Thanks for keeping me company. Amy, the trip to Australia and New Zealand sounded magical. Ally, I celebrate your first pillow finish. I would suggest Vonna Pfeiffer’s tutorials. She is the master. Take care.

❤ your pillow. We have all started there, and each time after, will be improvements. 😊 Sounds like a beautiful trip. . Thanks.

Suggestion for finishing your pillow: I sew both front and back together all the way around. Then I separate the pieces so that I can make a small slit in the backing fabric. Put your stuffing in and then sew the slit together by hand. Then you take a piece of felt, cut in some kind of shape, and sew it over the place that you have sewed the back together. Just whip around the edge. Putting rick-rack on is hard to get even, especially on the corners. I finish my edges by using Ailene's glue and putting on mini rick rack or some kind of cording. I think that you will be happier with this finish, but I am proud of your for your first pillow.

You could use beads for the rain on your stitch. That blue fabric is gorgeous 🫎

First time watching you both, really enjoyed it. Keep on stitching from the Netherlands 🇳🇱🧀🌷

Great pillow! Very good tutorials on making pillows include Primrose Cottage, Vonna The Twisted Stitcher (has tutorials on just about everything), Helen D, includes putting the pillow together and adding Ricrac by either sewing it in or gluing. I watch them over and over to do my pillows. Great stitching to you both!

Great video ladies. The pillow is cute . We all have a few flaws so its perfect. The Australia trip sounds great. I met a wonderful lady on a breast cancer Video we had both watched because we were both going through Chemo at the same time . She is from Australia and we became very good online friends and talk often.Thanks for all you share. Happy stitchung

What a great trip you had! Dream trip to go to Australia and New Zealand ❤. Great stitching going on!

Use a white towel on your lap with a stronger light above you . That should also help with the black fabric .

Fun to watch your videos! Great stitching 🪡❤ welcome to the Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas worlds!! 📚

Glad you had a great vacation and it’s nice to have you back. Your two valentine pieces are beautiful. Enjoy your company and have a wonderful March.

So fun to watch you both! You’re very relaxed and adjusted to filming. Glad you enjoyed your trip, Amy. I love your pumpkin stitch, so pretty! Ally, practice makes perfect on anything. Your pillow is still darling. Happy stitching until next time!

I’ve had success stitching on dark fabrics by putting a whit pillowcase in my lap.

Also, Nicol Spohr has some great finishing tutorials. Have fun!

Thanks for the video.

Sounds like an amazing experience in Australia and New Zealand! Love hearing how the past few weeks went and seeing all the stitchy progress. Ally, so glad you shared your pillow finish! We all start somewhere and learn from there. If you wanted to add some chenille trim, I think you could easily add that over what you have. Just a suggestion if you wanted some trim around it. ❤

Ally, I find putting a piece of white paper or cloth below my black aida works really well with normal lighting. This way you can really see the holes :) Happy Stitching!

Again love your video. I am glad you had a great and safe trip. Please thank your son for his service

Love your videos,Have a great few weeks 🥰🥰

Loving your floss tubes. I am so excited I will be at stitch west in October as well I live here in Utah. I am only about 15 minutes south of Shepherds Bush.

Hello 👋 thanks for an interesting video❤ from 🇺🇦

I love watching you two! You are so much fun. Happy Leap Day! 🐸 See you at Stitch West!

Your trip sounds wonderful, definitely a blessing! I enjoy your personalities, very sweet ladies! Glad your son is home safe.

What a great video. Amy so glad to hear you had an amazing trip, sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could get my husband to travel out of the US. Ally, your finishes are great. You pillow, well I have to admit I was laughing a little with your mom. It is a learning experience especially when you don’t sew very much. I do recommend watching Lindsey of Primrose Cottage. Her tutorials for piecing a pillow with rick-rack is great. If I didn’t watch my pillow would probably look like yours, with very little rick-rack showing. Your next one will be perfect. Looking forward to your next video.

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, Amy. Ally with your comments about Fourth Wing, I now want to start reading it!! Thank you for the recommendation. I just love you gals, you're so fun to watch!!!

