It’s official. I’m obsessed with Cross Stitch yet again. I left this hobbie untouched for many years as I focused on other creative pursuits like painting, drawing, metal work and sewing. I’ve come to accept though that painting is no longer my main obsession. I think painting and I have broken up. It was hard, I went through withdrawals and I felt as if a part of me was disappearing. It was a bit of an identity crisis. I’ve identified myself as a painter for many years. The final moment I knew was when I unpacked my art supplies from the box in my garage last week. I no longer felt the excitement, the rush that oil painting used to give me. I opened up my art box, laid out my paints and I sat there. Wondering what happened. I closed my box and I walked away. Surprisingly, I am okay with it. It’s time for a change and to pursue other creative outlets. Which brings me to cross stitch.

When I was a young girl my Mom would get together with her friends and have Stitcher Night. Sometimes I would go with her. It was always fun and I loved to watch their creations unfold with stitches or sewing. It was during these times when I became interested in Cross Stitch. It wasn’t until my late twenties when I stitched my first pattern on a towel for my best friend that I knew I like it. It was the SeaShell that you see below. The colored squares in the pattern correspond to the DMC Thread colors to be used in the pattern.

I loved the meditative state that I felt while doing it which has brought me back to it all these years later. And really I came back to it kind of accidentally. After I moved to Mississippi and I began to unpack my craft-y boxes I came across my DMC threads.

It was then that I remembered the craft that I enjoyed so long ago.

After much research I discovered the growing popularity of Cross Stitch on Etsy. So many artists, designs, patterns and supplies. I was in heaven again and so excited to get started. I love the array of colors. Here are a few pictures of what I am currently working on.

I think next I’d like to try Embroidery. Some people I know think that this craft is out dated and represents old ladies. Maybe so but I happen to enjoy it. Since this blog is all about nurturing myself through food and creativity, cross stitch does that for me. I feel nurtured, in a creative flow when I am stitching. It is fun to me and that is what matters most. Okay, back to stitching!