Old cross stitches

I started crafting when I was a teenager. Like lots of people, I started off with counted cross stitch kits, embroidering bookmarks and cards. But I got a bit bored of that, and started to draw my own designs on graph paper.

When P and I moved into our new house I rediscovered two of the pieces I designed as a teenager - I was impressed with myself - they weren't easy patterns, and I think I did them pretty well. The first one was the Dong with the Luminous Nose, a character from the Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear. The book I had had illustrations by Helen Oxenbury. I see I finfished this in 1996, when I was 15.



The second piece was Timmy Willie from the Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse by Beatrix Potter, showing Timmy Willie sheltering under a leaf and eating a strawberry.



I finished this when I was 16. It's good to remember that I was strange and creative back then, too.