A wintry cross stitch finish

  This little stitchery, a freebie from Erin Elizabeth Designs, was one that I completed last winter but .had not figured out a finish for.  The design depicts a little snow globe, sort of a tallish shape.  I finally came up with the idea of displaying it in an upside down pint Mason jar -- and yesterday I took a few minutes to make it all work.

I pressed the cross stitch really well and trimmed it down a little and pressed all the raw edges to the back.  Then I rolled it up to make it fit in the jar.  I quickly saw that it was going to need something inside it to help it hold its shape and not collapse within the jar.  In my cardboard stash I found a white marble-look side panel from a tissue box.  I rolled it up, taped it together with packaging tape, and rolled the stitchery around it.  That made the difference and gave me just the look I was going for.

I'd thought I might glue a sparkly snowflake button or two to the lid of the jar, but I haven't done that yet.  I sort of like the plain look, but when I get it out next year I may decide it needs a sparkly snowflake.  Meanwhile, I'm loving this little finished project just as it is.

So happy to have completed this at last!

Some Christmasy projects I'm working on this July

 

 I'm working on a few projects with a Christmasy vibe, this July, in whatever snippets of spare time I find.

At top is a crocheted scalloped hot mat, a pattern I turn to again and again.  Here's the link: Crocheted Scalloped Hot Mat.  I can't even guess how many of these I have made over the years, but I love the vintage look and the ease of the pattern.  You can't really see it in the photo unless you look really close, but this ombre Christmas yarn has gold threads glinting in it too.  I'm just at the stage of crocheting the two layers together.

I had planned on making a few dishcloths from this pattern -- Dori's Dishcloth -- which has become my favorite, in Christmasy colors.  I've made a red one and recently finished this green one.

And lastly, I'm working sporadically on the Poinsettias and Pines winter sampler from Blue Ribbon Designs, which I would love to finish before December.  But we will see.

 
And that's the current state of my Christmasy crafting!

Poinsettias and Pines

 

 Last year I saw this sampler featured on an Instagram post.  I was smitten and simply had to get the chart.  One of my daughters had given me an Etsy gift card, so I headed over to Blue Ribbon Designs and promptly ordered it. 

Below you see a screenshot I took from the Etsy shop -- gives you a much clearer look at the design.

If you can't read it, the words say "The smell of pine/ The crackling fire/All the snow one could desire/Hot cocoa with marshmallows/Cookies in the kitchen/Treasure the gifts that winter has given."

I'm currently working on a smaller cross-stitch piece featuring a snow globe design, so I haven't started this yet.  Although fancier fabric and floss are called for, I am unashamedly a DMC, 14-count Aida type of stitcher.  I have my floss and this fabric in the "White Chocolate" color.  So thankful for 123Stitch, their great prices and flat rate shipping!

 Looking forward to working on this delightful piece throughout the winter!

An old favorite Christmas card

 

 I'm updating an old post here, from 2008.  It's another of those with no comments, so it will be new to many of my current readers.

Today I thought I would share another of my favorite Christmas cards. This one features a painting by Vermont artist Fred Swan. The painting is called "Walking to Town" and I just love it. It's one of those paintings one could just get lost in. You can almost feel the cold New England air and feel the falling snow. And oh, that village and church steeple in the distance!  My hubby and I took a walk in falling snow on just such a night, and it was truly like walking in a snow globe.

  Happily, "Walking to Town" has been made into a jigsaw puzzle, and my wonderful friend Judy gifted me with it one year.  What a delight!

Even more happily, this gorgeous painting also been made into a counted cross-stitch kit, and I own the kit! One of these winters, I'll get the stitching done [It's on 18-count black Aida -- gulp!] and keep "Walking to Town" on my wall all year round.  Maybe this winter!

An Etsy shop you really should visit ... and a gift idea!

Above is a somewhat blurry photo of a lucite trivet with cross-stitch insert that I made for my tea-loving daughter one time.  I want to tell you about a wonderful Etsy shop that features cross-stitch designs.  I'm not going to try and show you photos from the shop (that's why I chose to use one of my own photos),  but if you enjoy counted cross stitch, or if you know someone who does, you need to hurry on over to Tiny Modernist. 

I am smitten with Cheryl's designs.  I love seeing other people's cross stitch projects on linen and so on, but they are not for me.  Some of the designs from Tiny Modernist that I have looked at are done on 14-count Aida and are such fun designs in pretty colors!  Others are done on linen, but an Aida substitution is possible.

There are some nice Christmas designs, like this set of four Vintage Christmas signs which are about 4 inches square and are very fun designs.

Even though this is a Canadian shop, there are no worries about shipping since the charts are available as instant downloads for personal use.  The designs may be stitched as gifts -- or, and this brings me to my gift idea -- the charts may also be given as gifts.

I plan on giving a couple of these charts as gifts -- I will not say which ones, just in case the intended recipients happen to read here -- and I plan to give the Aida and required floss along with the charts.

Here is an example of one of the cute summer designs: All the Fun of the Fair.  Isn't it so cute?  There's a baking sampler that I adore, sweet sayings in hoops, pretty seasonal samplers and much more.

I love this shop!  Enjoy your visit!

A finished ornament

At long last, I have finished my cardinal cross-stitch ornament.  Excuse the shadow at the ornament's lower right.  I took five pictures and every one of them had a shadow.  This was the best of the five. 

This is actually just a little larger than I like in a tree ornament, so it may end up hanging elsewhere, like on a kitchen cabinet or baker's rack.  I'm not really thrilled with how my finish came out, but am happy to declare it finished!  One UFO off the list!

A Christmasy finished project!

