Cross Stitch Finish: A Freebie

I’ve slowly been trying to get through all of my previously stitched projects and finish them.  I’ve gotten so I’m finally comfortable with making my cross stitch projects into pillows.  It’s taken putting together about five of them for me to be able to say that.

I can’t remember where this piece came from. I think it was a freebie from Lizzie Kate.  Yep.  I looked.  You can find the freebie HERE.  I changed the colors out to make it more me…red vs pink for me every day.  I think Priscilla might have suggested this color conversion…I’m not sure.

I have no idea what type of linen this was stitched on.  I’m guessing it was two threads of floss over two threads of linen.  The linen I have no idea about.  I’m guessing a 32 count linen.  This have been finished for a couple of years and has been sitting in a drawer.


I trimmed it up to a size I thought would work.  I didn’t have a real plan.


I found a nice red with birds in the print.  So cute!!  Then I bought a sewing stand at Goodwill last week.  It was full of goodies that I’m telling you about in an upcoming blog post.  Anyway, in the stand was this pretty, pretty lace.  I decided to use it on the pillow.  LOVE!!

I sewed a piece of fabric on both sides of the cross stitch piece.  Then I ironed and sewed the lace down.  I tried to make sure the peaks and valleys of the lace mirrored each other.

I sewed the front to the back and then….oops.  I forgot interfacing.  I always put fusible interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric.  I started to go get my seam ripper than then realized I could iron it on even if I had sewn it together and just resew it.  That’s what I did.


I used a combo of these lavender-scented ground nutshells (I got them HERE on Amazon) and polyfill to stuff the pincushion.

Some people cut openings on the back.  I don’t.  I sew it more of the traditional way and stitch the opening closed when I’m done.


Here it is all finished.,,


I am super pleased with it.  I think the pretty lace was just perfect with it.  Typically I don’t like mixing white and cream but this time, I think it worked.


I have a few more things in my drawer of not completely finished items.  I can’t wait to get them finished.  After finishing a few things I feel so much more confident about my finishing.  I can’t imagine how much more confident I’ll feel once I get those finished.

I did a couple of finishes last year that were all Valentine-themed.  My dough bowl is going to have lots of pretty cross stitch in it once February rolls around.

16 thoughts on “Cross Stitch Finish: A Freebie”

  1. I think the white embroidery on the cream ties the white lace to the project. I love ❤️ this pillow. Good job!

  2. Love your Valentine pillow. So pretty. Now I’m thinking this would be nice to make for Valentine’s Day. You have really inspired me to get back to my cross stitching.
    Thanks for the inspiration.

  3. Susan from Michigan

    Love this–very pretty! What is the purpose of the interfacing? Does it just give a more finished look to the stitched portion? I also have a few crosstitch pieces that need to be finished.

  4. I love your little pillows. I just received my February 2022 BH&G quilt magazine and saw your quilt. I love it. I just put it on my list of quilts I want to make.

  5. I love it. Beautiful job. Now I know what to do with the many rolls of lace my grandmother made. First I’ll have to figure out how the wash them. Maybe oxyclean?

    1. Judith Fairchild

      A miid dish soap and oxiclean in warm water let soak overnight . Rinse and let dry repeat if necessary. Got the recipe years ago from a Good Housekerping magazine something like 30 ton40 years ago.

  6. I love your little pillow, so bright and cheery. The lace is perfect with this Valentine pillow. Great little project to have finished and looks so darn cute.

  7. Love that vintage lace! I come by my love of vintage lace from my Mama would “rescued” many pieces of lace from ebay.

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