Free Redwork Patterns

I haven't been to Sentimental Stitches in quite awhile but I'm glad I checked it tonight because it has a new look (to me) and lots of free quilt patterns, plus a whole page with patterns for redwork of flowers, girls, and my favorite one, a cute little kitty (Block 115).  Block 104 is bunnies under an umbrella and Block 114 is a duck, but you'll want to click them all.

I couldn't get my pictures to upload last night so I don't have one of my orts jar to share for the TUSAL.  Hopefully, I can them uploaded soon.  (I NEED A COMPUTER.)

Free Redwork Patterns

A few years ago, there was a set of free embroidery patterns on Bobby Socks Quilt Company of 50's style dresses (called Dress Me Up) that I just loved. I printed most of them out (I think I missed two of them), and I swear some day I am going to stitch them all up.

Stop laughing.

Anyway, I know I also printed out the freebies from the following year, but I hadn't been back to the new site in a long, long time. I was just there now and found a set of free redwork patterns for 2010, called Fairy Tails, which are really cute. Be sure to save them all now because they won't be up once the year is over. And, good news for me: the Dress Me Up patterns are available for purchase from the site.

If Only I Got Paid To Hoard

My sister got involved while I was snapping shots of my orts jar. And, no, she's not giving me the finger. She was making a sideways peace sign. (See next post down if you want to know why I was taking pictures of a jar full of pieces of leftover embroidery floss.)

Say, what does that Monetize tab up above, in between Layout and View Blog, do? Let's click it and find out...nah, nothing exciting. It just shows you how to set up AdSense so you can add Google ads to your blog. Dang. I was hoping it was a way to make my blog look like a painting by Monet. For what's it worth, I have never clicked an ad on a blog before, and most likely, never will. (Links to Etsy shops do not count.)

Ok, moving on...guess what I did last night? Besides catching up with several episodes of "Burn Notice" on the DVR, I also hoarded more patterns. I promise this will be the very last time I mention my addiction -- I'm sure everyone else is getting as sick of it hearing about it as I am. I will do something crafty or fun or even illegal over the next few days so that when I am ready to blog again, I will have something else to talk about.

My latest hoards:

Prairie Schooler's little house with rain falling on it cross stitch freebie

Easter Egg Trio Tea Towel embroidery freebie from Bird Brain Designs

Redwork hedgehog embroidery pattern from a Flickr member

Pretty Posie Pushpins from Polka Dot Pineapple

Elephant pull toy embroidery pattern from So September

Embroidered Pint-Sized Pocket Pillows from Goody-Goody

Elephant quilt block from Miri

Pretty much everything from Wee Folk Art (join their Crafting Club so you can see all of their freebies)

Hopefully, I will be back later in the week to tell you about something I made from one of these patterns. Have a great Monday!

Embroidery Links For October

I'm not sure why Sally and Barbara couldn't see the picture in Thursday's post. It worked fine for me but since I wouldn't want you to miss out on seeing my lovely self, I've deleted the original photo and uploaded it again.

And, if you can't see it now, well, maybe I was just too scary looking for Blogger.

I know Halloween is coming and the month of October will be over soon, and I wish I had should have linked to these freebies before now, but if you're a quick stitcher, you can probably have them finished in no time. And, if you're like me, you can start them first thing in tomorrow morning and have them wrapped up by next May!

Erika of CraftStylish teaches you how to embroider on a t-shirt anf offers a pattern in honor of their Make It Pink Challenge.

You can find free designs called Trick or Treat Tots at Sentimental Stitches, with a new one posted every day. These patterns would be good for embroidery, redwork or applique. They'll be posted until November 1, and then available for purchase so remind yourself to keep checking for the new ones. Then please remind me. Thank you.

And, at Craft Blog, there's a Creepy Critters needlework pattern (cute bunnies in costumes). [Links via Denise at Craft Gossip]

I finished my candy corn cards but now my camera is dead so I couldn't take any pictures. which means I missed Finished For Friday at Lit and Laundry. Next week, I swear!

A Few More Links For The Weekend

Let's pretend I posted this one on Sunday.

I finally got around to clicking the links on TipNut's second list of 50 Free Apron Patterns & Tutorials, which led me to this cute cafe apron, which led me to more embroidery projects from Aimee Ray of Doodle Stitching fame, which led me to a ton of things to sew, quilt, knit, crochet, scrapbook, bead and make out of wood, including this Frilly Reversible Apron and this Beehive Pincushion. I feel like I hit the craft jackpot!

