20,000 stitches later...

I just couldn't put this one down after I finished the first 6 blocks as shown in my last post.  I was having too much fun.  Here are all 12 blocks:

I had a little fun tweaking and experimenting with the designs in the bottom 3 squares.  I substituted these quilt inspired designs:

I also substituted one column of flowers with a design I saw in a vintage cross stitch that was hanging in an antique shop.  The vintage floral row looked like this:

I chose to make mine all the same color:

The last change I made was to add a black cat to the bottom left corner.  The cat pattern is by Melisa Vandergriff of Pinker N Punkin Quilting and I just think it's adorable.

Next step, of course, is to get it framed.  I really enjoyed this pattern.  It had fun, bright colors, easy-to-follow geometric patterns, and room to play.

Current Crossings

Last fall I went to a local quilt show that had a very large yard sale along with the display of quilts.  There was all manner of quilty and crafty items including a good selection of cross stitch.  I was lucky enough find a copy of Lori Holt's "Flea Market Flowers", including some floss for just $1.00.  

The pattern appealed to me because the layout was kind of like a quilt pattern. I began stitching it in late October and by the new year I had it about half done:

In all honesty, after a while it became just a little tedious making the same flower over and over again with little variation.  I felt like it would be nice to take a little break and work on something else for a bit.  That is when I found "A Little Crazy" by Carolyn Manning Designs. 

Again, there was a quilty inspiration to it that I liked. And seriously, who could resist a pattern that called for a color palette like this?

The plan was to do just one block a month and then return to  stitching on Flea Market Flowers.  So  I stitched the first block:

It was really enjoyable.  The stripes and checks were nice to work on because it didn't involve so much time referring to the pattern.  Next thing I knew, I was stitching up the second block, and then the third, and then the 4th, 5th and sixth!

My one block a month plan is now completed through June!  I don't normally like a lot of backstitching but even that part of this is fun.  Look at some of the little flower details that come to life with some backstitches:

I think I better get back to Flea Market Flowers before I get too carried away....