Drawing and Designing Crosses: another tutorial

I had intended to post the drawing of the flowers for the cross in the previous post, but found these - and thought it might be fine to encourage you to draw your own sizes and shapes - and then put the flowers on them if you wish.

I have put pictures on the other blog of two I made long ago when I was practicing silk ribbon embroidery - and started making crosses for gifts for Godparents and ornaments and Christenings - all kinds of fine uses! When trying out new techniques and learning new things, I decided to put them to good use while I practiced!

Anyway, to draw your own, this is how it begins: These are sketched onto tracing paper - kind of squiggly and rough, but O.K. to determine size, etc. Just ideas that pop into the head from time to time. These are very simple Latin crosses, so easy to draw onto canvas when you get the size right. Actually, any piece of white paper is fine for doodling. I have saved copy paper I was going to discard just for this purpose.
When you have done this, and have a size that suits you, simple make a good tracing with tracing paper and a black felt tip pen (I use the Paper Mate for this, but NEVER use it to draw on canvas). I also use a plastic drawing triangle, utilizing the 90 degree side. Then, fold the tracing in half and mark the center fold with a pencil - this gives you guidance for placing the pattern elements - as the jewels, etc.

I found this scan of a drawing I had made on canvas - to use as a model. I had marked the lines and diagonal intersections where I intended to put a bead. These things must be worked out first, as it's a mathematical thing of being centered and symmetric - very very simple.

Just mark the center of the canvas - on the thread unless you have something in mind that is even numbered (as the cross in previous posts), and work from there. It's always good to make a scan of the drawn canvas for future reference. This one is 6" high on 18 mesh canvas.

The next one is very small - made as an ornament. It's 5 1/4" high on 18 mesh canvas. It's on an even count, as the little "gold beadwork" border is Smyrna crosses with Kreinik gold braid (#12). Very easy to draw!! Also, it has many many possibilities for jewels and color schemes.

On this one, if designing your own, it's good to start with the jewels first - and then work outward to make a nice arrangement of the borders. I worked these in simple slanted gobelin.
The next scan shows how the canvas looked when drawn. I had to do some juggling at the corners, as the Smyrna cross bumps wouldn't fit there. This is O.K. I had to do this, as to make them fit would have messed up the shape so that the jewels wouldn't fit like I wanted them to.


The second of these is on an odd count, and the arrows are pointing to the corners, where the 2 x 3 stitch "jewel" wouldn't fit, so I simply placed a "Smyrna cross" size there.


This one, again, could be worked in many different colors, etc. I started with exactly the same tracing as I worked with when doing the little one with the round jewels.

I have posted two pictures on Possibilities, etc. of crosses I made years ago when first working with silk ribbon embroidery and beads. I got tired of wasting little pieces of canvas - and my time and threads, so started doing small crosses. At least these were useful at gift giving occassions when such things were appropriate and appreciated!

The last one is a piece a drew for a friend who requested it. It's small- and I had to do some juggling to get the lettering and placement of the words to fall into the shape I needed to use - it worked well, and she was pleased.

Notice at the corners (where the arrows point) that the count didn't quite work out the way it should have, so I simply "rounded" them. The one stitch inside the gold "chain" was for insertion of a bead or a cross stitch with a sparkly thread (to make a bump) to resemble a jewel

This is such a very simple process - I hope you will be encouraged to try it for yourself - and be very imaginative!! I'll do the flower tracing in a few days, with also thread and stitch suggestions.