Fun French Free design

 

N°0018 - Grillo'tte de Betty (skyrock.com)

Love the "Cot cot salut ma" which translates to "Cock Cock Hi Ma" as best as I can figure out.  I love chickens and the bright colors are fun.  Follow the link to the blog "Grillo'tte de Betty" to get this free design.

Mirror Angels free design from Chez Mounette

 

Mirror Angels (chezmounette.blogspot.com)

I adore this free design.  You could certainly stitch it in any color.  Follow the above link, click on the image of the chart and a larger version will come up that you can save to your device.  

Free Angel and the Snowdrops design from Chez Mounette

 

Angel & the legend of the snowdrops (chezmounette.blogspot.com)

A very sweet and charming free design.  A pdf of the graph can be found by following the link above.

Witches of Violet City, a Halloween free design from Chez Mounette blogspot

 http://chezmounette.blogspot.com/2014/09/les-sorcieres-de-la-ville-violette.html 

This is a wonderful free design from the Blogspot "Chez Mounette".  The colors are marvelous! By following the above link you can save a larger image of the graph with the color key.

New link added to free design list--Universe of the Tender Rose

 

Universe of the Tender Rose

I found this French blog chasing a design I saw on Pinterest.  This French blogger has pages of free designs, a lot are dolls from different countries.  The one pictured above I found to be quite beautiful. Have fun perusing this blog.

Forbidden Fiber Company freebie!

 

Forbidden Fiber Company. An Exquisite Color Experience.

Here is another inspiration free design offered by Forbidden Fiber Company.  You do need to put it in a cart and go thru the check out process to get the download link.  No payment info is required and while you are there look around and check out their fibers. They have yarn and floss and patterns for knitting and crochet.  They also have hand dyed cross stitch fabric and a monthly subscription for it. Their hand dyed floss is lovely, there is a brown to grey color called "Wookie" that I really like.  I explored the monthly floss club they have also.  Definitely a possibility in the future for me.  

I have added their site to my free design links to the list on the left hand side of my blog.  

Gloria Sparkles! Progress video.

 

 

She looks beautiful!  I am so pleased with her.

🌟New designer with an enchanting free Christmas design! 🌟

Sweet Wing Studio

Sweet Wing Studio is a new designer to me, but this lovely free Christmas design is enchanting.  It is called By Angels Bright.  Follow the link below the image to find the download link.

I have looked at this designer's patterns and I am delighted with the spiritual tone to them.  Susan O'Bryant has an Etsy shop that you can peruse and purchase her designs for download.  I love a couple of them and am going to have to purchase them. SweetWingStudio | Etsy

Floss Tube #76: Christmas Wishes and 2021 finale

 FlossTube #76 The Sunroom Stitcher

Rouching 2 two colored ribbons tutorial

 

Tutorials – Luminous Fiber Arts

Luminous Fiber Arts has a lovely tutorial video that instructs how to make a two different color ribbon rouching to finish your project.  It is a nice video.  While you are over there sign up for the newsletter.

New freebie site added to links

 

3rd stage of Carmela's Christmas surprise sal - Broder... Just to stop time! (canalblog.com)

I haven't found but this one free design on this site but I imagine there are more.  This is a darling free SAL on the French blog La Brodeuse du 09. The finished photo shown was found on the blog Stitch Dreams.

Fox and Rabbit has free designs

 

Fox and Rabbit has some lovely free designs.  I have added it to my list of sites that offer free designs which is to the left.  The above are two of the designs offered and at this time. There are 4 more.

Top of Gloria border completed...a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAWp9300CiU

A very short and unprofessional video of the top border of Gloria by Patricia Andrle.  Now to start down the sides.  I am finding thread ends working their way out on the back.  I am not sure how I will tackle this issue.

The Scarlet House added to free design links

https://www.thescarletthouse.com/

Patricia Andrle is in my hoop!

 I started "Gloria" designed by Patricia Andrle on November 27, 2021. This chart can be found in the Cross Stitch and Country Craft magazine issue November/December 1995.  I was Skyping with my bestie Leslie when I started it.  I am using the called for colors of DMC floss and Kreinik metallics on 28 count Lugana fabric in Opalescent White. O Gloria, Gloria in Excelsis Dio translates to Glory to God in the Highest!

The going is slow with the Kreinik but the results are stunning. I am stitching the outside border and am blown away by the richness of the jewel colors and the overall bling. I am enjoying this stitch immensely.

