The Garden Fairy

With a little down time this month I have been able to work on a new pattern for my Etsy shop! We bought a bunch of flowers a few weeks ago and it inspired this idea for a garden fairy who prances around the garden planting flowers and seeds.

Garden Fairy ©Shannon Wasilieff 2015

She is full of beads and has hints of Kreinik #4 braid in her. She will definitely glisten and dance in the light. I am going to stitch her on Aerial by Picture This Plus.

Fantasy SAL 2015

I just want to let you all know there is a new free cross stitch SAL going on in my Facebook group at the moment (Here) The theme is fairytale and fantasy and with this theme it involves a lot of beads and sparkle.

The first block is a princess. I designed her with Cinderella in mind so she is wearing a classic blue princess dress and her hair in an up-do, which are both often associated with her.

©Shannon Wasilieff 2015 Fantasy SAL

Also did I mention that there are a lot of beads in this SAL?...I went a little crazy, oh well!

Spring Has Sprung

It is really nice waking up to the fresh air of the early morning. The pink blossoms are starting to show on the trees and the grass is turning into a lush green. It is still cool out so it is enjoyable and comfortable to go outside. Spring has definitely sprung in my area, which inspired me to stitch up a motif from my Rose Alphabet last night.

(c) Shannon Wasilieff 2015, Motif from Rose Alphabet

The Snow Queen

Even though it is spring time, my mind is stuck in the winter months when it comes to designing cross stitch patterns. My latest cross stitch design is this Snow Queen who prances around in the sky while creating the falling snow.

(c) Shannon Wasilieff 2015, Snow Queen

She is covered in Kreinik and Mill Hill beads and is stitched using DMC threads. I am currently waiting on some hand dyed fabric so I can stitch the model of her to show off all of the beads and sparkle.

She is currently available on my Etsy site.

Kanavice 38

I am excited to announce that I am published in another cross stitch magazine. The magazine is a Turkish publication by Tuva Publishing called Kanavice. I am in the current issue 38 with this cute little English cottage.

English Cottage (c) Shannon Wasilieff 2015

Anne Boleyn Cross Stitch Pattern

My latest project is studying faces in cross stitch patterns. I want to design some gorgeous lady cross stitch designs but I know that the face has a lot to do with the overall finish of the design. I know for me, if the face doesn't look correct or pretty in a pattern it kind of turns me off of stitching it, or I try to change it to fit with the pattern so I am happy with it.

My first cross stitch pattern that I have designed is Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII second wife. I tried giving her a slim, long face and I came up with this cross stitch portrait :

I even included her iconic B necklace and pearls. She is of course adorned in beads and metallic threads to show her status.

Anne Boleyn Portrait (c) Shannon Wasilieff 2015

The pattern can be found on my Etsy site here: LastingAllure

Cinderella is Done

I can finally say I am done the stitching on my Heaven and Earth Design Cinderella by Ruth Sanderson (retired). The design is full cross stitches 2 over 1 on 18 count fabric. Took roughly 3 years to stitch, working on her on again and off again.

Artwork by (c)Ruth Sanderson, Cross Stitched by Shannon Wasilieff

I am going to give her a bath once I have some free time and plan on adding a few beads to it as well as some back stitching. She is going to be an elaborate oil painting style frame and is going to hang in my bedroom by my hanging lamp chandelier once I have painted my room a light periwinkle.

My next Heaven and Earth Design  pattern is Faery 2 by Nadia Strelkina.

Artwork by Nadia Strelkina, Pattern by Heaven and Earth Designs

I currently have 800 stitched into it already. I have a lot of commission work to do though so she is put aside for now. Stitching her on 18 count fabric 2 over 1 again.

Carousel Horse Cross Stitch Designs

These beautiful carousel horse cross stitch designs are currently available in issue 227 of The World of Cross Stitching. They contain some Kreinik #4 braid that adds some sparkle to the designs. Some people have exchanged the Kreinik French knots with beads and they look equally as stunning. I have seen a few stitched on hand dyed fabric and that just adds an even more whimsical feeling to them.

(c) The World of Cross Stitching issue 227, 2015 Designed by (c) Shannon Wasilieff

There are 6 different designs. I think they would look gorgeous stitched together and made into a wall hanging quilt. Or you could flip 3 of them so they are all going the same way and stitch them in a long strip and make it into a 3D decorative pillow or put them around a round box.

The World of Cross Stitching issue 227, Designed by (c) Shannon Wasilieff, 2015

Spring Baby

Spring time always makes me think of babies, not because I want one right now, but because spring is the starting point of the cycle of life. And thus flowers are blooming, colour comes back into our lives and cute little animals are brought into the world to start the life cycle all over again.

Welcome a new baby into the world with this brightly coloured cross stitch design.

(c) Shannon Wasilieff 2015 Welcome Spring Baby

It can be stitched as a card or a wall hanging or a label for the front of a baby album, the possibilities are endless to make a special gift that will be cherished for many years to come as an heirloom.

Wishing Well Cross Stitching

The latest issue of The World of Cross Stitching issue 226 contains another chart of mine. This time around we have a carved stone wishing well that is surrounded by hummingbirds and flowers. It has a fairy tale feeling to it without being too obvious.

