Free Cross Stitch Patterns...Trixie Belden

Who doesn't love free stuff?  Well, good free stuff anyway, especially when there is no *ahem* dumpster diving involved.  I live in a college town, so I am constantly amazed at all the things the kids leave behind at the end of term each summer, all because they didn't want to haul it home with them... message boards galore filled with pleas of  "come take this" or  flat out leaving stuff  abandoning treasures on the curb.

Oh wait... is dumpster diving still hip or is it back to being gross?

I have never been one to keep up with what's trendy at the moment. I have been a generic jeans and t-shirts gal since the 1970's and I see no need to change myself now just because some item is now considered fashionable, and its been the same way with my decor tastes. Crows in this year? Already have them (crows are downright adorable), though I never went in for the sunflower thing. Rabbits seemed pretty popular a few years back, but I never hopped onto that wagon either, though rabbits really are cute.

I guess what I am saying is I don't ever expect to start trotting out patterns for whatever new crafty "hip" thing that is currently trending, and I am fine with that. I know what I love and I figure at least one person out there probably likes it too.  Those are the people I want to meet. I want to reach out through our monitors, clasp your virtual hands in mine and say "you like this too?" and feel like I have met what Anne of Green Gables would call a "kindred spirit",

But wait, I was talking about free stuff...boy it is easy for me to get off target.

I started with my first Nerdy Girl/Nostalgia Nerd whatever-you-want-to-call-me projects by creating a pattern for a character I loved from my childhood... Trixie Belden.  I've spoken before on my love for this wonderfully flawed teenage sleuth before, so I probably don't have to go into any details, but its safe to say that I went a little overboard, as I am often wont to do, and created numerous patterns... some of which I decided weren't "perfectly perfect" enough to sell in my Etsy shop.

Seeing that Trix isn't perfectly IM-perfect herself, you might think these should fit right in, but, for one reason or another, I wound up deciding to save some of these to offer as freebies, for those who will love and want to stitch them, because they speak to the child within.  I will add more freebie patterns down the line, so be sure to follow my blog so you will be the first to know when they become available.

So lets get to it, shall we?

First freebie is this illustration from Secret of the Mansion, in which Honey is giving Trixie a boost through the window of Mr. Frayne's crumbling old mansion...Honey is looking fearfully behind her as she just had just been surprised by Queenie, the hen, who had flown at her in an effort to keep the girls away from her nest.

Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion

I don't know for certain why I didn't choose to sell this one, but I think its because, while the details of the picture are great, this just isn't my favorite image of the girls.  Its a fun moment from the book, but I just couldn't see it being incredibly popular, mostly due to that look of fear on Honey's face. This is one that I want to stitch up for myself, but is on the back burner at the moment, as so many other patterns are clamoring to be stitched first and I have already filled up my stitching project slots through the holidays.

This one isn't my largest pattern, but its certainly lovely with lots of detail. Finished pattern is 100 stitches x 127 stitches and uses 50 colors, so you have a lot of depth in this one. In US measurements you're looking at the finished project to measure 7.14" x 9.07" on 14-count cloth, 6.25" x 7.94" on 16-count, or 5.56" x 8.33" on 18-count.

I should probably mention here that in order to get the free pattern, you simply need to click on the link beneath each image and you will be directed to a printable PDF pattern... you will need Adobe Reader or other similar program in order to read the file.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery in Arizona

This one just frustrated me, as the original image doesn't give a clear shot of Trixie's face, and so its just colored pixels...it will still look just fine, but I want so much more detail than that.  I really do love this illustration, and I may try again, but I need to find a better copy of the book cover than what is currently sitting in my collection.

This one is 100 stitches by 146 stitches, and the finished project measures 7.14" x 10.43" on 14-count cloth, 6.25" x 9.13" on 16-count and 5.56" x 8.11" on 18-count.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Blinking Eye

This one is a favorite, and I am happy to be able to share it. This is one of my favorite Trixie tales and even a jeans and t's gal like me can't resist that gorgeous sailor dress.  This lovely pattern features Trix admiring the wooden statue that she decided she just had to have, sparking a whole new mystery for the Schoolgirl Shamuses to solve. I hope that you enjoy it... its one of many in the line-up of my "projects to stitch".

The finished piece will measure 7.14" x 10.93" on 14-count cloth, 6.25" x 9.56" on 16-count and 5.56" x 8.5" on 18-count.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery on Cobbett's Island

Okay, this one is larger and has a lot more detail...I just love the beachy feel of this and Trixie's happy expression as she prepares for what she believes will be a week of sailing and fun, rather than the mystery that awaits her...though if she had any idea a mystery awaited her I am sure that smile would be all the wider!

This one will measure 7.14" x 14.29" on 14-count cloth, 6.25" x 12.5" on 16-count and 5.56" x 11.11" on 18-count. 

Trixie Belden and the Marshland Mystery

Okay gang, this one is pretty huge, coming in at 100 stitches by 218 stitches, but the detail is great, and this is a pretty iconic shot of our favorite teen detective, considering how often she has to rely on her bike in order to get around and collect clues! This image from the Marshland Mystery shows Trixie, basket filled with herbs and flowers to create a new book of botanical specimens for their teacher at Sleepyside High.