The overall size will be 10" by 8½" and the stitch count size is 141 by 119. I stitched another Patricia Andrle design in 1995 called "O Come All Ye Faithful".  It is pictured below.

Five Christmas Robins from Carrine's Blog

 

OiseauxNoel (canalblog.com) - Download pattern

Bien le Bonjour aux Brodeuses -suite (canalblog.com) Carrine's blog.

Lovely free Christmas design from Carrine

 

Coeur Noel 2007 (canalblog.com) Download link for Joyeux Noel design.

Bien le Bonjour aux Brodeuses -suite (canalblog.com) Carrine's blog.

What am I stitching on?

 Actually I have been working on stitching free designs.  They are quick and provide the variety I am looking for at the moment.

Meet Yankee Doodle Duckie.  He was designed by Handblessing and honestly I never had seen him until recently when I found a bunch of old newsletters on-line with lots of older free designs in them. I  started him on June 22, 2021 and he was finished June 30, 2021. He is stitched on Zweigart 28 count lugana in white.  I used stashed Six Strand Sweets floss in Mulberry Wine, Patriot Pop, Bluebery Pie (2 different color lots), Toffee and Spiced Orange Cider.  His eyes are black petite beads.  He is so blessed cute and he makes me smile.  The link to Yank is: NewsletterJune_2011.pdf (myfiberworks.com)

This design is called Flag City by La D Da and it was stitched in 2018.  I just fully finished it into a hanging pocket. I hung it on our front door with some red, white and blue flowers which I had.  I love how it turned out. The vintage pillow ticking fabric I had purchased at Hobby Lobby is just perfect for it.  The link to this free design is here: Free charts from La-d-da Cross Stitch Designs

Next in my parade is a Heart in Hand free design from Cecilia Turner called Spooky.  I started this on June 7, 2021 and finished it on June 8, 2021.  I stitched it on a hand dyed fabric from an unknown company however the color was called Over the Hill 27 count linen.  I used Weeks Dyed Works Merlin, the purple black color; Gentle Arts Ruby Slipper for the orange red; Crescent Colors Honeycomb for the gold and DMC white.  The wee ghost's eyes are French knots.  It was a fun little stitch.  Finishing is unknown at this time.  The link to the newsletter the free design was in is: spooky-2.pdf (heartinhand.com)

I love this bookmark, it is perfect in my bible.  This design is called Alleluia and it is designed by Nancy Bandzuch.  I found it on a site called Catholic Sprouts.  I started this design on May 19, 2021 and fully finished on June 20, 2021.  I used a silk floss from Silks 4 You, a maroon to raspberry color PR044 and Rainbow Gallery Fyrewerks Metallic Braid #F3. I  stitched it on Crescent Colors 28 count evenweave in the color Vanilla Bean.  I moved the cross from below the wording to before the wording to make the bookmark longer.  Then I stitched the buttonhole stitch all the way around with DMC perle cotton #12 in white.  This took forever because I kept putting it down.  I fringed the ends and as I said I couldn't love it more. The link to this design is here: Free Alleluia Cross Stitch Pattern for Easter | Catholic Sprouts

This design is from a new designer to me, Pinker 'n Punkin.  I adore her free designs.  This design is called Bee Sampler and I started this on June 9, 2021 and finished it on June 20, 2021.  It is stitched on Weeks Dyed Works 30 count in the color Parchment.  I used Gentle Arts Sampler Thread color Wood Trail for DMC 434.  The rest of the floss was Old Willow Sampler Threads, Quaker Swan for DMC white,  Black Cat for DMC 310, American Quaker Gold for DMC 783 and Chocoholic for DMC 838.  I had so much fun stitching this and plan on stitching many more of Pinker 'n Punkin designs.  The link for this free design is: Pinker n Punkin Quilting & Stitching: A Little Bee Sampler - Freebie

So this free design caught my eye.  It is by Alita Designs and it is called 4th of July Heart.  I really liked the way the stripes flowed.  So I pulled some Valdani floss in Natural, Rich Wine and Sea Deep.  The Valdani floss reminds me of the old flower thread by Ginnie Thompson and DMC.  It has that linen floss look but stitches more nicely.  Remember DMC linen floss, it didn't last on the market very long. It was awful to stitch with.  I chose  a fabric in 28 count, a Country French linen in the color Goldneedle.  I started it on July 1, 2021 and you can see where I am. 

I really like how it looks.  I am thinking I will stitch "1776" instead of "4th of July".  Here is a link to this free design: 4th of July Heart cross stitch pattern (alitadesigns.com)

So you can see, as I now can, that I indeed have been busy.  I was intending on reorganizing my Happy Room this week as hubby is on vacation and prowling the house.  I wanted to let him prowl and I would hide away in here.  Well I have barely started the reorganizing...lol!  I hope your summer is wonderful and your stitching sublime.   Until next time, God Bless!

Some stitchy progress to report!

 

Here I sit on a gloomy Monday afternoon.  I have been working on finding free designs to post on my Facebook group Needle Free 4 All.  I do create my posts and schedule them to appear at a future date and that builds the group to have new freebie posts even if life gets in the way, like a sickness or family need.  It allows me to post really quality designs I find and I do find terrific ones.  I have May completely full and am working on June now.  I like to have 2 designs a day but I go thru and fill in the entire month with one design and then go back and add a second.  I have to keep track of postings so I don't double post a design or miss a day.  I love doing this for my group and they really enjoy it too.

Stitching wise I am working on Jardin Prive "Welcome Easter".  I am coming along slowly but enjoying each little motif of this magical fairy Easter village. The houses make me think of crazy mushrooms and I love how prevalent pink is in the design.  The rooster with pink feathers makes me smile. Here are a couple of photos a little closer up.

I am stitching it with the called for DMC floss colors on 32 count evenweave in the color "parchment".  I started it on Wednesday, 28 April 2021 at 8:30p.m.  Thank goodness for my stitching journal I discussed earlier this month. Anyway, there is absolutely more cuteness to come.

I did purchase from DMC some square wooden hoops.  I do like them but the 10" is really 9½" which sort of bummed me out.  I think they should measure them according to the stitching surface not edge to edge of the hoop.  I also bought an 8" wooden hoop.

That is all the excitement for me here in the dreary and secluded folds of my Lilac Thicket.  The smell of Panda Express will soon envelope the inside of our home.  Hubby called and is swooping down the roads with Chinese goodness for our American palettes.  So my lovely stitchy friends, until next time, God Bless!

The Merry Month of May, what shall we say?

And spring is in full swing here in the wild and gentle folds of our Lilac Thicket.  Hubby has now mowed the yard 3 times!  We have had the most magnificent blue skies as of late.  It is a heavenly deep sky blue which soothes the eye and soul.

I had to set down Festive Feathers.  That kit floss was driving me insane, knotting constantly.  I have started a new project however.  I wanted something fun and whimsical and started on Jardin Prive's "Easter Welcome".  

It is a delightful design and I love the houses that remind me of mushrooms.  All the eggs are brown and tan and there is my beloved pink front and center.  I have just started this with the called for colors and have the top left house and daisy stitched.  The different elements could be easily pulled out and stitched to create a sweet card too.  I will post a progress picture at a later time.

I also managed to get all my loose DMC wrangled up and put away. I found a big box of DMC down in the basement in a cupboard I highjacked for storage of my paper products, toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue.  I didn't know anything was in it.  Hubby must have snuck stuff in there.  I am slowly working on the pile o' crap in the Happy Room and getting it sorted.  I am terrible at putting things away in here.  I spend 80% of my waking hours in here and you would think I would be more vigilant in keeping it neat.   Well that is wishful thinking.

Just a quick update in the sanity of my beloved home in the healing folds of our Lilac Thicket.  God Bless!

Birds, temperatures and journals

This is a glorious sunny day with flowers, birds, blue skies and 70° temperatures here in the wilds of our Lilac Thicket. I was up late today after a late night of farting around with stitching. Yesterday my lovely bestie Leslie and I Skyped and an hour in I was disgusted with Festive Feathers. The floss kept knotting and I have made an error somewhere which won't be noticable but it is irritating me to no end. So I set it down to start working on something else. Above is the picture of progress to date. I have maybe a smidge less then one-quarter of the breast left to stitch.

 

I started putting together a temperature project, which is offered as a free stitch along at Jardin Prive.  I got so excited when I first saw it.  In 2020 this SAL was floss bobbins and this year it is houses.  It is similar in principal to the popular Stitching Mommy's Temperature Garden, if you are familiar with that.  I have it pulled together but I am going to change the temperature colors that I initially pulled.  I want pinks, blues, greens and purples for my neighborhood.  I just love this novel idea and it is different in looks then what a very lot of people are stitching.  If you are interested in stitching this too, head on over to Jardin Prive.  While I was over there I purchased 4 patterns I must stitch.  

