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A cross stitch pendibule describes a cross stitch finished in a style resembling a pendulum. Much like our biscornu tutorial, this is a largely ornamental piece with various uses. This tutorial will show you how to make a pendibule adorned with an original Halloween design that can be displayed as a holiday decoration!
Skill Level: Advanced
Time: 6+ hours (including stitching time)
Additional Supplies:
Halloween Pendibule Pattern (click to download)
Directions:
1. Cut an 8 x 8" square of black Aida fabric.
2. Print Halloween Pendibule pattern above. Stitch the design onto the center of the fabric square. Use just one strand of DMC 470 to stitch the green border around the design.
Remember that cross stitch is a slow craft. This step may need to be completed in multiple sittings.
3. After the design is stitched, trim fabric to 1/3" from the green border (about 5 squares.) You can also clip the corners on the diagonal, but be careful not to cut into the green border!
4. Use an iron to press along the green border on all sides.
5. Fold square in half diagonally, with designs on front and back halves. The two halves of the design will be stitched together by threading the floss through the border stitching along the left and right edges. Each square should line up exactly.
6. Thread a beading needle with two strands of DMC 470. Tie a knot in the end. Bring the thread up through the right corner of the green border. Thread the floss through the bottom stitch and the top, then over a square through the bottom and top. This is essentially a whip stitch.
This is the most difficult part of the project. The corners can be bulky. Take your time and you will see improvement as you move along.
7. Continue in this motion, always going from bottom to top. As an optional step, add beads at even intervals. I added a bead every three squares.
8. Turning the corner on a pendibule can seem tricky but the process is the same. Keep the fabric squares lined up and continue by whip stitching the floss through the bottom and top of the border stitching as you move along. The only trick is to take your time!
9. When you have stitched halfway up the left side, stop and stuff the pendibule. Because there are holes in cross stitch fabric, you'll want to use stuffing that matches the fabric color. For this project, you can use black Polyfil or black wool roving.
When finished, the right and left corners are going to be folded over to touch. Mimic this shape as you stuff to make sure you have the right amount of filling in the pendibule.
10. Finish whip stitching (and adding beads) along the edge until you reach the far left corner. Tie a knot in your thread, but do not cut.
11. Fold over left and right corners to touch. Use remaining length of thread to stitch the two ends together. You may want to switch to a sharper needle to get through the corners. Repeat the joining stitch a few times to ensure it is sturdy. Knot and cut thread. Don't worry if the center stitches look a bit wonky. The next step will cover them up!
12. Create a hanging loop for your pendibule with coordinating ribbon or twine. Hang and enjoy!
We hope you had a spooky good time making this pendibule! Please share your finished work on social media and tag #benziedesign.
Thanks to Camille for designing and writing this tutorial! You can follow her on Instagram @notsomodernmillie or visit her website. Stay tuned for more tutorials!
