How Do You Stitch Mill Hill Kits?

 I love Mill Hill kits! They are gorgeous when finished and unique for using the perforated paper to stitch on. That is a plus for how they look, but a minus for me when it comes to holding and stitching. I used to hold mine in hand, but that limits me as to when I can stitch because my hands tend to sweat when it's hot and humid. When the weather is cooler, I still find that the paper ends up feeling a little softer and gets a little worn looking. Yes, I know you are to cut the paper off for ornaments, but what about the Buttons & Beads kits? I saw a few videos telling about the new magnetic frames but when I priced them - ummmm- nope. Then I saw a woman that put hers on 6" stretcher bars and secured them with tacks. She said the needleworkers tacks (tarnish resistant) go through the holes with no problems and secures the paper without marring it. 

After comparing costs, I decided that I would try the stretcher bars. I found some on Amazon and ordered some tacks with puller. The stretcher bars came in a pack of 20, so I could have 5 small items or Mill Hill kits on the go all at once. And the best part was the cost of all of this was less then one magnetic frame! Everything arrived yesterday and last night, the #22 for Brringo was called. That was my Mill Hill Cappuccino kit - and it was a roll the dice to see how many stitches were to be put in. A roll of one required 100 stitches, a roll of 2 required 200, etc. Hubby rolled a 2 so I was required 200 stitches. Now was the time to put the stretcher bars to the test and see if I liked them.

Well - this was my progress. I began with the 2 hour start on the 2nd and finished with this: 

I passed my 200 stitches and found that the stretcher bars work quite well. Much better than holding in hand and worrying that I'm going to crinkle or do something awful to the paper. This method is still not perfect but a whole heck of a lot better to stitch!

Small Mill Hill Finish

 I came across an old Mill Hill kit in my stash called Mill Hill Quilt Magnets Pine Tree Quilt Square MHQM6. This called to me and said it was quick and should be fun. According to what I found, this kit was back from 1993. I guess it was time to whip it up. It truly was a quick finish. Now I need to put a backing on and make it into a magnet. The beads are a little wonky since they were all different sizes, but I think that is some of the charm.

Unfortunately, I will not be resubbing to The Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night kits any longer. It expires this month, and I was balking at the rising price last time, but I so LOVED the different threads, fabrics and embellishments. Sadly, this year they were not blowing me away like they used to. Many had average threads, no embellishments, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with the kits, because they are still adorable, but not what I liked about the old kits. Maybe that's just what is going on this past year, but I'll just hold out and wait to see what next year offers. I'm one that loves buttons, beads and bling and I didn't see much this  year.

Last Finish of the Year

I put the last of the beads on Mill Hill's "Cheers" yesterday. I was going to finish into a magnet, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that a magnet would limit where I could put it. I have the felt for the back, but just need to decide if it will become a magnet or an ornament. Sadly my photo doesn't show all the sparkle that the beads give. There are a lot of beads on this - plus the snowflake charm at the top.

Today is my last day of purchasing cross stitch kits, etc. Tomorrow, I will be begin my journey of stitching only from stash. I am allowing myself  a couple of exception: the occasional thread, beads, etc. if it is needed for a project if I run out, supplies for turning my FOs into FFOs and my birthday. I've thought about adding Christmas in the mix as well, but I just may wait out the year. This will also extend into my other crafting as well. 

All my monthly subscriptions and Patreon memberships have been cancelled. There will still be a couple of goodies coming that have to be excluded from the "wagon". I have a 2 year subscription to Just Cross Stitch and I did a yearly payment for an auto ship of The Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night monthly kits. I'm also on the waitlist for The Silver Needle's Friends Stitching Circle, but it's not hopeful. Since I signed up well before I decided to hop on the Stitch from Stash wagon, if I get lucky and get picked up from the list, I will also have this as an exception. 

Next year should be a great year for stitching. I am excited to be able to stitch the things that I have fallen in love with but always put aside for something else. It's now time to fall in love with my stash again!

Mill Hill Cheers WIP

I've decided to try a small Mill Hill kit called "Cheers". I've hear so many people seem to really like them. I was browsing Amazon when I came across this kit on sale for about $6 shipped. It's been years since I've done anything by Mill Hill and the ones I did years ago were larger. 

I've wasn't sure I liked working on the perforated paper at first. Being small, I kept catching the floss on the paper edges and corners. I'm getting better and am now finding more enjoyable and even a bit fun. I liked the instructions of drawing on the back to find the center. It made things so much easier! I also printed out a copy of the pattern and am coloring in as I go. It will make it so much easier to add the beads at the end. The way I'm going, I'll easily be finishing this before New Year's Eve. This will probably be my last finish of the year.

One thing I'm finding is my stitching isn't as neat with using 3 strands vs the 2 I'm used to using. I haven't been able to figure out how to make it look nicer. Maybe with more practice? With that said, I've picked up a couple more Mill Hill kits for future stitching. I'm looking forward to making more!