Tag Archives: sampler

Signal Flags Sampler Finish

Buy the pattern here

Ahoy, the signal flags sampler is finished! I am so pleased with how it turned out; although I did have a dye-bleeding scare when I washed it, I have fixed it and now it is perfect.

picture of completed cross stitched maritime signal flag sampler

You can’t even tell that the DMC 321 gave it pink spots! I think that the dye bled when I ironed it with a steamy iron. I managed to get the stains out by soaking it all day in an ice water bath, and I rubbed some of the pinkest areas with an ice cube. Now I know to prewash that floss!

The big flags on top are the alphabet flags (A-Z), the small square flags in the middle are a famous message sent by Horatio Nelson, and the trapezoidal flags at bottom are the numbers 0-9. The border is a visual representation of Morse Code, starting with A at the top left and continuing around clockwise through the numbers, ending with zero (the bottom border should be read upside down).

picture of back of signal flag sampler showing the tabs for hanging and the blue and white sailboat print of the fabric

I backed the project with this great blueprint-style nautical print. There was no designer information on the selvage, just a note that it was exclusively available at Joann Fabrics. I found it in the quilting section with the other cotton prints. I bought a yard and have a lot leftover, so I might make some pillowcases.

photo of the maritime signal flag sampler hanging on the wall

And here it is hanging up in my bedroom, right above a poster for my alma mater’s centennial (it’s also right above the wireless router and the modem, but I didn’t think you’d want to see those.) I attached a length of ribbon to the back so that it can hang invisibly from a dowel (or from a take-out chopstick, which is what I actually used, being short on dowels at the moment).

And if you want your own signal flag sampler (to hang above your wireless router or anywhere else), you can buy the pattern in my Etsy store! It’s only four dollars and the pattern includes an explanation of what the flags and the Morse code mean.

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Filed under 2015, Cross Stitch, Finished Projects

WIP Wednesday: Five Flags Down

I want to apologize in advance for the dark photos, but the sun in Portland has decided to take a vacation. I’ve finished five of the flags on my signal flags sampler:

wip-flags-06-03

And since people have been asking for an explanation:

wip-flags-06-03-key

Each flag represents a letter. Now you may be wondering why I say that I have five flags finished. Well, obviously, the Y isn’t done yet, and even though the Z looks done, I actually made it two squares too short and I have to go back and pick out all the red and redo it. I literally threw this piece across the room when I discovered that last night. I’ve had to do too much unpicking on this project! But I like how it is turning out.

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Filed under Cross Stitch, WIP Wednesdays