FREE Cross Stitch Journal Page Project Tracker

I LOVE to be organized and have things in folders and binders and all the office supply store goodies. One of my favorite jobs back in the olden days, was working for Kinko's. 

Anyhow, I have been keeping my cross stitch project notes in a cheap notebook for years. It was finally filled up so I decided to create my own project journal page/project tracker! 

These can easily be printed double-sided and then either hole punched and put into a notebook or folded up and put with the project. How fun!

** Click HERE for the PDF download of my Cross Stitch Journal Page.**

Let me know if there are any items/notes/features you would like in future versions.

Here is my first page filled out and ready for my first #AnnLovesBirds50 project! Four gorgeous birds by Lesley Teare.

Oh, also check out how easy it was to make a floss card (though i should have used cardstock). After I wrote down the floss info on the back of the project tracker page, I copied it, cut it down, hole punched the side, and added the floss!! How cute and easy!

Have a blessed day,

:) Ann

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."

Proverbs 31:13

FREE Bird Journaling Log Checklist Thing

Some of you may have seen my grand plans for 2024 over on the Instagram. I will be turning 50 in March (what on earth??!!??) and have decided to focus this year on my love for birds and birdwatching and cross stitching All. The. Birds.

Hopefully 50! You can follow along on my quest to cross stitch 50 birds for 2024 on Instagram. I'd love for you to join in too with #AnnLovesBirds50 

And fyi, I am NOT stitching 50 different patterns, only 4 or 5 with a total of 50 birds on them! 

I am also planning on tracking the birds I see around my town

and hopefully reach 50 as well.

I would LOVE it if you would join me in this adventure. 

If so, I have created a free journal page for you to use. 

Normally I just scribble down my sightings in a notebook, like so...

Wow, that page is from nearly 20 years ago! Yikes, I'm old!

Then I would try to remember to enter them into the eBird app. The app is great because it tracks how many different species you see each month and year. And it helps Cornell University track migrating birds. Win win.

Hmmm... looks like I'm missing a few hundred checklists. 

If you click on "Explore," you can even search other people's checklists for a bird you are trying to find.  

So here are the journal pages...

Click HERE for the color version.

Click HERE for the Black & White version.

** The following contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. **

I designed these to be 2-up (2 on a page in landscape mode) on a regular sized letter page. If you print it on both sides of the paper, then cut in half, they will fit in these mini binders (click for amazon affiliate link)! I have my weekly calendar and blank paper in here as well to keep me focused and organized in 2024! I also use these durable dividers to keep my planner organized. I've had them since 2014!

And if you are new to birding, here are some of my favorite books that helped me learn to ID birds in my area.

The Stan Tekiela books are so great because the birds are sorted by color then size so if you spot something and are like "what is that tiny yellow bird?" you can quickly flip to the yellow section and start with the smaller ones in front.

Birds of Ohio

Birds of the Carolinas

Birds of Florida

Birds of Texas

Birds of Michigan

Which ones do you want me to add to the list?? He also has some great field guides to wildflowers and wildlife!

"Merlin" is also a great app to have. It can detect bird calls/songs in your area and ID them for you. 

Looking through my journals was really special. I forgot I did a "big year" in 2013. My goal was 100 species and I got to 87 all from the Toledo, Ohio, area! Oh the stories I have to tell about chasing birds during that time!!!

Thank you for reading and following along. I hope to see you out birding! Let me know if you are joining in!

Be full of peace and joy in 2024,

:) Ann

"Consider the birds of the air,

how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of much greater value than they are?"

Matthew 6:26

FREE Cross Stitch Pattern - Skinny Seasonal Sampler

Merry Christmas, cross stitch friends! 

I was working on a seasonal house sampler series of patterns (that's a mouthful) and got a bit carried away in making tiny motifs. So I combined them into a separate alphabet sampler as a little Christmas gift for you. I hope you enjoy it. 

However, the Quality Control Inspector wasn't too sure about my choice for finishing fabrics.

So I tried another.

Click here for the COLOR pattern.

