Cross Stitch of Ava

I mentioned before that this all started because I wasn't happy with the selection of cross stitch patterns available in the stores.

For me, finishing a cross stitch project can take forever. I love to stitch, but sometimes I just have too many other things to do. So, I might work on a project diligently everyday for awhile and then all of sudden it's been a week or two (or more) and I realize I haven't cross stitched at all. So, in order to keep coming back I want a project that I absolutely love and can't wait to see the finished project.

I wasn't going to find that in any store. So, I looked into how to make my own patterns, and this the photo I decided to try:





This is a photo of my daughter, Ava when she was 8 weeks old. I love this picture!



I made this pattern as 11x14, on 14 ct. fabric with 50 colors.



This is a preview of the pattern in color blocks.

Here's the first picture of my work in progress I took back in January.

And here's one I just took:

Yeah, I started this in December, I'm a little embarrassed by how much I still have left to do. Oh well, I really love how it's turning out though, the eyes look amazing!

What do you think?