(c) The World of Cross Stitching issue 226, 2015 Designed by (c) Shannon Wasilieff

Fairy Tale Cross Stitch

I am happy to let you all know that the Fairy Tale gift set that was featured in The World of Cross Stitching October 2014 issue 220 will be available for purchase on my Etsy site in the next day or so. I am just transferring the pattern into my new program to allow for easier reading of the pattern.

I am also working on a new alphabet for spring that will be released in the next few weeks on my Etsy site. Here is a little sneak peek!

New Pattern!

I have a new cross stitch pattern out this month in The World of Cross Stitching issue 225 (on sale now in England). It is a baby sampler with the baby poem "Babies Don't Keep" and includes an antique style baby pram in the pattern.

© The World of Cross Stitching magazine (issue 225), Immediate Media Co Bristol, www.cross-stitching.com

It has been suggested that the pram could be stitched on its own as a baby card or a quick gift for a friend. I also stitched this one myself, so although I wasn't updating frequently I was stitching, just couldn't share it until now.

I can't wait to show you all my future designs as I am really excited for some that are upcoming!

2014 HAED Goals Met!

My 2014 goals for Heaven and Earth Designs were met this year. My full year goal was to finish 2 full pages and 1 partial page. I had almost met this by June so I decided to go ahead and aim for a finish of the column to have her 75% done. Well I have managed to do a bit more on her and now only have 3 pages left to complete!!!

Ruth Sanderson's Artwork Cinderella, pattern by Heaven and Earth Designs.

She is so close to being done that I can feel it! Too bad I have a lot more work to do this month that she won't be picked up again until later in January.

Sneak Peek!

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been working on some commissions and even stitching them so obviously I can't show you them until they are published. The Cookie Sampler which I showed you guys a few months back will finally be in issue 223 of The World of Cross Stitching on sale November 6, 2014!

Since I can't show you my commissions I will let you in on my latest project. Currently I am designing and stitching a bunch of cross stitch designs to combine together to create a book. Once all of the models are stitched and finished off I will put my photography knowledge to work with a good camera and good lighting. When done, I will approach a few publishing houses with it or self publish it myself as an e-book and hard cover. Here is a little sneak peek at one of the many designs:

The colours are inspired by a vintage Christmas card I saw and I have to tell you it is stunning in person! I think I might have found a new colour pallet to work with in the future.

Christmas Elegance Upate

It has been a hectic few days. I have been busy house and dog sitting and yesterday I got surgery done on my neck to remove a swollen lymph node that has been there for well over a year - I am doing fine though! Came to pretty quickly afterwards and now just dealing with a little pain but nothing unbearable.

I have been working on my Christmas Elegance by Mirabillia the past few weeks. She is getting so close to being done I am excited! Maybe this will be the year she is done for Christmas.

Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia

I won't be doing all of the beading in the sky since the flecks of sparkle in the opalescent fabric already looks like falling snow. I have changed out the beads to be petites to they fit better in their spots and won't crowd too much. All of the skin will be done over 1.

I have a feeling I will be fighting some people off to keep her on my walls. I already know of a few people with an eye on her! She will probably hang next to my Joan Elliott Christmas Lady....they look as if they are going to the same party :D

SAL Stage 2

Forgot to mention but the second part of the SAL has been released on my designer Facebook group! ( here ) This is the first house out of 4 and looks yummy enough to eat! Check it out if you haven't yet :)

Copyrighted by Shannon Wasilieff, for personal use only

Upcoming Pattern

I am really excited to finally show you guys my favorite pattern so far that I have designed! The World of Cross Stitching issue 221 (on sale September 11, 2014) has a bunch of Christmas related stitching and my Cookie Sampler is part of the designs for the month.

The World of Cross Stitching issue 221 on sale September 11, 2014

The red can easily be changed to a colour that goes with your decorating schemes and beads or regular stitching can replace the French knots used in the pattern. Also you can change the middle motif to say something like "Wasilieff's Kitchen" or make it into a frame for a picture of you baking with your kids or grandchildren. Could also stitch it as a cover for your Christmas recipes book.

Fairytale Giftset

I am excited to show you all my latest patterns that are out. The World of Cross Stitching issue 220 has my generic Fairytale Gift set in it, which includes a gift tag (magic wand), birthday card (castle), ornament (carriage) and main pattern (princess dress).

World of Cross Stitching issue 220 on sale August 14, 2014

These could be stitched up for just about anyone! I know a few people (children and adults) that would adore these as gifts. There are beads and krienik in them to add that extra sparkle and enchantment.

Free Christmas SAL 2014

Hello everyone! This year I have decided to do a free Christmas stitch along (with a little help from a friend) on my Facebook page. It has 5 parts in total and measures 100w by 100h. The content is gingerbread houses, so if you love my Victorian style ones from last year you are going to love this stitch along! This is what the frame looks like:

(c) Shnnon Wasilieff 2014 Free Christmas SAL

In order to join all you have to do is like my page on Facebook and join in on the fun. To join follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1443923709209364/ or type in the search Shannon Wasilieff Designs and you should be able to find it. It is a closed group so you will have to be approved beforehand but it shouldn't take long to be approved :)

Hope to see lots of you there!! :D

Cinderella Cross Stitch

Well my Cinderella cross stitch is almost 75% done! She is coming along very quickly it seems. Already thinking of my other Heaven and Earth Designs that I want to eventually get done.

So much love for this project!! I am not tired of it at all surprisingly. Just going to keep puttering along on her until she is DONE.