Happy Dance! Holly Berry Sampler

 

 Design: Holly Berry Sampler

Designer: Bent Creek

Threads: DMC conversion

Fabric: 28 count evenweave, Silkweaver Solo, unknown colour

Embellishments: Dress-It-Up buttons (Keepsake Christmas)

This is the third and final piece in a series that - once upon a time - was going to be a Round Robin. The group collapsed, but I was fortunate enough to get this piece back, and I've worked on it sporadically ever since. 

This was just waiting for buttons, but it took a while for me to find the "right" red - the charted Poindexter buttons were £0.75 EACH and that just wasn't going to happen ...

You can see all three samplers below - my dilemma is - do I frame them separately, or all as one piece, and have a Christmas tree on display all year round? What do you think, stitching friends?

Finish or Fling? Christmas Felt Wallhanging

 

Finish or Fling has had a bit of a break, while I've been thinking of new stuff to work on - even if that's not quite what designating 2010 "The Year of the UFO" was all about...

This was something else I bought in Havant, I think. So it dates back to 1998, if not earlier. It's quite a big piece, it's designed to have three strings of Christmas cards hanging from it.

Pros:

• Quite a lot has been done
• It's very cute

Cons:

• Beading is fiddly
• It's going to annoy The Hermit and aggravate his allergy to Christmas!

So ... Finish or Fling?

Verdict: Finish.

Finish or Fling? - Hearts of Joy No 2

This little sampler by Charland has seen more frogging than stitching. First of all, the ribbon embroidery wasn't making me happy - it just wasn't neat enough. I suppose I was expecting too much for a first attempt ... and then I ran out of the gold metallic, and coldn't get more, so that got frogged and is being reworked in new gold ... and don't get me started on the Queen Stitches ...

So, let's sit in judgement:

Pros:

• It's a Christmas design but doesn't look overly Christmassy.
• Love the fabric
• Will learn a new technique

Cons:

• Frustrating to work some of the stitches
• Won't fit in with my general Christmas style
  

So - Finish or Fling?


Verdict: Finish. Even if it kills me. It will be character forming.

Finish or Fling? - Come Home For Love

This comes from the first JCS Ornament Issue I bought. And at the time, The Hermit was living in Canada and I was in the UK. And I thought it would be nice to stitch this for him. And then I got to know the full scale of his antipathy to Christmas :o) So this got put to one side, and it's been sitting getting a bit scruffy ever since.

Pros:

• would be fairly quick to finish, as it's an ornament
• has nice sentimental memories
• like the colour scheme, it's not all that Christmassy

Cons:

• on aida
• The Hermit might still realise it's a Christmas ornament!

so - Finish or Fling?

I think I'll finish this.

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Patchwork

This is probably another project from my time on the South Coast - I was unhappy and I think it showed in my lack of stick-to-it-ness with projects. I had plans for a lap quilt size project from a selection of scraps, but like the Advent Calendar, the fabrics I've used already are a mix of cotton and polycotton, and there is one block finished and one block cut out.

Pros:

• Cheerful
• Uses fabric scraps

Cons:

• Bad fabric choices
• Lot of work if I stick to my original plan
• The Hermit hates Christmas, and another big project hanging around could tip him over the edge!

So - finish or fling?

Verdict: finish, but only these two squares. I might make them into something small, like potholders or a couple of scissor pouches.

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Ornaments (Felt)

This is a set of eight ornaments from a Bucilla Kit. I've completed two, and they've been displayed each Christmas for years now. Because I bought this kit in (blimey) 1997 when I worked in a small South Coast town called Havant for a while. It wasn't totally a happy time and I ended up back 'up North' with my parents. So it wasn't all bad in the end...

Anyway, I don't think I'm harbouring unhappy associations with this - I had to look on Google maps to remember the name of the town! - so:

 Pros:

• Different technique to my normal stuff
• Very cute
• Can work on one ornament at a time
• Have others completed

Cons:

• Very fiddly to do, lots of beads and sequins
• The Hermit hates Christmas stuff

So, finish or fling?



Verdict: finish.

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Ornament

I know I started this when I was working in my last full time, permanent job. So 2004 or 2005, and I've done the odd little bit since. Although I like the colours, I don't like working with the metallic floss - and I'm not totally happy with how the French knots look.

