When Gigi had offered this lovely freebie on her blog I couldn't resist to start it. I really was in the mood for a little finish  and now I have to show my first finish in 2009. It's stitched on 32 count green Belfast linen and it's really lovely! THANK YOU GIGI!!!!
First I have wanted to finish it as a little ornament, but now I think I'll use it as a square in my friendship quilt. It absolutely has the perfect size for such a square.
I really have to continue to add squares to this quilt. Each of this little stitchings I have collected is a great rememberance on stitching friends in different parts of the world and I really treasure this lovely gifts.

Just I finished a new square for my friendship quilt. It`s a part of the LHN design Country Stitcher - City Stitcher. I think it fits perfect to the thema of my quilt.

I`m more than happy that  Annemarie had stolen  :-) the idea for my quilt and Vonna opened a Blog for such friendship squares exchange.  http://fairsquaresrules.blogspot.com/

I think that will become a great place to collect some more squares.

Here`s my collection so far but only finished on the computer.

I got some emails from friends, who want to know my way for finishing this squares. I`ll take pictures when I`ll finish the next square.

I think there would be a not so time consuming way, but this squares are really special for me, because they are a great rememberance to my stitching friends, so I chose this way.

and today I put two more squares to my friendship quilt. Okay, it´s really a mini quilt - but I think four squares are a quilt and now it´s great enough to display it on a little children chair.

Here´s the front

 

and the back of the quilt

 

Maybe one day it will become great enough to display it on my bed :-)!!!

Today I got a package from Catherine abc. I really was curiously to open it, because I didn´t expect to receive anything from France!!!!???

And look what she sent to me!!! A wonderful square for my friendship quilt, and some other extra goodies!!! Isn´t that a lovely surprise!!! Catherine really made my day :-), thank you so much Catherine!!

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.