Craft Book Review: Storyland Cross Stitch

Every now and then I come across a craft book, usually randomly stumbling across it on the web whilst looking for something completely different. Or I happen to be following the author's blog or twitter feed. Now for this particular book I can't quite remember where or when came across it might well have been osmosis. Basically I saw it and I wanted it. 

Storyland Cross Stitch by What Delilah Did a.k.a Sophie Simpson, has for me a winning combination of an awesome feeling cover (I do love a bit of texture) and wonderful looking projects (great photography). I opened the package and did the classic 'Oooooo, it's so pretty'.

The book arrived on what has to be the best day ever to sit outside and stitch, which was exactly what I ended up doing. After a quick dash about the house to gather various tools and materials. So that was my exercise for the day...not really...sort of was.

I must point out that I needn't have worried too much because rather handily the book comes with a little added extra, in the form of small piece of fabric, thread and needle. Perfect for when your caught short and in desperate need to stitch.

Me getting well and truly stuck in

So yep, today really was one of those rare moments when it just felt right to go 'sod my to do list' and work on something completely different and this was largely because I really, really wanted to do every single one of the 15 projects contained within the book. That doesn't happen often. In fact it took a lot of will power not to crack on with one of the larger projects, like the crown cushion.

It has something for everyone, and there are some great projects that I think solves my what to make for the hundreds of kiddie winkles (my term for a baby) that are due later this year. Suddenly all my friends are expecting.

What I think is so great about the book is that its subtly broken up into three stitching levels of beginners, intermediate and advanced, which I think is great. As it slowly eases you up the levels without barring your way or scaring the bejeebus out of you and making you discard the book.

The designs / projects are so utterly charming and for me they are the sort that I would be more than happy to do more than once. As there is nothing worse than getting a book that you only end up making one thing from it. I'm already thinking there will be plenty of keys, frogs, Jackalopes and foxes on the horizon.

Storyland Cross Stitch, will now sit perfectly within my collection of craft books (sadly they are currently in boxes pending the move), and I can easily say that if Sophie were to write another book then I'll eagerly purchase it. Though that time round I will actually remember to buy it from her site and not from everyone's favourite/least favourite e-commerce site that is the name of a rather large tropical rainforest. 

To purchase, nip over to Sophie's lovely site www.whatdelilahdid.com, stop and take a moment to admire her work, maybe pick up one of her other cross stitch designs whilst your there.

Book summed up in three words: wonder, lush, stitch-able 

ISBN: 978-1-908449-39-9
Images copyright What Delilah Did

Little Saturday Crafting

Whilst my shoulders still feel really sore at the moment, it wasn't going to hold me back today, I wanted to carry on stitching, so I cracked on with a couple of small projects, till I feel ready to get back to the slate frame. I am off later today to see a very good friend of mine whose going to look at my shoulders and see what the issues are, and she's also just completed a several years in the making course, huzzah. I wanted to take a little something to celebrate this, so I delved into my favourite cross-stitch book and whipped up a little dotty heart in suitable Jenny colours, and turned it into a tag for a wrapped gift. I think I will be making a few more of these to adorn Christmas gifts because nothing beats a tag that actually can be kept.

I also finished another bauble and listed it today, in rather glam red and gold. With one complete in this colour way I really should make a few more, especially if I am aiming to do a Christmas market this year, though with dodgy shoulders I am getting behind with other projects....so we'll have to wait and see.

Really, really love this book

Can't beat brown paper.

A little square which I simply sewed through stranded cotton, almost turning into a slider and tied it round the package, which means it can be used for something else, she's a crafty lady too.

Another project, but this is about as much as I am going to show at the moment, as this is for another special friend of mine, fingers crossed I get this worked in time, again it's from the same cross stitch book as the heart was. 

Tomorrow I hope to have a little Halloween tutorial, something silly, hope you all have a good day.