We love Paul Tarlow and Helios Glass Studio in Austin, Texas. He shares a wealth of information online as well as at his studio. There are many classes with fabulous guest instructors so you can have glass experiences you’ll always remember. I have yet to wander into his place but we communicate online from time to time. I regularly receive his email newsletters, as should you, and noted in the last one this firelogger.com posts. The most recent had a cool little tip about taking square metal tube and cutting small pieces to make small dams to test colors in for casting. Great idea! That made me look at his other posts.
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Samplers to Cross Stitch for the Fourth of July
I already shared some cross stitch patterns specific to America 250, but if you want to cross stitch something more general for the Fourth of July, these patriotic sampler style patterns are a great place to start.
Stitch up some classic July 4th symbols, from the Statue of Liberty to hot dogs, with this sampler from Voluur. At 197 by 197 stitches, it comes out to 12.31 inches or 31.27 cm on 16 count fabric. It uses 38 colors and one blend, and has full and half cross stitches as well as back stitching.
This sampler from Wombat Stitching is a little more traditional, but it does still have fireworks, something that looks like an ice cream, birds in hats and a stack of sheep for some reason. This one uses nine colors and is 193 by 103 stitches. That makes it 13.8 inches or 35 cm on 14 count fabric.
This smaller sampler from Wonder Stitch US has a rocket, fireworks, flag, star and other elements. It is 86 by 86 stitches and uses 11 colors. On 16 count fabric it comes out to 5.5 inches, or 14 cm square. (I also love their Liberty design, with a house, woman holding a flag, a big flowers stitched like classic star motifs from quilting. There’s also a cat.)
Or try this one from Aliton Embroidery, which features a women in stars, stripes and a festive hat, an eagle, stars, fireworks and a flag, with a fun red, white and blue border. At 98 by 67 stitches, I think it uses five colors or thereabouts. It measures 7 by 4.8 inches, or 17.78 by 12.16 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric.
Get a totally classic sampler look with this patriotic design that’s not specific to the Fourth of July. Made by Happiness is Heart Made, it features a house, flowers, hearts, classic starts, an alphabet, bunting and more. It uses four colors and measures 129 by 213 stitches. On 14 count fabric it measures 9.21 by 15.21 inches, or 23.4 by 38.6 cm.