Cross Stitching: A Tutorial of Sorts

I've had many people ask me how I do my cross stitches, so I thought that would be a good opportunity for a blog post. Maybe you will learn something, or maybe you can teach me your own techniques!


The first step for me is to find an image that I want to stitch. Here's mine:

Next, I use GIMP to edit the image. For the most part I use the technique from this YouTube video.
If there is anything in the background which you don't want to keep, you can use the lasso tool to select it all, then hit the delete button on your keyboard. I'm going to include everything in this particular stitch. I like working with black and white cross stitches, so I start out by desaturating the image. If your picture is black and white you can skip this step. Select Colors, Desaturate, and in that menu you can choose either Lightness, Luminosity, or Average. Simply pick whatever looks best to you. In this case I've selected Lightness.

 

Next I apply a Gaussian Blur.  This is because there will be too many little details that you don't need, and they don't necessarily translate well to your cross stitch pattern, especially if it is a smaller size. Select Filters, Blur, and then Gaussian Blur. You don't want it to be so blurry that you can't tell what the image is, and for the most part I don't even touch the menu; the standard settings are usually just fine. 

For the next step you are going to limit the number of colors in the picture. To do this you are going to select Image, Mode, then Indexed. "Generate optimum palette" should be highlighted. Next to "Maximum number of colors" you are going to fill in the amount of different colors you want to work with. The more colors you choose, the more detailed the pattern will be. I am pretty new to cross stitching, and don't have many colors to work with, so I usually pick between 3 and 5 colors. I'm going to go for 5 in this case.

And here's what you are left with:

He's looking pretty ragged.

At this point, there is no longer any need for GIMP, so save your image. We are now going to take it over to to a site called MyPhotoStitch.com. There is a simple and an advanced form. Filling out the form is all about what you want. I usually set the size by the size of the Aida cloth I am using. In this example I want it to be about 9" x 5". The pattern you get isn't usually exactly the size you specify, but it's close enough! I also select how many threads I want, which is just the number of colors I am going to use--5. Under Allowed Threads I select Grayscale, and I want both symbols and colored boxes.

And now, the moment you've been waiting for... your new cross stitch pattern!

It may not look like much, but I promise it's much better once it's made into a pretty little cross stitch. If you don't believe me, take a look at the finished product.

 

You can also find this stitch for sale on my etsy and ebay stores!

Harvesting and Drying Nettles for Tea

I love many things: antiquarian books, crafting, horror films, role-playing games, and tea. Now, let me make one thing clear: I spend too much money on all of these, especially the tea. Wouldn't it make sense to try to save some cash by making my own? Well, that's exactly what I've been up to.

One such tea that I've been experimenting with is Stinging Nettles. It doesn't sound very pleasant, but once you dry the leaves it is a great plant to work with. However, it can be tricky to handle, so here's a guide for anyone interested.

• Make sure you're familiar with this plant before you go out picking anything. Generally you should harvest this plant before it flowers. Put on your favorite pair of gardening gloves, and wear long sleeves. Trust me--they're called stinging nettles for a reason!

 

• Be aware of your surroundings. Know what other plants are around you (such as poison ivy), and be on the lookout for ticks. Also check for camouflaged kitties!

•  Before you begin chopping away at the nettles, give them a quick look-over to check for inhabitants. Chances are you don't want to bring any critters into your home. Grab your scissors. Starting from the top of the plant, cut off about 2 or 3 sets of leaves--4-6 in total.
  
• Keep the leaves in a reusable or plastic bag. Don't take all the leaves from one plant, and don't take from all the plants in one area.  We want these plants to keep growing, and coming back next year.
  
• Once you have a decent amount of leaves (remember that once they are dry, they shrink quite a bit!) bring them inside to prepare them for drying. Fill a large bowl with water, and dump in leaves. Let them sit for about 20 minutes in order to get the dirt off. After that time, let them dry between two towels or paper towels.
  
• When the leaves are mostly dry, you can begin the drying process in earnest. There are many ways to do this. You could put them in a brown paper bag (which takes the longest), or hang them. I chose to simply lay them in a glass dish in the sun. Take care when handling the leaves as they can still sting at this point. It is not until they are dried that they are safe!
  
• About once per day or so, stir the leaves up a little to make sure they are all being dried evenly. After a few days they should be nice and crunchy. You can now handle them without gloves. Crumple them up and keep them in an airtight container.
  
• When you're ready for some tea, put them in an infuser or make your own tea bags. Steep the tea for 5-8 minutes, but no longer than 10. 
  

Nettle tea is great for battling allergies and asthma. It can also be used as a diuretic, and contains naturally-occurring serotonin. Enjoy!