It's probably the fabric that was used but I really wish I could wear thongs after seeing these pretty Summer Slippers at Lady Harvatine.

These "Unmentionable" floss bobbins are so cute! You can find the template to make your own here.

The older I get, the more I tend to gravitate towards quickie cross stitch patterns so this is quite impressive: Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel done in cross stitch. And, hey, it only took a decade to do.

How about doing Barack Obama in redwork? Or John McCain? Or Hillary Clinton? I think it's cool that Kyra at Black Threads did a pattern for each one so everyone can make their own choice on who to stitch. I wonder if she would create a Johnny Depp pattern. Not that I would embroider it on a pillow and sleep with it every night, or anything. [All links via my My half of the brain, now at a new home so update your bookmarks.]

I don't watch "Mad Men" because I'm an idiot but I guess on a recent episode they had some clips from Jackie Kennedy's 1962 tour of the White House. AMC has put the entire broadcast on their website. It's an hour long but you can watch it in 15 minute clips. It's really interesting. I just wish it was in color. [link via Pop Culture Junk Mail] JFK comes in during the last clip and as he's talking about the kids who come the White House, he says how their visits will get them more interested in history and make them better Americans. He also adds that some of them "may want to some day live here themselves . . . even the girls." And, I don't think he means as First Lady.

Free Sunbonnet Sue Redwork Pattern

I think I've linked to SunbonnetSue.com before but I just discovered that Kim, the woman behind the site, has a blog too. And, on this post is a link to a pdf of a Sunbonnet Sue redwork pattern.

***** If you're looking for more free redwork patterns, click the REDWORK and EMBROIDERY links in the left sidebar. *****

Redwork Quilt From Connecting Threads

Connecting Threads has a free pattern for a redwork quilt.

Patterns At My Craft Book

I just found a bunch of animal patterns on My Craft Book that could be used for embroidery and redwork. There are butterflies, ducks, kittens, lambs, bears, an elephant and a pig. I'm not sure where the patterns are from but that have that vintage look to them. And, there are also some flowers and border patterns on the site. And, a bunch of craft projects too (I'm still going through all of them).

Why I'm Always Up Until 3 AM

I know a lot of people read Primrose Design but in case you missed it, Janet has posted a cross stitch chart of some pretty strawberries that she created from a design on some tea towels. The link to the pdf is in this post. And, check out the neat stitching on the raspberries on another towel.

Apron porn alert! As of two minutes ago, Confessions of an Apron Queen is my new favorite blog. As soon as I read the first line "If you love vintage aprons..." I was hooked. It's loaded with fantastic apron photos (and all kinds of other great stuff). There are a zillion things there that I will have to go back and read when I have more time tonight. And, the Girl Scout Cookie poll reminds me I can have Thin Mints for lunch today. (This was written earlier today and yes, I did eat a couple of Thin Mints at lunch, not for lunch.)

The Apronista is having yet another apron giveaway. This one is from marie-madeline studio, makers of some really pretty aprons. Go leave some comments on the post to enter.

And, speaking of aprons, today, my mom gave me two that she has had since she was a kid. She's pretty sure my grandmother made one of them, which gives it even more sentimental value. (It hit me again today that I'm really fortunate to have sister who has no interest in old aprons or old jewelry or old hankies because that means I can claim all that good stuff without having to fight with a relative for them.) I'm going to iron the aprons and then I'll take some pictures.

Check out RedWork Stitcher's photos of embroidery and redwork patterns on Webshots [link via Mrs. Stitchy Britches].

On Echevette, there are several free Easter cross stitch charts: Joyeuses Paques (bunny with basket), Petit lapin de Paques (rabbit on an egg), and Easter sampler (rabbit, eggs, flowers in pink & green).

I just read on my calendar that March is Adopt A Rescued Guinea Pig month. If you're considering doing that, check out Petfinder. (The widget below shows all the small & furry animals, not just guinea pigs, listed on Petfinder at the time. You can go the site and do a search for adoptable animals in your area.)

My Boring Apple Roses

I wanted to make an apple cobbler but I found Martha Stewart's Rosy Apple Tart while going through my saved recipes and decided to give it a try. I had torn it out of her magazine a couple of years ago because I was fascinated by the pretty apple "roses." (Go see them on her website. The recipe is there too.)

