Pure Michigan

I found a neat pattern showcasing Michigan sites and things MI is known for thanks to seeing the designer's Louisiana piece in my local needlework shop.  The designer is Oberlin Samplers aka MM Waldock Designs.  I've been working on the MI pattern for a week now.  I'll be changing some of the border words to make it more meaningful to my hubby and I since we hail from Michigan.

I'm stitching it on 28 ct tea-dyed Monaco from Charles Craft (no fancy fabric due to my Stitching From Stash budget!).  The chart is all hand-written!  From the symbols on the chart, the floss list, and all the backstitching instructions for each letter - it's all done by hand & was photo-copied by the designer.  It certainly makes it interesting to stitch as I have some interpretation to do.  For example, a symbol on the chart may look like a fractional stitch but the designer just wrote it smaller so as not to intrude on the backstitch going OVER the whole cross stitch.  It probably makes more sense when you're looking at the pattern.

The picture on the cover is very small:

And here's where I am after working on it for a week:

Already pictured are the Big Sable lighthouse, MI apples, the Mackinac Bridge with a sailboat and Great Lakes freighter, the Henry Ford Museum, and MI cherries.

Did you know MI has more lighthouses than any other state in the U.S. thanks to the Great Lakes?

Happy Stitching!