Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas and another Beautiful Finish

It's almost Christmas! I hope everyone is enjoying the Festive Season and that your preparations are going well! Here are a few pics of our Christmas Tree, featuring some handmade ornaments:
Here it is with the lights on:
I had another wonderful email this week of Vinniey's finish of my Merry Christmas Freebie! She finished it as a cute mini pillow - I absolutely love it! I think it's a finish I should try in the future :) It is stitched one over one on a 32ct Platinum Belfast Linen in Anchor threads, similar to the recommended DMC shades. Thank you for the photo Vinniey!
A very Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope it is a time of peace and joy, spent with family!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Ornament Freebie and a Finish

Can you believe it's only a few days until Christmas? Here is a little heart with candles that I designed for a last minute Christmas stitch.
Click on the image below for the free chart:
I also have a finish just in time for Christmas! I finished Winter Winds by the Prairie Schooler a few days ago. It is not going to be framed/finished in time for Christmas, but at least the stitching is done!
I really enjoyed this piece and the subtle colours used.


I will post about my new start soon - I know I should have picked up a WIP, but I just could not resist :)
Enjoy the run up to Christmas!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Beautiful finishes by Joan and Brigitte!

It has been such a treat to open my inbox this week! I have had photos from both Joan and Brigitte of their Merry Christmas ornaments!

Joan stitched it on a 36ct fabric and used 1 thread DMC. She added beads to the Christmas tree and the Holly. I just love the red braid she finished it with :) Thank you so much Joan - it looks great!

Here is Brigitte's cute pillow finish. I love the styling on the patchwork star with the snowy village in the background. Thank you Brigitte - it is lovely!
I hope everyone is enjoying their preparations for Christmas and getting a few stitches in along the way! Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

My Christmas Stitching

With Christmas rapidly approaching I thought it would be a good time to show you all my handmade Christmas ornaments. Some are very recent and some have been around for years. I absolutely LOVE Christmas stitching, I have been making ornaments for years and I still have so many Christmas pieces that I want to stitch!

Here is my 'collection':
All the ornaments are displayed on a Christmas Tree Skirt that my mom stitched a few years ago. It is a Dimensions chart by Barbara Mock, called 'Old Tyme Holiday'. I just love the snowy Christmas village - it has such a lovely atmosphere to it! (As you can see, it has not been finished into a tree skirt yet - can you imagine putting that on the floor to actually use it as a tree skirt! I don't know what we are going to do with it yet, but hopefully it will be out on display in coming years!)
Here is a break down of the ornaments:
These ornaments are mostly very recent, but a few of them have been around for a few years.
I made these emeries last year - they are so much fun to stitch and finish and look beautiful on the tree. They are all from Anita's Little Stitches. I hope to make a few more next year.
This little Hardanger angel is designed by Emie Bishop. I stitched it a few years ago on 32 ct cream Belfast linen and 'dressed' this little porcelain doll to turn her into a Christmas Angel. (I won't mention that a have the charts and fabric for a few more, but guess what - I can't find matching porcelain dolls anywhere!)
These are Mill Hill kits. I absolutely loved stitching them and I love Mill Hill kits - they are such a treat - I love unpacking all the little treasures that come with each kit, like the little Teddy button on the bell pull :)
For the past few years I have stitched a plastic canvas ornament each year. The finishing is so easy - just cut them out and add a tag! The designs are taken from various cross stitching magazines.
I stitched this 'Joy' Christmas sampler when I was sixteen. It is an Emie Bishop design (guess who likes her Christmas designs!) and has cross stitching and Hardanger bands. This is one of my favourite pieces of all time and is on display in our home year round!
Here are a few 'non-stitched' hand made Christmas ornaments. The little beaded stars look great on the tree!
That's it for now! I will post a picture of the decorated Christmas tree and a few other Christmassy things soon.
My little free "Merry Christmas" chart is still available - Please remember to leave me your email address in a comment if you want it! (Barbara C - I would like your email address please - I would love to get the chart to you as soon as possible)
Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Monday, December 7, 2009

A Beautiful Finish by Mylene!

I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in my inbox this weekend! Mylene stitched my free Christmas design and was kind enough to let me have a pic to show you. It is so beautifully stitched and finished - I think that red ribbon finishes it off perfectly :)

For more photos of this ornament and her other ornament finishes for the year visit Mylene's blog!
This design is still available for free, all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on the original post or send me an email - my email address is on my profile. (If you leave a comment - please remember to leave your email address if it is not on your profile, so that I can get the chart to you as soon as possible!)

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Team Effort Christmas Ornament Finish

I have been up to some Christmas stitching and finishing since my last post. My mom and I both wanted to stitch Carol R's Sew Noel, so I stitched it in green and she stitched it in red!
It is stitched in DMC stranded cotton, 1 over 1 on a white 22 count Oslo Hardanger fabric.
It is finished as a "double sided" flatfold, so that, when appropriately displayed, both sides can be appreciated. Here I tried to "capture" both sides in one photo:
We also added charms to finish it off - a star charm on the green one and a snowflake charm on the red one.
I stitched Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread earlier this year and it is now finished as a little pillow and ready to be displayed for Christmas.
I hope to have some more Christmas ornament finishes to show you soon. We will be putting our Christmas tree up this weekend - it is something I always look forward to - I absolutely love Christmas!
Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!