When I was growing up, one of my main chores was mowing the yard. We lived on a wooded hill. Part of the yard had to be mowed rather frequently; part of it was only cut a few times a year. One section was particularly horrible to mow, and my Dad took mercy on me and planted that part with a quick growing ivy.

Perhaps that is why I have such an affinity for vines. I like the way the grow - and I have even been able to keep some vining houseplants alive despite my brown thumb. The freeVine and Leaf Motif pattern is whole cross stitch and only one color.

The design was inspired by one of Sue Chastain's Free Graphics Software Downloads. I like the clean lines and the simple elegance of the leaves and the curling vine. This design would work alone or as a decorative element for a favorite saying.

More Free Patterns:

• Maple Leaf Pattern Collection
• Floral Diamond Collection
• Pink Flower Chart

Passover will be celebrated on March 30 this year. The free Passover Motifs that are quick to stitch and can be used for cards, scrapbooking, or decorations.

More on Passover from About.com Guides:

• Passover Recipes - About.com Cooking for Kids
• Traditional Passover Seder - About.com Kosher Food
• Passover Candies - About.com Candy

The free Candlewicking pattern collection has some versatile patterns in it. This one is called Diamond Border. Candlewicking designs are created using the colonial knot and other embroidery stitches. Get started on this traditional embroidery style with Candlewicking Basics.

These patterns can also be used for many other projects. Use paint pens to create the design instead of stitches. Create a beaded design. Use small sequins or charms for part of the design. The possibilities are endless!

If you use one of the free patterns from About.com Cross Stitch, be sure to send in a photo of the project for the About.com Cross Stitch Photo Albums.

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Recently I've been getting questions about my ornaments of the month. Not about the charts, but about how I plan to finish them. I will create mini pillows from them and I will be showing you how I do that in an upcoming tutorial.Another question I got from a stitcher was "How do you finish the back of the projects when using a hoop as the frame?" (This was from one of my fellow Twitter-ers @vInTaGeVioLeT.)

I told @vInTaGeVioLeT I usually cut a piece of felt to put on the back, but that, to be honest, I had a hard time making it as neat as I'd like it to be. Well, clever @vInTaGeVioLeT asked a few other crafters, then she created her own method of finishing a project in a hoop. It's quite brilliant, if you ask me. She covers a disc of card stock with fabric as shown in the photo, and well, find out more at her blog maximum RABBIT designs.