How to Stitch a Sieve, Strainer or Splatter Shield

It's time for October's Dollar Store Design Squad challenge and this month we all were challenged to create a fall or halloween theme craft with supplies from the dollar store.

My entry this month involves cross stitch and embroidery, of course!

For everyone else's craft idea, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post!

In case you don't recognize what it is exactly, it is a splatter screen you typically use on top of your pans to prevent grease splatter. When I found this version at the dollar store I knew it was completely stitchable!

Of course, because the theme is fall, I needed to make the stitching fall related, and so I thought the word "Fall" in script lettering along with some freestyled embroidered leaves would be fun!

I made sure to stitch with the handle at the top to make it easier to hang and I added a large orange burlap bow to make it more decorative.

I did a striped "ombre" effect on the word fall and just randomly used leftover non-DMC floss I had from random half finished kits I had laying around. That means this project literally only cost me a dollar!

You could do the same thing on a sieve, strainer or even window screen. The methodology would be the same!

Stitching on the screen was actually a paint to be honest.

Some quick tips for if you want to try it:

I used 3 strands (so I could split the 6 strand floss into two and not have any leftover)
Use a relatively small needle since the metal wire mesh can bend and warp and you don't want that!
The mesh works out to be about 16 stitches per inch. So pretty small.
You can see through the screen so you can't carry over any threads. Make sure you run any loose threads or travel by stitching under your completed stitches so you don't see them.
Unlike aida with obvious four corners to every square you stitch, this is the opposite. The thin wire lines are where the "x" will go and the big empty holes are where your needle will go. It takes a while to get the hang of keeping track of rows and stitches
The embroidery (not counted cross stitch) was MUCH EASIER since you dont' have to be so precise. If you aren't patient, just try embroidery instead.

If you want to make this exact version, I have the cross stitch pattern for the word "Fall" available for free in the shop later this week.

It is really cool how the sorta appears to "float" since the strainer is semi-transparent. It is a fun project, and you are only risking $1 if you don't like it!