I had been pondering all my cross stitch projects since I started stitching in 1986.  Many things I have stitched are just gone.  I don't know what happened to them but some of it could be pieces were destroyed in the fire I had at a duplex I rented in 2002.  I had started stitching when I lived there and then rented and moved into a house on SW 1st Terrace.  In 2016 Orin and I bought the home we currently live in.  So it is understandable that stuff has become lost in transition and of course destruction.  I don't know why it wasn't important to me to keep track of what I was stitching, I was just having fun stitching. Details weren't important then but somehow they have become important to me.

So, I printed off pictures of projects I have stitched as wallet sized photos on my printer and I grabbed an old composition book and tore out the first few pages and began by taping the pictures on the pages of the book.  I then began going thru my blogs looking for any details about the projects.  I have about 5 years left to look thru on my old blog and I am also going to tackle Facebook and look thru posts there.  My notebook is filling in and I am gaining some satisfaction in having information consolidated into one place.  It is a good feeling and although some folks would have a heck of a lot more stitched in 35 years, I am not worried about that.  As Leslie and I say, it's not a competition (as it is with others).  This is a journey of happiness and joy watching my work grow and helping to guard my peace of mind.  When I die just shovel all my stitching stuff into my coffin and a few of you may need to sit on the lid to help the mortician close it.  Hell I may need several more coffins to get it all in and buried with me.

May your spring days be filled with the peace, joy and happiness that God is truly with us, watching us stitch, enjoying the fruits of our love of the needle and thread.  God Bless.

2020 Holiday Depression Buster finishes and Spring blooms at the Thicket!

The Lord has gifted us with an amazingly beautiful spring this year.  Our backyard is our refuge from the hustle and bustle of the world outside.  Yesterday two women showed up at our threshold from the county assessor's office to verify information for taxation.  They followed me thru the garden gate to measure our sunroom.  Both were absolutely enchanted by our secret garden.  It really is a place you can get away and dream.  Orin and I love feeding the wild birds and watching them come and go.  I saw a robin gathering grass for it's nest and laughed when the grass resembled a mustache on that sweet bird.  Bear with me as I share a few pictures I took this morning.  Pictures taken in the morning are so soft and stunning with the promise of a new day fresh after a good night's sleep.

Our willow tree looks so lovely against the blue sky.

The dogwood tree is filled with flowers that are just opening.

Lovely Paper Whites line our fence.

My beloved Lilacs!  Some clusters are wide open, however you can see some clusters still have themselves tightly closed to the world.  These cool nights will make the blooms last much longer and the scent, need I say more?

Not a lot of stitching going on here. Festive Feathers is coming along slowly. Leslie is much further along then I am.  She is having knotting problems also, so I know it is just not me but it is the floss.

Below is Mary Mouse and Duncan Dog.  Both are part of the Brooke's Books Advent Animals series.  They are stitched on 28 count Reflection by Silkweaver in the color "Beach".  They were two of the finishes I had in my depression buster project this past holiday season.  They really are darling.

Next in the Depression Buster Project was the free design by iStitch called surprisingly enough "Christmas Greetings". I used 2 different colors of floss from two different defunct floss companies, Olde Willow Stitchery and The Dye is cast. I chose a 28 count Quaker linen in "natural".  I love the vintage look of this design.

"Thankful" was a free design offered by Hands On Design.  I stitched it with the called for floss on a charcoal colored 28 count evenweave.  It stitched up quickly, even for me.  I love how it stitched up.

This free design is from Les Grilles de Maryse and is called Noel 2014 Medaillon.  I used The Thread Gatherer Silk 'n Colors "Green Leaves" SNC 090 and Kreinik Silk Mori Milkpaint color 0116. It is stitched with some random vintage colored evenweave I had in my stash. I love how it turned out. I want to stitch it again in all blue and also want to stitch in all white.

This is the last finish in my Holiday Depression Buster parade.  It is called Christmas 2017 Village in the Snow designed by a favorite French designer Les Grilles de Maryse.  I wanted the snow to show up so I chose a grey 28 count evenweave in my stash.  I stitched it with the called for DMC floss however I sparkled it up with a opalescent blending filament in random white stitches throughout the piece.  The effect was just what I was looking for.  I love this piece.

The weekend is almost here but then being retired every day is a weekend for me.  I will continue to enjoy my beautiful Lilac Thicket, maybe do some reading or even baking.  One thing I do know I will be doing is thanking the Lord for a life filled with peace, joy and happiness.  God Bless you!