Pros:

• Not a lot of work to do
• Would look great in the basket in my bathroom

Cons:

• Working with metallic floss - and aida
• There's a ring mark which I'm not sure will come out, which will limit finishing options

So, finish or fling? This is going to be a close run thing...



Verdict: finish

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Cards

There are two designs in this kit, and I've only started one of them. And barely done that - just traced the design onto the fabric and made a few stitches.

The kit finishes these designs as card, but I think they would make cute pillows.

Pros:

• Not cross stitch, so something different
• Not huge designs
• Like the designs
  

Cons:

• I don't find freehand embroidery as relaxing as cross stitch
• Orange? for holly? Yuk.
  

So, finish or fling?



Verdict: I think I will fling these, certainly the one I have already started, and use the buttons etc for other projects.

Finish or Fling? - Advent Calendar Wall Hanging

I started this - oh, 1992? 1993? Sometimes around then. So this makes this project one of my oldest UFOs. It came from a magazine - now defunct - called Needlecraft. I used all sorts of oddments for this, so it is a mix of cotton and polycotton fabrics - a mistake I wouldn't make now, but as I'm unlikely to ever want to wash this, I don't suppose it will really make much difference. It's quite big - about half the width of my double bed here.

When I unwrapped this, I noticed some of the pins holding the felt hair on had rusted - but there's no rhyme or reason to which ones had gone. I think I'm going to have to cut some more shapes out - I don't think I have the templates, but I can draw round the other shapes.

Every single stitch is this is hand sewn - the blocks are pieced over paper. The appliqued faces, hair and quilts are all hand stitched, not fused on. And all those stockings are oversewn by hand. When I took them out of their bag, I was amazed at how fine and regular my stitches were, and how much work in general has gone into this.

Pros:

• I've done a lot of work already
• It will look amazing
• It would free up a lot of space in my stitching box

Cons:

• There's a lot of hand sewing to do
• There's a lot of quilting to do
• The Hermit hates Christmas so won't appreciate this
  

Finish or fling? Oh, definitely finish - I want to display this next Christmas!

Prairie Schooler Exchange

Here is the delicate Santa Leeann stitched for me, over one, no less! We're both members of the Year Round Prairie Schooler Exchange blog, so obviously this is a PS design, although I don't know which leaflet it came from.

This cheery chappie has gone to join my other handmade ornaments in a basket (I don't have a tree). Thank you  again Leeann!

Purple Penguin - Casey Buonaugurio

Design: Purple Penguin

Designer: Casey Buonaugurio, from the 2009 JCS Ornament Issue

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 14 count aida, pink

Finished: Flat ornament, beaded edging and hanger

I've started a tradition where I always make my niece, The Tot, a Christmas ornament. And it's always cross stitched. This year, Tot is besotted by pink, with purple a close second. My sister even bought Tot a pink Christmas tree of her very own - as Sis is quite strict that her Christmas tree is red, gold and green :o)

So, when I saw this cute little purple penguin, it was a must stitch! I had some pink aida lurking in my stash (I'd been given it by my cousin, I hadn't bought it!) so I thought I'd go for the full girly effect!

I personalised the back of the ornament with my niece's name and a little charm, before outlining in backstitch as I was going to whipstitch and bead the ornament closed.

The lilac beads and ribbon were also in my stash - I love having stash, it makes me feel very blessed and it also means when I'm on a roll, I don't need to break off and go shopping!

The beaded edge is simple, but time consuming. However, I think it was worth it, it really adds something to the finished piece.

Happy Stitching - Elizabeth's Designs

Design: Merry Christmas (Happy Stitching)

Designer: Elizabeth's Designs. Freebie available here

Threads: DMC (my own conversion)

Fabric: 28 count evenweave, cream

Finish: Pinkeep

I stitched this for an exchange on Hooked on Exchanges. I think it's an appropriate design to display today!

Merry Christmas to all my online friends - I wish you all joy, love and peace now and for 2010!

A Merry Tree for Thee - Full Circle Designs

 

I chose this ornament from the JCS 2002 edition for Cathy on the Friends Through Threads Exchange. Cathy does some lovely work and I though she might like this tree as it's not just cross stitch. I used the fabric you can see in the picture to make this into a pinkeep style ornament. The colours in the picture above are a little off because I took it under artificial light.

