Holiday Stitching

Long time, no post.  So here's a wrap-up of the as yet un-documented stitching, more or less in order of completion.

The first is "Kitten Mitten", a Cricket Collection freebie you can get here.  That kitten actually looked like a bear to me.  I just did a quick finish by sewing on a backing and blanket stitching around the edge.  Not a favorite of mine now, but it got the urge to stitch it out of me.

Next we have "Happy Snowman", a freebie from Shepherd's Bush that you can get here.  It's done on Cornflower Blue 28 count Jobelan over-2.  I expected this to be made into a card, but when I completed the stitching, I realized it was a perfect size for an Altoid tin top.   So another one of those under my belt  and it does make a cute gift for this time of year.

For whatever reason,  I really wanted to stitch Blackbird Designs "Be Mine".   I suppose it had been on my list for years, but I don't know why it suddenly rose to the top.  Anyway it's done on 36 count over-2 Vikki Linen.   I  used all DMC and adjusted the colors a little bit.  Then I added the little crocheted flower for a bit of interest.   I sort of followed an old tutorial of Vonna's on the wayback machine to construct it.  Her tute showed sewing the lining on by hand, but I did it by machine.  We both left the top open and just folded the top edge down inside the stocking.  So a very rough finish and not meant to hold any treats.  Just a decorative ornament.  I'm quite taken with this finish.

I had always planned to stitch a few of the Brookes Books Advent Calendar Animals.  This Polar Bear was a clear favorite.  I was planning to make this into an ornament for a friend, but that never happened.  I did need a card at the last minute though and this little guy filled the bill.  This is  done on a pre-cut tri-fold window card.  Carol was kind enough to send me some cardmaking supplies a while back and this one really came in handy to do a quick finish.

Finally, I was going through some old magazines and discovered "Winter Walk" by The Little Stitcher from the  Feb, 2014  issue of JCS.    I took out the bottom border and omitted one tree to make this card-sized.   Finished it up this morning to replenish the stock pile!

Seasons Greetings to everyone!

Reindeer Ornament and Mitts

So two finishes to show today. I'm amazed I rallied to do this.  Ezia Gladstone of New York Dreamer had a very cool reindeer design in the 2015 JCS ornament issue.  I didn't plan to stitch it since part of its coolness was due to the hand-dyed threads needed and I wasn't up to mail ordering those just for the purpose.  Then I saw a finish of it on a FB group that looked quite different from the one in the magazine.  I'm not sure whether the stitcher changed colors or not, but I got inspired to pick my own colors for another look.  I stitched it over-one on 30 ct Northern Cross natural linen.  This is a very stiff linen, almost akin to needlepoint canvas.  I didn't really mind that, but it was unexpected.  The major change was to a darker gray for the reindeer's body.  I went for a flatfold finish.. good companion to the two little Bambi's in my previous post.  Again, I did the 3-color braid for the trim.  This will make a cute little gift as well...somewhat non-traditional colors (DMC 3787, 738, 4140 , 938 for the highlight on the scarf and 815 or 816 for the nose).

I had bought a ball of Paton's Jade Classic Wool last year to knit a couple of pairs of fingerless gloves, but I never got around to doing that project.  Something made me pick it up recently and I did a really quick and easy pattern called Wabi Mitts.  The link will take you to the free pattern on Ravelry.  The interesting thing was the thumb gusset done in reverse stockinette.  I had a little trouble with the odd instructions for the thumb, but these are for me so no problem.  I wanted a pair that  fit and didn't have long cuffs for indoor wear.  I think I reached my objective. These are really more of blue-green than the way they look on my monitor.   

Last of 2013 Stitching

Last minute gifts and cloudy days didn't make for great photos.  But I think the gifts were appreciated by the recipients.  Using my new found mounted felt ornament skills, I stitched up Snowy Pines by Little House Needleworks.  I like that this can still be displayed during the winter months since its theme is not holiday specifically. I've wanted to stitch this for a long time, mostly because of that cute bear and his French knot nose!  The fabric is 36 ct Summer Khaki Edinburgh linen.

 

The UK Cross Stitcher magazine had a set of designs for cute robins that just stole my heart.  I thought I was tired of that sketchy back stitch style of design, but this was just too adorable to pass up.  This one made a great last minute card and I'm sure I'll stitch the others at some point as well.  This is stitched on a scrap of Vikki HDF linen.

 

And finally, this is a New Year's thank you gift for a friend.  The design is Day 8 of The Little Stitcher's 12 Days of Christmas for 2013.  That little girl, all dressed up, holding a muff in one hand and the final arm of the snowman in the other, is just the sweetest thing.  And these primitive designs are so quick to stitch up.  Again, this is stitched on Summer Khaki Edinburgh linen. 

