I remember watching the TV show Land of the Lost. I even liked Will Ferrell's remake of Land of the Lost. The fun of the original show was that it was cheesy and silly. My friends and I watched it faithfully.

Dinosaurs rule in the lost land and they also rule here at About.com Cross Stitch. There are three of them stalking through the free pattern collection. Stitch the free Dinosaur patterns using the colors I suggest or choose your own. No one really knows what color they were, so have some fun with it. Use metallic flosses, glow-in-the-dark filaments or flosses - whatever you like!

More on Dinosaurs from About.com:

• Dinosaur Types Index
• Twelve Main Dinosaur Groups
• Ten Weirdest Dinosaurs

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The Pinwheel Welcome is one of a series of Quilt-Inspired Cross Stitch Patterns available free from About.com Cross Stitch. I have always loved quilts, but I am not a quilter. So, I decided to create patterns with quilt themes so I could enjoy traditional quilt blocks in my own way.

Stitch the free Pinwheel Welcome pattern with the floss colors of your choice. Match your home decor or use holiday colors to create a Christmas welcome. Select seasonal colors and make a welcome for spring, summer, winter, and fall!

Patterns in this collection include:

• Pinwheel Welcome
• Pinwheel Block
• Pinwheel Saying

Learn more about Quilting from About.com Guide Janet Wickell:

• How to Make a Quilt from Start to Finish
• Quilts for Beginners
• Top Skills for New Quilters

To create the back stitch variation Whipped Back Stitch, first you stitch a back stitch line - then you whip it. (For some reason, every time I think of this stitch, I start humming a Devo song.)

Whipped Back Stitch looks similar to cording. I chose two contrasting colors, but coordinating colors or the same color will produce a subtle raised stitch. In the stitch tutorial, you will also find information about free back stitch practice patterns.

Learn More About Back Stitch and Back Stitch Variations:

• Learn to Back Stitch
• Woven Back Stitch
• Running Stitch
• Woven Running Stitch

Friends are one of the things that make life sweet. I have been blessed with more than my share. I especially love keeping up with all my online friends!

I always think of my friends as the family I choose - Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but it is sort of small compared to some. So, I adopt people along the way. The free Friendship Saying goes out to all my buddies. Everyone needs friends to act as a "sheltering tree" when the storms come.

I stitched the model on white Aida fabric with flosses from Finca and Rainbow Gallery. I like the combination of cotton and silk flosses of different weights.

More Free Friendship-Themed Designs:

• Welcome Friends Saying and Sampler
• Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends Sampler
• Friendship Saying Bookmark

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