Ancora Crafts Projects

Projects by Ancora Crafts – WIPs and things on Etsy

texas cross stitch pattern farm road sign

Texas Cross Stitch Pattern – Farm Road Sign

This Texas cross stitch pattern is now available in my Etsy shop! The pattern is based on a Texas Farm Road sign. The standard Texas highway sign (photo at right) is a bit plain so I thought these farm road signs would make a much more interesting cross stitch pattern. The Farm-to-Market and Ranch-to-Market road system was established …

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california highway 1 road sign cross stitch pattern

California Cross Stitch Pattern – Highway Sign

This California Highway sign cross stitch pattern has just been added to my Etsy shop! The stitched example, State Route 1, is a roughly 650 mile stretch running most of the length of the state. Among other beautiful sights, it includes the National Scenic Byway through Big Sur, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Pacific Coast …

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blazing saddles quote cross stitch project stitching list of thugs

Blazing Saddles Update #4

She’s done! Well, the stitching is done – I’ve got to get her framed and then she’ll be absolutely done. But she turned out beautifully! The outlining on cut throats, snipers, Mexican bandits, and ass-kickers turned out really well. I used two strands on snipers and ass-kickers, and only one strand on cut throats and …

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alaska highway road sign cross stitch project

Alaska Cross Stitch Pattern – Highway Sign

This Alaska Highway sign cross stitch pattern has just been added to my Etsy shop!   The stitched example, Highway 1, is a roughly 540 mile stretch from the tip of the Homer Spit to Tok Junction. It passes through Homer, Soldotna, Sterling, Girdwood, Anchorage (my birthplace and home for roughly 13 years), Palmer, along the …

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blazing saddles quote cross stitch project work in progress

Blazing Saddles Update #3

I’ve been doing great on my Blazing Saddles cross stitch project. So well, in fact, that I’ll post two updates in one! First up: The above photo shows 15 words complete. The white in “snipers” and “Mexican bandits” is showing up well in this photo, but I’ll have to outline them in a bit of …

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colorado highway road sign cross stitch project

Colorado Cross Stitch Pattern – Highway Sign

This Colorado Highway sign cross stitch pattern has just been added to my Etsy shop! The stitched example, Highway 149, is a gorgeous road in southwest Colorado that goes through the lovely little town of Creede. I was fortunate to drive this road earlier this year as since then, the still-burning West Fork Fire has …

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ancora imparo needlepoint project framed detail

Ancora Imparo Project Update 4/17/13

Last night, I reached my latest milestone on my epic Ancora Imparo project adventure. She’s a lovely monster in 22 to the inch needlepoint! Ancora Imparo is a quote attributed to Michelangelo, the Italian architect, painter, poet, and sculptor. Roughly translated, it means “I am still learning,” which, in my opinion, is a darn good …

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persian flower needlepoint pattern

Persian Flower Needlepoint Pattern

This Persian flower needlepoint project is one of my favorite creations: Years ago, I bought three separate but related prints from a vendor at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC. Two are studies of Persian carpet designs, and the third is a study of Japanese ornamental patterns. I didn’t find out until years later that …

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newton needlework pattern - inspired by the entry tile of the Hunter mansion in Newton Iowa

Historic Newton Needlework Pattern

This Newton needlework pattern has a great story behind it: My Dad’s oldest sister and her husband live in Newton, Iowa. I spent a few weeks there scattered over the summers of my childhood, and my husband and I always stop for a visit when we’re passing through the area. One of my cousins had …

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geometric diamonds needlework project

Geometric Patterns for Cross Stitch and Needlepoint

Many of the projects I have designed are big and complex. With these Geometric patterns, I wanted to have some fun with colors on a smaller scale. I got out my toolbox filled with all 454 colors of DMC floss and had a blast mixing them up. I also wanted to experiment with the idea …

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