What fun to get this framed photo of our grandson Jesse back from the framer. This picture means that I have now stitched all 17 of our grandchildren. I should have had this done a year ago, but got bored with doing the background and put it on a backburner for awhile.

My next project is Jeff and Chris’ old pickup truck.

When people see these in our house, they always ask, “How do you do that? First I buy a Stitch-A-Photo kit from Amazon or Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts.

Next I fill out the form: choosing “Tired Eyes for a standard chart” meaning the pattern is enlarged and comes on 4 pieces of paper. That makes it easy for stitching and you actually stitch it in quarters. Notice the pink highlighted area? That is how I keep track of what I have stitched. The pattern gives the colors of DMC thread to use.

I usually choose to have the background removed and stitch that with a solid color of my choice. Then I enclose the photo. If I want the photo cropped I use stick-it notes to show them how I want it cropped. These days I usually crop the photo before I have Shutterfly or another company make a print for me.

If you choose to do this and have the background removed, you sometimes have to be careful around the edges of the person (thing) you are stitching, because background colors may have been included there.

I am not someone who enjoys most crafts – they are too messy – but I love doing this while watching TV – especially during winter evenings.