December Stitching Etc.

Starting right after Thanksgiving, all I want to stitch is Christmas! I'm a stitcher who doesn't mind stitching Christmas in June and Halloween in March. Makes no difference to me at all. I'm also a slow stitcher so I know that if I want to get something done in time for a certain holiday or a gift, I have to start early. But this month I am so in the December/Christmas mode! So let's take a little look at what I've done.

I started with UB Design "Beerenherz im Winter", which I have been told is "Berry Heart".

This is the central part of the design. I haven't started stitching the actual heart of berries yet, but I will once I finish that tree on the right. I love the snow effect on those trees. Stitched with DMC on Jobelan in the color Sandcastle.

The "Angel Of Divinity Stocking" by Dimensions is a project that had the sad designation of UFO for a while. Then I was encouraged to pick it up again.

I'm now working on the little lamb at the bottom left. It's quite the challenge with its pale colors. But I am so glad that I resumed working on this piece. I'm going to finish it. It's a kit and is stitched on white 18 count Aida.

Next up is Dimensions "Believe", also a kit.

It's about 3/4 complete! I love this project. I switched out the fabric for some 28 count Jobelan. I think the color is Lambswool which is very close to the Aida that came in the kit.

This month I also worked at the sewing machine a bit. I made a Christmas-theme project bag using the instructions provided by The Twisted Stitcher. The tutorial can be found here. This super easy project bag is my favorite out of all of them.

I've tried several different closures for this type of bag starting with the velcro that Vonna uses in her tutorial. Then I tried a magnetic snap, also with good results. For this one, I did a little double button and a piece of twine that wraps around the buttons.

Here's my annual ornament for my son and daughter-in-law.

I used part of the design from "Frosty Weather" by Blackberry Lane Designs. I needed something I could fit into this little pocket watch (by Tim Holtz) frame. One over one on 32 count fabric proved to be a challenge, but I did it! I added some micro-beads to add to the snowy effect, which are tiny beads with no holes. These were barely bigger than grains of sand.

Finally, I wanted to show you my stitched ornament display.

We have a rather skinny Christmas tree and lots of ornaments that I like to put on it. So any stitched ornaments (which tend to be larger) have to be displayed elsewhere. I took this wooden tray, added some wide ribbon, my ornaments, and some small Christmas floral items. My husband said "You put the ornaments in the trough!" Yes, it is kind of like a trough.

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season if you celebrate. It's been going well here. My life has changed a bit since I've been here last, but I can say it is for the better. I hope to keep my blog up to date in conjunction with my YouTube channel. If you don't already know, I do Flosstube videos and my channel is CraftyCat Stitcher. So whether you visit me there or here on my blog, I hope you find something that you enjoy in what I present.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I will be back soon.