Modern cross stitch FTW!

Oh, how I miss modern cross stitch. It is my worn in baby blanket, my steaming dish of comfort food, my mindless, easy, relaxing first hobby. There is no challenge except to finish the thing with as few errors as possible, and I am totally okay with that.




I've recently picked up my old collection of modern patterns as a break from the SCA montage of couched yarn, counted satin stitch, and challenging blackwork. I've missed the free and easy feel of counted cross stitch, the patient anticipation of pondering how to frame it and where to hang it. Mind you, SCA embroidery is great, but for different reasons: there I embroider useful items, people are (usually) incredibly appreciative of what I give them, and I feel a connection to embroiderers who worked long ago in the worst possible conditions (no internet ordering when you run out of silk thread? holy hell, no thanks). But modern cross stitch is my root in the embroidery world, a connection to my childhood, my mother, my home.

It is in that happy vein that I finished the third of Nora Corbett's "Deco Spirits", Earth. She is a lovely design in gray, gold, eggplant, and dark teal, with just enough outlining to bring out her features. The materials are cotton and metallic DMC threads worked on 32 count even weave linen. And hey, who doesn't like sparkly stuff.

How long did she take? I have no idea. A while, that's how long. I don't usually keep time logs for my embroidery, and I usually just pick it up when I have a half hour or so to fill.

There is one more to go: Fire. She should be the easiest to complete, but I have other stuff that requires my attention first. Once done, however, I will frame them all to match and dream of the day I can finally put them on the wall (I currently don't have any more wall space in my quarters, poo).