Welcome to the "Now Stitching..." Works in ProgressIf you've come from the main "Now Stitching" page, this page will show you the steps that went before. You can follow projects from the glimmer of an idea through completion. If you want to see the latest posts, click here to go directly to works that are in progress now. I don't post new patterns until I have stitched them. But I can give you a sneak peek at what's in the works. Every few days we post a screen shot during design or a picture of designs as I'm stitching them. This archive is the history of those posts. The entries in this archive are in date order from top to bottom. 
August 10 Variations on a Theme, er... Two ThemesI know, I know, I haven't finished the Iris design I promised in the last Now Stitching. I'm still teasing out the design for the reverse side. I hope to post on this soon. But meanwhile, I've finished several alphabets, including the Christmas Holly letters I mentioned last time.
Here's another to whet your appetite. (You can see them all by clicking on our Free Alphabets tab on the left menu.)
And I put the finishing touches on some charts for alternate colors for two of my previous designs, Addicted to Cross Stitch and Mother's Day.
Click here for a pdf chart of Addicted to Cross Stitch in teal
Click here for a pdf chart of Mother's Day in pink
August 27 The Golden Treasures Collection Gets Another BookmarkHere is the final, or should I say, finals for the reverse side of the Garden Treasures Bookmark--Iris chart. It's been a long time coming. I know it's not the Cistene Chapel, or even a complicated design, as patterns go. But what took so long was the journey. 
I want the reverse of these bookmarks to complement the fronts, not duplicate them. I was smarter with the preceding Tulip--I roughed out both sides before I ever started stitching. It went so well that I thought I'd be safe stitching the front, while designing the back. Unfortunately I didn't hit on the "got it" design for this one as easily. By the time I was done, I had narrowed my choices down to thirteen possible designs. Lucky me. I finally realized what was taking me so long. Now, being almost September, and I'm already working on holiday charts--some on my computer (check out my new-ish Christmas Holly Alphabet), many in my head. I think I was working through border designs that were useful not only for bookmarks, but for many other applications. I was having a hard time picking just one to show you. Ultimately, I asked Allen to pick the one he liked best. He has a long design background, and I find that he can be very decisive. Since he hasn't put in all the blood, sweat and tears charting out each possibility, he is uniquely positioned to select designs based solely on aesthetics, not on emotion. It took him all of three seconds to pick his favorite. Now I have to tell you that I didn't choose exactly the one he did. But just going through that process brought me back down to earth and allowed me to reduce my choices to one design with a couple of color variations. It also helped when I decided that you will ultimately get to see most of those other designs soon, on a new page about using borders. I hope to give you some great ways to take an alphabet or other small design, enlarge it by adding a stunning border, and end up with lots of possibilities for the upcoming holidays. Meanwhile, I'll keep adding to my cross stitch alphabet offerings. Here is a basic block style that's small enough for tight spaces. The first version uses quarter stitches to round out the letters, the second eliminates those, using only full cross stitches. Both are outlined in backstiches. 
Click here for chart.
Watch Now Stitching for more alphabets and additions to the Golden Treasures Collection.
Keep on Stitching,
Previous EntriesThis page would become too slow to load if we didn't divide it occasionally. You can follow each specific design from the beginning by choosing the project you wish to track from the following menu. Each is listed according to when it was introduced in Now Stitching, and may appear on several later pages. November, 2008 Thanksgiving Alphabet, "The Word" Bookmark, Joy Ornament, Peace Ornament December, 2008 Curling Ribbon Alphabet Design January, 2009 For My Mother February, 2009 Outline Alphabet March, 2009 My Bear to Cross April, 2009 He Is Risen May-June, 2009 Garden Treasures, Floral Alphabet, Addicted to Cross Stitch Alphabet July, 2009 Garden Treasures Tulip Bookmark, "Christmas Holly" Alphabet
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