 

 

This is much more accurate!

Design: A Merry Tree for Thee
Designer: Full Circle Designs
Threads: DMC as charted
Fabric: unknown linen
Finish: Pinkeep

Christmas ABC Part 13 - Y*Z* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

This is the last part of the series - and I'm really sad that it's finishing. It's been a lot of hard work, both the designing and the blogging my memories, but I've actually really enjoyed it. I will be producing another series of ornaments, but I will be doing one per month over 2010 to produce a collection of 'Bride's Tree' ornaments - I hope you will join me for that!

I have to say, I've never seen a real Yule log being burnt. My Yule logs tend to look like chocolate Swiss rolls with a little holly or robin on top, and delicious they are too! I love how this season combines pre-Christian and Christian rituals so that none are forgotten ... it shows the importance of hope and light in the dark season of the year.

And of course, after all this running about and making merry, it's important to rest and revitalise! Santa here is having a snooze, and as I write this, The Hermit is snoring gently in the next room having finished work until the New Year! The Hermit has a severe sleep disorder, so hearing him snore is actually a good thing, not the annoyance it could be under other circumstances!

And finally, I would like to wish you all Joy, Love and Peace for Christmas 2009 and beyond.

Merry Christmas!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 12 - W*X* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

I think I mentioned (way back on H for Holly) that my mum used to make wreaths for a florist each Christmas. A little extra money to help the family budget as she was normally a stay at home mum. Joan, the florist, had a little shop attached to her home, and after school and on those last few days before Christmas when school was closed, we'd be welcome to go and 'help' - or at least, not hinder! It was there where I learned how wonderful Aga stoves were - you can made toast on the hotplate - and I leanred also how to cut flowers to make them last longer. But it is the smell I still remember. First of all the slightly musty and autumnal scents of the bracken used for the bases, echoed in the smell of the jute twine used to bind them. And then the crisp green smell of the cypress and pine boughs. And all this mixed with the shop scents - chrysanthemums and forced hyacinths...

Christmas pudding was never really big in our household growing up. My mum didn't - doesn't - like it and neither my sister nor I were really given the chance to get to know it! Trifle was the Christmas dessert in our house - and it still is now, with leftovers for Boxing Day breakfast :o) However, my dad is quite fond of Christmas pud, and especially of the rum sauce that goes with it LOL. So, he would often get a little individual shop bought pudding of his own which could be left to steam away quietly. Dinner would generally be about 2 or 3 o'clock, after my dad had had his post night shift sleep, and sometimes at this point, my mum would be a trifle merry after visiting our neighbours for a drink or too at earlier. One year, I think they'd been on the homemade wine, which was always inordinately strong, so dinner was a little more slapdash than usual ... Ma goes "oh, the pudding! It isn't in the pan" - and picks it up and drops it from a great height, going "whhhheeeeeee!" as she does so ... causing all the water to leap out of the pan, extinguishing the gas flames. Let's just say, my sister and I took over at that point, and Ma had to go and have a little lie down...;o)

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 11 - U*V* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

Unwrapping presents has to be the best thing. I'm really terrible about waiting - I'll prod, poke and sometimes even piggle the paper and peek :o) I always maintain it's not impatience - it's my curiosity and the need to know! Of course, not all good presents need unwrapping - one year, we got a puppy the week before Christmas - who got lost under the wrapping paper because he fell asleep when the excitement got too much. And seven years ago, we got the message that paperwork enabling The Hermit to move to the UK with a British passport had been found :o)

It mustn't be forgotten that Christmas is above all a Christian festival. And of course, God's representatives on earth are the clergy. In the Church of England, the person in charge of a parish is usually the vicar. My gran was a member of the Church of Scotland, which is a similar episcopal denomination. She had been ill one time, and so the vicar popped round to see how she was doing. It was a Tuesday afternoon, her regular meet up with her sister, mother and another friend. How pleasant, you might think. Until you realised it was the usual Tuesday card school (gin rummy, for money) and that as well as tea and biscuits on offer, there was a bottle of Scotch whisky on the table!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust


This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 10 - S*T* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

