March Links

There are several on the list ( right side), here some more

http://meriwanderer.blogspot.com/2010_01_31_archive.html#1584171347891108460
http://be-stitched.blogspot.com/2009/12/festive-snowflake.html
http://happythreads.com.au/2010/02/13/another-tiny-little-plant-and-blue-bird-to-cross-stitch/
http://symiote.over-blog.com/article-j-aime-le-printemps-44709784.html
http://aurytm.com/blog/2010/03/01/brides-tree-sal-march/
http://plumstreetsamplers.typepad.com/plum_street_samplers/2010/02/be-true.html
http://embroiderbee.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/post-valentine-freebie-persian-proverb-i/
http://www.lesgrillesdeliselotte.com/article-roses-brodees-parfum-d-amitie-45539321.html
http://www.lesgrillesdeliselotte.com/article-joyeux-anniversaire-a-moi-45342218.html
http://www.et-patati-et-petites-croix.fr/article-grille-marque-page-5-entre-deux-pages-45379819.html
http://crossmenot.blogspot.com/2010/02/purple-flowers.html
http://legrenierdezoe.canalblog.com/albums/grilles_gratuites/photos/30615201-gratuit_1.html
http://www.lesgrillesdeliselotte.com/categorie-11267843.html
http://be-stitched.blogspot.com/2010/01/im-in-garden.html

Have a Happy Stitchy Month!!

Aury

February Links

Here is a list of some freebies that you can use for February =)

Several Hearts
Patriotic Quaker Heart
A Tudor Rose Valentine
Quaker Heart
All my love
Cupid's Heart
Heart Cross Stitch
Kiss Me
Love
My Heart Mini Sampler
Single Heart from Love
Valentine heart
Valentine Motif
valentine_hedgehog_friends
Several Hearts
Romance
Young At Heart
Two Hearts Become One
Red and white heart
Trois petits coeurs
freebie 25

http://petitescroixlune.free.fr/_private/grilles%20gratuites/grilles_coeurs.htm
http://maguelone-broderies.com/pcata076.htm
http://www.interweave.com/needle/projects/cross-stitch.asp

Request: Please tag your entries

Hello all,

When you post about your ornaments, please add labels or tags to the post. This will help others in the future when they want to search on a certain theme. In the first round, we found the habit of adding "house", "heart", "bird", etc., and the month, "February" for example, is useful. The main labels are already entered, and you can reuse them. We also tried to tag the name of the designer so as to give appropriate credit.

I'd also encourage you to add your moniker as a tag, in case you or someone else wants to see all the posts you made.

Thanks, C

More links

Hi everybody,

Sorry for the delay, last few days have been a little hectic around here.

Diane was so kind to go through the list of links and give us an updated list. I'm literally copying her info here


The Floss Box (Click on “Free cross stitch patterns” below the recent additions. There are 6 pages of free patterns, with at least one house pattern on each page.)

Les Chroniques de Frimousse

Moonlight Inspirations: Our Home

Waterglobe House is not found, and the patterns currently available on Stitch Alley that include houses are too large for ornaments

I’ve also found a few House patterns that would make nice ornaments in my travels around Blogdom:

Annie Beez Folk Art: Quaker Hill House

My Nifty Needle: Winter House Ornament

Pam Miller: Spring Sampler House (scroll down for chart – on same page as Erica Michaels chart, farther down)

Primitive Bettys: Home is Best

Thanks Diane for all your work!!

January - Houses

Hi everybody!

This month's theme is houses, you can find several free charts here .

Above you can find my assignment for this month, the design is one of my free charts and you can find it here. I stitched on antique white Monaco with HDF Silks.

See you tomorrow with more January links :D

Aury

Want to join us?

Jennifer created this blog in 2007. Last month she had a baby and requested for help to continue with the SAL and the blog. I stepped up and offered myself with the clear intentions that if at any future time she wants to take the administration back, it will be waiting for her. Until she can be able to come back to her administrative functions I will relaunch the SAL to those that want to participate in a new edition.

