Susan Ache (@yardgrl60), our long-reigning and beloved cross-stitch queen is spoiling us all with charts, tips, and a hefty dose of Winter inspiration. Over the past six years, Susan has shared her creativity and expertise with boundless generosity, offering free patterns and a treasure trove of tips & tricks right here on Auribuzz. Every post she creates and every curated set she unveils is a fresh wellspring of inspiration, and our collaboration with her remains a true joy. If you’re new to Susan’s incredible work, we highly recommend starting with her introductory interview HERE, exploring her past posts HERE, and diving into her stunning collection of FREE patterns HERE.
We all know how generous Susan is with her time AND with her stitching and today, we’re pretty excited to host her here on Auribuzz with a new wintery gift. This one is extra fun because Susan, as a Florida resident is delving into a little Winter magic, and our Creative Director, Erin Sampson, is throwing in bits of her own Winter wonderland as a resident of the great state of Maine! Are snow globes and Winter Wonderlands your absolute fave? Be sure to snag the latest chart, cozy up by the fire with a cuppa, and get stitching!
My understanding is that you are allowed to say “happy new year” throughout the month of January so that is what you are getting from me, a hearty and hug-filled Happy New Year! (Erin: this has been my thing this week! If we haven’t yet spoken in 2025, you get all the Happy New Year joy!)
Once again, Aurifil has invited me back into their home to sit and chat with you. Just by chance you don’t know who I am, I am Susan Ache, and if you hunt on Instagram I am @yardgrl60. I do hope your holiday season was everything that you wanted it to be and more. As you settle into the new year I hope you have your stitching projects lined up ready for you to enjoy with whatever time you have for stitching. (Erin: While I find it hard to believe that any of our readers are meeting Susan for the first time, I do get a little giddy thinking of someone new, stumbling upon her wealth of cross stitch knowledge and vast library of FREE charts.)
But, before I even get to the real reason I am here today, I thought you might like a little update on my house naming. My new house backs up to scrub land, no real trees, just pines and scrub and I don’t even have squirrels. (Erin’s note: I’m working on how to send my barrage of squirrels from Maine down to Susan’s house!) One of the first things I purchased was a double decker bird feeder to see what I could attract. Lo and behold, guess who has shown up? Finches! So, naming my house Finch House really was the best idea ever and having my street named Pinzon Place really does tell the story of finches living in the area. It took weeks and weeks for the finches to come and enjoy the free buffet, and now I have to watch daily to make sure the feeders are all filled. Even now that we are in the middle of our Florida winter the buffet is always filled with finches. (Erin’s note: I have wonder if Susan’s finches will someday make their way up the coast to Maine and end up in my yard, at my feeder?)
Winter is such an illusion to me… I live in Florida and truly dream and love those days when we have cold weather and I can snuggle in and wear cozy sweats while stitching and binge watching some of my favorite shows. But, the reality is that we will get a few cold days with more hot days thrown in. So, pretending I have a full on winter is what I do every single year.
Erin: We love to go back and forth with this one. All of our Winter conversations have to do with Maine’s single digit temps (F) vs. Florida’s balmy breezes. While Susan is pretending she has a full on Winter, I’m wrapped up in extra scarves, wool socks, and sweats, while cranking the heat and hiding away in my home office! That said, even though I often daydream of a warm weather getaway, I do love Maine, the snow, the Winters, and yes… even sometimes the cold weather! Full disclosure? Neither of the images below are from this year… we’ve had minimal snow thus far and I keep hoping we’ll get a big storm to bring the return of my ‘walk in snow globe’.
How about a fun little stitching project to hold in your lap with whatever your weather may be. I love the idea of cold and blustery weather, but pretend snowflakes work just fine for me. This little project has all the fun feels of any sort of winter you may have. How cute would this stitching be made into a little pinkeep to hold all of your needles and thread for winter months. Now I am thinking we need to have one for all of the seasons. (Okay, I digress, but now I am thinking ahead for the rest of the year, so don’t be surprised if you see a little something more for other seasons from me….)
Erin: I constantly look at Susan’s charts and think, ‘this is the one that will kick off my cross stitch phase’ as I’ve always been more of an embroiderer at heart. This may actually be the chart that crosses me over! With temps threatening to dip below zero next week, I’m going to need a little something to turn the frigid air into a celebration of its own. Now… to pick which hues to use! You’ll note that Susan’s chart outlines colors to use stitching on a white linen, but her examples her show white & black on a blue linen. I always love how much she encourages you to follow your own heart and stitch what you love. She certainly does and it’s a trend we can follow!
I hope you do enjoy whatever sort of winter your hometown has and remember to carve out some stitching time just for yourself. You know that I will always love to cheerlead whatever project you have going on so don’t forget to tag me (@yardgrl60) and Aurifil (@aurifilthread). We are the best cheerleaders around and we’re always here to encourage and applaud! Until next time, enjoy your stitching!
Erin: HUGE thanks to Susan, as always. I’m in love with this chart and hope you all have as much fun with it as I plan to!
Just beautiful! Your Mom must have been thrilled. ❤️