For my next project I browsed multiple pictures till I found one that appealed to me. Lately I’ve been feeling cactus’s and I found the perfect picture of mountains cactus’s and the moon and stars and it was free! You can check out the full picture Here. After printing out the pattern I attempted to follow the instructions that came with the picture but failed terribly, I think using black fabric made it extra difficult. Essentially there is two options one is easy if you have the material that being Transfer paper, you trace the pattern onto the transfer paper and then push it onto the fabric and then trace it again pushing down leaving a pattern to follow. The other is printing out the pattern and then using a Light source being it to trace the pattern. Since I don’t live anywhere near a craft store and have 0 access to transfer paper I attempted using a flashlight to see the pattern, It didn’t work… I then tried to use the backdrop of the TV, it also wasn’t a great light source, I ended up tracing the printed pattern with red pen and then stood on a chair in my kitchen holding it up to the fluorescent lighting to get a faint outline.
staring on Cactus #2 
Cactus #1
After Tracing the pattern I used the printed instructions that came with the pattern to figure out what stitches I need to know! Luckily it’s all the beginner stitches I learned in the previous Blogs! The instructions say to use black and yellow floss, But since I chose to do it on black fabric I figured I could choose multiple colors of green and grey. The first cactus I created took about 1.5 hours. I’m hoping to finish the Whole picture for the next week!
For this week I thought i would show you what I finally bought, a needle threader!! It’s the most useful tool you could have. I picked mine up at Micheals for about $4 and it was worth every dollar. I created a video with my Samsung phone and then edited it by removing background music and adding pre-loaded music options with the video editor pre-loaded onto the phone, i then uploaded it to YouTube and then Embedded it into this blog so you can see how it works. The Video editor on my phone gives me options to add a filter, remove the background noise and add music and ended up being pretty easy to use. I do wish that I had a stand or something so I could easily film myself actually stitching but I flip my fabric back and forth so much trying to make sure I put the needle in the right spot that I can’t get a good angle where one would actually be able to see what I’m doing. The other thing I wish either YouTube Editor or my phones editor had was a speed up/ slow down option but maybe there’s a different video app for that. If anyone has any suggestions I’d gladly take them!
Hi Nicole!
Your cactus is coming along nicely, it looks like alot of patience and steady hands are required for this project. I agree, cacti are SO cute! The needle threader seems so cool and handy to use. Definitely sounds like something that is worth the $4 buy even for patching work with regular stitching. I may have to look into it! What was the name of the brand?
A shame about the lighting – perhaps next time you could trace during the day (I know the sun is out for short periods of time) and hold up the tracing to the windows? Or if you will be tracing frequently and work in the evenings, maybe investing in a small office table lamp would be the way to go!
Super handy to use a combination of your phone and YouTube video to edit your video. Quite often our phones will have so many features that we don’t even know exist until we actually search! Crazy!
Goodluck with future stitches!
Your learning project seems to be coming along nicely, the cactus looks awesome! What types of resources are you finding the most beneficial when it comes to practicing, Youtube or apps? I like your use of pictures and the inclusion of a video is a nice addition to your post. Did you have any previous experience in stitching? Thanks for sharing and enjoy the rest of your break!
Those cactus’ turned out awesome! I loved being able to watch your progress with music it was actually very entertaining. Your project definietly looks like it needs alot of patience! You are doing such a great job I can’t wait to see your finished project:)
I absolutely love the pattern that you chose! It is such a modern pattern and cactus/succulents are the fad right now. One thing that surprised me was how long the first cactus took you. I have never realized that this project took so much work! Great job in sticking to the project– I know I would have been frustrated after an hour of doing it. It looks amazing so far! Keep up the great work.
Hi Nikki,
The cactus is looking great! 1.5 hours is dedication! It takes a lot of patience to work on something like that for an extended amount of time. I love the music you used in the video. The sounds of the acoustic guitar is such a nice complement to your activity. Did you find it to be time consuming to create a video, edit it and add music? I am thinking of doing something similar. If I come across an editor with a speed up/slow down option I will let you know.
Have a great day!
Halleh