News to me

Cyberstitchers' freebies are now available in PDF format in case, like me, you don't have PCStitch on your computer. I don't know how long this has been possible, but it wasn't the last time I was on the site. I just printed some really cute Helga Mandl and Barbara Ana charts and saved some others, because, ya know, I might run out of stuff to stitch at some point this year, LOL. I'm pretty pleased.

One of the things I did not really appreciate before I undertook this freebie-focused year is that "free" does not necessarily translate to "easy" or "quick stitch". I had thought that, almost two months in, I would have a lot more designs stitched, but I'm on my third or fourth. But it's been a learning moment for me.

A year or so ago, someone on some British message board (at least I seem to remember it being British) had the audacity to criticize the freebie charts San-man Originals was doing, after seeing someone post a finish of theirs. They said they weren't really stitching. I don't know if it was a dig at Sandy's designing talent, or just freebie charts on a whole. I choose to think it was a dig at freebies in general, I guess the idea being that a designer wouldn't put the effort into a free chart that they do into a chart you pay for.

I can tell you, from my experience so far, that don't seem to be true.

I was impressed with the shading on Midnight.It was tricky. If that is what she is accomplishing on a free chart, the shading on a pay chart is the same as a Stoney Creek. Fa La La was an accomplishment, although if I'd stitched it the normal way, it probably wouldn't have taken so long. And I'm loving how beautiful my Debbie Draper design is coming together. I am using two shades of Variations, not just one, and this is a design that you could look at and see five good ways to do the design, all different, all unique, and know that, whatever way you do it, it will look amazing. That's not a cheapening of the talent, it's elevating the craft.

And I'm getting my eyes opened to a whole new world of designers, just by typing, "grilles gratuites." I'm seeing all new French designs that are AMAZING. The funny thing is, the designers don't seem to offer a lot of free charts, but the bloggers who do link to these designers' charts, and they're just gorgeous and SO different from anything we have available here in the US. I wish my French had not declined so badly, because I would love to be able to understand what they're talking about, and to be able to purchase them, instead of limiting my French purchases to Violarium and that one purchase from La Cigale Brodeuse in Canada--they don't even have the best of the French designers. A lot of the whimsical stuff get left "over there", it seems.

I have really started looking for freebies, and it's fun. There's just SO MUCH OUT THERE to look at. Even on the freebie finding websites with the dead links, there are still enough live links to make it worth a look.

Challenge yourself. Find three good freebies you've never seen before that you'd love to stitch. The more obscure, the better! I promise you, it's like finding gold!

But I just got the last one for Christmas . . .

http://kathybarrick.blogspot.com/

Autumn at Hawks Run Hollow is being released at the Nashville Show. CHS is putting photos up on her blog. I have to have it.

Yes, I know . . .

I don't have much done on Shores.

Yes, I know . . .

all I have on Villages is the floss in the bag.

Yes, I know . . .

I just got Christmas for Christmas.

Yes, I know . . .

It took 2 years, a week and an hour to finish Houses. I only know that because I know I started it on Halloween 2004 and finished it on my 30th birthday in 2006.

And I know I have a bazillion other things to do. Summer Ball, my Britter Critter quilt, starting a family, working, sleeping.

But I want this. The pumpkins were a thrill. The black cat was a thumbs up. Even the turkey was a fun point.

The horses sealed the deal for me.

Maybe I could spend 2011 in Hawks Run Hollow. Spend enough time there, I bet they'd let me be mayor . . .

Another one for the wishlist

I saw this today. It's beautiful.

Can I just admit this now? I learned Hardanger so that I could do Victoria Sampler patterns.

And, yet, I have yet to actually stitch any of the ones I have. I look at them quite frequently with looks of love, knowing that my life would not be so rich and complete if they were not in my sewing room, waiting for their turn to shine. They just intimidate me--maybe it's the cost of the threads?

And I want this. It's gorgeous. It's a Christmas carol, and I love anything Christmas carol-y. I guess this is going on my wishlist.

Look at these!

New from Brooke's Books


These.

Are.

Splendid.

I even found some perforated paper last night in my ramblings.

Another must have

I must have this. I will have no rest in my bones (and this means a lot since I am dog-tired) til I have this chart. It's new from Stoney Creek. I think I can order it from their website. I wonder if it's out in stores yet. I am going to check on Monday at the Stitching Post. If it's out, it's coming home with me. If it's not, I am going to order it.

Even though I am too chicken to stitch them, I have the other two SC horse books in my collection. These are beautiful. There is even a jockey and a race horse. I told you, I have a thing for racehorse pix and this is so beautiful. I could never own enough charts of galloping racehorses. I can't explain it. Maybe it was because when I was collecting Breyer horses, my favorite model was the Phar Lap model. He looked so trim and neat and proper and free, and I guess I carry that on in my stitching. One thing, the leaflets take up less space than my models, though I would NEVER sell my model horses.

You have to wonder about my commitment

to not buying more stash when I open a magazine, see this and wonder if that saying, "I would give my right arm to have this," is just a euphemism. But I like these. They scream, you need to stitch us:

http://www.sewandso.co.uk/ran2508-0.html

Aren't they cute. Aren't they just absolutely the most adorable mice you have ever seen?