Click here for the Black and White pattern.

Message me on Instagram if you have any quesions or issues with it. I'm @AnnMakesThings

Love,

Ann

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"By Angels Bright" by Sweet Wing Studio Stitch-along

Happy fall, y'all! I am so glad the weather has finally cooled and the leaves are showing off all sorts of colors!

I have been cross stitching fall pieces for a month or 2 and now I am going full force into Christmas stitching!

I will be starting a SAL in 2 weeks and would love for you to join me.

The (FREE!) pattern is "By Angels Bright" from the lovely Susan of Sweet Wing Studio.

HERE is a link to all of her free patterns.

I will divide up the pattern as below.

Here are the dates! If in the first few weeks I finish the text early, I will probably work on some stars. So cute!

Use the hashtag #byangelsbrightSAL on Instagram if you are joining in. 

Gotta go look through my floss stash and dye some fabric! I may do dark blue and white lettering?!?

Update: I am stitching on 14 count aida that I dyed with Rit Dye in the color Aquamarine. For the text, I am using DMC # B5200, but will be using the called for colors for the bottom portion. Loving this stitch!! 

Have a peace-full day.

Love,

Ann :)

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:8‭-‬14 ESV

FREE Cross Stitch Pattern - Set Your Mind On Things Above

I LOVE hot air balloons. Absolutely LOVE! 

I grew up in a small town in Ohio not too far from Canton and the Football Hall of Fame. Starting in 1985, they introduced a BalloonFest as part of their week long festivities celebrating the new inductees to the HOF. 

It began at a small baseball field with just a few balloons. My mom took me (a shy, awkward, nerdy kid) and we watched them unroll the balloons, inflate them, launch them, and then we jumped in our car to chase them. What magic! Sometimes they came down in neighborhoods, sometimes farm fields. We'd see their spotter cars ahead and their crews would ask the residents to come out and help guide the balloons down and roll them up. Just sheer magic for my shy, introverted soul. 

My Mom and me. 1993.

My Mom and my sister. 1993.

I believe now they have over 70 balloons and it is combined with a huge food fest. Click HERE if you are in the area and want to see it this summer!

So I've wanted to stitch up some hot air balloons for years and I sketched and stitched up the first version of these in 2019. My daughter was almost 3 at the time and helped my draw one too!

I finally made a full pattern this year and have it ready to release today on my mom's birthday. I'm sure she would be so proud.

When I was finalizing this (yesterday! lol), I just knew I had to add a cat. 

My mom loved dogs and horses, but cats seemed to always find their way to her! At one point when I was little, we had adopted and rescued 9! NINE! So I added an orange tabby as a teeny stow-away in honor of Jonah, one of my favorites. (We also had Noah and Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego!)

Me reading Little House on the Prairie with Jonah. 1985.

Here is a close-up of that part of the pattern. Just 2 half stitches for the ears and 2 french knots for the eyes. Too cute! 

Balloon Cat detail

So enjoy and may we keep our eyes looking up in these crazy times!

*** Click here for the COLOR chart. ***

*** Click here for the Black & White chart. ***

If you have any issues with viewing/printing the chart, message me on Instagram.

I have been so blessed by all of the free patterns that designers have offered over the years and I enjoy sharing mine for free (though still under copyright!!!), but if you would like to send a tip or "buy me a coffee," you can do that here... www.buymeacoffee.com/annmakesthings 

Tag me on Instagram if you stitch this up @AnnMakesThings and use the hashtag #SetYourMindxstitch

The balloons are also cute stitched individually for a little bunting banner or for a greeting card or small pillow!

Supervisor fell asleep on the job! Again!

Thanks so much!

Have a blessed day,

:) Ann

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Colossians 3:1-4 ESV

FREE Cross Stitch Pattern - Behold the Birds

Who wants to stitch some tiny birds with me in January??? 

Behold the Birds Cross Stitch pattern by AnnMakesThings

Birds have always a source of inspiration for me. Over the last 15 years, sitting and watching them has been a comfort and place of peace for me. And over the last 4 years as I returned to cross stitching, I have LOVED stitching teeny birds.

