Another Embroidery BOM

I keep posting links to embroidery freebies yet I haven't actually stitched anything since 1957.

Here's another free BOM for you. This one is from a blog called The Contented Quilter and it's called "Take time to..." The first block ("put your feet up") is linked here. You'll find the second one ("smell the roses") linked on this post. I really like the designs.

Thank you, Deepa, for mentioning this one on your blog.

Edited to add: Check out Deepa's finished bedspread embroidery project. (Click the photos to see a larger version.) It took her 7 1/2 months and more than 35 different stitches and techniques to complete and she did a beautiful job!

And I Feel Fine

Gina Matarazzo has an Etsy shop where she sells her embroidery patterns and artwork. Check out her site for two adorable free patterns of kitties and hot dogs.

And Vicki over at Turkey Feathers is sharing patterns for a state flower quilt. I'm lazy tonight and don't feel like linking to the patterns she's posted so far, so here's a link to all the entries that are tagged with the State Flower Quilt label. I really would like to make this one.

Please get your affairs in order because if I actually make this quilt, it's the end of the world as we know it.

Haircuts

My check for jury duty just arrived. I got $105 for "criminal fees" and $61.88 for "criminal mileage."

Back when I knew I'd be going to report for jury service at the end of March, I thought about getting paid if I made it on a jury and how I could finally get a haircut and buy some highlighter for my hair.

Did I mention how the case was for vehicular manslaughter and DUI? One person was pronounced dead at the scene, one died of his injuries the next day, and one was seriously injured.

I look at that check now and think "People died and I'm getting a haircut."

I've tried to write about the whole experience a few times. I think I'm going to save the draft post and leave it be for now. Maybe I'll finish it later on. I'll just stick to sharing links to free patterns and the occasional whine.

By the way, we couldn't reach a unanimous decision so the judge declared a mistrial. You can read about the case here but please remember that some details have been left out and everything is not always as black and white as it seems.

Rest in peace Catherine Malloy and Frank Howd.

Time For A Few Links, Miri Finally Included!

Time for a few free cross stitch and embroidery links.

I think this cross stitched heart is so pretty. It calls for Anchor floss so you would have to figure out which DMC colors to use instead, but there aren't that many so that shouldn't be too difficult. For me, I mean. I'm sure some of you have no problems choosing your own colors. :)

I found that link on a blog called le blog friendstitch. Go visit when you have some time for lots of links to cross stitch and embroidery freebies plus sewing tutorials.

Have you been to the Liberty Primitives Needlework blog yet? Lots of really nice x-stitch free charts there.

Check out the Saints 'N Stitches post at Waltzing Matilda for patterns to make embroidered Catholic saints dolls. Right now, the patterns are on Scribd and set to Private so you can't print them but Charlotte of Waltzing Matilda is working on fixing that. I have a thing for patron saints and would love to stitch up a few of these, especially St. Clare since she's the patron saint of needle workers and embroiderers. And television.

There's a copy of a 13 page embroidery design catalog over at Maureen's Vintage Acquisitions Blog.

Over at No Pattern Required are vintage embroidery patterns for a lamb. a bunny and an owl, two Scottie dogs, another bunny and another lamb and a kitten softie. I love that blog. So much vintage goodness.

My friend Debra sent me a link to the freebie page at The Noble Wife. There are patterns for a quilt, an apron. a tote bag and cute embroidery designs.

I've been meaning to link to the Sleeping Bunnies embroidery pattern for awhile (or maybe I did) and now I see that there a bunch of other cute free patterns on the Sew Charitable blog. Go see! They're all listed in the right sidebar.

Back in September of last year, (Yes! September!), Miri of Milk And Honey Quilts shared her Bonnet Girl With Umbrella pattern and I have been meaning to link to it ever since. (I always have great intentions. Just not the best follow through.) She had traced the pattern from a vintage quilt that she found on eBay and then used it to make blocks for her own quilt. How cool is that? And, in December, Miri finished her yo-yo quilt, which, I swear, I would go steal if I knew exactly where she lived.

That's all for now. Have a great Thursday!

My Latest WIPs

Remember the cross stitch from the French blog that I've been working on? This is it, so far:


After the row of numbers, there's room for a name and hometown.

And that stuffed little Dachshund? It still needs to be finished.

For the past few weeks, I was on jury duty and didn't get to work on anything. I thought I could take one of these projects with me but the court house has "airport style weapons screening" and things like scissors or knitting needles are not allowed inside. I was doing to ask one of the deputies if sewing needles were ok and then I forgot all about it. We spent a lot of time just waiting around and I would read or people watch or chat with some of the other jurors so I had something to do and didn't even think about what I could be stitching. Well, that's not totally true. I actually wished I had experience altering clothes after I saw a TON of lawyers wearing really ill-fitting suits.

I'm sorry. Did I say "airport style weapons screening"? Oh, that must explain why one of my fellow jurors walked in with a knife one day. Or maybe it was a box cutter. She had to stop off at some place before she headed to court to set up her daughter's science project, which had been entered in some kind of competition, so she had duct tape and something to cut it with in her purse when she walked through security at the court house entrance and didn't set off any alarms.

Jury duty. Good times.

(Actually, it was very interesting. More on this later.)

P.S. I'll post links to these patterns as soon as I track them down.

P.P.S. I posted a bunch of embroidery links yesterday (Yes! I blogged two days in a row! Alert the media!) so be sure to check them out if you like that kind of thing.

Egads! 1200 Emails!

Right now, I have 1200 emails in my mailbox. This is what happens when you completely abandon reading your email and spend hours on Facebook instead. At least 800 of them are new and have not been opened yet. I would love to just delete them all and start from scratch but I can never do that. So my goal for this weekend is to open, answer and clear out as many as I can.

Before I go on a deleting spree though, I want to blog since it's been awhile, so here are a bunch of links from some draft posts that I never finished. Did I mention I've been spending hours on Facebook?

There's a French blog called Broderie d'Antan, which is loaded with a bunch of old embroidery patterns (monograms, alphabets, flowers). You can probably figure out the categories listed on the right by looking at the illustrations, but if you want an English translation, use the Yahoo Babelfish widget in the left sidebar. By the way, the blogger writes that Canalblog will sometimes automatically reduce image size so you should enlarge the patterns on a copy machine. [Link via Needlework News.]

Denise at Needlework News also linked to the Alice in Wonderland embroidery patterns from Anne over at Green Jello and some pretty flower patterns from Willowberry Designs. Don't forget there's a free BOM called Under the Sea going on at Willowberry Designs too.

Speaking of things called Under the Sea, I forget how I found them now, but Tigerpup Embroidery has some cute embroidery patterns for sale, including one called Under the Sea with a cute squid. Now, there's something you don't hear everyday: a cute squid. You can also find some freebies (including a kitty) at Tigerpup Embroidery.

Stitchy Britches is sharing an owl pattern originally from the late 1960's for crewel work. It's nice to see her blogging again over there.

And, here's one I discovered a little while ago on a new-to-me blog (which is what prompted me to post something today): a vintage embroidery transfer of some children and toys at Just-a-mere. And a second one with animals that might have something to do with nursery rhymes. Or not. (Drunk clown alert!) And, if you have some time, check out Jan's blog. She quilts, embroiders and buys vintage fabric. I love her already.

Ok, I am tired of linking so this is it for now. Why can't Blogger give us the option of allowing all links to open in a new window so I don't have to add the code in every time. It's such a pain.