I used this to make a 'winter survival kit' with hand salve, lip butter, a nail clipper, and the all-important Starbucks gift card.

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a wonderful 2014 ahead!

Winter Ornament

Haven't done a lot of stitching lately.  I guess there hasn't been enough of interest for me on TV and my stitching is always done while watching.  Or maybe I just need one of those periodic breaks from crafting and have preferred reading in my free time.  Anyway, I did stitch this pretty winter tree, "Arbre d'Hiver", from Jardin Privé, one the four seasonal tree freebies you can get here.  It's stitched on 32 count bone evenweave with DMC threads.  I don't think I even changed one color.  Just back-stitched the snowman since he seemed to be lost in the background without it.  

Vonna has been showing so many mounted felt ornaments lately that I thought I'd give that method a try.  I took her tutorial as a starting point.  She does everything so precisely, and I never do that, but  I more or less followed her lead.  I discussed some details with her about gluing and materials.  I thought the craft glue might bleed through the felt, but it didn't, so that part worked well.  I just used synthetic felt, but it was thicker than most of what I see these days.  I think it might have come from a fabric store rather than a big box craft store.  I now wish I had a zig-zag rotary blade for the edges.  The pinking shears work ok, but much more difficult to get a nice edge.  The stitching is stretched over comic book cardboard with a layer of batting to give a little depth.  I'm reasonably happy with this and I think it will make a nice little gift.  And it's suitable for display all winter since there is no particular holiday flavor to it.

 

I also make a couple of self-closing gift enclosure cards.  And they stand up for display as well.  The first is one of Daffy Cat's freebies from 2008, Jingle Bell Reindeer.  No beads, just French knots for the 'necklace'.

The second is from the 2013 JCS ornament issue, "Peace Bird", by Rosewood Manor.

 

Here's a photo of how it works to stand it up.  The bottom folds up and I'll use a sticky seal to close.

Rose Bag and Reindeer Buddy II

When you use these cross-body sling bags that I make,  surprise... they wear out eventually.   No problem.. just means I get to make more.   I had stitched this beautiful red rose from Passione Ricamo with the intention of piecing it with other fabrics and making something completely different.  But it sat for way too long waiting for a finish, so I just whipped up a romantic little bag with it.   I added a bit of crocheted lace, the first two rows of the  Celestial Edging pattern.  Then I threaded a piece of hand-dyed silk ribbon through it from a grab bag of ribbons I once bought from Vikki at HDF.  The cord is purchased.  The piece is lined with no raw edges showing inside.  I took the photos before I added a snap closure.  I have a wedding to go to later in the summer, so I think this will be perfect to use then.

The pattern is called 'A Rose For You' and you  can download it  here.
There are lots of other beautiful freebies on the page as well.

The Aliolka reindeer were just to cute to stitch only one.  Here's a companion ornament to the one I made earlier.    Another fork bow, this one with 2 loops and a bit larger.  I made it on a wide-toothed comb that I use to get the tangles out of my hair.  You can find the pattern here.   The trim on this one is actually a round spiral braid made exactly like a gimp lanyard.  This was a little thicker than my last one, but I still think I could have added another 6-strand length of floss to each of the 4 lengths used for braiding. 

 

Just for fun I tried a little sample of 3-strand braiding and the 4-strand round braid using 4 lengths of floss.  The 4-strand one on the bottom in the photo below is the same as the braid on the ornament, but by placing the lengths in a different order, you get a spiral effect instead of a diamond effect.

If you want to try it, here's an explanation:  Four-strand spiral braid tute 

I think I like that thickness and I'll try it out next time.  Uses a lot of floss, but floss is the cheapest supply. 

Edited July 11, 2013:  Here's a link to a You Tube video that demonstrates the four-strand braiding technique very clearly:      Four-strand spiral braid video

 

Reindeer buddy, crocheted pouch & dapper chick

After having success with the pinkeep finish,  I decided to start experimenting with the flat ornament finish that is pretty similar.   The design is a freebie from Aliolka's blog.   I changed the colors to make a little more contrast on the fabric I was using, Sassy's cobblestone on 18 ct Aida.  The edging is a standard braid with three lengths of floss.  I used two six-strand lengths of each color.  I  think I could have used more strands to be a little fuller.  Next time I might try a lanyard-sytle braid like we used to make out of gimp when I was a kid.  I don't know if they still do that, but I made a ton of those back in the day.   Not 100% happy with the finish, but my brother who likes cute reindeer and owls should like it.  I think I may do one of the other reindeer ornaments on the blog as a companion piece since I have one small piece of the same fabric left.

