I don’t have pictures of all the projects I’ve done—I wish I did! Most of them have been given away as gifts. I’m working on getting images of those given to my immediate family members, but some were given to former in-laws or ex-SOs with whom I am not in touch. If you’ve ever received a stitched piece from me and want to send me a photograph of it, I’d be most grateful!
I have a bad habit of not framing any of the pieces I keep for myself. I just never get around to spending the money, so they all sit around in storage. The real joy is in making them, of course, but it would be nice to display them someday.
Many of these pictures were taken using a borrowed and new-to-me digital camera or a dinky old webcam. I laid the pieces on the dresser, which is very dark brown wood. I didn’t really have the best lighting for most of them, either. Because they aren’t yet framed, they aren’t all laying completely flat. But darn it, I finally have some pictures!
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My first finish of 2020! It’s a lovely design from Peppermint Purple called Blackwork Bands. It’s my first finished blackwork project! I stitched it with DMC over 2 threads on white 32-count Lugana. |
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This is my first cooperative project, started and finished in April 2012, done with my friend Jeanne for little Abbey Road, who arrived on May 10. I stitched the star and rattle, and Jeanne did the ball, added the birthdate to the rattle and did a beautiful job of framing the whole thing. The designs are by Ursula Michael, published in Pitter Patter #2 by Jeanette Crews Designs (leaflet #2502). I’ve been promised a photo of the piece hanging in Miss Abbey’s nursery, which I hope to add here sometime. You can see details of the individual motifs below. |
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I finished this one in March 2012. I can’t quite remember when I started it, but I chose it because I liked the colors and freedom is important to me. The languages are Chinese, English, Hebrew, German, Russian, Yoruba, and Spanish. The design is from the October/November 1990 issue of Cross-Stitch Quick & Easy magazine, which I apparently bought just for that pattern. |
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I did a Disney Tigger pattern, Splendiferous for my nephew in May/June 2005. It’s a Janlynn kit. I don’t normally do kits, but it used DMC floss and it was a really cute pattern. It is the first time I’ve stitched anything on Aida in more years than I can count, though. |
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I made this set of hotplates for my parents as Christmas presents in 2004. I’d originally meant to give one each to them and to my siblings, but decided full sets would be better. I used the “Tidings of Joy” patterns from the Leisure Arts book Something for Every Season |
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This pattern came from the Leisure Arts book Professional People, designed by Terrie Lee Steinmeyer. I think I began it in the late 80s or early 90s for my father. I finished it in December 2003. |
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I actually did everything but the backstitching on this alphabet piece for Katie’s nursery in 1990. Three months before she was born, her father informed me that he hated it, so I stopped working on it. I finally finished it in November or December 2003. I’ll post a picture of the fully finished piece one of these days. Maybe it’ll hang in a grandbaby’s nursery someday. |
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Make a Joyful Noise from Dragon Dreams designs was a 2001 Christmas gift for my mother. |
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The Golfer’s Serenity Prayer from Cross My Heart’s Basically Borders book was stitched for my father in December 2001. |
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This design also came from Cross My Heart’s Basically Borders book. It’s “The Cook Rules the Kitchen” stitched on the Aida band of a chef’s hat for my brother-in-law in December 2001. |
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Celtic Cross from Y‑Knot Designs. I like Deb Davis’ work and enjoyed using Needle Necessities fibers for the first time on this piece. I think was finished in December 2001. |
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After reading a Green Egg review of the patterns Witches Stitches were publishing I immediately ordered the Elemental Cosmos design — it’s marvelous! I’ve put up a picture of the finished piece here on the site if you’re interested in seeing it. This was also finished in December 2001—it was a busy month! |
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One of our Girl Scout troop’s leaders had to move out of state in December 2000, so with some help from Katie I stitched a Girl Scout logo on a tote bag as a farewell gift, and all the girls signed the back of it. |
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The Mandala I series from Amaryllis Artworks: Tranquil Sky, Deep Forest, Sunset Desert, and Peaceful Sea. These geometric designs use a lot of stitches I hadn’t done before as well as a wide variety of fibers and beads, and I just can’t tell you how lovely they are. There’s no way any photograph can do them justice! I understood that the designer was doing a Mandala II series, but I never found them. I think these pieces were stitched in 1999 and 2000. | |
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Around 1998, I stitched one winged cat from the “Divine Feline” design in The OmniBook of Winged Things onto a small linen tote bag. Katie had been carrying it around for several years when I finally took a picture of it and it was a bit worse for wear. I found that it wasn’t easy to scan, either. |
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A wonderful piece from StitchWorld that was apparently first published in Stitchery Magazine. It’s called Wisdom & Harmony Sampler (item 03–212). It’s based on Asante Adinkra symbols, and I’m absolutely fascinated. The colors are simple and wonderfully bold. I finished this one in 1999. |
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Mélange by Linda Connors, published by Calico Crossroads. This one is for me (although Katie likes it too). It’s the first piece I’ve ever done that isn’t intended as a gift for someone else! It has a very interesting technique that is used to make it appear that the piece is surrounded by a textured mat—reed, square ray, double leviathan and double framed eyelet stitches done in pearl cotton that matches the linen (unfortunately, that doesn’t show up well in the picture). This is also one of the most challenging pieces I’ve done in terms of learning new techniques. Now I’ve just got to get it framed. I only finished it in 1998! |
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om has this tiger lily piece based on a Janet Powers watercolor hanging in her sunroom. I’m thinking it was done around 1991 or 1992, but I’m not really sure. |
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Daddy had this Marine Corps emblem I stitched for him hanging in his office at work until he retired, when it came home with him. I stitched it the same year as the tiger lily above. |
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The reflection from the glass in the frame is a nuisance–sorry. Still, it’s the only picture I have of this project. It’s the crest for Wayne’s (Katie’s father, my second husband) fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. It was done in October 1991. The pattern came from Your Accents. |
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This piece is from the leaflet Spring Bouquet from Debra Designs. I remember finishing it while I was in the hospital to deliver Katie in October 1990. I borrowed it back from Mom in December 2003 to get a photo. |
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Shells on a Windowsill is another watercolor by Janet Powers that was adapted for cross-stitch by Green Apple Company. I did it back around 1989. |
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I couldn’t begin to tell you when I stitched this little piece. I do still have the book — it’s Notable Quotes That Count from Designs by Gloria & Pat. |
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I have no clue when this one was done, either. It has the look of something I did just to pass time, using a scrap of cloth from something else. |
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I can say with some degree of surety that this would have been done while I was in high school, but that’s about it. The leaflet was ThumbThoughts from The Graph Menagerie, Inc. The critter is referred to as a “ThumbPrint by Ron Ransom.” |
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Not only do I not know when I stitched this thing, we have no idea its glass got broken. I’m thinking I probably stitched it around the time that I was working at Roderick’s Arts & Crafts, which would have been 1983–1984. This picture was taken before I started trying to clean it. If it works, I’ll post a photo of the recovered piece later. There’s more about it here./td> |
I don’t have photos of the following pieces, but I do have images from the design books so that you can get an idea of what they look like. I’d much prefer having photos of what I did, and if I can get those in any way I will.
I don’t have any kind of image for the following projects, but of course I’d like to have some if any of the owners ever happen across this site.
- In December 2001 I did two other Dragon Dreams designs — Those Who Teach for my sister, and Guide the Hands for my brother. I know I got pictures of them and I can’t find them!
- I did at least three small Mill Hill beaded and stitched pins, given to Mom, Katie, and a friend’s ex-wife. I’ve also done lots and lots of small Christmas ornaments over the years. I think my brother has an entire set of Mill Hill beaded teddy-bear ornaments I made for him when he first got out on his own.
- I did a wedding sampler for my sister and her husband when they got married in 1999. She also has a small paperweight I did with a rainbow on it, and a larger piece with her name and rainbows. She’s actually started that last one herself, and lasted all of maybe 30 minutes before she decided that cross-stitch was not for her.
- I know I’ve done one piece about skiing for my brother. I thought there was something else, but my memory is failing me.
- My first husband has a silly little plastic canvas (I think) piece that I did as a gift for his graduation in June 1983. I made stockings and a tree skirt for me and Scott, as well, but they’re long gone. They were based on some of Dale Burdett’s teddy bear designs.
- Madame Gustafson, one of my French teachers from high school, had a rose and lattice piece that I did from the Hearts and Rainbows leaflet from Bette Ashley Designs.