I’ve got five new smalls to show you, one new one and four recycled ones, a fluffle of rabbits and a gaggle of geese, oh and a sheep too…
I started this cross-stitch about three weeks ago, I’d grabbed the pattern and flosses when I was just about to go out, not realising until it was too late that to get the finished size I wanted I would have to stitch it over one thread, not my favourite cross-stitch!!! Luckily I had it with me when the train I was on was stranded for five hours…you can really get a fair bit done in five hours!! It gave me the push to keep going with it and a couple of days ago I finally finished it. This is where I was when I last showed you…
It’s a lovely design by a French designer called Il Est Cinq Heures, it’s a freebie and I thought it was very cute. Cute without being twee! Of course with such tiny stitches I made a few mistakes, the main one being the little red cart, it’s meant to be about four stitches wider, so my flowers are a bit squashed together! I love the sheep with his swirls on his fleece, the little rabbit is very sweet and the allium flowers at each end just finish it off. It was meant to have clouds in between the words as well, but I’d had enough of tiny cross-stitches by then so I moved the butterfly along and made the birds fly a little higher!
My bee fabric matched perfectly, bringing out the blue too. The design was also meant to have a zig-zag of cross-stitch along the bottom, so I added a length of ric-rac instead! The blue cord made from two shades of DMC floss just finish it off.
A few weeks ago we had a big clear out ‘under the eaves’, our general dumping area, I think every home has one! I still have boxes of my children’s clothes etc so I had a bit of a sort out. I’ve kept all the ones I made and a couple of special ones and given lots to charity. In amongst the clothes I found some bibs I embroidered and a nappy pin cushion. Yes I used terry nappies, way back then I was very uncomfortable with disposable nappies that would still be on a rubbish tip when their grandchildren were born. Roll on 20 years and despite all the discussion about plastic waste there is very little mention about disposable nappies, most of which will be wrapped in a single use plastic nappy bag!
Anyway, I’ve climbed down from my soap box…I decided that as these bibs would realistically never be used again as they were looking decidedly past it, I would make the cross-stitch into smalls. The bibs were terry with a strip of aida across the bottom, so I trimmed them down and found a fat quarter in my stash that matched perfectly.
I made the bouncy rabbits one first, I was planning a few buttons under the length of vintage broderie anglais, especially as I found a Peter Rabbit button which was used first on my kids clothes. However I couldn’t get it to look right so I made the cushion a bit smaller and it looked much better.
The biggest one is the geese and teddy. For this one I did manage to use an old baby button of a duck together with some pretty simple ones.
The pincushion was looking pretty shabby so I took it apart, the little duck was on the back. It’s pretty small so I added three rows of embroidery at the side and stitched on the blue fabric. A length of blue check ric-rac just finishes it nicely. At the moment the mother goose has just been made into a simple pad with a fresh blue back, I haven’t decided yet how to trim it. I feel it needs a little something, either blue cord, ricrac or mini pompoms.
I’m pleased with my new smalls, just in time for an Easter display!
I’ll be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, a celebration of all things hand stitched, why not follow the link and see what everyone else has been making.
thecraftycreek 
Would you like to move over a little on your soap box as I would like to stand on it too. =) I always used terry towel nappies for my babies. So many gorgeous cross stitch pretties here. Love them all, particularly your Hello Spring beauty. It is gorgeous! It is amazing what one can stitch when sitting on a train for five hours, isn’t it.
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I’m sure there’s room for two on my soap box 🙂
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I love how you’ve repurposed your cross stitch, just lovely! I also used cloth diapers but I do have to admit, the disposables were handy when traveling. Happy stitching!
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Thanks Gretchen, I agree they have their uses, just not for constant everyday use!
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I had never heard (or read) the word fluffle. I looked it up to see if it was a real word. I think it is a perfect word for a colony of rabbits as there would be lots of fluff in their nests. I learn so much from your blog and not just about all the sewing you do obviously. I enjoy all the posts you make.
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What a wonderful way to recycle those baby items. I love that new little cross-stitch. I would never be able to work over one stitch. I avoid those patterns.
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Thanks Cathie, I avoid over one stitch patterns too, I seemed to miss this one until it was too late, stuck in a waiting room for an hour with nothing else to do!
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What a wonderful way to repurpose just adorable…love your Stitch for spring over one! So lovely,have a fabulous week many blessings…
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I love your recycled baby items, perfect for Easter too! We also used cloth diapers.
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What a creative idea! And such a lovely display of repurposed stitcheries just in time for spring!
Thanks for linking up!
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Great recycling of those old projects. I remember making cross stitch projects with bears and geese…that was many moons ago! Your new Spring pillow is lovely and done just in time.
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So pretty as always. Your finishing off is what makes all your projects that little bit special. Not only the nappies and the bags but the wipes as well. I used cotton wool and water for bum cleaning !
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Great way to preserve those baby memories! I also used cloth diapers. 🙂
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Inspiring to see how you have repurposed all those sweet cross stitch pieces. I have some lovely bits of embroidery, and other bits and pieces too lovely to get rid of, all hidden away in my sewing cupboard. I am inspired to get them out and do something creative with them. Also another cloth diaper user here…still using some of the old ones as dusters and cleaning cloths a quarter of a century later! Thank you for the lovely post.
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Super way to repurpose the beautiful stitchery. Do you use them for pincushions or display them?
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Thanks Carole, I just display them, I write a post at the beginning of each month with the ‘smalls’ I have on display 🙂
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Such adorable smalls!
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Such a wonderful idea to repurpose your early cross stitch pieces, especially as you had originally stitched them for your own babies. Yes, I’m another who used cloth nappies and can remember them all pegged out on the clothesline each day to dry in the sunshine!
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Another set of lovely smalls – never had babies so can’t comment on nappies. But I will have to catch that train of yours (with my sewing projects) – I might get some finished!
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I know nothing about diapers, having never had children… but I do know a thing or two about geese and I love yours! What beautiful work and what a nice way to save it too!
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now those are all lovely!
especially like the geese and bunnies, simply because I like that kind of design, but the Jardin Privé one (I’m assuming it’s a JP?) is very effective too.
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Thanks Claire, It’s actually a designer called Il Est Cinq Heures,though it does look like the sort of thing JP would do, I do like the French designers 🙂
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