The Bride’s Tree is a German tradition. It is believed that a couple’s Christmas tree needs twelve specific ornaments for happiness in their life journey together. You don’t need to stitch them as ornaments. I stitched 12 last year for a friend but mine these upcoming year will become something else ( maybe a quilt). If you don’t celebrate Christmas you can substitute month 12’s theme (St Nick) for your holiday tradition, maybe a Menorah or a Kwanzaa Kinara ( or anything that symbolize giving and goodwill to you).

There is not rush with the ornaments, even when it’s an ideal situation to stitch one each month. If you can’t it will be OK too. Ornaments are usually fast to stitch so I hope it would not be a burden in our wip’s list.

You can find here the 12 themes as well as a freebie list for each month so if you want you don’t need to spend money in charts in this SAL.

You are more than welcome to participate with us. Blogspot set the number of members to 100 and there is close to 70 places available this year on the blog. If you want to participate please leave a message in this post or send me an email at aurytm @ gmail.com (remove spaces) and I will add you to our group. Be sure to indicate “Bride’s Tree SAL” in your subject line.

You can join at ANY time during the year and start wherever we are, then catch up at your own pace. Pictures from any previous month can be posted at any time.

We will be waiting for you!!

Hello!!

Hello everybody,

As you know, Jennifer is expecting any time soon and asked for help with the blog and SAL. I stepped up and offered myself with the clear intentions that if in any future time Jennifer wants to take the administration back, it will be waiting for her :D

In the meantime I have plans to offer a 2010 edition of the SAL and hopefully this will bring the enthusiasm back to the group. Since the number of members in blogger are limited to 100 I need a favor from all of you.
If you finished the SAL, please let me know if you want to stitch a new cycle or if you would prefer to offer your place in the blog to someone else.
If you are stitching them and want to continue, it's OK, there is no time limit for this SAL and there won't be one, but please let me know if you are still interested on it so I can lock your space :D.

I will be promoting the new SAL edition in my blog on November. I hope that this will be enough time for everybody to answer me back and of course I will appreciate if you can promote the SAL as well in your blogs.

I'll be looking forward to receive your answer.

This month's Theme: Pinecones

Looks like October is our month to get creative!!

This has been a tougher theme to find freebies for, but I did manage to come up with three that will work. I've also provided links to various patterns that you can purchase (or find in your stash) that have pinecones somewhere in them. Some of the patterns may be too big for an ornament, but you can always borrow a piece or two from them and fashion your own ornament.

As always, if you spot any more freebie or patterns for purchase featuring pinecones, please let me know!

Oops!

I just realized that I hadn't yet posted the freebies for August's theme of "rose", so that's been taken care of. All of the links should be working properly, but if they aren't, please let me know.

The May Freebies are up!

Birds are a very popular cross stitch motif, so it wasn't hard finding a whole bunch of cute freebies for this month's theme. I've verified all the links, so as of this morning, they're all active and working.

As usual, the freebies from the previous month have joined the archive and will be available as long as the websites continue to host them. However, if you see something you like, it's always best to download a copy of the pattern and either save or print it. You never know when a pattern will be removed!

Enjoy!

April Freebies have been posted!

The list of freebies for April's Rabbit theme have been posted - come check them out! I've verified all the links are working as of this posting, and there are some really cute designs. If you run across any other free rabbit patterns (or patterns that fit any of our themes), please let me know and I'll add them to our link list.

The March freebies will be listed on the main page for the next few days. Once they are removed, they will continue to be available in the Archive section. As with any freebie, be sure to print it out and/or save it to your own computer when you find it, as designs can be removed by the designers at any time.

The March Freebies are up!

I posted the list of March Freebies a few days early so the more ambitious among us can get started. LOL With the weekend coming up, you can get your materials together and start stitching right away.

This month's theme is flower or flower basket, and it should be a REALLY easy one to find a chart for. In fact, it will probably be harder to narrow things down! There's a ton of really nice freebies available. Some will require a little creativity and imagination to turn into ornaments, but most of them should work "as is". Also note that some of the designs are a little larger and may need to be stitched over one on a higher count fabric to bring the size down a little.

I've also included just a few designs available for purchase if you need help in that direction (or an excuse to buy new stash...), but I bet everyone has at least one flowery item in their stash somewhere. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

New Freebies Added!!