Cute hair, Allie. Enjoy your flosstube.

I just finished reading both those books this month, too! I couldn't put them down they were so good. Guess who's going shopping on Etsy today?!?

I so enjoy you girls and your content. Check out Stitching With the Housewives for some pattern ideas for your Lovestruck pink fabric. I’m jealous you got to travel. I’m handicapped so that’s out for me but I loved hearing about your adventures. Happy Leap Day! Keep it up!!! ❤

Ally, Thanks for sharing your book club read. I recently read “The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek”. I found it to be a very good read with many opportunities for deeper reflection. The Zucca is gorgeous.

You guys are doing a great job. I love to watch you. I just got home from AZ to visit a friend. Take care

Love your floss tube! The Fourth Wing was soooo good, it’ll be fun to see your progress on the dragons. Atomic Ranch is nice fabric and they have some really nice colors in their collection. Love your attitude about your pillow (sewing with ric-rac should be considered a dark art 😕). Happy Leap Day

Your trip sounds fantastic & wonderful memories made! Glad your son is home & safe, thank him for his service!

Welcome back my friends! 😊 Thank you for sharing your work. Happy Stitching! 🎉🎉🎉

What a wonderful trip! Thank you both so much for sharing your joy of stitching and life - it is inspiring! I love your conversion for Be Mine, it’s beautiful!!! Thank you!

Hi ladies, so happy you are back with another floss tube! 🎉 Amy it was so awesome to hear what a wonderful trip you had, it sounded amazing! Ally I’m going to have to look up that fourth wing book you were talking about, it sounds like something I would definitely enjoy! It’s so funny you mentioned that artist Leonid Afremov! I’m actually stitching one of his pieces in full coverage by Heaven and Earth designs called Evening! I love his work, they have a whole bunch of his artwork charted, you should check it out! Can’t wait until your next episode!

We find you delightfully entertaining because you are naturally you without trying hard to entertain us. It is awesome. I do wish I could have a family member do my flosstube with me but right now my daughter is too shy. Your pillow is fine! My first pillow was not recognizable as a pillow. Thank you ladies.

Love to watch you guys. You're so much fun . The way you interact with each other is so nice to see.

Amy I find that natural sunlight behind me is best. Also sometimes having a white towel in my lap helped ! Good luck stitching that one, I loved doing them and have done all four seasons as well as a few of the little smaller ones in the charts ! Fun fun ❤️

Your trip sounded wonderful! Amy if you want to make the dragon into an ornament try stitching 1 over 1 on the 28 count. It will really reduce the size. Glad your son made it home safe.

Awesome video! So happy the trip was awesome! Love the stitching and your enthusiasm for stitching!

You are very entertaining and bring a lot of joy with your love for each other. Love your stitched pieces. Keep up the great work.

Fun to see you guys again! Ally, you can lay a white towel or cloth on your lap for stitching on dark fabrics so you can see the holes instead of using a light. It’s easier on the eyes. Your dragon stitch is very cute! You could try stitching it over one on your pretty Caramel Macchiato fabric and then it would be ornament sized! 😊. Just saying…. Amy, your pumpkin picture (Zucca) is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing! Take care!

So happy you had a great time on your trip! Happy to see y’all back! Great stitching progress!

May the odds be ever in your favor on your next attempt at a pillow finish. I am too chicken to try it yet. 🤞🏼

What a wonderful trip!!! The pillow is really cute! Don’t be so hard on yourself!!!♥️

I love you two. Wonderful episode. Thank you to your son for his service. My husband did his R and R In Australia when he served in Vietnam. He loved it and has always wanted to go back.

So much fun! I just had your video put on my KZfaq… they know me well! I saw that it was Episode 8 or 9, so I decided to start with Ep. 1, and I am having fun catching up. I was also a HS teacher for 31 years when I retired! I love retirement, but I miss my kids! Have fun with your stitching! 💕🪡💕🧵💕🪡💕

So glad to see you back! Ally, I can't wait to see if you're still enthusiastic about that metallic floss after you've stitched with it! It can be a beast! Thread conditioner will be your friend with that stuff. I like Thread Magic for that. Some people like beeswax. Good luck!

