I am a member of the Junior League of Portland- and we have something called DID 'Done In A Day', which, you guessed it, is a project you can do in a day. So, in the spirit of the league, I decide to tackle this project I Pinned a while back. I have done needlepoint since I was little, so this was not super difficult for me, but even if you don't have a lot of experience in stitching, this should not be too hard. I am planning on framing all four in matching frames, and hanging 2 over 2 in my bedroom along with the other wall art I have been working on- see here.
So here is how I did this fun 'DID'!
1. I printed maps of the states Matt and I have lived in (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and myself in Washington, I did not do Colorado where Matt has lived, but I will) . I basically just searched for each state in Google and went to 'images' and found them, and printed. The only negative was that they are not completely in proportion. I had a new-ish white pillow case and traced with pencil each outline of the state. I had thread, but it is the same stuff you use to make friendship bracelets, or typical needlepoint projects :)
2. Since I needlepoint, I had a wooden ring which helps keep fabric taut. I don't think you need one though, but it helps. I just started a simple stitch along the pencil trace. I did a free hand heart (in red, duh) close to the places we have lived. Matt grew up outside of Montpelier and I lived in Burlington and Stowe, Vermont.
3. The state of Maine has the longest coast line out of any other US state, just sayin'! I did not get too elaborate, but did the best I could. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in Maine, but I think it came out pretty good. We live in Kennebunk, which is very very south (hence the heart!)
4. Matt lived in New Hampshire for over 10 years in Portsmouth, and I went to college in New London. I decided to keep it simple with on heart on each state, so his trumped mine :)
5. I loved living in Seattle, so here is my homage to that beautiful state!
6. Here is all four together. They will look great framed on my wall, and love the meaning they have to Matt and I.
I would love to see if anyone else does other states :) I can imagine Colorado will be easy!
