To Railroad or Not to Railroad...

 ...that is the question.

No, no...not that type of railroad! I'm talking about railroading your cross stitches today.

Not everyone will "railroad" their cross stitch. I don't always do it but I do feel that railroading yields a neater and more professional finish. The stitches lay flatter because the thread does not tend to twist as it would if you didn't railroad. Is it absolutely necessary? I don't think so. I do think it comes down to personal preference and even habit. 

I found an interesting article on "Railroading Stitching Technique" which also provides a clear photo and instructions on how to railroad. I suggest trying a swatch for yourself and you decide which looks, feels or works best for you. To read the article, click on the pic below:

For a closeup of beautiful cross stitching using the railroad technique, check out Artmishka Cross Stitching by clicking the pic below:

On a personal note, I would love to take a trip by railroad someday. How about you?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Silent Sunday

 

Songbirds Sing in the Dark

 

I do not generally recommend books and I've never been one for poetry, but I highly recommend Tracy Fedyski's book "Songbirds Learn to Sing in the Dark". As of the writing of this post, the book is available to download free in PDF format. Just click on the book title or the pic above.

Everyone of us has, is or will experience times of going through valleys. We will experience grief and loss. Tracy has taken her own experiences and turned them into poetry, sharing them freely with us in order to help us through our own path. Her  tender writings draw us into a closer relationship with the One who created us, knows everything about us and what we are going through. As we draw closer to Him, we can see how much He loves us and desires to wrap His arms around us in comfort during those hard times in life.

My prayer for you today is that you will find a quiet space and time to really reflect on who you have been created to be. Not what others want you to be or what you think you should be (or not be), but on who God Himself has created you to be. It's a process over time to come to a point of acceptance of God's love and that perhaps even in the midst of trials, it's okay to step back and allow God to handle our lives and circumstances.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!