  details:

Fabric - 16 ct. white Aida cloth

Finished stitched size - approx. 4" x 4"

Floss

Blues - Sullivans 45444 and 45442 (the DMC equivalents are 3846 and 3844)

Yellow - Sullivans 45171 (the DMC equivalent is 726)

Grays - Sullivans 45483 and 45089 (the DMC equivalents are 168 and 413)

Greens - DMC 906 and 907

Corals - Sullivans 45075 and 45076 (the DMC equivalents are 351 and 352)

Brown - Sullivans 45097 (the DMC equivalent is 436)

 

Finishing details:

 

I purchased an ArtMinds wood plaque from Michaels and painted the sides and part of the interior with Folk Art's Wicker White acrylic paint.  I measured, cut and adhered some blue fabric to the plaque interior for the backdrop to showcase the design.  I adhered the stitched design to a piece of chipboard and pondered on how to make it pop off the background.  I like the look of rick rack and also wanted to use cording so I looked through my supplies to see what would work.  I decided on some nice 100% cotton jumbo rick rack (purchased from Sew Vintagely on Etsy) and figured out the placement, glued it down to the background fabric and then adhered the stitched design on top.  Next, I considered either purchasing a tool to make cording or trying a DIY method.  Well, I referred back to this video by Lolly Palooza that I watched several months ago and using some yarn to practice, I was successful in producing some cording!  I wasn't sure what color to use for the cording and was thinking of using the 45442 floss but as I was looking through some of my supplies, I discovered I had some DMC Perle cotton size 5 in a complimentary color.  Well, I never realized there was a color number on the Perle floss and guess what? As I peeled off the label, I saw number 352.  Wow, no wonder it was a great match to a color I used, LOL!  Sullivans 45076 is equivalent to DMC 352!  So, with 4 strands of the Perle cotton, I made some cording and adhered it to the perimeter of the design; a nice addition to finish the look!

 

Happy stitching!

Halloween cross stitch - Hazel and Mitzi

Well a few more days and it will be Halloween!  I haven't crafted as much as I would have liked lately but, I did manage to fully finish two cross stitch patterns, Hazel and Mitzi, designed by Christi, Javagirl Stitches.  These designs are fun and quick and perfect if you like Halloween and need a break from a large project!

 

Hazel is dressed up in candy corn colors and Mitzi dressed up as a witch; nothing spooky but cute!  All DMC floss used and I did change a few colors on Hazel but kept Mitzi's colors as called for on the pattern.  They are both stitched on 14 ct Aida called Fronk by Seraphim Fabrics.

The pillows are approximately a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.  I did iron on some interfacing behind the images as a layer of protection before assembling and stuffing the pillow.  The fabric I used to make the pillows is from the Holiday Essentials Halloween collection by Stacy Iest Hsu for Moda Fabrics which I also used as the pillow backing.  A bit of rick rack and ribbon bow for embellishment makes it a nice and simple finish!  These will be some cute home decor pieces to put on display!

Happy Halloween Stitching!

 

 

 

Cross Stitch Camp August Challenge

August was the final month of Cross Stitch Camp hosted by Sheri of ColoradoCrossStitcher.  I finished my project just in time, on the last day of the month, and got it posted on time to Instagram!  The challenge for August was to use something new to you and I chose to try 28 count Monaco that I purchased some months ago.  Also, while I was perusing Michaels a few days prior to starting the challenge, I discovered they were now selling Anchor floss and I thought it would be fun to try it out.  But did I really want to add more floss to my collection?  Not only that, there was no requirement to try more than one new to you item for the challenge.  Once I decided on the pattern, a freebie by Tiny Modernist called Witches Brew, I saw it only required 4 colors of floss and the recommended brand listed was Anchor!  So yes, I returned to Michaels and purchased the colors needed. 