This one will definitely require a specialized frame as it will measure 7.14" x 15.57" on 14-count cloth, 6.25" x 13.63" on 16-count and 5.56" x 12.11 on 18-count,  It may be big, but it will be completely worth it when its done.

And last, but not least...

Trixie Belden and the Red Trailer Mystery

This one is the entire cover image, minus the writing (I couldn't find my image file with the lettering removed, sorry!)  This one isn't for sale on my site simply because the face, once again, isn't detailed at the size of image I have. Yes, you can see that she is smiling, etc, but its not as crisp as I would like it to be... unfortunately, the cover in my Trixie collection isn't good enough, so I am on the lookout for a better copy.  Trust me, once I find a cleaner image, I will re-work this pattern and post it here.

As is, this is still going to be lovely stitched up, and isn't so tall as to be intimidating like Marshland.  This piece will be 100 stitches x 154 stitches, which means a 14-count cloth will measure 7.14" x 11", 16-count will come out to 6.25" x 9.63" and 18-count will be 5.56" x 8.56".

As with anything else posted here for free, you have my permission to stitch these up and sell the finished products (please include a link to my blog on anything you sell), but the pattern itself is not available for resale.

Regardless of which size of cloth you choose to stitch any of these on, or which pattern tempts you to start stitching, I wish for you the blessings of the Embroidery Gods: May your floss remain free from unwanted knots and tangles, your stitches fall in their proper places and your family and friends allow you the time you need to get your projects done.

Happy Stitching.

My First "Borrowed" Pattern

I was going through some old family photos the other day and discovered I actually did have a picture of the first cross stitch pattern I ever took on. Its one that I have described before, where I took a simple pattern of two girls sitting back-to-back, changed the dress colors and shapes a little and then braided embroidery thread into "hair" tied with a floss bow.

I had first spotted this pattern in a catalog called The Stitchery, that used to come addressed to my mother.  It turns out that the catalog is still in business, though you can get a much better look now that companies host websites, rather than the old days of seeing a tiny picture, calling the toll free number and ordering over the phone.

As I didn't have a credit card (being around 14 at the time), and with a 14-year old's lack of money in general, I took a magnifying glass and a piece of graph paper and then painstakingly drew out the pattern, adjusting where I liked, and, for a pattern that is fairy basic shapes, this took hours and a lot of eyestrain.

Between things like this and my penchant for late-night reading by flashlight, this is why I now wear bi-focal glasses, and, sadly, I have begun to accept that tri-focals would benefit me better (which is pathetic, as I am only 48, and should have decades of lovely crafty projects yet awaiting me to tackle them, without need for magnifcation!)

But for now, back to my story...

As soon as I had the pattern worked out, I got into my mother's embroidery supplies (lots of colorful skeins, all tangled around one another...not sure what happened there. I wound up eventually "inheriting" the mess and spent several happy days, salvaging as much of the thread as I could, but that's another story), I pulled out the colors that appealed to me, found a piece of Aida cloth that was a suitable size, and dove in.

Original dresses in pink and purple (at least, my memory remembers it used colors I wasn't thrilled about, nor that could be found in mom's eclectic stash). I was really into blue back in the 1980's (when this little caper all went down...statute of limitations should be passed on "borrowing" the pattern, right?) I pulled a lighter blue to represent my best friend, Corine (an adorable little blonde who, I have to say is still adorable now) and then a darker blue for myself (chunky brunette who grew chunkier as the years have passed). 

While I like Holly Hobbie, the huge move to homespun girls in big bonnets and no faces always bothered me. I tried sketching smaller bonnets and little faces, but it never looked right, so, I thought, "well why not try giving them hair" to personalize them a bit. Stitched hair looked silly and I was getting frustrated at my lack of skills when it dawned on me to try something different. I pulled thread through, braided it and then tied it with a corresponding thread.

Surprisingly, it looked good, and I liked the depth it brought to the little girls.

It took ages to figure out how best to do backstitch (self taught, make-it-up-as-I-go girls do NOT let silly things like backstitch hold them back)! By the time I finished the project that poem was memorized FOR LIFE. Yes, 34 years later and I can still recite that little ditty:

We've shared so much laughter

Shared so many tears,

We've a spiritual kindship

That grows stronger every year

We're not sisters by birth

But we knew from the start

God put us together 

To be sisters by heart.

As soon as it was done my mom had it framed and I then gave it to my best friend. I am pretty sure she still has it, but then, I've never asked. Years later, when she got married, I gave her a stitched piece with Hunca Munca watching over the children sleeping in a basket, figuring it would be darling for a nursery (thankfully, her firstborn was a girl).

Its a total surprise that I would still have this photo lurking amongst my family photos, but maybe not as surprising as I first thought...after all, it WAS my first project, and mom was pretty proud of me for the determination of taking a 3 or 4" catalog photo and making it into reality.  She was probably surprised I had a finished project, as I was notorious for not finishing things back then (and yes, even now, depending on the situation),  It makes sense that that mom would want to capture the moment.

Regardless of the reasons, I am very happy to see this little gem, and thankful that it doesn't make me cringe in any way. Trust me, I have short stories and drawings from my teenage years that really should be burned,,,not all of them, but the BattleStar: Galactica stories with me saving Starbuck and his smelly cigar from the Cylons are definitely meant for the scrap heap!

So what memories do you have of your first projects?