The “Keep It Clean” watershed signs I see posted on roads right at creeks have a simple, eye-catching design. I knew the single color and bold fish illustration would translate well to a cross-stitch design.

Purchase the digital PDF pattern for my Ohio Watershed Keep It Clean Cross-Stitch Pattern on my Etsy shop here.

I snapped a picture of one of these signs close to me and got to work. While the program I use to create patterns can automatically convert an uploaded picture into a cross-stitch pattern, I discovered I still had a LOT of work to do. The auto feature picks up almost every color. And, because I’m not a robot, my photo wasn’t taken perfectly aligned to the sign (I was on the side of a road). So, I had to simplify.

To do that, I removed the background around the sign. I also removed any color the program picked up on the “white” part of the sign. Then, I had to correct the font. I had to fix each letterform and then make them consistent—all the E’s the same, and so on.

The fish required a lot of work, too. Curved lines are hard to create in a medium that is literally a grid. But, I did it and I’m satisfied with just how happy the fish looks.

Finally, I added the speech bubble. That little fishy has too much personality to be silent. He’s not jumping out of the water to wave “hello” as you pass by. No, he is on a mission. He wants to drive the sign’s message home: don’t leak in his creek. Please and thank you.

On 14-count aida, which is my favorite cloth count to work on, this design measures 5″ x 5.64″. It only requires two thread colors, one of which is black. You could do the whole thing in blue if you really wanted to.

Clean watersheds are important because water outside somehow, someway always ends up in our pipes flowing right to our faucets and water fountains. Clean watersheds mean clean drinking water. Also, our buddies, the fish and other aquatic life need clean water.

Have fun stitching up this simple design and sharing just how much clean water means to you.

Purchase the digital PDF pattern on my Etsy shop.