Remember Stamped Cross Stitch?

Just recently, I was browsing my needlework library for the perfect cross stitch design for a card I was making.  The design area I wanted to fill was small - just 35 x 55 stitches.  And I wanted to keep it light and airy, with a country folk art mood. 

 found just what I wanted in Better Home & Garden's Beautiful Cross-Stitch book.  (If you want to locate this book for your own library, the isbn is 0696216582.)  This is a gorgeous book with great designs and luscious photos, like all the BHG publications.  

 The chapter "Country Favorites" includes a very unusual sampler that recreates the look of old-fashioned stamped goods embroidery.   I pulled a single butterfly and flower motif for my card project.

Looking at this chart, I realized that I learned how to embroider and cross stitch with stamped pillowcases, and did not "graduate" to counted cross stitch until many years later. 

I used one of the spot motifs from the sampler chart for this card.  It was during the fall, so I used dusty green and reds for the lazy-daisy stitch flowers.

I think a series of cards, each with a different nostalgic design, would be a fun project and a great gift!

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