When I was designing my "Our Father" pattern (click HERE), I began by designing a little cardinal and then a bluejay and then a goldfinch and then a ruby throated hummingbird and then.... 

The birds on that pattern changed to my signature rainbow colors, but I still wanted to use my original designs. Thus "Behold the Birds" from Matthew 6 was born. 

What a wonderful passage (see text below). This year has been so very difficult, but I am continually amazed at how the Lord has provided for us. So amazed! He cares for each of us so much... especially when it doesn't feel like it. 

And LOL at me again for designing most of these on my phone in Google Sheets. 

I hope you enjoy this pattern. And what a timely reminder that if He takes care of the birds, how much more will He take care of us!! 

Correction: Finished pattern size on 14 count aida is approximately a 5.5" square.

Copyright applies to all of my patterns. Paper or digital charts cannot be reproduced, copied, or sold. Items made using my charts cannot be sold. Thank you for following international copyright law.  

*** CLICK HERE FOR THE COLOR CHART ***

*** CLICK HERE FOR THE BLACK AND WHITE CHART ***

Haha! Edited to add a list of the birds for those not familiar!!

1st row: Cardinal, Blue Jay, Goldfinch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-capped chickadee. 2nd row: Baltimore oriole, Junco, Bald Eagle, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin. 3rd row: Mourning Dove, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Tufted Titmouse, House finch, and Red-winged Blackbird.

As always, colors can be substituted with what you have in your stash. For the fabric, I love using the light blue Zweigart from Hobby Lobby.

For some great deals on my other Cross Stitching favorites, check out my Amazon list HERE.

Over the last two years, I have been so blessed by the free patterns that designers offer and I want to share mine for free as well (hey, copyright law still applies though!) but if you feel so inclined to want to buy me a coffee, here is a link to do so. Absolutely NO pressure!

So who wants to join me in stitching some colorful birds this winter? Tag me on Instagram if you do @AnnMakesThings or use the hashtag #BeholdTheBirdsxstitch

Have a blessed day, stitchy friends!

:) Ann

"Behold the fowls of the air: for the sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like on of these."

Matthew 6:26-29

My Favorite Stitching Supplies from Amazon

We don't have a Local Needlework Shop near us and the 3 major craft store chains are a bit of a drive, so often I love the ease and convenience of shopping at Amazon.

My Amazon favorites by AnnMakesThings

Below are my favorite cross stitching supplies from there.

(I am a member of the Amazon Affiliate program and earn a small commission on any purchases made through these links at NO additional cost to you.)

Honestly, the prices for DMC floss and aida on Amazon are outrageous and I usually find the best deals at Hobby Lobby or Walmart. But below are items I have purchased from Amazon and truly love using in my daily stitching.

Neck light

Needles DMC gold size 26

Needles DMC gold size 24

Needles John James gold size 26

Needles John James gold size 24

Scissors

Pilot FriXion Erasable Pens

Be blessed, 

Ann :)

FREE Cross Stitch Pattern - Snowflakes Pattern

Happy 5 days until Christmas! If you need a super quick, last minute pattern to cross stitch, I may have the one just for you.

I designed these snowflakes to replace the top border of last year's "All the Trimmings" stitch-along by Fat Quarter Shop. Their full pattern can be downloaded from Kimberly's website HERE.

I shared these on my old blog, but since I have this shiny, new blog and a fancy, new Cross Stitch program (PC Stitch), I thought I'd share it here too.

Copyright applies to all of my patterns. Paper or digital charts cannot be reproduced, copied, or sold. Items made using my charts cannot be sold. Thank you for following international copyright law.  

** CLICK HERE FOR PDF SNOWFLAKE PATTERN **

These would be cute as individual ornaments. Let me know if you make it by tagging me on Instagram. I'm @AnnMakesThings over there!

Have a fantastic day and remember, Jesus is the reason for the season! 

:) Ann

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." 

John 3:16

I'd love for you check out some of my Amazon favorites HERE.