Gifted Stitching

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Heather

Hello, Stitchy Friends! Christmas is now over and the end of the year is getting closer. Around here it is time for quietness, reflection, and planning (and a little bit of Boxing Day shopping…). Tomorrow I will be sharing my stitching plans for 2017, including what I want to accomplish during the 2017 Smalls SAL, but today I wanted to share the stitching gifts I gave this Christmas.

Yo Ho Ho, designed by Sue Hillis

First up is Sue Hillis’ Yo Ho Ho, a super fun pirate Santa that I stitched up for my mom. She loves Santa designs so much, and I thought this design was too cute to pass up. It is stitched using DMC thread on a SilkWeaver solo that I got years ago. The map charm was included with the chart.

Voyage at Sea, designed by Dimensions

Second is Voyage at Sea, a small Gold Collection design from Dimensions. I stitched it for my dad, who loves ships and light houses and all of those sorts of things. I used the thread and fabric included in the kit. The braid around the edge is couched on and gives the design a really great 3d look.

All Your Pie Tape Measure Cover, designed by Tabitha Rose

The last little thing I made was this adorable tape measure cover for an exchange. The pattern is All Your Pie Tape Measure by Tabitha Rose. I used Bernat Satin in colours Sable and Teal.

Did you give away any stitchy gifts this year? If you did, I’d love to hear about them! Leave me a comment.

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7 Comments | Posted in Crochet, Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Heather

I hope that Santa was lovely to you and your family, and that your day is filled with peace, joy, and a little bit of stitching!

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5 Comments | Posted in Site News |

Teal and Purple

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Heather

Late last month I was lucky enough to have the chance to take a class with Lorene Salt, a very talented canvaswork designer. The class was offered through the Toronto guild of the Embroiderer’s Association of Canada. I’m not a member of that guild (just the online one), but the ladies were nice enough to let me take part.

Corners and Curves, designed by Lorene Salt

The piece is called Corners and Curves and is just stunning in person. The picture, as always, doesn’t do any justice. The fibres range from silk/wool blends, to perle cotton, to Kreinik metallics, and all the colours go together so well.

In January I will be taking another class from Lorene, this time online through the guild I belong too. It is called Santa Fe, and as charted it is stitched in corals and teals. Coral, though, is one of my least favourite colours, so I will be substituting out all the fibres. If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen some of the fibres I’ve chosen as replacements. I can’t wait to get started!

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10 Comments | Posted in Canvaswork | Tagged , ,

The Stockings Were Hung

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Heather

Website update: We are still experiencing some issues, but I think we are narrowing in on the problem. Thank you to those who emailed me re. their success or not at accessing the site. 🙂

Back to stitchy matters! As you may or may not remember, I’ve been busy working on a Christmas stocking for my dad for the past year. I started it back in November 2015, and I put the final stitches in about a month ago. But, like always, I was really worried about my ability to sew it up nicely, so it has been sitting in my craft room for several weeks. Christmas waits for no man, though.

All Hearts Come Home Stocking, designed by Dimensions

The design is All Hearts Come Home Stocking from Dimensions. It is a kit, and I used all the included materials. The biggest change I made was to leave the wording off. (You can see how it should look here.) I also added a lining to it (the instructions in the kit do not include adding a lining). It is backed with the felt included in the kit.

The Stockings Were Hung…

So far I’ve completed three stockings: one for my mom, one for my dad, and one for the little man. (It does have his name on it, I’ve just removed it for this picture.) I’ve still got two more to go, although I haven’t decided if I will stitch one next year or take a year off.

Stockings and Christmas Tree

 

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12 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , ,

Reindeer Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Heather

Oh dear, it has been a rough weekend of my blog. We are experiencing some pretty serious server issues which we have been trying to solve all weekend. Hopefully things will be better soon, but in the meantime I appreciate your patience.

On to stitchy things!

Last week I shared the beautiful ornament I received as part of the ornament exchange organized through Virtual Threads, an online guide that is part of the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada. My partner has received my ornament, so I can share it now.

Merry Christmas Reindeer, designed by Kathrin Ellison and a machine embroidery snowflake

I finished up Merry Christmas Reindeer (designed by Kathrin Ellison for Gitta’s) and included a snowflake I stitched up on my embroidery sewing machine.

I can’t believe Christmas is less than two weeks away! I feel like I have so much to do: baking, wrapping, meal plans, and even some more ornaments to stitch! I did get one big project completed, and I will share that tomorrow.

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12 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

Smalls SAL 2017 Announcement

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Heather

Hello, Smalls Stitchers! Due to popular demand (and my mercurial whims), the Smalls Stitch Along is returning for a fourth year. This is a very low pressure SAL. The goal is to finish one little design every month. That’s it. And if you can’t post your finish one month (or two, or three…), it is no big deal. Participate when you can, as much as you can.

(As an aside, I am sorry that this announcement did not go up on Monday as promised.. I have been sick with an awful cold for the past several days…)

Rules

  1. Stitch a small every month. You get to decide what a small is for you. 50×50 stitches? 100×100 stitches? It’s up to you. You just need to be able to get it done by the check-in day. (WIP smalls that you complete in time for the check-in are great too!) You pick your design, I do not provide designs.
  2. Post a picture of your completed small (stitching done, but the actual finishing is optional) on the last Friday of every month.
  3. Hop over here to my blog and add a comment to the current month’s check-in post to get an entry into the end of the year draw.
  4. You do not need to post a finish every month! Stitch what you can when you can, and check-in whenever you have a qualifying finish.
  5. The SAL is open to new participants all year. You can join in whenever you’d like. The more the merrier!

Also, please consider using the above graphic to link back to this page so other people can find out about the SAL and join in the fun.

Dates

The check-in dates for 2016 are as follows:

  • January 27
  • February 24
  • March 31
  • April 28
  • May 26
  • June 30
  • July 28
  • August 25
  • September 29
  • October 27
  • November 24
  • December 29

Social Media

Do you have a Twitter or Instagram account? Please share your monthly finish using the tag #smallsal2017.

Need a Reminder?

Want to make sure you never forget a check-in post? Sign up for my mailing list using the form below and I will send out an email every month after I post up the check-in post. I will be using TinyLetter again this year to help manage the mailing list.

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16 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Memes & Collabs | Tagged ,

Temari Button

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Heather

I love stitched Christmas ornaments. My Christmas tree is covered in them, although very few are from ornament exchanges. Why? Well, I’m actually pretty worried about sending my stitched items to other people. I hate the thought of possibly disappointing someone. Of course, I have never been disappointed by an ornament I’ve received. And, this year was no exception at all.

Temari Button

Temari Button

This stunning ornament was stitched for me by a member of the EAC’s online guild, Virtual Threads. Joanne B. stitched this lovely temari button ornament, and finished it beautifully. I am totally in love with it, and I wish I could make them too.

I mailed out my ornament for the exchange today, so hopefully I will be able to share it early next week.

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10 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Hand Embroidery | Tagged , ,