Embroidered Sampler- It's Finished!

and FRAMED no less!

I can hardly believe it myself.

It only took me... ahem... a year...

anywho, it's complete, and I love it, and that's what matters.

I found this pattern when I was visiting my mom.

I had decided before the trip that I wasn't going to take any projects...

and after 2 days of that, I ventured over to Barnes and Noble and found this sampler in a magazine of all places.

I'm not a huge fan of most cross stitch patterns.

They're either too granny or too bizarre.... BTW have you seen some of the super geek patterns on Etsy? Ain't no body got time for that.

Actually, a lot of people obviously do if the abundance of star trek cross stitch patterns is any indication... but I digress...

This one is from a magazine called "Just Cross Stitch". I know, I'm chuckling to myself as I type this...

Anyway, it's the May/June 2012 Issue,

and yes, the back issues are available if you love this sampler.

Be forewarned, however, this magazine has it's fair share of kitsch (sorry "Just Cross Stitch" lovers!)

Details: "Peace Sampler"

designed by Carol Emmer

using 6 stranded embroidery floss

I used a 28 count dark linen (a little darker than what is called for, but I love. See note below).

So, things I loved:

The look of an older sampler mixed with some modern touches.

The color combination. You could, of course, pick your own colors, but I loved the selection that was provided.

The bees. I freaking love bees.

The variety of stitches. Some diversity but still doable for a beginner (in addition to a traditional cross stitch, it uses a Algerian Eye, Rhodes stitch, four-sided stitch, and a rice stitch).

The Scripture verse (Numbers 6:24-26) which is also often used as a Catholic blessing.

Things I didn't like:

The pattern calls for 32 count linen which is just a tad small for me, so I subbed a 28 count which made it larger overall, but I'm happy with it.

The pattern also called for some beading. I'm not a bead person, so I subbed french knots (I am definitely a french knot person) and I think it came out even better. Not to mention, I didn't have to buy beads.

So overall, I really enjoyed this long-term project.

As the linen settles, I'll keep stretching it out a bit to get rid of the rest of those wrinkles,

but I have to say, it already looks pretty handsome in my dining room.