~ Needle & Thread {and Linen, too} ~

 Good Morning 

~ Friends & Folk ~

we woke to raindrops on the tin roof this morning,
{{ a sound that always tells me that it will be a great day for handwork! }}
...most folks don't welcome the rain,
but I always do.
I'll even go for a walk in it after breakfast.
{one of my 'other' favorite things to do}

I've had this idea floating around in my head for a couple of days,
and this morning I put it to paper,
and linen...

If you are a regular reader,

you'll know I've been recently talking about my 'freehand' cross stitching...

well, this is going to be a pattern for that ~

I usually stitch them on muslin or other plain cloth,

but decided that I wanted a different look for this design.

So I searched through my stash 

and found a pretty cream/tan Buffalo plaid/check linen 

that I had 'waiting' for just the right project...

~ this is 28 count.

I begin by sketching a design in pencil on paper, 

~ then going over the sketch with a fine tip sharpie.

After that, I place my linen directly over the inked design 

and trace through onto the linen using same pencil.

Being that that linen is a light color, and a 28 count ~

it is easy to see the paper pattern through...

you may want to use a light box 

or sunlit window to transfer yours.

Now

here's the fun part!

after tracing the penciled design onto the linen,

just begin stitching the design by 'eye-balling' your cross stitches ~

I prefer the continental-method of cross stitching, 

meaning all of my half-stitches will go to the right, before coming to the end of the row

where I will go back over and cross all of my previous stitches.

and

NO COUNTING ALLOWED :)

{{for photo purposes, I took my linen out of my hoop}}

my rows are not straight or even ~ some of my cross stitches are 2 x 3, 3 x 2, etc...

some are wide, others are short,

and I am not concerned with that at all....

I am purely stitching by happenstance

 :)

ahhhh.....

freedom to be me!

wherever my needle lands is where I'll make a stitch ~

wonky? 

why, yes.

unprofessional looking?

 you betcha, 

...and happily so.

but, when I am in the rhythm of stitching like this

it is so cathartic

so forgiving

that I can literally lose myself to daydreams 

and other household distractions that conventional

counted threadwork will not allow...

yay!

... will I complete this design using all of these tiny misshapen cross stitches?

I dunno, 

we'll see when we get there...

 I might add some other sundry embroidery stitches to her dress,

flowers and pet bird.

I love satin & straight stitch, eyelet and algerian too ~

perhaps a few french knots too. 

combining everything I love to do 

~ makes me a happy girl.

Happy Wife ~ Happy Life

♥

So tell me,
what makes you happy these days??

Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori