David's Counted Cross Stitch

December 2005 - One night I was watching Nancy working on a cross-stitch project during the commercials on TV. As I watched her I said, "I bet I could do that". She challenged me, so the next time we were at Michael's, for my first project I picked up these two humming bird coasters. They are 14 count cross-stitch and were $2.50 each, so I figured if I didn't like cross-stitching I didn't have too much invested. I felt almost overwhelmed after starting my first project and spending more time froging (taking stitches out) than stitching. I remember thinking how does Nancy watch TV and keep track of where she is and what she's doing. I could not concentrate on cross-stitching and do anything else, let alone watch TV. I remember I stitched each X one at a time instead of stitching half an X going one direction then return crossing the X. I also hadn't realized that there was not suppose to be any knots on the back of my project. As a matter of fact the back of my project looked like a jumble of floss and knots. Good thing I had a self-stick cork bottom for the coasters that hid my mess. Later Nancy also informed me I was supposed to sign my work.

January 2006 - My second 14 count project was a little more energetic. Every since I was a young boy by favorite bird was the Cardinal. I didn't see or hear one until I was over 62 years old, retired and spent some time on the east coast. Anyway these three birds intrigued me so I keep closer to the cross-stitch rules and tried to make half the X going across them back along the same row completing the X. I still had a lot of knots, but by now cross-stitching had become an addiction. I bought some matting and cut my own for the birds as they were 5 x 5 inches square and I couldn't find any frames or matting that would work. The mat is actually a gray-green that doesn't show up the same color in these pictures. I still feel uncomfortable signing them as I still feel like an amateur.

April 2006 - Now I am hooked on cross-stitch and started another 14 count wolf project that ended up 5 x 7. I now feel more comfortable and am having more fun cross-stitching. I can even watch a TV program in the evening and stitch during the commercials without lousing my place. I even signed this one and sold it at a craft sale minus the frame for $12.00. I paid $10.00 for the kit, which means I made about ten cents an hour… ha ha … I don't expect to make money at selling my work, and I don't have a lot of room to hang them in our 5th wheel. So it's either give them away or sell them. This means the more I give away or sell the more room I have to do another one.

June 2006 - I had started another wolf pattern when I saw this cute kit in WalMart and it reminded me of a friend in San Diego that I talked to just recently and she was down in the dumps and thought no one loved her. I couldn't resist getting, quickly finishing it and giving it to her. I somehow didn't get it signed but our friend loved it. She hung it in her living room.

November 2006 - Nancy had bought some plastic type 18 count aida for making bookmarks. I had bought a computer software program that you can import pictures into and create your own cross-stitch patterns. It also came with a lot of images where you could create your own patterns. So we created these bookmarks using the program. I stitched it using variegated floss for the pattern at the bottom and the writing "bookmark". Nancy picked roses for her border.