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May the Road Rise... Blessing

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:00:33 +0000

Traditional Irish blessings range from silly to quite serious. I have charted several of them, but one in particular always chokes me up. We sang it at a music camp I attended during high school. The camp lasted ten days and I attended five consecutive summers. I have so many memories from those weeks. We gave a concert at the end of the camp and we always ended with this song - most of us would be crying, but the audience, which was comprised of parents and former campers, would carry us through. (You know how melodramatic teens can be!)

Stitch the Irish Blessing with the Border as I have designed it, or use the Border design for other projects.

More Irish Sayings to Stitch:

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Hearts and Flowers Cross Stitch Motif

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:54 +0000

Many free patterns on this site and around the web are simple black and white silhouettes or one color patterns. I have added a tutorial here to show how to take a simple black and white pattern and take it from plain to colorful as shown here or to ombre or shaded. Check out the Hearts and Flowers Motif Pattern and learn how to stitch it three different ways.

Design © Connie G. Barwick

More Recent Additions to About.com Cross Stitch:

New Free St. Patrick's Day Cross Stitch Patterns

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:00:34 +0000

Now that Valentine's Day has passed, the next holiday I am looking forward to is St. Patrick's Day. Recently, I added three new patterns to About.com Cross Stitch inspired by Rain Blanken's St. Patrick's Day Stencils. Rain is the About.com Guide to DIY Fashion and I appreciate her giving me permission to use her designs for inspiration. The new patterns are found in Rain's St. Patrick's Day Cross Stitch Pattern Collection.

Design © Connie G. Barwick

This is not the first time Rain and I have collaborated on a project. See more of our projects here:

Review Your Favorite Floss or Other Cross Stitch Product

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:00:35 +0000

About.com Guide to Women in Business Lahle Wolfe weighed in a while ago with a review of her favorite embroidery floss. She recommend DMC flosses, in part because "they separate easier, shed less and hold up years longer than cheaper brands." Do you agree? Or do you find another floss to be more suited to your needs? Read Lahle's review and then share your own review.

It's not just about the floss either. You can add a review of ANY product or accessory. Read these product reviews, then share your own. We love to hear your opinions and who knows, you may introduce us to a product we haven't learned about yet!

Free Leafy Tree Cross Stitch Pattern

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:00:29 +0000

The free Leafy Tree pattern is shown here as if stitched with two floss colors, but you may want to stitch it in a single color or multiple colors. I think it would look dramatic stitched in black on a green fabric.

Design © Connie G. Barwick

The design reminds me of Tree of Life motifs common in Celtic and Judaic traditions. I have always been fascinated with these images. What colors might you choose to stitch the design with? I'd love to see your projects if you stitch this chart. View and share photos of projects created from free patterns from About.com Cross Stitch.

Tell Us About Your Cross Stitch Shop

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:00:41 +0000

I get emails frequently from readers like this one:

... I was wondering if you could help me locate a store in my area/extended area that sells cross stitch materials as well as charts & other supplies. I am located in Bartow, Florida 33830. Over the last few years, several have closed and I have been in a search mode ever since.

Sometimes search engines like Google are a great resource for finding shops, but not always. In the interest of helping stitchers find Cross Stitch and Needlework Shops and shops that sell related items, I have created a place for Cross Stitch shops to post information about their establishments. Whether brick and mortar, online, or both, let us know about where you are, what you offer, and why we should shop in your store. Artfire, Etsy, eBay and other shops are welcome to submit too. Whether you sell charts, supplies, stash, or finished pieces, get the word out FREE here on About.com Cross Stitch!

Tell us about your shop.

Recent Submissions:

And, if you are aware of a shop near Bartow Florida, please post in the comments below so we can help get the info to this stitcher who is searching. Thanks!

Free Mardi Gras-Themed Cross Stitch Patterns

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:47:20 +0000

Mardi Gras is right around the corner and I have collected some quick projects for you to stitch to celebrate the day.

Here are Free Mardi Gras Cross Stitch Patterns and Projects to check out today!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Free When This You See Saying Cross Stitch Pattern

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:00:12 +0000

I love traditional samplers. Especially the sayings. One of my favorites is "When this you see, remember me." Who doesn't want to leave something behind for posterity? I love knowing that my stitches will outlast me.

It is neat to think about my niece and nephew looking at the projects I have done for them long after I am gone and having fond memories of their Aunt Connie. Or, even thinking of them passing my works down to their children.

The free When This You See pattern captures the sentiment of a traditional sampler in a more modern border. Stitch the design for someone special or use the border with another simple saying of your choice.

Photo of the Week: Wee Dragon

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:00:59 +0000

About.com Cross Stitch forum member Dragonaround stitched the free Wee Dragon pattern on 14-count Aida with two strands of variegated orange thread. It turned out quite well, didn't it? I think it's kind of cute.

Cross Stitch Photo Albums

I never seem to keep my posts completely wordless, but here are more blogs posts featuring photos on Wordless Wednesday at About.com.

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I Heart U Cross Stitch Pattern

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:39 +0000

Sometimes you just want to say it really simply for Valentine's Day. With the free I Heart You chart you can do that in any floss color you want! This pattern is the final in the Valentine's series inspired by Marion Boddy Evans' artwork. We hope you have enjoyed these patterns.

More recent collaborations between Marion and Connie include free Daisy and Rose patterns and Sunflower and Wheat charts.

See Also: