Complete a festive Christmas cross stitch kit in a day.
Yes it is possible to complete a festive Christmas cross stitch kit in a day, and its also very satisfying.
What’s in the box?
Of course, the box contains the stitching chart, 14 count aida (5″ x 5″), embroidery skeins and a metal needle. The 5″ x 3″ box, however, does not contain the 3″ x 3″ aperture card which this project is designed to fit.
Where to start?
To begin with, the stitching chart has two black arrows to indicate the middle of the pattern (just below his nose in the beard). Generally, this is the best place to begin your stitching. However, if you choose to start else where you must carefully count your squares to your desired start point.
So, once I’d completed the white beard I chose to go up the pattern. Then I chose to complete the stitching for the
- nose,
- hat rim,
- hat.
These features are what gives a Gonk their unique charm as well as the hat adding some bright colour to the project.
Following that, I cross stitched the
- under beard,
- dark green jacket,
- arms,
- legs,
- boots.
You can now choose which gift to stitch – the blue, to the left or green, to the right. So, choosing the blue present made it easier for me, being that I’m right hand. It also meant I wouldn’t be leaning on too much of the already stitched project.
Backstitching
Finally, without the back stitch no project is ever truly complete. However, this was the trickiest part of the kit. Take care when back stitching the boots. You will also need to come out from the coloured stitching and into the blank aida. This ensures a white space between the black backstitch and the main colour.
- Presents – backstitch is completed using 2 strands of the given colour
- Gonk is backstitched using one strand of black embroidery yarn. Watch out for the zig-zags – they aren’t complete squares. This results in you having to create your own entry point for the needle and thread!