There are about 72 steps to make this. You have to put the crust together (easy enough because it's just puff pastry) and the filling and the apples -- and it seemed like everything had to set up or cool for 30-40 minutes or both, plus you have to make the apple roses, so it takes awhile, but I was happy with the end result, even though my roses look nothing like Martha's magazine photo. Mine kind of look like potatoes. I wish I had just used all Gala apples because I like how their red skin gives some color to the beige apples. (You also use green apples and Martha said to peel them so I did.) The cream was good and had that buttermilk tang to it, and you can't go wrong with puff pastry, although I used the Pepperidge Farm kind and ignored Martha's advice to use a higher quality brand. I will make this again but I'll skip the apple roses next time. I think it would be really good with blackberries, strawberries or cherries on top.

Sentimental Stitches will be posting an embroidery pattern every day during March. Be sure to save or print them when you see them because they'll only be up for a day. (Edited to add: Click the caption below the pattern to get a pdf. If it's no longer clickable, the pattern is no longer available. (I wish I had known that from the beginning.) There are some free redwork designs there too, including an adorable one with Kewpies. (How did I miss these before??) I love the kitty (Block 115) too.

Need a cross stitch alphabet? These are pretty neat [link via Bordando Freebies] There are other free charts also. I really like the ones with hearts (cute house!). Lots of teddy bears there too.

Starting on March 7th, Lisa Vollrath will be once again offering free images to download for your St. Patrick's Day and Easter paper crafting needs [link via Stitchy and Crafty -- great name for a blog! You'll find links to free patterns (knitting, crochet, cross stitch) there too].

Barb aka Woof Nanny has also has The Purse Project blog where you make a purse based on a theme. For the March/April theme you have to refashion a ready-made bag. I love this kind of thing. To see what people make, not to join in. If I ever made a purse, hell would freeze over.

I had more links to post but there's a Shih Tzu barking in the kitchen (she wants a vitamin) so I gotta go.

Forgot To Post This One 3 Days Ago

I'm not a huge fan of clowns but this bear is cute. He's flipping a crepe. And, he's skiing in this one. (To help you Googlers, I'll add that these are free cross stitch charts.)

I'm pretty sure this blogger is a member of a Yahoo group for redwork that I also belong to but I don't think I ever linked to her blog (which I just found again through another blog that I did not save a link to). She has posted some of the embroidery patterns from the J.F. Ingalls catalog that John Governale put online last summer. There are owls, birds, peacock feathers, and what looks to me like Little Bo Peep since she's holding one of those curvy stick things. EDITED TO ADD: Some of the links no longer work. Please go to J.F. Ingalls for scans of the embroidery patterns that Mr. Governale shared a couple of years ago. Updated: April 29. 2010.

TipNut has started posting another days of the week (DOW) set of embroidery patterns. This time, it's puppies doing chores. The link to the pattern for Monday is near the bottom of this post. Thanks to TipNut for sharing these!

I found another cool link on my old blog: a knitted pie.

Did you know Kellogg's stopped making Hydrox cookies a few years ago? [link via Not Martha] I don't know if I ever even had one (and now I guess it's too late). I always was, and still am, an Oreo girl.

I saw the giant cupcake pan in the King Arthur catalog earlier tonight and now I'm not surprised I see it's on back order until February 18th.

Redwork Pillow

Redwork Pillow
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

Shortly after I got out of the hospital, Suzan of Bombshell's Panorama, sent me this wonderful redwork pillow. She is such a sweetheart! (I still need to post a picture of the apron she made me.) I love the embroidery and the different red fabrics around it. The back is all red gingham. It's a perfect gift from a generous friend. Thank you so much, Suzan!

I'm so far behind with my blog reading these days. I was just at Sunshine's Creations for the first time in awhile and saw she has a tutorial for making square yo-yos.

Carol of X-Calibre Designs has written a great article about the different kinds of cross stitch fabric that I think would be helpful to new stitchers. Actually, I found it pretty helpful too.

Van Halen Reunites

Wow! Sarah at kniting-and.com finished her yo-yo quilt. She made 1600 yo-yos for it using a Clover Quick Yo-Yo Maker. Color me impressed.

And, if you're keeping track of my yo-yo making, I have yet to do a single one.

Pat Cummings has put her Just For Fun Redwork Book of old patterns online. Designs include a pig, horse, dog, cat, owls, children, flowers, birds and a somewhat disturbing one (to me) of a little boy in short pants riding on the back of a rabbit, plus a bunch of others. Thanks for sharing them, Pat!

