My Little House

After seeing this pattern on SPINSTER STITCHER'S blog a few weeks ago, I was totally smitten and had to track down the pattern and then stitch it up as fast as I could. (It's "Needlework Shop" by Country Cottage Needleworks.)

I stitched my version on 24 ct. Congress Cloth - light green - with 2 ply of DMC floss and a few variegated threads. Since I actually live in a pale green house with lots of pink flowers around it - and I sit in the front bay window and stitch - it was definitely something I just had to stitch!

(Oh, and of course I changed the text to "I Love Needlework" - which also seemed more appropriate to my little house...)

Anyway, here's a close-up of part of the design and my stitch switcheroos:


To speed up the stitching process, I used a half-cross stitch thruout (instead of a full cross stitch). Then I snuck in various canvaswork stitches, wherever possible, to make the stitching go faster. Like diagonal satin stitching the roof, the steps and the clapboard house; satin stitching all the little leaves; substituting an elongated tied cross for the shutters; whipping up little improvised flowerpots; and using a variegated thread for the brick foundation.

I pass these little substitution ideas on to you, in case you'd like to try your own versions of these sweet little cross stitch patterns. After all, we all know how many wonderful patterns and projects there are out there for us to stitch, and the faster we learn how to stitch them, the MORE projects we can finish! WOO HOO! ON TO THE NEXT!!