All My Finishes

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Heather

It is the penultimate day of the year, and an excellent time to look back on everything that we’ve accomplished. I managed to fulfill my goals of keeping up with the Smalls SAL, finishing my mom’s stocking, and completing a baby sampler for my cousin. Everything after that was pure extra. Including this little biscornu that I finished up a couple of weeks ago:

Lilies Biscornu, designed by Gingerbread Girl

Lilies Biscornu, designed by Gingerbread Girl

It is Lilies Biscornu, which is from a class taught by Kathryn Drummond of Gingerbread Girl Designs at this fall’s Creativ Festival. The technique is called Punto Antico, and it makes use of satin stitches, whipped backstitch, and beads. The finished product is very lovely and romantic feeling.

Overall, I’ve had a pretty good year.

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My knitting and sewing didn’t get very much attention this year, though. And, I didn’t share all of my finishes on my blog. My rough estimate is that I finished four pairs of socks, the hermit crab, and a vest for my dad. I sewed a little sewing kit, a big bag for my son’s swimming stuff, two purses for me, and a toy elephant. :/ There was so much else I wanted to do!

Phil

Phil

I have big plans for next year. (Who doesn’t?) And to start off the year I will be tearing apart my craft room and making a list/taking pictures of projects I want to finish or get started on. My biggest goals, though, are to keep up with the Smalls SAL and to finish my dad’s Christmas stocking.

2015SmallsSAL

Speaking of the Smalls SAL, you can post you December 2015 finish right here. And, if you’d like to learn about the 2016 edition, you can do so right here.

9 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Punto Antico | Tagged , ,

Smalls SAL 2015 – December Check-In

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Heather

Hello, Smalls Stitchers! We’ve made it to the end of another year. If you’ve followed along all year, then you have at least 12 completed smalls. Congratulations! If you’ve just joined recently, or couldn’t check-in every month, you should still be super proud of however many smalls you did complete. Any year that ends with at least one finish is a good year.

2015SmallsSAL

For my final small of the year I originally wanted to do something really special. And then I realized that it was December and I just had too much going on. :/ So, I dug out one more Mill Hill kit, because you can’t go wrong when you stitch something you love.

Holly, designed by Mill Hill

Holly, designed by Mill Hill

This month’s design is Holly from the Mill Hill Winter Holiday Collection 2011. I stitched it as per the chart, and added a little twisted cord using some floss left over from the kit.

So, what did you stitch this month? Did you finish up a couple of holiday ornaments? Did you stitch something summery because you a lucky enough to live somewhere where it is warm right now? Or, are you already thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day or Easter? (I was just tidying up the seasonal decorations in the basement, so I am happily thinking ahead to spring myself.)

Please share your finish by filling out the little form at the bottom of this post. And, if you have time, be sure to visit some of the other participants. The check-in form will remain open to new entries until January 6th, 2016 at about midnight Eastern time. Shortly after that, I will tally up all the entries from the year and announce the winner of the big year-end prize. Good luck!

SmallsSAL2016

Next Month – Yes, the Smalls SAL is continuing into 2016, and I sincerely hope you will join me. I love having the accountability and inspiration that every single one of you provide. The rules are the same as the 2015 SAL, with the edition of discrete parts of large designs (e.g. squares or rows in a big sampler, but not a face or a flower) being allowed. You can find all the info over here.

Thank you so much for taking part in the 2015 Smalls SAL. You participation means so much more than you know.

 

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

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Heather

Merry Christmas, stitchy friends! I hope Santa was good to you, and that this Christmas day finds you and your friends and family in good health and even better spirits. I offer the same wishes to all of you who don’t celebrate, along with a wish for a lovely, quiet day. 😉

Vintage Christmas Cards - 1

2 Comments | Posted in The Outside World | Tagged

Happy Christmas Eve!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Heather

May your Christmas Eve be merry and bright, not damp and rainy like ours is supposed to be. And to those who don’t celebrate, I hope you have a lovely, quiet Thursday evening.