How's about making slippers from an old wool blanket? There's a tutorial here. [link via Craft Leftovers]

I know the title has nothing to do with what I've written but I have a hard time naming these things. Who had that blog where all her titles were song lyrics?

Puppy Embroidery

I'm sorry but I am skipping doing a 1 pm post.

And, now on to the 1:30...

My three faithful readers might recognize that picture but no one else will so there it is again. I embroidered that little dog. I don't know if you can tell but his ears are felt. I had a pattern for a little girl's pinafore apron and included was the dog to embroider on the apron. The dog's ears were made of yarn but there were pattern pieces for the ears so I just used them and gave him ones made out of felt.

There are several places on the internet that you can find free vintage embroider patterns. Try Needlecrafter (look under Library) and Vintage Transfer Finds. For redwork, go to Ladies in Red and Bobby Socks Quilt Company.

There are other sites out there but those are my favorites.

JF Ingalls Embroidery Catalog from 1886

EDITED TO ADD: Some of the links in this post no longer work. Please go to J.F.Ingalls for a list of all the scans from the JF Ingalls catalog that Mr. Governale shared a couple of years ago. For the Good Morning and Good Night patterns, click here. They are #106 in the list. Updated: April 29, 2010.


One of the members of the Outline Stitch Yahoo Group that I'm on (in?) posted a link to 254 scans of patterns from an old embroidery stamping catalog. I have no idea how the stamping part of it worked but these patterns could be used today just by printing them out and transferring them to material. You'll need to enlarge them because they print very small. (The lady who posted the link says she uses Photo Shop to do that. I'm going to try the copy machine. ) I've only gone through a page and a half so far but I've seen flowers, children, dogs, cats, horses, owls, dishes, food and birds. And, do you know what else I found? A pattern for a Good Night/Good Morning pillow which I always wanted to do in redwork. It's 105 on this page. All the scans are no longer protected by copyright so this is a real find. Thank you to Mr. Governale for sharing!

Why I Stay Up So Late

Have you played with this interactive cross stitch thingy? I first read about here but its also linked at Craftzine where it's described as "an interactive flash cross stitch game to get people aware and involved in the environmental cause" (the cause would be the preservation of the Atlantic and Amazon forests in Brazil). All I know is it's addictive. The final result is always the same yet I can sit there for an hour, moving my mouse and watching the x's fill in.

FYI: My other favorite online time waster is Farm Hustle.

I don't think I've linked to Redwork Info before. They have some free patterns there including a santa, a snowman and some cute kids.

Freebie Gallery is a blog for photos of completed cross stitched freebies. Some entries have links to where the charts can be found too. I really like seeing what people do with their finished pieces. Look at what six different women came up with from one hedgehog freebie. (The hedgehog chart is here.)

Free Redwork Patterns

Pat at Quilter's Muse has added a couple of free redwork patterns to her site, a dog and a bird. I just found her redwork pigs freebie in my stash which led me back to her site.

There's a lot of great information at Quilter's Muse. I love looking at the virtual museum of antique designs, especially the Adorable Puppies Minature Quilt.

While looking for something else, I found some free charts on the Kooler Design Studio site. They also sell bibs with an Aida pocket to stitch something on. And I like their felt embroidery kits.

For more links to redwork patterns, check the REDWORK label in the left sidebar.

Redwork Freebies

I love redwork and always on the look-out for patterns, especially free ones. You can find a freebie of three cute kittens at Block Central. I think they're doing the can-can.

Pattern Central has a free design of a few pieces of candy. Go here and click the link for "Something Sweet to Embroider" in the top righthand corner. I just found this one so I don't have know how often they offer a different pattern.

Here's a cute Mr & Mrs. Snowman pattern from Redwork Plus.

I wish I could afford to join the Flowers of the Month Embroidery Club from Grandma's Attic. I totally love that January flower pattern.

For years, I've been looking for a Good Morning/Good Night transfer pattern to make a pillow. Thanks to Grandma's Attic, I just hit the jackpot! They carry exactly what I have been searching for on their site: a Good Morning/Good Night pattern.

Edited to Add: Grandma's Attic has some free redwork patterns too.

I've been to the Bobby Socks Quilt Company site many times. I've never made a quilt but the free redwork patterns there totally inspire me to make one. (Well, maybe I should say they have me thinking about doing a quilt.) The free pattern series for 2007 is called A Bobby Socks Alphabet. Make sure you save each month's pattern because once 2007 is over, they will no longer be free. Unfortunately, I'm missing a couple of months from the 2006 series.