The Only Way Out is Through cross stitch pattern - instant PDF download

This is a paraphrase of a Robert Frost quote ("He said the best way out is always through.", A Servant to Servants) but I like this slightly punchier version than the direct quote. It's something I've found comfort in when I was struggling. The first time I ever heard it, though, it was literally true. We were on a jungle zipline tour in Mexico when someone in the group lost her nerve and got a little panicky. We were on a platform way up in the air with no other way to get down than to press on.

I conceived this project as something that could be made as a present for someone who needed it—someone experiencing something really difficult that might seem overwhelming. As such, I wanted to make it a quick and easy project that could be completed in just a couple days when it was still relevant necessary. So I kept it pretty simple with only 4 colors, not too big, and only a few special stitches to make a small enough but still readable font. It's designed for 14ct black aida and to be displayed in a 6" hoop, again, for ease of procurement so the whole thing can be whipped up with things you might have on hand. Black can be a little hard to stitch on, but I think it gives a very good return on the effort-to-impact scale.

My model stitch is shown on 14ct black aida using 2 strands and displayed in a 6" embroidery hoop.

Details:

Formats: 2 PDFs:

• 1pg color+symbols

• 1pg symbols-only with contrasting backstitch

Size: 75x75 stitches (sized for 6" hoop on 14ct or 28/2)
Stitches used: X stitch, ¾, backstitch
Colors: 4 DMC colors; no specialty threads
Difficulty: ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪Easy/Moderate 

If you need help handling any of the stitches used in this pattern, check out my youtube tutorials.