I love sharing really detailed, beautiful and painterly cross stitch designs, but they always make me a little jealous. I feel like I don’t have the patience for such a big project, especially considering the biggest project I’ve ever attempted has barely been started for probably almost two years now. (I will finish it before my daughter graduates high school, which gives me two and a half more years!)
A good example of the gorgeous cross stitching I wish I could do is this peacock butterfly and forget me nots design from XFree.
The colors on this one are just so pretty and the range of colors in the flowers and the butterfly both make them look that much more real.
It’s no surprise that this one uses a whopping 57 colors as well as 7 blends to make that magic.
And then there’s the size. At 160 by 149 stitches, the product description helpfully(?) notes there are 22,830 stitches “in the marathon,” a phrase that made me laugh but is also probably pretty realistic for how it feels like to stitch such a thing.
When finished on 14 count fabric this design would measure 11.4 by 10.62 inches, or 28.96 by 26.97 cm. The pattern includes measurements for other stitch counts if you want to make it a little smaller.
But honestly I think when you’re making a project this big you might as well make it big, right? Such that everyone who walks into the room where it’s hanging after you finish it will notice it.
If you want to take this one on, you can find the pattern from XFree on Etsy.
In the meantime I want to know, what’s the biggest cross stitch project you’ve successfully finished? Do you like big projects or smaller ones? I would love to share more of what you like to stitch, so let me know in the comments!
[Photo: XFree]