Vintage-Christmas-(6)-799628

2 Comments | Posted in The Outside World | Tagged

Jo’s Online Advent Calendar

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Heather

Hello! Welcome to next stop on Jo’s Online Advent Calendar.

Santa's Journey Stocking, designed by Dimensions

Santa’s Journey Stocking, designed by Dimensions

Above is a picture of the stocking I finished this year for my mom. The design is Santa’s Journey Stocking from Dimensions. And, to be honest, I’ve been working on it off and on for several years. Not a very good daughter, eh? I’m so glad it is finally all done. It will look wonderful hanging by the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas tree

Our Christmas tree

Speaking of Christmas Eve, I am supposed to share our Christmas Eve traditions as part of the blog hop. We don’t go out, or have a big party, or do anything too fancy. Instead, we stay home, eat hor d’oeuvres, watch a movie (which usually turns out to be not too good), and sometimes play a board game or two.

The tradition of hor d’oeuvres for Christmas Eve dinner started way back when I was a kid. My mom spent several days before Christmas getting a huge breakfast and dinner for twelve or more people ready, and she really didn’t want to cook Christmas Eve. Also, we often went out and did quick visits with friends that night. So, to help the evening go smoother, we starting have a small supper of finger food. (As a bonus, the leftovers made great snacks before Christmas dinner the next day.)

We keep up the tradition because, well, it is tradition now. 😉 And it is fun to have little bits of cheese, sausage rolls, crackers, shrimp, and other fun little nibbles that we normal don’t eat much of. It sets the evening apart from the rest of the year.

SmallsSAL2016

Thanks so much for stopping by! And, since you are here, why not check out my 2016 Smalls SAL? We would love to have you join in!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Blessed Yule! Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year!

 

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

Little Gingerbread Purse

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Heather

I think one of the fun things about the holiday season is how much we can accessorize. Unlike most holidays, Christmas/New Years is celebrated pretty much throughout the whole of December and sometimes into January (depending on when you get to see your friends and family). And that is a lot of opportunity for making fun things for yourself.

Gingerbread Love Clutch, designed by Michele Cheong

Gingerbread Love Clutch, designed by Michele Cheong

I made this very cute Gingerbread Love Clutch, designed by Michele Cheong . The pattern is in the Festive 2013 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, a wonderful Canadian magazine that covers all sorts of crafts. I picked up the kit from Michele at the Creativ Festival, so mine looks pretty close to the model in the magazine. Although I added a little gingerbread charm to the flap for a little bit of personalization instead of using lace like she did.

Gingerbread Love Clutch, designed by Michele Cheong

Gingerbread Love Clutch, designed by Michele Cheong

Although it isn’t really visible on the pictures, each little circle around the motifs is stitched around using pink DMC floss. Because the purse is lined with fleece, these little circles now puff out just a tiny bit. It is a really nice effect, and adds just a little bit of fanciness.

Be sure to come back tomorrow. I’m day 16 of Jo’s Online Advent Calendar, and I will be sharing a holiday project that I finally finished.

3 Comments | Posted in Sewing | Tagged ,

Nearly a Butterfly

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Heather

More dull weather, so more colourful stitching!

Lady Needle Flutter, designed by Just Nan (wip)

Lady Needle Flutter, designed by Just Nan (wip)

I’ve finished up the stitching on Just Nan’s Lady Needle Flutter. She is stitched on a scrap of purple dyed fabric that I mostly likely got from Laura of Enchanting Lair, and I used all the called for colours expect I switched out the overdyed thread for one that looked better with my fabric.

Lady will have to wait a little while until she is finished into a pin keep. It looks like it will be fiddly work, so I’ll put it off until I have the time to devote to doing a good job.

If you’ve finished one of these pretty little butterflies and you have any tips you can sure, I would love to hear them!

6 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,