I recently took the time to stitch one of my larger cross stitch patterns Citrine Sunflower. At first I was hesitant to start such a big project since most of my designs are small and quick to complete. However, I felt it was important to show an actual stitched version of one of my flower patterns since the finished piece is so much nicer to showcase than a rendered image.

I was ready to get into the trenches for a long haul stitching project but I was pleasantly surprised and breezed through this pattern in just a couple of months. The speed in completing this pattern was noticeably augmented by following the pattern on my computer and highlighting the symbols and marking them complete as I went. Traditionally, I stitch from a printed pattern and mark off with a pencil but the digital method definitely saved a lot of time and eye strain.

I can tell I like a pattern when I don’t want to stop stitching and this was one of those times. I was hyper focused and strategic with my stitching plan. I usually go color by color which is what I did here with the sunflower. The beauty of this flower was that the flow of stitching color by color sent me into a concentric circular pattern which was very relaxing and meditative. Being able to immortalize this sunflower (taken from my personal photo collection) not only created a joyful experience in the process but also a loving keepsake in it’s completion.

View a video montage of my sunflower “blooming” on my YouTube page here

– Danielle