CEDAR FALLS-William Mixdorf can look at a piece of canvas and immediately identify the number of holes per square inch.

It's a skill that comes from nearly a decade of cross-stitching.

"It keeps me off the streets and out of the bars," he jokes.

For many years, woodworking was Mixdorf's No. 1 hobby, but when his doctor put him on blood thinning medication, he reconsidered his pastime. Thirty-seven years ago, he accidentally chopped off the tips of his index and middle finger on his left hand. A repeat would put his life in danger.

Mixdorf, 77, and his wife Mary Ann live on 10 acres in rural Cedar Falls. They will celebrate 57 years of marriage this year. Mary Ann Mixdorf does not cross-stitch. It takes too much patience, she says. That's exactly why her husband enjoys it so much.

"It keeps my hands and mind busy," he said. "I can't stand to sit around and watch TV."

William Mixdorf's home is an epicenter of cross-stitching. His work hangs, framed, in every room of their ranch-style home. In the foyer, one of his cross-stitching reads: "Love sews a bond that time can never tear."

Mixdorf has completed hundreds of pieces since he started the hobby, and several have won Best in Show at the National Cattle Congress fair. He can complete a small piece in just a few hours, while larger cross-stitching patterns often take months.

"The judge said this was the best she had ever seen," he said, pointing to a portrait of a winter landscape.

The Mixdorfs have six children, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Each one of them has been the recipient of at least one cross-stitch by Mixdorf.

Ann Greiner, a granddaughter, said relatives always give the cross-stitching maven gift certificate to the craft store as a Christmas present.

Mixdorf's cross-stitching hobby commands a section of the family room. A card table is set up for his work, in close proximity to a bright reading light. On it rests his latest masterpiece, a portrait of Civil War soldiers he's worked on since January, and a magnifying glass. Colored embroidery thread is neatly draped over a couch pillow next to the table.

Since he usually stitches from store-bought patterns, he stocks up during sales. Consequently, two-years' worth of cross-stitching packets spill out of their shoebox onto the couch, next to a box of Hershey's chocolates and roasted nuts. The snacks are fuel for when Mixdorf burns the midnight oil. Sometimes he'll stitch for 10 consecutive hours.

Mixdorf grew up in Waterloo and graduated from West High School in 1946. Right away, he began working at John Deere, where he designed the tools that made the parts for farm machinery. He retired 22 years ago after working for the company for 37 years.

While working at John Deere, Mixdorf said he developed a keen eye for detail. After all, if his tool designs had a glitch, so too would the farm machinery. He now directs his meticulous nature to cross-stitching.

"You spend as much time counting as you do stitching," he said. "And I try to be a perfectionist."

Contact Stacey Palevsky at (319) 291-1580 or stacey.palevsky@wcfcourier.com.