Grandmother Motto - XS Pattern

 A good grandmother is something everyone wants -- and I got two really wonderful grandmas who are still living! My mom and mother-in-law are both great grandmas in different ways too. As my kids get older, I find myself wondering what kind of a grandma I will be? If you know me IRL, you know cookies will DEFINITELY be involved. Beyond that, I just don't know! Someday I'm sure I'll have some cute little bonus people in my life, and when I do I want to be prepared with some cool and fun ideas. Let me know if you have any advice!

I happened to come across a quote on the internet that summed up my sentiments exactly -- so this is Grandmother's Motto -- a new cross stitch pattern you can stitch up too!

Hahaha, isn't that so good?? If you would like the FREE pattern, just click on the image above and you will be able to access it!

Easter Cross Stitch

I didn't plan to make a cross stitch chart for General Conference this Spring, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head! It's just perfect to work on while you listen to General Conference, to finish up before April 17th when it's Easter. 

(click on the picture or this link for the free pattern!)

My original idea was to make a wreath (I was thinking something kind of like this free printable from Eighteen Twenty-five, which I saw via this post on Lolly Jane) -- but it turned out kind of tricky, and I couldn't make it as pretty as I wanted it to be. 

I turned to Etsy, where others have done the hardest work for me and bought this pretty wreath baby announcement pattern, then put just the words centered in the middle space. I'll be changing up all the colors, but the wreath part I'm mostly keeping just the same. Those words fit *just* right -- it made me so happy! 

To make the words, I just fooled around to make the fancy capital letters, then traced my handwriting in the Paint program and transferred it to my cross stitch template. It turned out so cute! And you'll see more of that in-progress (with real-time updates during General Conference!) on Instagram -- you'll have to check it out @smileynannn.

Again, the link for my cute & easy pattern is HERE if you would like to stitch along with me! It's literally just the chart, along with the colors I'm using. It will fit in a 5x7 frame, so I'm excited to get a fancy one and hang it for the Easter season. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @smileynannn, or reply to this post, if you work on it!

2022 Youth Theme Cross Stitch

At October General Conference, I always like to do a little project -- and this year is no different! One thing I like to do is make up a little pattern for the new Youth Theme. There are several on this blog -- you can download any and all!

The large version is HERE (click on these words, OR on the image below)

and the simplified version is HERE (click here OR on the image below)

Happy Conference stitching! Please let me know if you've made one -- the best way is here on this blog, or on Instagram @smileynannn -- I'd love to see what you do!

2021 Youth Theme Cross Stitch

 

Well, everyone is getting ready for General Conference -- and for a lot of us, that means getting a little project ready!

I have made up a Cross Stitch pattern for the 2021 Youth theme in two different variations -- one with the full reference, and one with the shorter motto. Either would be a really fun project to do while you're trying not to fall asleep... I mean, listening to Conference. haha

If you click on either image in this post, it will take you to the Google drive PDF. If you make either project, please PLEASE let me know -- I'd love to see it done up! And if you are on Instagram, I'd love to see it there if that's easier for you.

Have fun stitching! And HAPPY CONFERENCE -- I can't wait!!

Love at Home - FREE Cross Stitch Chart

When I came up with my Love at Home quilt (see THIS post!), I actually came up with the cross stitch chart first! Since I like the orientation of my quilts to be vertical, I knew I didn't want to do it this way; but I absolutely LOVE orienting my cross stitch patterns horizontally, and I knew it would be such a pretty and fun project for General Conference!

HERE is the link to the project. And just a few tips:

• It is best to print out the actual page -- the web version is showing up kind of funny. 
• I will just be using the DMC floss I have on hand, so I didn't include separate colors. Just use your best judgment and choose colors YOU like! 
• I love the idea of using 3 threads over on the linen -- I think the 28 count will be what I'm using. 
• The measurements I give are the finished size of the project, plus 3 spaces all around -- please add at least a couple of inches on all sides if you are mounting this project in a frame, like I will.
• If you are new to Cross Stitch -- please see these general Cross Stitch instructions (click HERE). I made them for a different project a few years ago, but they are good for all projects.
• And if this is intimidating for you, or just not quite what you're looking for -- there are some more charts you can view HERE if you'd like to do something different!

Have fun stitching this up -- I would LOVE for you to tag me on Instagram if you do! My username there is @smileynannn -- you can click HERE to go straight to my page.

And I'm sure we'll ALL have a wonderful General Conference. I can't wait!!

General Conference Stitching

Wow, I haven't done one of these in a LONG time! But I've been working hard on some more cross stitch charts, and I think you'll really like them.  Since I haven't done any blogging for a while, I have the 2019 and 2020 charts below.  Each chart is JUST a chart -- I have not assigned specific DMC colors, because I think that really depends on what color of cloth you're using (aida and linen come in many colors!). Please feel free to change up the colors however you want -- that's half the fun!

I have a cool version and a warm version of both the 2019 Primary Theme and the 2019 Youth theme, as well as a cool and warm version of the 2019 Youth Theme and the 2019 Youth Initiative (which includes the Primary).

