More work in progress

Some of you may already know that one of my other loves (apart from quilting) is Cross Stitch.  I have loved this craft for well over 40 years.

In the early days of my blog I did publish some pictures of my cross stitch work.  Below is one that I started about 2 years, put it away and forgot about it.  Then when rummaging through some boxes that are stored in the garage to find material that I needed to take with me to Winter School (more about this later), I found it! I have started working on it again, in the daytime while watching the midday movie or something that I have taped.

Of course, as you can see, it is a 'patchwork' wall hanging.  Fancy that!!!!!

It is 5 x 8 rows of cross stitch blocks; worked on 14 ct cream aida cloth.  Each block is 30 sts square and the sashing is 3 sts wide. I am half-way through it. I always work in a frame and this piece will be put into my floor frame.  That way I can use both hands and keep the work taught so it doesn't warp.  You can see on the left hand side I pin the block I am working on.  

No, I didn't cut up the pattern!  I photocopied it and cut the copy.....

I plan later today or tomorrow to search through some of my very very older posts and label them with 'cross stitch' so you could do a search and find them (ie if you want to......but please wait for a few days so I can get organised.

I'm so pleased with myself......

as today I picked up from the framer's a cross-stitch that I have been working on for 12 months.  I finished the stitching a couple of weeks ago, cleaned, pressed and took it to the framers.  When he bought it out -  I thought wow I am thrilled at how it looks in the frame.  Can't wait to get it up on my wall - it will probably go in the lounge room.  I used 3 different sepia/brown colours for the stitching as I wanted to create an 'olde world' look and used a combination of full and half cross stitches for depth and texture.

Cross stitching was one of the first crafts I learnt along with crochet and I have always loved doing it.  I find it very relaxing to do, even though you are counting threads and stitches all the time.  In the coming months I will put up some of my other work to show you.

Now that this is finished and framed I am itching to get out another chart I have of a bouquet of Australian wildflowers which is stitched on black linen.