A FREE BIRD: ALPHABET SAMPLER

Description

This pattern is available immediately after purchase as a PDF file, both in A4 and Letter formats

A Free Bird is an ode to joy, love, and freedom. The title was taken from the first line of Maya Angelouís poem Caged Bird, but it was the last lines from a poem by Richard Lovelace (1617 – 1657) that seem to fit particularly well.

Stone walls doe not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage;
Mindes innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage;
If I have freedome in my love,
And in my soule am free,
Angels alone that sore above
Enjoy such liberty.

At the top of the design a deer makes a leap for ëloveí in the shape of a heart. Below it are a series of alphabets and flowers. A cage at the bottom is left open, from which a bird is about to take flight in pursuit of freedom.

A Free Bird measures 121 crosses in width, and 199 crosses in height. Stitched over two threads on 32 count linen (or 16 count aida), it would approximately measure 7 1/2î by 12 1/2î (19.5 by 31.5cm). It has a total of 6736 crosses. If you stitch this with 2 pulled strands over 2 on 32 count Aida, it would require 2 skeins of DMC 407 and 931, and 1 skein of 839 and 730.

At the end of the design you find the colour key for this chart. However, feel free to substitute these for any colours and floss types that you like. The large alphabet can be stitched as given in the pattern, but it would look great stitched with a specialty stitch such as rice stitches or eyelets!