Carolyn's new baseball SAL

[carolyn61]

I finally received the chart pack for my new project. It is a baseball picture that will be for my sister in law. She and her husband are baseball enthusiasts and my nephew told me if I was going to do any cross stitching for them, my best bet would be something to do with that particular sport. Well, it is difficult to find a picture that doesn't look like it was meant for a young boy's room. I found this one and although it is large, if it will mean something to them it will be worth it.
Because this isn't a chart that I would probably pick, I would really appreciate a gentle "prodding" (or even a not-so-gentle one, if needed) from you all from time to time. I've never stitched a picture that wasn't one I would picked for myself although I like this one. Even the ones I've done for others have always been my style or taste. Have any of you done this? I would value your input. I very much want this to be special to them.
This is the link, http://xs-collectibles.com/detail.aspx?ID=1117" target="_blank" target="_blank

[coffee_freak]

oh wow that is big!

[poppett67]

Oh wow what a great pic. It took me about 2 weeks from recieving my chart to actually get myself geared up ready to start but once the picture starts emerging there's no stopping me.

poppett gives you a gentle kick up the bum to inspire you

[~threadbear~]

Oh I bet they love this Carolyn!
It will be interesting to watch it grow.

Are you going to start it soon? I'm looking forward to the pictures ... like SOON! (Was that a gentle enough prod? ).

[Rose]

I took a look at the floss list that is going to be amazing. I hope you have lots of fun with it. We are sure to want lots of updates and we won't let you put us off. Dinner can wait, cleaning is not important.......you giving us updates THAT is important.

[carolyn61]

Thanks for the nudging, I know I will need it. The floss list is extensive (97 colors, I think) but thankfully I have most of them. I've been looking over the pages carefully and am noticing that much of the backround is big blocks of colors, so thank goodness for small favors. I am eager to start this. If hubby gets home early enough tomorrow (we only have one car available right now) I may pop over to the Elegant Stitch and get my fabric and then to Beverly's Fabric to get the remaining floss (their floss is much cheaper than the Elegant Stitch). I had planned to do this on 25 or 28 count (over one) to bring it in to a more managable size but I may bump up to a 22 count. I'd like to look at the fabrics and compare side by side.
I will be posting progress pictures faithfully as I am counting on you all to keep me motivated.

[charmagne_capalad]

O, yes Carolyn I'm sure they will really love this! Once you start it and post your progress here...you'll surely get lots of inspiration to go on and on and you'll be amazed that you won't even be aware that you've finished it already! Happy stitching!

[~threadbear~]

You can definately count on us to keep on at you Carolyn, we want to see this one completed!
Just thinking how well you did with the marriage project though, tells me you will manage this one equally as well!

[Genevieve]

What a wonderful design, Carolyn. I'm sure they'll love it. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Serinde]

Sometimes designs which are really outside our usual tastes prove to be the most fun. Anyway, get a load of the catcher's thighs! I wonder if they really looked like that in the 1890s...?

[Mabel Figworthy]

Carolyn, that's absolutely beautiful -- and if that's their sport then this surely must be the perfect gift for them!

As for sticking with it, just put up as many progress pictures as you can, even if you think you haven't done that much -- believe me, we'll be sitting here awe-struck and be impressed; and we'll tell you so !

Good luck, also in finding the right fabric; the 25ct is on its way to you, so have a look at that as well. Although the thread is quite chunky I always found the holes nicely visible, and with a 26 or 28 needle it's very comfortable to work on.

[carolyn61]

Sometimes designs which are really outside our usual tastes prove to be the most fun. Anyway, get a load of the catcher's thighs! I wonder if they really looked like that in the 1890s...?

Serinde, the thighs, I mean thoughts never crossed my mind!

[Serinde]

Of course not. Good girl like you.

[nicgoss]

That picture is JUST AMAZING!!!

Please please please start on it asap - so excited to see how it turns out!

I've got my eye on a couple of XS Collectible patterns, they are all so beautiful and detailed.

Come on!!! Just think about all that close stitching and detail on those thighs!

[agi]

I agree with the others, this is wonderful, and it will be tough - so may be we can start clapping rhytmically: Ca - ro- lyn, Ca - ro- lyn, Ca - ro- lyn,

[sammy_v]

Serinde.... Ur comment nearly made me laugh out loud, scared OH with laughin.

Carolyn, what a great design u have chosen to do, they are going to love this and treasure it forever. We will be here cheerin u on and waiting for updates on this peice.

[Rose]

Well I was looking at the buns on that guy and wondered if they would have let him be so obvious in the 1800's they were a bit more modest back then.

But it is very eye catching.

[Jilly]

I do love to see projects that are unusual, this has a really nice feel to it

[carolyn61]

Okay, I've got all my floss (there is a bunch of them!), I hope to get the fabric tomorrow and then I shall get stitching.
I do have a question for you however.... There are 28 pages in total and they are all laid up in a grid and they suggest you start with number 1 (logical, I know) which is upper left hand corner and then move over and down. But I cross stitch up so my rows grow up rather than down. So, do you think it would mess anything up if I started in the bottom left corner (page 22) and moved across and up? As long as all my rows and stitches line up it shouldn't matter, should it? If I've made it too confusing, I do my stitches by coming up through the fabric at the top left side of the cross and down to the bottom right (just the opposite of what is shown in the magazines) and move across the row and back. So my empty spaces are always up rather than down. My back still looks like l l l l . Alli's signature shows it perfectly.

[Jilly]

There is one thing I have found out by belonging to the forum, there are no set rules, there may be designers out there that insist on stitching things 'their' way, but if it works for you, do it