Post retirement, I have been spending time catching up on cross stitching projects that had fallen by the wayside while I was working as a 911 dispatcher. Between twelve hour shifts and overall exhaustion I was not able to dedicate as much time as I would have liked to one of my favorite hobbies.

I have been stitching since I was a kid, for well over 35 years. I started with Christmas ornaments and tiny designs for family and friends and now also enjoy working on more complicated patterns with variegated yarn, beading, and fancy fabric (I’m not hating on you Aida, you will always have a place in my heart).

Fortunately I have been able to carve out some time between planning our international move to Portugal, putting our house on the market, and packing up our household to get back into the zen of stitching. I find it has been amazing for stress relief with all of the zaniness going on.

One project I completed since the end of January is a nursery rhyme of There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe for my niece Lyric’s 10th birthday (this was quite late since her birthday was in August – ugh, fail on time management). The pattern is a 1960’s gem from Gloria and Pat, Nursery Rhymes That Count. Although the book is in black and white, the color palette for the patterns are scrumptious with greens, yellows, mauves, and pinks from a bygone era. It is old school and I just adore it.

Andrew has also dabbled with cross stitch throughout the years and we have had three projects he started in the 90’s that have been sitting around begging for attention. I completed two and they were an utter delight.

Tip: Both of Andrew’s incomplete projects were cross stitch kits. Kits are great for novices because they provide everything you need in one package: fabric, needles, thread, and the pattern. They also often provide very good introductory tutorials on how to get started.

In recent years I have wholeheartedly joined the snarky cross stitch craze. I love stitching sassy phrases, movie quotes, and pop culture references. The juxtaposition of an old fashioned art form with a dash of naughty never gets old for me. I often give them out as incentives for high level donors who help me raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. We started our Extra Life team in 2014 and our team has raised over $50,000 for kids in need! I completed two snarky cross stitches for my 2021 mega donors, one for my lovely cousin Colleen in Michigan, and one for my very generous mother-in-law Katie in Alaska.

Eventually I’ll have to turn over most of my cross stitching gear to an international shipper, but I plan to always have a little something to work on. I’ll post more projects upon completion. If you are working on any cross stitch projects of your own, let me know if you need suggestions, tips or tricks. Until next time, happy stitching!