pattern: i'm no lady (and a special discount code!)

it's been a long time coming, but i'm excited to finally present a brand new penelope waits pattern!

i've been doing a lot of gardening in this last year, and my love of lady bugs has flourished - they're just so good for the garden. i feel happy every time i see one because i know they're a sign that my garden is healthy. this pattern has been in honour of my favourite garden friends - and it wouldn't be right if it didn't come with the kind of dorky pun you've all come to expect from me!

this is an almost ridiculously easy piece to stitch. it's made up of just two colours, and it's small enough that when worked on 14 count aida, you can frame it, like i have done, in a 4" hoop. if you've been wanting to give cross stitch a try, this is the pattern to begin with.

you can purchase this pattern as an instant pdf download from my etsy store, and in celebration of the new member of the pattern family, i'm offering a 15% discount on all patterns in the shop until the end of august. just enter the code: newlady when you make any purchase

i really hope you like this wee thing. i'm pretty fond of it myself.

pattern: interested owls

i recently found myself in need of an owl cross stitch pattern. i looked around on etsy, but couldn’t find one that suited my purposes (small, cute, simple), so i decided to design my own.

it was very quick to whip up so i thought i’d make it a free pattern to share here on the blog.

as you may be able to see, i used some variegated thread on the owls wings and tummies. as these are not as accessible as dmc threads, i’ve substituted dmc alternates into the pattern.

where the pattern uses dmc 3858, i used cottage garden threads‘ “blackwood”, and where the pattern uses dmc 422, i used cottage garden threads‘ “wheat”.

you should, of course, use whatever colours tickle your fancy.

for a larger version of the pattern, click here.

i always love to see the results when people stitch up my patterns, so if you sew your own little pair of owls, do consider adding a photo to the ‘penelope waits designs’ flickr group.

happy stitching!

pattern: hardly bear

it seems like ages since i’ve had a new pattern to share with you, and i am excited to say, that the time has finally come! may i present, ‘hardly bear’:

this pattern is a little different - it’s customizable. where the example says “sweet” is left blank on the chart, and i’ve included charts for a whole bunch of useful adjectives, such as awesome, silly, clever, cute, pretty, etc. so you can make the most appropriate crafty message for the recipient of your masterpiece.

i’ve also included an alphabet chart, so that you can put your own adjective in there if it’s one i didn’t think of.

you can download this pattern as a pdf from my etsy shop. 

i hope you love it! 

pattern: hovel, sweet hovel

sometimes, while reading other people’s beautiful blogs, and seeing glimpses of their lovely homes, i start to feel that my housekeeping abilities are abnormally appalling. i am simply not one of those people who can keep my house consistently clean and tidy. i go through bursts of industrious organisation, and determined washing-of-all-the-things, but it’s never been something i’ve been able to maintain for any length of time, and my house always seems to descend into a state of cheerful chaos before long.

i’m sure i can’t be alone in this, so i have designed a simple little pattern for the domestically challenged among us…

the pattern is free, and you can find the chart here. 

you can sit on the couch and stitch it up, instead of doing the vacuuming!

hope you like it!

pattern: woodland sampler

here is the latest pattern from penelope waits: the woodland sampler!

i wanted to create a sampler that wasn’t quite so pink as the last one, and that incorporated animals as well as botanicals. this is the result!

it’s not a traditional sampler, in that it doesn’t have a place for the date and the stitcher’s name. i thought it might be nice to keep this one as simple as possible, what with all the busy little creatures scampering across it!

as ever, you can purchase the pattern from my etsy shop if you have taken a fancy to it.

pattern: crafty like a fox

i’ve got a new pattern to show you! it’s designed especially for crafty folk like us…

i’ll be hanging mine near my sewing table, with all my other crafty things.

it’s a really easy pattern, and only has two different colours in it, so it would be a great starter pattern for a beginner.

i think it would also be a lovely present from one crafty person to another.

if you’d like to stitch it up, you can find the pattern at my etsy shop.

stay crafty!

pattern: tea and scandal

here’s a project that’s very close to my heart.

as many of you know, i collect teacups. i adore my collection - it’s full of intricate designs, beautiful colours, and delicate patterns, and it’s been the inspiration for my latest embroidery pattern:

“they retired to their tea and scandal, according to their ancient custom”

- william congreve

i’ve chosen to hang the individual teacups in their own little hoops, but they would also look very cute in little frames, or used to make a set of greeting cards.

this is my favourite of my designs so far! if you like it too, you can buy a copy of it from my etsy shop.

bottoms up!

pattern: springtime sampler

i am so excited to be making this post - i have been working on the pattern for a sampler for ages, and it’s finally ready to share!

i love samplers. when i’m working on one, i feel part of an ancient tradition. i can picture myself as a character out of a jane austen novel, or an arthurian courtier.

with this pattern, i wanted to draw on traditional motifs, while creating something fresh and a little different.

like the bunnies, and the squirrels, the pattern for this sampler is available in my etsy shop.

i hope you like it!

pattern: nice buns

what’s this? another new pattern? i am on some kind of roll!

i made this pattern quite a while ago, but i got carried away with the squirrels and it sat on the back-burner for a bit.

i am a big fan of puns. jokes that make other people roll their eyes make me chortle and grin.

so i’m afraid i just couldn’t help myself here!

if you like the pattern, you can get your hands on a copy at my etsy shop. it could be a fun message to give to someone you admire, or something to hang above the bathroom mirror as a reminder that your own buns are pretty nice too (yes, they are!).

pattern: nuts about you

the pattern for this cute cross stitch is now available for purchase from my etsy shop!

i love the little squirrels so much, and i had the best time designing and stitching them up for you!

woodland creatures are kind of my favourites. i made friends with heaps of squirrels when my partner an i went to england a while ago. this little chap was one of them:

by ‘made friends’ i mean that i shrieked “skirril!” and ran after it whenever i saw one… but i don’t think they held it against me…

maybe after designing a pattern in honour of all the squirrels that i have loved (and chased), they’ll forgive me for loving them too much!

i really hope you’ll like this pattern. i spent ages getting it just right, and i can attest to the fact that it is fun and easy to stitch.

if you want a copy, head over to my etsy shop. 

teal deer

it’s not only my embroidery geekiness that’s showing (two new designs in two days! what is this madness?), but my internet geekiness too:

for those who don’t know what i’m on about, the urban dictionary defines “teal deer” as “a bastardization of ‘tl;dr’, which is a bastardization of ‘too long; didn’t read’…”.

this could be a cheeky gift to a particularly loquacious friend (if you think it can be given and received in fun, and not taken personally!), or just a fun and nerdy decoration for your home. mine is hanging among my fabric hoops in our living room.

the chart is below for your stitching pleasure. i used DMC 991 for mine, because i think it’s a lovely rich, vibrant teal.

may your geekiness be with you - enjoy!