2019 Primary Theme

2019 Youth Theme

2020 Youth Theme

2020 Youth Initiative

And here are links to the other General Conference stitcheries I've done:

2016 Primary & Youth Themes
YW Torch
Provo Temple & Instructions

New Year, New Me!

Hey everyone -- long time no blog! I'm pretty excited about the coming year, and I've got a REALLY great plan in place to be successful at this blogging business (which isn't a business at all for me -- I'm not monetized!).

So, here's the plan. For this year, I am working on something really special -- something that's been on my mind for at least a couple of years -- a Quilt Along!

Now, I recognize that I've been pretty silent for a long time, so I assume that it will have to gain a little traction before anyone is actually quilting along... haha. That's okay! You can start whenever you like, and go at whatever pace you like -- so if you're just starting out with my blog and it's June and you still want to do it, then DO IT!

If you're interested in Quilting Along with me, I'll be sharing my first post in about a week and a half -- we're starting January 7. ♥

And, since just about every post needs a pretty picture... here's a little teaser about what I'm doing...

Vintage Picnic Cross Stitch

I just love Bonnie & Camille fabric by Moda! Those ladies are some that I truly look up to -- I just love their style and hope to be able to publish patterns myself soon! (I'm in the process of starting a little company, updates will come soon!)

I've also been a little interested in cross stitch lately -- it's just such a fun, relaxing project to do at night while Joel and I watch TV! There's no real deadline, so I just do as much as I feel like -- it's so liberating!

So, when I saw their newest line, Vintage Picnic, the main print (at least, the print on top of all the bundles -- which is the print on the right in this picture) was just BEGGING to be made into a cross stitch pattern... don't you agree?

Well, I made sure I did it as soon as I had my FQ bundle in my hot little hands -- and decided to make that pattern available to all y'all too -- after all, it's not really my pattern, right? Don't worry, I totally made sure it was okay with the fabric designers before I posted this. :)

So, here it is! Just follow THIS LINK and you will have access to the pattern! All my color choices, as well as the cross stitch chart, are listed there in a 1-page document. As always, if you have a problem downloading the pattern, please let me know -- I want my little cross stitch patterns to be available to everyone!

And this is where I put it... I think it's just about perfect! I'm NOT a professional decorator by any means, but this little entry makes me think there might be hope!

 

I'll probably change things up seasonally here -- I've got my cute little Valentine's Day girl and my Nordic Christmas XS, so now I feel like I might just make a few more to go with whatever holiday is there. This is SO perfect for Spring though, that I might have it up all winter long just to give me some hope!

Valentine's Girl

About a year ago, I got a cheap little seasonal project to do at night while I watch TV with Joel. I got the XS pattern by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery (check out their version -- it's super different colors!), but I just used whatever I had on hand, and didn't document what I used. When I finished it I knew I wanted to put it in this 8x8 frame, but Valentine's Day was over, so I wasn't really motivated to finish it up right then. I knew I'd remember and pull it out during the next Valentine's season, so I put it away for a little bit. Well, it was Valentine's Day again (just a couple of weeks ago!) and I finished it up, just like I'd planned -- when does that ever happen?! I think it turned out PERFECTLY sweet, and I hung it up on the 10th -- just in time for Valentine's Day!

2016 Primary & Youth Cross Stitch

I was recently called to be the Primary Chorister in my ward*. I was super sad to leave Young Women, because I truly had such love in my heart for those good kids! But I love those cute little Primary guys too -- even the naughty boys in back who think they're too cool to sing. They're not too cool when I threaten them with solos! (hee hee hee -- I might be just a little bit ornery about that.)

*in my church, the members are "called to" or "released from" certain positions as needed -- we don't do it for pay, it's all volunteer. We believe that Heavenly Father calls us to these positions through the Bishop, Stake President, or other leaders. The Primary Chorister leads the singing time for Jr. and Sr. Primaries -- meaning the kids from 3-12 that attend our ward. In our ward, we have a BUNCH of little guys, so they are split into two groups and I teach them church songs.

So, I decided to make a new cross stitch for General Conference -- my Young Women torch is almost done! And since I'm in Primary, I thought a simple, fun Primary theme pattern would be good.  I came up with a boy and a girl version, as you can see here:

2016 Primary Theme - Girl

2016 Primary Theme - Boy

But then a funny thing happened last Tuesday -- the Stake Executive Secretary called me to meet with the Stake Presidency. I went in with no expectations at all -- I thought I might be on a panel discussion or something -- and lo and behold, I am now the Stake Camp Director! (This means I'm in charge of all the Young Women at our annual week-long Young Women Camp -- and there are about 400 or so girls in our Stake!) So I've been secretly pinning my heart out with ideas for Girls Camp, and came across some really fun stuff by Amanda at jedicraftgirl, it's so nice to have a resource like that! I made my boards public this morning, since I was sustained Sunday, and now that I'm in Young Women again, I thought I'd modify my original patterns for the youth as well.  They turned out so nice!

