This was one of my first efforts at using the PCStitch software I bought last year. I downloaded a picture of the Seattle Seahawks' logo from the internet and imported it using the software's photo import function. The initial result came out looking quite atrocious, mostly because of all of the slight shading on the original JPG image. So I reduced the color depth of the original using IrfanView, a handy little utility that I use all the time for image manipulation. After reducing the size of the image (which was pretty enormous to begin with) down to about 250 pixels wide by about 50 tall and then reducing its color depth to 256 colors, the import went fairly smoothly. There was still some weirdness from the blending of pixels, since I didn't want to actually create a 250 stitch by 50 stitch pattern. A little cleanup in the finished pattern fixed those issues, though, and I was able to commence the actual stitching.

I was originally going to do this on a dark blue fabric. After starting a little of the dark blue just below the eye, though, I realized that it wasn't going to show up very well at all, so I ripped those stitches back out and switched over to the light blue. Because of the large areas of the same color, the project went quite quickly. It's not yet framed, but this is one of the few projects that I will definitely be keeping for myself. If anyone else would like the pattern, though, let me know and I'll happily e-mail you a copy of it. Even if you don't have the PCStitch software, I can either output it as a PDF file or send the original pattern which can be viewed in the free pattern viewer available at PCStitch.com. I can be reached at joe@synthreal.com. I'll be posting the pattern later anyway, but if anyone wants it before I get the chance, feel free to ask.

Source: A downloaded image and PCStitch software from M&R Technologies.

Stitched on 14-count Light Blue Aida from CharlesCraft using DMC cotton floss.