Love watching you both! It’s great to work with your Mama, Allie….mine has been gone for a long time and I miss her every day! Nice hearing about your trip, Amy. It sounds fantastic! ❤️👍🙏🏻

For a pillow tutorial, I'd suggest Tigerlilly Desgns. Vonna Pfeiffer also has a great one. Like mom said, you can only get better but yours is great for a first!

Hello ladies ! So happy that you had a great vacation! You two are doing great and I lobe all of your works in progress 😊

First Thank you for the mention. That was so nice. Amy I just live you Zucca. Those colors are so awesome on that fabric. Ally I tried to read the Paper Magician and just could not get into it. I love stitching and listening to audio books. Best of 2 worlds.

Yuo two make my day.

You are very welcome ladies, glad you had an amazing holiday Amy! Oooh the paper magician sounds good I’ll definitely look into that, glad you feeling better ally 😊 can’t beat sister time! Great wips ladies I love that pumpkin pattern oh yes I’m the same I need my limbs covered up I’m always under a blanket! 😆

Great to see y’all back! Love the projects you shared ❤ I have some of that winter mint fabric and it’s gorgeous.

Love your video..glad to see you are back from your trip and it went well.

❤. Welcome back! Great video ladies!

I’m glad you had a fun time on your cruise but glad to have you back you girls are wonderful I love your energy and maybe our pieces aren’t perfect but we aren’t perfect either but we strive every day to be more perfect and you will get better

Enjoy your videos. Thanks for mentioning that artist who is new to me. That pink fabric is beautiful. Stitching with the Housewives has a number of patterns on a similar pink that they hand dye which would probably work on that.

Welcome back! Loved Ally‘s pillow on Instagram. Way to try something new! Hint for dark fabrics, put something light colored on your lap while stitching and I personally find using a lighted hang around your neck magnifier super helpful (I use the Ott light battery operated one that I bought at Joanns with a 50% off coupon.) with coupon about $18…looking forward to meeting you at Stitch West!

Nice to visit with you both today. Enjoyed 🌹

Wonderful trip! I have been to both Australia and NZ! Fabulous experience. Stitching looks great. All the best.

Welcome back! I've never traveled outside the US before, but Hobbiton is high up on my list if I ever get the chance. My kids are currently listening to the LOTR audio books every night as they go to sleep. Thanks for sharing your pillow! I find those kinds of things make treasured keepsakes later down the road and give us sweet memories to laugh about with friends and family. Something I need to remember myself as I attemp a few FFOs in the coming weeks. Happy Stitching!

Enjoyed spending my morning with you two!! So glad you had a wonderful trip Amy!!

You lucky

Caterpillar Cross Stitch has a short video on stitching with metallic threads. Primrose Cottage and Vonna Pfiffer have great how to tutorials. Nice job though! Michaels has a good /decent selection of DMC metallic threads.

Good video! Nice to see you all.i listen to audiobooks all the time and stitch. I just finished a book by Kristen Hannah called The Women. It was excellent. I really like the craftybluebonnet designs.

❤❤❤ - Good to see Ya’ll❣️❤️❤️❤️

🐴🐴🐴

Ally, have you tried one of those lights used to trace on? It's like a panel and you would put your project over. I've never used one, but it might be worth a try.

I love doing work with umbrellas. Which issue of Just Crosstich is your pattern from? I live near the Attic and agree you don’t just walk in and out 😊

Glad you’re back. How was the cruise??

LOVE your videos!! I also live in Phoenix. Where do you like to shop for your hauls. Have you been to The Attic? Do you know of any stitch clubs in the area? I live in the North part of town.

💛🐇🖤🪡❤️🧵💛🐰🖤☕️❤️

I Love watching you all! I am so excited that I won the XOXO pattern! Once I find your email, I'll send you my address... Thank you again!