Thursday, August 5, 2010

I heart reindeer

The "I Love Reindeer" design in the July/August issue of JCS was such a cute idea that I had to stitch it up. The design is by Deborah Thorpe of Midsummer Night Designs and is stitched on Vikki Clayton linen. It has three cute little reindeer overlaying a background of snippets from the first verse of "The Night Before Christmas". Of course, that poem was not suitable for me so I changed up the background to be snippets from "Jingle Bell Rock"! You can listen to Bobby Helms, the original singer, sing it here or read the words here. For the finishing I used the same crocheted border from the heart sachet in my last post. It's backed with a red cotton fabric and thanks to a tip from Lee, I used two pieces of felt between the stitching and the backing to act as a stiffener, a quick substitute for quilt batting.




And the mention of Lee is a nice segue to show you the beautiful gift I received from her as a winner in a drawing she had on her blog. Lee is really a master needle worker and she has been making variations on this friendship heart idea. This little piece made my jaw drop when I opened it. It is so expertly done with the gorgeous beading, a delicate buttonhole stitch border, a teeny bullion rose and a dragonfly charm. A little "made with love" charm is attached on the back. It's so deliciously exquisite at only about 2.5" high. I absolutely adore it.

31 comments:

Annette said...

What a lovely piece you made, it's complete in the Christmas feeling..

I so love your gift!!! So beautifull WOW

Jane said...

What a beautiful gift you've received. There are some really talented people around

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

The Reindeer piece was one of my favs from the JCS issue, also. yours turned out great.
What a beautiful heart - stunning!

Moreen said...

The reindeer is also a favourite of mine and yours is lovely.
Your heart gift is truely exquisite what a gorgeous piece of sewing.

Deborah said...

The reindeer ornament turned out great. Love the way you finished it.

Mylene said...

I Love the reindeer you made into an ornament, it is beautiful!!

What a lovely lovely gift received.

Pumpkin said...

I love this piece but I love that you changed the words of the song :o) Great idea!

Ohhhhh...that is purty!

Lainey said...

Love your cute reindeer finish Annie and that gift is just beautiful!

TammyK said...

Your reindeer ornament is too cute :) Beautiful heart.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

THAT is just gorgeous! So sweetly finished Annie :)
And your win prize from Lee is stunning and so sweet! And to top it all off...I can't think of a more deserving person!

natalysneedle said...

Love how you modified the design to suit your taste. The finishing is great. I love the gift you got as well. Beautiful.

Olga said...

The deer ornament s so darling!
What a fabulous gift you've got!

Jackie's Stitches said...

I just picked up this issue of JCS a few days ago and was immediately drawn to this same ornament. I love how you put your own personal touch on it.

The heart is exquisite! You're a lucky girl!

Anne said...

This is the time of year I begin my Christmas stitching. Nice to see you have done the JingleBellRock with your ornament. I also love the little cookie cutter charm you attached to it. Where does that come from? Happy stitching! :)

Carol said...

I'm amazed at how perfect your lettering changes look, Annie! Just wonderful... I do love those little reindeer and may have to stitch this one myself.

Lee's gift is precious--I am just amazed by her talent!

Vinniey said...

Your gift is so darling! You're right, my jaw drop too when I see the picture, it's so so beautiful! Your reindeer piece is pretty too, I love the finishing. I hope winter ornament stitching helps to cheer you up in this super heat weather. :)

♥ Nia said...

Both adorable!! ♥ ♥ ♥
Have a great weekend! :)

staci said...

Darling reindeer ornie! And "deliciously exquisite" is the perfect description for that heart!!!

Nima said...

wow...lovely christmas ornament...

beautifuk piece from lee...

Karen said...

Very lovely ornament, Annie, you did such a good job with it!

Nancy said...

This pattern is one of my favorites from the magazine too. Yours turned out very nice, and how clever to change the background words to suit you!

The pink heart is just gorgeous, and in person so small, the workmanship must be amazing!

Lois said...

What a cute ornament! I love how it has turned out. Then the heart you received - it's gorgeous!

Liz in Kansas said...

Love the little reindeer. I agree that the words to Jingle Bell rock seem to work better. Oh, oh, oh! What a gorgeous heart from Lee! Thanks for sharing it - and her blog. Scrumptuous!

Blu said...

The reindeer piece is really cute. Jingle Bell Rock suits it much better than Night Before Christmas.
Lee's gift is stunning! You're very lucky.

Daffycat said...

Oh my, your ornament is charming! I love how you changed the verse to suit your taste!

Ranae said...

That design always jumps out to me when I browse the JCS.
Fabulous finishing on the ornie.
Beautiful freindship heart

Margaret said...

Oh wow, I love what you did with that reindeer piece! Wonderful! And that's a nice gift too!

mainely stitching said...

Wonderful job with Deborah's design - I just love it! And what a gorgeous heart you received!

Brigitte said...

This reindeer ornament is so cute. And you finished it very creatively.
A lovely gift that you received.

Dani - tkdchick said...

Your ornament is so cute! That might jump onto my "to do" list!

Wow that heart is jaw-dropping! What a gift!

Anonymous said...

Love ALL the needlework you have been doing since I last stopped in. Each one is prettier than the last. I, too, love reindeer ornaments. Nice you are doing this way ahead of time. I am usually stitching them the day I put up the tree!!!!