When I was a little girl, we didn't have stockings. No, don't feel too sad for us, we used pillowcases instead! My dad* was a policeman for many years, and it always seemed** he was on night shift on Christmas Eve - hence him decorating the panda (squad) car with tinsel round the aerial and a "Merry Christmas to all our Customers" sign in the back window. Ahem. His shift would finish at 6.00am, and we would be up waiting for him to get back. And then we could open our presents ... and play with them while my dad went off to get some sleep! Schoolfriends were always envious of the early start we could have, and we loved it too, but it was a purely pragmatic decision on the part of my parents :o)

 

One of Eddie Izzard's funniest routines is about tangerines (or satsumas). I love Eddie Izzard, but I missed out his last tour, as he was playing Sheffield Arena and tickets were £37 ... eeek! He was also in the middle of running something crazy - 43 MARATHONS in 51 days - you've got to admire him for that, he was a bit of a podgy couch potato before taking this on for Sport Relief. I bet his feet didn't fit into his heels after that effort ... This anecdote is getting a little Eddie like - rambling and off the point. Just not as funny. And not wearing nail varnish. Can you tell I don't have much to say about a citrus fruit? :o)

* yay! a story about my dad. At last!

** my dad worked Christmas for 25 of his 27 years in the force. Technically, only one third of those should have been nights, but it didn't seem like it!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 9 - Q*R* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

I love quilts. I remember having my first duvet after years of blankets - it was bliss! I also like - in theory - making quilts, but I haven't yet managed to complete my first one! I'm piecing it by hand, because I find using a sewing machine stressful, and it's taking ages!

My favourite quilt is one my mum made. It's made in a traditional hexagon pattern, hand pieced, and the fabrics are offcuts from fabrics my mum made clothes for us from and pieces from other members of the family. It is full of sentimental memories - I bet I could look at that quilt now and tell you every outfit I was made from those fabrics! This quilt will pretty much be indestructable - it was pieced in the late Seventies, so all the fabrics are manmade!

I had a meeting at the University on Monday - I do a little part time work for the Student Union there - and outside the meeting room there was more noise than usual. So, I looked out the window and there were a pair of reindeer, come to publicise the Union bar in this last week of the semester. They were still there when we adjourned for a drink, so of course we had to pop out and say hello to them. They were smaller than I expected. My friend Chloe thought they were rather smelly, but I thought they had the usual ruminant smell, a bit like cow!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 8 - O*P* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

I've always thought my parents to be the unsentimental types, but that is given the lie by their Christmas tree. I think I was in my early twenties before the first ornament I made eventually was retired - a star covered in blue glitter which I made when I was four or five. I think I was the one who insisted it needed to go! Since then, I've made many ornaments for their tree, some knitted but most of them stitched, and its part of our tradition. I also make an ornament each year for my niece. So many of the ornaments I've made have been given away, but I'm lucky in that I've also been given some beauties!

I love poinsettias, they look so cheery, but I'm not very good with houseplants, so apart from a couple of years, I've not had them - they look so bad by the time I've finished with them, I either under water or over water them and ... well, let's just say at least this stitched one will always look great!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

 
This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

Christmas ABC Part 7 - M*N* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

As a knitter, I couldn't really *not* have 'M is for mitten', could I? Again, I have to thank my mum* for teaching me to knit. I must have been four or five at the time, and one cold and wet day, she cast on some dishcloth cotton yarn on a pair of UK7 needles and showed me how to knit. My tension wasn't great, and there were a few dropped stitches, but it was the start of a lifelong pleasure. I knit a heap of fingerless mittens for my family last year. Although the weather drops below freezing here, it's not really cold enough (for me) to need all my fingers covered, and gloves and full mittens make me feel so clumsy. I wrote up the pattern and they can be found here

I can't wait for my niece to start school and to be in a nativity play. She's already a bit of a drama queen, and we have fun devising puppet shows and make believe. I can see her wanting to be producer, director and star! I was once an angel in my Sunday School nativity play - but becoming an atheist at seven meant I stopped going and never got to one of the star parts :o) At primary school our teachers tried to do something different each year, and when I was nine or ten, I was given the part of the main 'newsreader' telling the Christmas story, and linking with 'reporters' who introduced all the different parts of the story, which were acted out by the younger children. I think I would have liked to have been a newsreader...

* One day, I will tell stories about my dad. Honest.

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray