Let's talk stitching

I recently received the Just Cross Stitch 2011 Special Christmas Issue, otherwise known as "The Ornament Issue," in the mail.  Every year I look forward to getting this issue and have stitched many an ornament from its pages.  This year, I was a bit disappointed.  There were no ornaments that jumped off the page screaming, "Stitch me!"  In fact, I had to go through the magazine several times before I found even one thing I'd consider stitching, mainly because it looks fun to finish ("Peace on Earth" purse ornament by The Victoria Sampler on page 13-14).

Oh, don't get me wrong.  There are a lot of beautiful and wondrous ornaments in the issue, just not anything I'd stitch.  Do you ever do that?  You see a pattern and say, "Hey! I like that!  But I'd honestly never stitch it."  I do that a lot.  It saves me from being buried in stash.  ;-)

In the same stash package, I received a quirky pattern that recently caught my attention, "Bone Cheeks" by Prairie Moon.

It looks fun and colorful, and it appeals to my love of skeletons.  I've always been fascinated by skeletons, even as a kid, far beyond their usual Halloween appearance.  I never wanted to be a skeleton on Halloween, I just wanted to learn all about them.  I guess I've always loved learning about anatomy, even as a kid.

I remember a grade school science lesson where we each laid on a big piece of paper and a classmate drew an outline around our body.  Then we drew a skeleton inside the body outline and had to label the bones correctly.  I was totally engrossed in this project and my finished product graced the door of my bedroom for months afterward.

So I'll be stitching "Bone Cheeks" after I finish "Liberty Lane."  I don't have the fabric or fibers in my stash, so I'll be using what I have.  The model was stitched with Gloriana silks, which I like, but I don't have all the colors called for and don't want to spend the bucks.  Besides, the designers included a DMC conversion so I'll take advantage of their thoughtfulness.

LoneStar