I've received a few links to pinecone charts and ideas, which is wonderful! Thanks so much to everyone for helping out - this is probably going to be the hardest theme to fulfill, so I'm glad we can work together.

Also, Linda has offered up some additional freebies she's found for February, which have been added to the list:

• Le petit journal brodé d'IsaV: Toi et Moi
• Les Grilles de Maryse: Un petit coeur monochrome pour la Saint-Valentin
• Patterns by Pelin Tezer (Scroll down)

Be on the lookout for patterns

I've been trying to find freebie patterns for each theme, and most of them are pretty easy - I can come up with at least 3 or 4 for each theme. Except the pine cone - it's nearly impossible to find a free pattern that will work. Or any pattern, really. As far as I can tell, pine cones are not an easy thing to find a cross stitch pattern for!

If you happen across any, please let me know so I can list them in October. Also, since it may be difficult to find freebies, ANY pinecone pattern suitable for an ornament would be appreciated. If you see a pattern in a chart or book, let me know where to find it. I have a few, but not many.

Thanks for your help!

Post Labeling

The more blogs I read, the more I realize just how useful labels are, especially in group blogs such as this. I've spent some times going over the posts and adding in labels, but I would like to suggest that we all label our entries to include the following:

• Designer or Publisher (Country Cottage Needleworks, Shepherd's Bush, etc.)


• Source - JCS ornament magazine (ie JCS 2007), book title, etc.


• If the pattern is a free pattern from the internet, label the post with "freebie", and if possible, provide a link or a website so your fellow stitchers can find it if they'd like to stitch it for themselves.


• You may also choose to label your posts with your name / nickname so that stitchers can click on that label to see everything you've posted. This is completely optional, however, and I didn't correct posts to include names if they weren't originally labeled as such.

Let's say you want to see what's been stitched from the 2006 JCS ornament issue. All you would have to do is click on that link listed under "Labels" and it will bring up all the posts tagged with JCS 2006. Or what if you want to see all of the Hillside Samplings or Prairie Schooler ornaments that have been posted. You'd click on that link and they would come up. As you can see, this is a pretty useful feature.

Labeling posts is very easy. At the bottom of the box where you enter your new posts, there is a box for entering labels. Blogger will even auto suggest labels from the current list as you start typing in that box. If your label is not auto-suggested by Blogger, it only means that it is not already on the list, so you should continue to enter it.

Labeling will also help make sure that designers are getting proper credit for their work. A lot of these designers operate on a small business level and work hard at creating these gorgeous designs for us. Their talent and creativity should be honored by giving them the credit they deserve, so be sure to label your posts appropriately and respect their copyrights. (On a side note, I know there are designers who have blogs of their own and participate in the blogging community, and I am sure they enjoy seeing their designs come to life at the hands of so many stitchers).

If you have any questions or issues, please don't hesitate to email me. Thanks!

New Freebies added

It's not quite February yet, but I've listed the heart-shaped freebies I've been collecting for the February ornament. As of this posting, all the links are active and working. I'll try to list as many freebies as I can, and post them a little before the month we're doing them so you can get started collecting your supplies. Remember, you don't HAVE to stitch these freebies - you can stitch anything you want and interpret each theme in your own way. I'm just providing them in case you need a chart.

I'll also be archiving the previous month's freebies at the start of each new month, just so the page won't be too cluttered. There will always be a link to those freebies on the main page, so if you ever want to go back, you'll be able to find things. As always though, if you do find something you like, it's better to save it or print it right away instead of hoping it's still there when you go back. Some freebies are only available for a limited amount of time and may not be there when you go back.

And if you know of any freebies that fit the themes, please let me know where to find them and I'll make sure they're posted. There are tons of hidden gems all over the internet and they're not always so easy to find.

Request: Please tag your entries

Hello all,

When you post about your ornaments, please add labels or tags to the post. This will help others in the future when they want to search on a certain theme. If we can all get in the habit of adding "house", "heart", "bird", etc., I think it would be great.

I'd also encourage you to add your moniker as a tag, in case you or someone else wants to see all the posts you made.

