Between the embroidery theme and the setting, which is just a couple of hours down the highway from here, I don't know how I've managed to miss these. I jumped in with Thread End, which is the seventh book in the series. It's an intriguing mystery with some vicarious stitching and fiber shopping along the way. Even though I haven't read the earlier books, I was able to figure out who was who and what was gong on. Of course I wound up wanting to know more about the characters and picked up the first book in the series when I was in town earlier this week.
Now here's Gayle/Amanda --
WHY I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH PIXEL PEOPLE
Do you know what I’m talking about when I mention “pixel people” or pixel cross-stitch? It’s an easy and cute way of cross-stitching that allows you to work quickly. It’s not that I don’t like traditional cross-stitch anymore, but I fell in love with pixel people over the holidays.
Let me back up a little. This is my boy/girl twins’ senior year of high school. Naturally, I want this year to be a year of BESTS! The BEST CHRISTMAS EVER had to include hand-stitched gifts from Mom…something to remember me by.
I know I’m not going to die the instant they graduate (at least, I hope not because that would be so traumatic for them and I’m doing everything I can to make the year GOOD…plus I have the party to take care of), but this year has been terribly hard for me. Once these two fly from the nest, I’m left with a bunch of downy feathers and fervent hopes that I did the right things.
Sorry for the detour; I simply wanted to lay a little groundwork for you.
By the time I reached the realization that I absolutely had to include hand-stitched gifts to my children, it was already Thanksgiving. I didn’t have time to do anything too elaborate. And then a friend posted the Marvel characters she’d been cross-stitching on Facebook. My daughter loves the Avengers. I immediately messaged my friend to see where she’d found the patterns. She told me, and I went to the site, ordered the download, and printed off the pdf. I could easily make a bookmark for my daughter featuring the Avengers. Yay!
But what about my son? If you search for “pixel cross stitch” on Etsy.com, you will find all kinds of adorable patterns. I found casts of characters from movies and TV shows: Scooby Doo, Monty Python, Star Wars, Sherlock, and then…there it was…It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. My son and I watch that show when we need something completely inappropriate to make us laugh. He doesn’t read as much as my daughter does, so I framed his pixel people.
So if you’re unfamiliar with pixel cross-stitch but want to do something quick, easy, adorable, and fun, check it out. It’s great for when you’re pressed for time. I was able to get each of those projects done in a weekend.
Happy stitching! (And happy reading too!)
Bio:
Amanda Lee (a/k/a Gayle Trent) lives in Virginia with her family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff.
1 comment:
Yes life goes on after children. We have to hope we gave them wing and roots. It sounds as if you did.
Post a Comment