2016 Youth Theme - Young Women

2016 Youth Theme - Young Men

Specs
Fabric Requirements: one package of 15" x 18" 14 ct Aida will yield two different themes (just cut in half so you get two 9" x 15" pieces) -- trim as necessary after finishing the piece. I used white Aida for the boy version and oatmeal Aida for the girl version.

Floss: You can follow my color recommendations, or come up with your own!
For the boy version, I just used scraps of thread I had already used in other projects, but stayed pretty true to the colors in the cross stitch pattern.
For the girl version, I will use these six colors:

• DMC White
• DMC 745, Yellow - LT PALE
• DMC 761, Salmon - LT
• DMC 3712, Salmon - MED
• DMC 3808, Turquoise - ULT VY DK
• DMC 3825, Pumpkin - PALE

I didn't include beginner instructions for this pattern, since I've already put out something similar with the Young Women torch and Provo Temple cross stitches. If you need anything more than what I've included here, please let me know -- but I think any information you need will be either in this post or in those beginning instructions.

And once again, here are the links for each pattern:
2016 Primary Theme - Girl
2016 Primary Theme - Boy
2016 Youth Theme - Young Women
2016 Youth Theme - Young Men

I have to admit, I've already started on my own cross stitches -- I just couldn't wait for Conference to start! I really wanted to get one completely done so I could show it, and I just finished last night.  Here it is, in a 5" x 7" frame:

Please let me know if you complete any of these patterns. Just email me at smileynann@yahoo.com -- I'd love to see them!

General Conference is coming!

EDITED: Since I've received so many requests for this pattern, I've made a Google doc for the instructions and the patterns. You can view all of them through the link on HERE on my Free Cross Stitch Patterns page -- I hope you enjoy them!  Please let me know at smileynann@yahoo.com if you've made either of these -- I'd LOVE to see! :)

It's not often I talk about religion -- but with five kids you know I'm either Mormon or Catholic, right? :) I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and sometimes we're called Mormons. And twice every year, our church has a General Conference, two days of meetings (always at 10:00 and 2:00 for 2 hours each, and another meeting just for the men of the church. The ladies have a similar meeting a week before General Conference).  Many people outside of the western United States have to dress up and go to their local ward (church) building to watch the broadcast, but you can now stream live online at lds.org. Or, if you're around Utah, you can watch it on TV, and sometimes our family calls it Pajama Church. :)

I just love General Conference time. It's always a really peaceful couple of days; we're all together as a family, and the kids know they need to be quiet so we can listen. I've been surprised at how much they really absorb, even though they're playing with cars or dollies in the corner. There are so many wonderful talks -- and the Spirit is so strong - I always feel SO recharged when we're done. And now I'm done preaching at you, and we'll get to the reason why I'm even talking about it.

When I was growing up, my Mom was pretty strict. We were pretty young when we were required to watch all four sessions of Conference -- and for kids whose Mom didn't let them watch much TV, it was a pretty clear indicator to us that she thought it was important. One of my favorite things to do during Conference was to have a cross stitch project. It kept my hands busy and gave me something to do when the talks got a little long. :)

Lately, I've been working on the "Once Upon a Time" sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. It's so, so darling -- follow those links! I haven't gotten very far, and I've found a girl on Instagram (@lumablumahandmade) who is doing the storybook names instead of month names in each block, which I really like. The biggest thing I'm planning to change is the month of March -- it's my birthday month, and I just REALLY don't want to use the three little pigs for my month, even though the big bad wolf is so darling!

So, I'm a little overwhelmed by how behind I am. I started in March, so I was already behind, and I've only completed one full month. And, since I'm the Mia Maid counselor in my ward, I thought the Young Women might really like to have a simple little free project to work on during Conference. They have a symbol, a torch with a girl made of flames.  Is she the original "Girl On Fire"? I think so!  I found a cross stitch pattern on Pinterest that I really liked, but it linked directly to an image and I can't find the original source. It was hand-drawn, and I wanted something a little more professional and easy to read. So, I worked my magic and made a pattern for my girls. Since it was a free pattern in the first place, and quite simple, I think it's probably okay to distribute -- so if you want a copy, I'm happy to email it to you. Just comment with your address and I'll send it to you as quickly as possible. {EDIT} just follow the link at the top to get the instructions and charts you need!

Isn't she cute?!

 



** Random story: When I was a Young Woman (ages 12-18) myself, I took a sweet little Precious Moments coloring page, and the Young Theme, and made a cross stitch pattern of both. It turned out so so cute! I ended up making two -- and giving them to both my sisters. :)  Before my little girls are in Young Womens, I'd love to make them each one too!

Since you need choices in your life, I also made a Provo Temple cross stitch pattern, but I used a pattern from etsy for the Angel Moroni, so I don't feel comfortable distributing that part of the pattern.  But here's the part I used; it took quite a long time to work up, and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

And I last-minute had to reverse the Angel Moroni -- you want to make sure the Angel Moroni is pointing the right way! Again, just comment with your email and I'll send my part of it. {EDIT} just follow the link at the top to get the instructions and charts you need!   And then you can have a great General Conference project too!