Cross Stitch Gold3 00028

Autumn topiary

Autumn

sunflowers

Fili your home with the golden glow of the late autumn sunshine as you stitch the stunning finał design in our series of seasonal topiaries from Maria Diaz

Nilka

MEET THE

DESIGNER

MARIA DŁAZ Maria is a very popular frcelance designer and regulariy creates projects fur a yarieły of cross stitch magazines and kit companies,

This is the finał project in the series of seasonal topiaries that I have created for Cross Stitch Cold. I have realiy enjoyed working on this series and haue tried to give each project its own speeial and unique character. I used ridi sunset colours in my autumn top i ary, with lots of golds, bumt oranges and deep, werdant greens in the design, I hope you find them satisfying projects to complete; whether you choose to stitch the entire set or your fauaurite Seasonal topiary design.

Coid Stitching Tip

As this design does not rontaln .my fradionjl sttUhes, you could easily work The project on td-count aida if yau ptefer TWs to euenW«3ve-

This spectacular topiary is stitched on 28-count white evenweave Using 22 cfifterent shades. of stranded cotton and three different shades of rayon floss Mana has created the topiary using whole cross stitch and half cross stitch in iwo strands, and backstitch in one strend of thread. This beautSful project shoukl be suited for emperienced stitchers and ambitious new stitchers aiike.

How to stitch the autumn topiary

IFirtd the centre of your piece of fabric by foiding it in haif, bofn horizontally and vertically. Follow the '0' gridlines on the chart to find lis centre and starł stitching from herc in the middle of t,he ivenweave Tabric,

2Work the cross stitch using two strands of cottort or two strands of rayon thread.

3 Work the haif cross stitch using two strands of cotton.

4Work the baekstitch using one strarsd of cotton or rayon.

BCheck over your stitching and prepare for making up.

You will need

FA&RIC 28-cburu wbite evenweave 41 sc 26cm <16 x 10in) THREADS Stranded cotton and rayon floss as listed In the key NfEDiE size 26 tapest/y fieldlę FRAME Frame and mount of your ctioice with a minimum aperture 33 X '18cm{13'*7in>

FOR STOCKISTS' DETAILS

turn to page 55

MARIA DtAZ’S

designer’s

SECRETS

MEDITERRANEAN MAGIC $

There is a real feeling of the Mediterranean in my autumn topiary. The curling trunk of the tree reminds me of aged grapę vines, and I echoed this in the grapę design embossed on the terracotta planter. The pot looks as if it has spent several seasons basking in the hot sunshine.

You can almost i magmę the warmth that it is giving off after absorbing a day of the sun's heat. I chose sunflowers for the principal bloom asthey have always reminded me of September hotidays, but I used orangey yellows and rich browns in the design to keep with the autumn colour scheme.

TlE A YELLOW RI8B0N

I wanted to use rayon threads in this topiary because I thought their speeial sheen would work very well wfth the lich colours of the design. I decided I would include a yellow satin ribbon in the project as rayon threads always remind me of these lowely shiny

ribbons. I have madę the ribbon into larga floppy bows in the main tree and the pot as welf as twining the ribbon around the trunk of the tree.

In this design, you will be tying a yellow ribbon around the old topiary tree as you stitch!

How to work with rayon thread

Rayon is a six stranded. divistble tiiread consisting of man-macie fibres. It is far morę flexib!e than stranded cotton, witli a subtle sbeen that looks lovely when stitched, Because of rts flewbility, it can be a Irttle harder to stitch with than stranded cotton. as it is quite springy. if you find this a problem, try runnrng a darnp sponge aiong the length of the thread, and then allow this to dry before you use the thread in your stitching.

J6 Owi Stitch GoU