Cross Stitch by the Sea

I had been looking for lighthouse motifs to work into a piece for a friend who loves the sea and I found a review of a book I was considering that suggested this book instead of the one I was looking at. The reviewer's description was so evocative of my life near the ocean that I thought I'd give it a try and I'm so very glad I did. The cover art doesn't do justice to the contents of the book. It is bright and colorful with all kinds of motifs and projects from the simple to the advanced, sophisticated to just plain fun and everything in between. Whether you like the Gulf Coast, New England, Pacific NW Islands, and probably the whole West Coast as well, it would be hard not to find something just right in here. I can even see nods to Hawaiil, and The Caribbean in motifs here. There are Sea Birds and Critters from Lobster to Crab pillows, Kid Stuff and Shells, Samplers and a gorgeous picture of A lighthouse scene, and even more lighthouses to stitch, Sailing vessels, Hibiscus and Cocktails at Sunset. An amazing variety of design for one book that sticks to it's theme. The charts are large, easy to read, color and symbol coded. It really is a unique book. With all the books that I have seen, I have never seen another like it, ever. Yes, this is a winner.

This book has some lovely designs with a seaside/beach theme, appropriate for many different occasions or uses. The author gives very clear and concise directions for putting together the projects in the book as she has presented them (pillows, coasters, pictures, doorstop, patches, bookcovers, postcards to name a few). She also has suggestions for using the designs in ways other than those presented. Most of the designs lend themselves to several uses, and are quick and easy to stitch. Projects in the book include: A crab and lobster pillow, each in a single color as a silhouette, quite realistic and simple (in a good way). A seashell sampler, which is nice, however the shells are not particularly detailed, or realistic, but are definitely quick to throw together. Ideas are also given for using individual shell designs for gift tags and other small projects. Several post card designs (a sailboat, surfboard, beach chairs, fish, beach sandals) that offer some nice, colorful designs that are fun as shown, or as motifs for other uses. A lovely group of seabird portraits - sandpipers, puffins, a pelican and a white ibis. Not super-detailed, but true to life. Some tropical flowers (hibiscus) and fancy fruity drink designs that can be used to decorate handbags (instructions are given for making the bag) or drink coasters. Four wonderfully colorful sailboats with sails in primary colors, offered as a large composite design, or as individual pictures. A fun group of sea creatures appropriate for kids items including, a mermaid, seahorse, dolphin, 3 different colorful fish, a turtle, crab, stingray, starfish, shrimp and octopus. Two small lighthouse pictures that are quite quick to stitch, although they have some nice detail. If you like to do larger, landscape type pictures, there is the cover picture, a group of 3 seaside cottages, and a tropical sunset picture that are probably the most time consuming of the projects in the book. Overall, I would say there is a nice collection of fun, colorful, eclectic designs in this book. I have made several of them (the sailboats and some fish) for my son's room. The designs are cheerful, appropriate for different uses or decors, and most designs can be used in a variety of ways. The charts in the book are large, colored with symbols, and easy to follow. There are clear, concise directions for finishing projects, a concise techniques section at the end, and a small suppliers list with web addresses. I purchased this book sight unseen for the bargain price, and was pleasantly surprised at how many designs were appealing to me, and would recommend it to others.