ALTWL is Finished

It's always so exciting to put the last stitch in a project - especially when it's been such a long time since the first stitch was done.
This is stitched on white 18 count aida but for some reason this photo has turned the fabric to a light blue color.
I am so thrilled about this finish that my mind is completely blank about what my next cross stitch project will be.
I think I will catch up on my house work and enjoy the excitement of this long awaited finish before I puzzle over what to do next.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

Free Chart US Capitol

Here is the chart that I made to use in my Washington DC square for the America Land That We Love wip that I am working on.
As I look at the stitched square I think the capitol building could have been a little smaller to fit in the square better.  I have decided to  move on and see if it grows on me before the rest of the wip is finished.

I am not sure how or if the chart can be printed from this blog.  It's such a small chart I don't think it would take too long to draw it on some graph paper if it can't be printed directly from here.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

America Land That We Love WIP

I have been so busy stitching this WIP that time has gotten away from me.  I was stitching Michigan the last time I took a picture which was posted over a year ago (May 23, 2014).  When I finish the row I am stitching there are only 4 more states to stitch on the final row.  This pattern by Jean Farish is available in her Etsy shop (CLICK HERE) for a pdf download of the pattern.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

An Old WIP

I have added six (6) and 1/2 states to my very old WIP America Land That We Love by Jean Farish.
I started this project 02-22-11.
 I printed these free charts in the 1990s but the web site is no longer active.    My understanding is that these charts were eventually published in a leaflet so they are out there somewhere floating around.  At one time they could still be downloaded from the "wayback" machine but I see they have been removed. 
When I posted this picture to my computer I saw that it has been 3 years since I took a progress photo of this WIP - my goodness where does the time go?

I am doing another Mothers Tree for a friend of my daughter who has a little baby girl.  She has picked a very pretty tree chart available on Etsy which I have received and printed.
 CLICK HERE to see the chart on Etsy.
 The fabric has been cut and the first few stitches have been done.  I am stitching this on 22 count fabric with 1 strand of floss over 1 thread.  I think I will stitch the names are over 2 threads so it won't be such a tiny column under such a wide picture.  I haven't decided how many strands of floss I will use  for the names - probably at least 3 because that's what I usually use on 14 count fabric but this will be 11 count.  It will give me plenty to puzzle over while I stitch the tree chart.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

AmericaLTWL Progress and a Question

I have finished a few more squares so here's an updated picture.
I love the feeling of accomplishment when each little square is finished.





I was looking ahead and I noticed that Nebraska has a rather large pig to be stitched.  I can't explain it but I am not looking forward to stitching this pig so I have been puzzling over something else for that square.
I found this picture of an ear of corn and thought to myself that it made me think of Nebraska more than a large pig did.  If you click on the picture it will take you to the site where you can download the chart - it's almost at the end of the page of free charts.
I may have to turn this on its side but I will play with it before I get to Nebraska.  Has anyone else seen any small charts of an ear of corn?  Or is there something else that makes you think of Nebraska? 

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

WIP Progress

I have started another project.  This is usually available as a "stamped" cross stitch kit from Dimensions and now I have looked around but I am not able to find it as a counted cross stitch chart anywhere - I just saw it recently but I didn't make a note of it - it may have been on ebay and now it's gone.

I have finished stitching all of the ornaments but I am not as certain about how I will finish them as I thought I was.  I should just start finishing them instead of puzzling over the several options that are running through my mind.  Finishing is not my favorite part of cross stitching so I tend to put it off until a deadline approaches that causes great stress (:   There was one ornament that I wasn't too excited about so I reversed the white dove as a substitute if I decide I don't want to use the one I don't care for very much.

I have changed the picture for Kentucky as I wasn't enchanted with the weather vane style horse. I used a free chart - you can CLICK HERE for the pdf file - I reversed the image and put 2 horses racing.  I am not sure that my stick horse picture is that much more desirable but I am ready to move on after spending so much time on this square.




This is what my new start will look like but this is one of the stamped kits (click the picture to go to the 123Stitch order page - if you don't mind working on stamped cross stitch kits).

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

Progress on WIPs

This is a chart I ordered from Olenka's Stitches Designs a couple of years ago. If you send her an email (in her profile) she will tell you how to order her designs. Please check out her blog as her pictures show how very pretty her designs are.  This is going to be a biscornu some day.

I have 6 more ornaments to stitch and I believe I have finally decided how I am going to finish these...I won't know for sure until I actually give it a try, though











I had a visit from the frog for a while when I thought I had finished New York - I cut his visit short but it required making the apple box 1 row of stitches bigger. I am happy with it as it looks like it can actually hold the bounty of apples in it.




All in all, it's been a wonderful couple of weeks of stitching for me.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

AmericaLTWL Progress

I was going to wait until I finished this row to take a picture but it was taking me too long so here is my progress to-date.

We are what we believe we are. (C. S. Lewis)

AmericaLTWL Hearts

Here are the color changes I made to the hearts on the America Land That We Love Chart:

We are what we believe we are. (C. S. Lewis)

AmericaLTWL

America Land That We Love, Designed by Jean Farish - started on 02-22-2011.
I changed the 2 hearts on each side of the top banner to patriotic hearts instead of the solid dusty rose colored hearts the chart called for. I am also stitching the state blocks in the order that each one became a state (stitching that date below the name of each state).
I outlined the first block with the wrong floss color but I have decided to delay frogging the border on that block for now – frogging is a real motivation deterrent to me and I am enjoying this too much to go to that place.

I believe this chart is now out of print but it has been found on the wayback machine here: CLICK HERE

I downloaded the charts in the early 2000s when they were offered as free charts on her old website so I don’t know if it’s true that all of the charts can be downloaded on the wayback machine.

We are what we believe we are. (C. S. Lewis)