Madeleine L'Engle wrote more than 60 books during her lifetime and is one of my favorite authors. She wrote young adult fiction and is particularly known for the book A Wrinkle in Time (I have probably read that book about 100 times) which is part of the Time Quartet. Other fictional series include the adventures of the Austin family and the companion books A Small Rain and A Severed Wasp.

L'Engle also wrote autobiographical books, poetry, and more. Her Crosswicks Journals give a glimpse into her life and Two-Part Invention gives details of her husband's illness and death.

The free Inspirational Saying pattern is the second time I have used a quote from her as the basis for a pattern. The other instance is the free Hope Quote pattern.

More on Madeleine L'Engle:

• Quotes from Madeleine L'Engle - About.com Women's History
• Quotes from Madeleine L'Engle - About.com Classic Literature
• Madeleine L'Engle and Hugh Franklin's Marriage - About.com Marriage

This design is inspired by About.com Guide to Rubber Stamping Kate Pullen's free Valentine's Day digital stamps. A delightfully delicious cupcake with towering tiers of frosting is combined with a saying for a Cupcake Valentine that is sweet, but still calorie free. This treat will be a luscious gift for someone special and is suitable for display year-round.

Alter the colors to create the cupcake flavor of your choice - Chocolate anyone?

As always, if you use one of the free patterns from About.com Cross Stitch, please share a photo with us.

Stitch the free sports motifs to create special bookmarks or banners for you favorite sports fans. You might even decide to stitch up the football during a certain game that is coming up in a few weeks.

Or, join us in the Super Star Challenge and stitch one of the free charts from the Back Stitch Stars Pattern Collection using the fabric, floss, stitches, and embellishments of your choice. When you are done, share a photo of your project so we can all ohh and ahh over what you have done.

More Free Easy Patterns:

• Easy Baby-Themed Cross Stitch Patterns
• Animal Mini Motifs
• Various Holiday Motifs

Mardi Gras will be here very soon and even if you don't live in New Orleans or another city that celebrates in a big way, you can still decorate and have a party, right? So get started on the free Jeweled Crown pattern and some of the other charts listed below.

The design is presented in two formats - the first is a silhouette and the second, a colorful version. You may stitch the silhouette in the color of your choice. Purple might be good - it is another symbol of royalty after all. The colorful version will sparkle if you add some metallic floss or blending filament in addition to the suggested floss colors.

Whether you stitch it for a Mardi Gras decoration or make an ornament, this chart is comprised of whole cross stitch only, so it is simple enough for beginners. Adding special fibers and flosses will provide a challenge to experienced stitchers. You may also want to fill in some parts of the design with a cross stitch variation to give a different appearance to the design.

More Free Charts suitable for Mardi Gras:

• Mardi Gras Motifs
• Simple Back Stitch Crown
• King's Crown