Cross Stitched Rings

These have been in my head for AGES. Remember how excited I was when I finally found the rings I needed? Oh, the relief!

Every crafter I’ve ever met has looked for ways to cover their whole life in their craft of choice. Knitters knit furniture, scrappers scrap artwork, and stitchers stitch jewelry.

I drafted up these little patterns to be stitched over one thread of 28 ct linen with one strand of embroidery floss, making sure that the design fit inside of the ring’s bezel.

With the stitching done I traced the ring on a piece of cardboard, and cut it down until it would fit inside. I cut four pieces of thin batting to the same size and glued them altogether.

Cut your finished stitching into a circle about 1/4″ bigger than your ring. Stitch a running stitch around the edge of the circle, a few threads in for stability. Pull the thread like a drawstring with the batting and cardboard inside. Stitch from side to side to lace the edges together and really secure your stitching around the batting. Then use a strong glue to glue it into the bezel.

I made this ring to wear at BlogHer with my internet identity initials on it.

And then this ring is my personal icon – a tree for Tresa.

I made sure to use linen and thread that would hold up under washing, since I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without this ring getting dirty. I’ll just have to remember to take this one off before doing any big construction projects and I should be just fine.