While I did finish the stitching on time, I started fully finishing it yesterday and managed to complete it today!  Here's the FFO:

I had a few finishing bases that would have worked but I stopped in at Michaels yesterday, just in case, and found a wooden tag sign (pictured below with the fabric and rack rick from my supply collection) that I was excited to use.  Along with the tag, I pulled other finishing items from my collection of supplies.  I removed the mini word tag and hanger from the sign.  I traced the sign onto a piece of scrap box packing material and adhered the fabric to it and then adhered that to the top of the sign.  I then glued the stitched piece to a piece of chipboard.  I placed and glued the rick rack on the background fabric before adhering the stitched piece.  For the finishing touches, I added two layers of ribbon and a brad. 

My thoughts on the process of using the new to me items?  Well, I had to use a magnifier to stitch on the Monaco (2 floss threads over 2 fabric threads) which did slow down the stitching.  I would stitch on it again (not that often) but it would need to be another small design close to, or smaller than the Witches Brew.  As far as the Anchor floss, I found it to be comparable to DMC and Sullivans.  The only downside is considering how to store the spools if I decided to invest in adding more to my floss collection.  Overall, it was a fun challenge and I'm happy I was able to participate!

Happy Stitching! 

Patriotic Pinkeep and Cross Stitch Camp

Several weeks ago I joined in on the Cross Stitch Camp challenge for July.  It's a virtual event created and hosted by Sheri of Colorado Cross Stitcher.  Cross Stitch Camp is being held for 3 months (June, July & August) in which stitchers can participate in various monthly challenges set by Sheri.  Luckily there is no requirement to participate in all 3 monthly challenges (I was behind on watching Flosstube and didn't learn about it until in June) but I was motivated and decided to join in for July.  The challenge was to stitch something by a designer whose pattern you've never stitched before and being that it was for July, I thought a patriotic item would be a good idea.

I looked through my collection of patterns and chose the Patriotic Pinkeep by Bendy Stitchy Designs.  Another factor of choosing this pattern was because I had to take into consideration the stitch count/size of the design.  I was joining in on the challenge on July 17 which meant I only had a few weeks to get the design stitched by the end of the month.  Well, it was a fun stitch, the perfect size and, with my plan of stitching a minimum of 30 minutes per day, I completed the challenge!  Not only did I get the design stitched (finishing the stitching is required and fully finishing is optional), I also fully finished it!  Being that it was the end of July, I stopped in at Michaels a few days ago to search for any patriotic type item to use in finishing my project.  I was in luck because there was a good hand full of items on clearance!  I chose a Red, White & Blue shadow box frame which only required minimal alteration.  This is the original box design.

 

Here are the details about my finished project.

Fabric:  14 count light blue Aida (brand - Loops & Thread [100% cotton])

Floss:  DMC 3865 and Sullivans (the DMC conversion) 45006, 45106, 45235, 45275, 45217, 45375 & 45238

Design Changes:  I left off the year and added a stitched star from the pattern.

 

Finishing:

I measured the inside of the shadow box and cut a paper template and traced it onto chipboard.  I cut a piece of the stars fabric (a fat quarter from Michaels) and adhered to the chipboard.  I placed the fabric covered chipboard square into the box for the backdrop.  Using a 5" Fiskars circle template, I cut a piece of chipboard.  I then traced the circle to the back of the stitched piece ensuring the design was not cut off and then cut out a circle approximately 1/2" away from the traced line.  This is to ensure there was enough fabric to wrap around the chipboard.  I then laced the design to the chipboard and adhered red 100% cotton rick rack for embellishment.  (Was I the only one that didn't know rick rack came in cotton?  I had never even thought about the material it's made of and the few packs I bought from the fabric store, they are made of polyester.  Not that anything is wrong with polyester but I thought it was good information to share!  So, I don't remember what got me looking but I found some cotton rick rack in a variety of colors and sizes on Etsy and made a purchase from the shop Sew Vintagely.  Anywho, back to the project!)

 

Finally, I adhered the stitching to the backing panel.  A quite quick and simple finish! 

 

Happy Stitching!