Here's the tutorial that I more or less followed:
Flat Ornament Finishing Tute


The fun part was the little bow.  I don't know if I'm the last person to discover the 'fork bow' or not, but it's an incredibly simple way to make a nice bow for this purpose.  This little one was made with a regular dinner fork.  To make a larger bow, you use a larger fork or a potato masher or a wide-toothed comb.. anything with evenly spaced spikes that you can use for weaving the ribbon.  You can make multiple loops too.  Use the link below to see how to do it.
Fork Bow Tute

 

 

Found another crochet motif I wanted to try.  This is called the Tahiti Blossom.  Click on it for the pattern.  I used it to embellish a little pouch and then I wanted to do some embellishment on the flap also.  Found this fan pattern on Ravelry.  Ravelry patterns are great because members give so many review, hints and cool modifications.  The picot edging is one of those great ideas that really adds to the original pattern.  I sent this to Melanie with one of the little pincushions I showed in an earlier post.   I guess I could say I sent it because she was going through a tough period, but I actually didn't know that.  In any case, it turned out to be a good time to send her a little pick-me-up gift.

Tahiti Blossom

WOCS started a special request quilt with a chicken theme.  Seemed uninteresting to me, but then I remembered something from my stitch and stow vault.  This little guy was stitched in the 80's or early 90's  from a design in an old issue of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts.  I think it was an adaptation of a vintage Easter card.  I kept hoping someone I knew would have a baby around Easter time and I would use this as the basis of a baby sampler, but it never happened.  I'm happy to donate it now and give it a good home.

Halloween Cards and Stocking Ornament

It's been a sad week here in the neighborhood.  The McDonald's closed!  That was our only remaining fast food burger place in the commercial district near my home.  I never went there a lot, but it sure was my security blanket.  A bathroom when my toilet wasn't working, a place to get coffee when my coffee maker failed, dinner during the derecho, excellent $1.00 plastic ice cream.  In the worst blizzard, I knew I could manage to at least crawl those two blocks. Some of those employees had worked there for years, and I sure hope they've found employment elsewhere. The lot is going to be redeveloped with new office space, and supposedly the McDonald's will return on the ground floor at the completion of the project in 2014.   I think I'll survive, but there will be an adjustment period. 

Three quick finishes to show on the stitching front.  Every time I see something adorable on a blog or Pinterest, I have to drop everything and stitch it up directly.  Especially since I can do a lot of the little ones right from the Nook without printing.

The first is a fabulous design by Erynne who has re-entered the blogging world as 'Stitcheree'.  She has generously shared some of her great designs with us.  This one is called Creepy Hollow and just begged to be stitched for a Halloween card.  I love that crazy moon and the little skulls on the house.  I re-worked it a little bit to replace the tombstone with a cauldron and I added a crow to balance out that side of the piece.  I had those eyelets for some time and the crop-a-dile turned them into quick embellishments.

 

 

I had printed out this little design by Maria del Valle at Alarttexx some time ago.   It was perfect for a circular cut-out to frame on a card.  A little bit of ribbon and a couple of stars was all I needed to touch it up.

 
This little quaker stocking design is from Zinaida at Hearty Craft.  I had it saved for a long time, but it just recently popped up on Pinterest and grabbed my attention.  This is  stitched on 35 count linen, a fairly loosely woven type so it was easy to sew up those curves and manipulate the fabric. I just used a little interfacing for stabilizer, but no added batting.  I sewed on a row of red beads along the top that don't show up all that well in the photo.  Super-quick finish and flat enough to mail in a regular envelope!

Baby Sampler & Holiday Ornament

Those Jazzercise instructors of mine keep popping out babies, and they always seem to be boys. As a stitcher, I always hope for girls because there are so many cute designs that really are only appropriate for a girl baby. I have to look harder to find boy designs. Kind of a sexist attitude, but I feel it's safer to have that attitude when you are giving a gift. The design I picked is the "Too Tiny Alphabet" by Drawn Thread, stiched on 28ct Light Mocha Cashel. I like the striped mattress ticking type of border. It gave it a kind of airy feeling. I've had that little bear button in my stash for ages, and I thought it looked kind of cute on this as well.



While I was waiting to receive some fabric I ordered, I was going through old magazines, cutting out pages I wanted to keep and throwing out the rest. I really needed to make space. I came across this little ornament from the Jul/Aug JCS 2011 issue. I never noticed this the first time around. It's so kooky and adorable, I just had to stitch it. Perfect little piece that filled out the rest of the time til my other fabric arrived. This is called "Holiday Hootie" by Fresh Threads Studio, stitched on a scrap of 36ct Rue Green Edinburgh linen, with some red rick-rack for the edging.




And finally, the winner of the "Queen of Hearts" chart, selected by the time-honored "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" method, is Margaret! As soon as I get a snail mail address, I'll send it right out.