Thanks, C

A few things...

First, I just want to say WELCOME to all the new members joining us recently, and a great big THANK YOU to everyone listing the SAL on their blogs. I think getting the word out has helped us get a wonderful group of stitchers together and I can't wait to see what everyone is working on. And if you want to put a link to the SAL on your blog, please feel free to do so.

Second, I've been collecting freebies here and there so if you're stuck finding a pattern for a theme, hopefully we can help with a freebie. Wait till you see the list of them for February's theme of a heart. There's TONS!! I've also been collecting links to some charts for purchase for the more difficult patterns to find, namely the pinecone. That one is going to be tough, I think. If you should happen to spot any free charts fitting any of the themes, please let me know about them so I can post the list. I'll also be setting up a place to keep the links after the month is up so stitchers can still access them. One word of caution though - if you see a freebie you like - PRINT IT OUT OR SAVE IT. There's nothing worse than going back for something and finding out it's no longer available. And while most designers label their charts, please make sure to note the designer so you can give proper credit.

Speaking of proper credit, don't forget to post the designer and name of the pattern when posting your pictures. Not only should they get credit for their design work, but who knows if you'll inspire another stitcher to do the same pattern? They'll want to know where they can find it. Also, if you're planning on selling any of these freebies, be sure to get the proper permissions from the copyright holder. I've only posted links to the freebies for your personal stitching. (And I'm sure you all know the drill about not kitting them up and selling them for a profit).

Where you can find Patterns

These are just suggestions on where to find patterns. As I come across more resources, I will post them. Feel free to add to the list if you find anything.

I found these books at my local library, but they are also available on the internet.

• Better Homes & Gardens 2001 Cross Stitch Designs - all 12 themes are in this book
  
• Donna Kooler's 555 Fabulous Cross Stitch Patterns - Everything but the pinecone

How this Works

Since 2008 has been dubbed the Year of Selfish Stitching by many bloggers who find themselves too involved in exchanges and swaps, I thought this would be a great idea to help focus our stitching on ourselves, at least in a small way. Ornaments stitch up quick and don't put a huge burden on the stitcher, so I think this is a nice treat without a huge commitment.

I am a firm believer in symbolism and the value of sentiment, which is why I love this idea of a Bride's tree and the symbolic meaning behind each ornament. Some items on the list have a more religious connotation than others, but I think that can be modified so that everyone can be comfortable with them. But mostly I think this set of ornaments should reflect your own personal sense of style, your own personality, and your own stitching preferences. I think the most fun will be seeing how different people interpret the list and where they draw their inspiration from.

This is the list by month of the themes from the ornaments. Feel free to keep your eyes open for ideas for upcoming themes, or to work ahead if you so choose. (I would just ask that you refrain from posting pictures until we reach that theme)

• January: House - shelter and/or protection
  
• February: Heart - true love, love of family
  
• March: Flower or Flower Basket - good wishes, beauty in the home
  
• April: Rabbit - hope and/or faith
  
• May: Bird or Bird in a nest - happiness and/or joy, confidence in the shelter
  
• June: Fruit or Fruit Basket - generosity, plenty
  
• July: Fish - Christ's blessing, fertility
  
• August: Rose - beauty and/or affection, Virgin Mary
  
• September: Teapot or Coffeepot - hospitality
  
• October: Pinecone - motherhood and/or fruitfulness, eternity
  
• November: Angel or church - God's guidance in the home, spiritual guidance
  
• December: St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) - giving and sharing, unselfishness and/or goodwill

And I don't see any reason why those who don't celebrate Christmas can't participate if they want to. A good wish for the home is a good wish for the home, no matter what religion you are. Why not finish your items into a bell pull, table runner, or other non-Christmas item? Surely themes of love, family, hospitality, goodwill and hope appeal to all of us. Okay, the Santa Claus one might be tricky, but why not subsitute a symbol of your own holiday experience, such as a menorah or a Kwanza Kinara?

I would encourage participants to look through their own stashes and reference materials to find patterns suitable for this project, or treat yourself to a few new items. There's no restrictions on shape, size, designer, etc. This should be a FUN project!