I just finished a new square for my quilt. It´s from the Quaker Medallion Bellpull by Ruth Ann Russel. It´s stitched mostly with my favourite Gloriana silk colour "Blue Gras" on sand linen.

Slowly I really become addicted to stitch and collect those squares

When I posted my last article about the Austrian cross stitch, I remembered a project I started some years ago.

My goal was to create an Austrian Spot Sampler, totally designed by myself, but in the spirit of the old Austrian stitchings in my region. So I started to draw Austrian influenzed Spots and put them together to a redwork sampler.

Think two years ago I started stitching the sampler. But each time I stitched on it, I found something I have to change. And I found errors, and had to change something. I thought I never would be satisfied with it, so I put it away. Since this time I really have a great, great respect to all the designers work. I think I never would be contently with my work.

But now I pulled it out, and I saw it´s half time finished, and I really want to stitch my very special own sampler. So a goal for the next year is to finish this sampler. So wish my luck, that this will work :-)!!

In the meantime I did a lot of try-outs with the spots, and they are really useful for little presents :-)!

Finally I started assembling the first two squares for my Cross Stitch Quilt. It took about three years to find the perfect technique how to do this. I was looking for a way to finish each square separately, so that the quilt will be finished always and never. Now I´m really happy how it comes along.

After I started collecting the cross stitch squares, I thought it would have been nice too, to do a quilt only in monochrome colours. But I think there is only time for one quilt in a life :-)!! When I started the finishing of the backside, I had an idea. I´m writing the name, year and location of every stitcher in backstitch on the back. For the squares stitched by myself, I´ll stitch something like the year or my initiales only in ecru colours. It´s a little a time consuming way of finishing, but I love how it comes along. Now the quilt will become reversible, and I think it´s worth the time to become a heirloom piece.

I´m looking forward to future exchanges, to get more squares for the quilt!!

Because you asked, I´ll try to explain how I join the squares. First, all the squares are stitched on the same stitchcount (32 count linen). I´m doing a backstitch border with Perl cotton #12 all around the design over 4 threads. The same backstitch border on a second piece of linen. Inside the backstitch borders  I iron on a piece of fusible batting. Then I fingerpress the linen at the backstitch and wipstitch the two pieces of linen together. (with Perl cotton #12). So one square is finished. After I finish a second square in the same manner, I wipstitch them together going only through the perlcotton border.

Sorry, I´m really not good in writing instruction :-). Will try to take pictures when I´ll finish the next square.

As I spend a lot of time with stitching, it´s time to think seriously WHY do I love to stitch, and WHY did I become addicted to cross stitch???

First it´s absolutely hard for me to put my thoughts into English words, but I´ll try.

It´s really not for only passing  the time. I´m always absolutely busy in keeping care of my business, my wonderful family, our house, our garden and I always try to use some time for sports to not become too much out of the shape :-).

So sometimes it´s really hard for me to find some stitching time, but as always, everything you want to do, you will find time to do.

But what´s the pleasure to put one x after the other into a piece of linen???

For me it´s not only the reason to be creative. I have a profession where I have to be creative the whole day.

I think I love to stitch especially for my love of tradition and for my love to get to know more about the past.

I absolutely have a modern life, but I love tradition embroidery. In the background of this embroidery there is the whole life of women of the past ages. Since ages and ages there sat women - no matter if there were wars or disasters - and they found diversions and rest in their stitching.

And the embroidery they created are the echo of ideas about which only a later time become clarity. And I´m feeling a little tied together with this women.

Now I really would love to get to know, what´s your reason to love to stitch????!!!!!!

This weekend I found some time for finishing. So I finished my piece for the redwork exchange, will post a picture when it´s arrived in.................??? :-)!!

And I finished the Lizzie Kate design " Cross Stitcher in Residence" as an ornament. Now it hangs on my door.