Super kawaii stitching - go!

 

Stitching desperately in to the early hours of the night I just about managed to finish this "kawaii" cutie in time to present it to a fellow Japan-loving friend for her birthday.

I love the little details of the flowers on her kimono, the French knots on her sleeves and the subtle white backstitching on her obi belt.

  

A bird in the hand...

 

I stitched this sweet little owl key ring the other day. I used a dissolvable canvas to stitch the cross stitch design on the felt. You need to soak it in hot water afterwards so that the canvas dissolves, leaving the stitching on the material.

Unlike waste canvas, you don't have to pick out the remaining canvas after soaking because it dissolves but you do need to use very hot water and to let it soak for a while or you end up with a sticky residue coating your stitching which is most unpleasant.