Project #1 - Sailboat stitching

   Cross stitching is the first craft that I truly fell in love with (although when I first started, I think my parents may have used the word "obsessed" more than once). So it's rather appropriate that a stitching is my first project in my 40 project challenge.

   I was eleven when I learned how to stitch at a Christmas workshop at my family church.  The annual event invited people to decorate the sanctuary, make wreaths, yule logs, candy houses, and other various crafts, followed by a carol sing and a pot luck supper.  One year, one of the ladies in the church made up kits with all the supplies and patiently showed me how to make the little x's across the fabric to make an ornament.   I was hooked!  Ever since then, I have always had some cross stitch project in the works, (or two or three or maybe even more).  I find it relaxing, yet appreciate the amount of precise detail that is possible, especially when working with linen. 

   When I started doing more types of crafts, stitching fell by the wayside a bit, but I've found myself stitching more often in the past year and a half.  Our newly formed family likes to watch movies together and when everyone else is curled up, I claim my corner of the sofa, and go to work. 

 This project is part of a series of Seasonal Word Art from Cross Stitch and Needlework, my favorite stitching magazine for many years. There's a spring flower, fall leaves, a wintery snowman and I'd love to be able to complete them all.  I started with the sailboat with the hopes that I could actually finish it in time to hang it up over the summer.  It worked up really quickly. 

   Rather than using a traditional frame, I raided my fabric stash for some a bright and red and blue and sewed a frame.  I haven't finished a stitching quite like this before, but I think I will be doing it more often. It's a nice way to add some color to the finished product, use up fabric I already have, and it's certainly a lot cheaper than having something framed. 

Project #1 done!  Only 39 more to go.  Check in soon to see what's next!