I actually finished the stitching on this some time ago.  It has taken me this long to figure out how I wanted to complete this lovely December sampler.  It has languished around looking just like this for quite awhile.  ↓↓↓↓↓

I knew that I didn't want to frame this piece, but I wasn't sure what I did want to do with it.  However, in recent months I have been very inspired by my stitching friends Arlene at Nanaland and Sandy at
I Majored in Home Economics.  I saw a piece that Arlene had finished by using a clipboard and burlap, and was intrigued.  But this piece is unusually long and narrow, and I wasn't sure if that technique would work. 

During my cleaning and decluttering at my parents' home, I came upon a longer-than-usual clipboard.  An idea began to form in my mind and I thought that this December sampler might look very nice with homespun behind it, and I had some homespun in my stash.  After consulting with Arlene and getting some technical advice, I was ready to finish the piece, but lacked the time.  I finished it today and am very pleased with how it turned out!

The above photo is taken with the piece lying flat on a table so you can see more of the clipboard.  The photo at top of post is taken with the piece hanging on the wood-shingled wall in our front hallway.  What fun to have finished this to display in December!

October Rudolph Day (lakeside edition!)

 Obviously, October 25 would have been Rudolph Day for this month.  I was pretty busy that day (Wednesday) and decided to postpone any Christmas-related activities until the weekend when things would be quieter.

And they were indeed much quieter!  Although Mr. T and I were off on a brief getaway to our favorite northern lake, I did manage a little Christmas crafting time on Saturday.

The day was glorious.  Simply glorious.  Sunny, bright, and warm.  Even though it was the end of October, Mr. T and I had prayed for good weather -- sun, and temperatures warm enough to allow sitting on the dock.  God certainly answered our prayers.  Friday had some temps warm enough for dock-sitting too, but it was extremely breezy and not a day to try and do any crafting out there.

But Saturday ... now, that was definitely a day for outdoor crafting.  First, I sat on the dock for awhile and worked on this cross-stitched cardinal Christmas ornament.

Then I decided to put some time into my cross-stitched "Snow Angels" which is a UFO of many years' standing.  This project is done on 18-count Aida, not a favorite of my aging eyes.  Although not technically a Christmas project, the brilliant sunlight there on the dock was perfect for working on this challenging scene.

This is one of those projects that I work on so seldom, I have to figure out where I am each time.  There is so much shading in here that I find it really difficult.  Even though I try and mark my place with washi tape -- and that seemed to work very well for awhile -- I still struggle to figure out how to pick up where I left off. 

Took the Snow Angels photos back at home.  Sorry this is so blurry.

This time, after a few frustrating minutes, I decided to work on the sky, which is done with fairly large amounts of the color I had threaded in the needle already.  That worked very well and I was able to accomplish quite a bit.  It's the very pale sky blue that you can barely see.

It actually got too warm sitting there in the sun after awhile.  I ended up moving to a nearby picnic table which was still sunny, but not too hot, and still in view of the glorious sights and sounds of the lake.  What a beautiful place to stitch!

Although I didn't accomplish a large amount of crafting on this Rudolph Day, I must say it was one of my favorite Rudolph Days this year.  So thankful to be stitching beside the lake on this gorgeous October Saturday!

A couple of pretty 1970s cards

This card features both knitting and embroidery.

 First, I'd like to thank all of my readers and blog friends who stopped by to visit my Christmas kitchen during Christmas in July!  It was a great mental health booster for me to spend that time in my Christmas kitchen, and I'm thankful for all of you who visited and left comments.  So thank you!  Now, to the topic at hand ...

I may be all wrong about this, but from my limited observations of greeting cards in recent decades, it seems that the 1970s -- as the United States approached and then observed its bicentennial, were a time to re-emphasize traditional handcrafts.  A number of the cards I've seen from the 70s reflect this.  Here are a couple of examples I've recently found.

The mitten card at the top of the post features a knitted mitten embellished with embroidery.  To me it looks as if the mitten may have been sewed from a repurposed sweater.  A veritable sampler of embroidery stitches adorn the mitten, from simple cross stitches and chain stitch on the cuff, to satin, chain, and straight stitches, plus French knots, on the hand part of the mitten.  I like the design of poinsettias, holly, and snowflakes and am thinking it was no small challenge to stitch these on the cable-knitted mitten.  Very unique and pretty.

This one features embroidery and applique.

Then I also found the card above.  This one has applique beautifully embellished with embroidery, and features a cross-stitch border around the edge of the design.  If you'd like to see more of the detail, remember that you can double-click on the picture to enlarge it.  I love the sprigs of fir and holly (especially the fir) tucked in with the poinsettias.  How I'd love to duplicate this!  But I have so many want-to-make projects already that this one probably won't get done anytime soon.  Maybe I will frame the card and enjoy it that way.  We will see!

A finished project with a December theme

This is a scan, so it's not as nice to look at as a photo.  But it was easier!

I posted this scan of my finished "December" sampler on my regular blog, but just had to put it here too, since it's appropriately Christmasy.  I know that not everyone reads both of my blogs -- there are some who only visit this one.  So, for their information, I am posting this here as well.  For those who might be interested, it's the "December" chart by The Prairie Schooler.  I'm happy to have finished it.  Now, to figure out framing ...

Rudolph Day for September

Isn't this so pretty?  It's a cross-stitched  effect from a "calendar" card from the 1960s or 1970s -- I'm guessing the latter.  My scan is so detailed that I could actually make a cross-stitch from this design if I so chose.

Unbelievably, Rudolph Day for September is here!  Do not ask me where the time has gone.  I have been so busy, mostly with spending part of time each day out of the house for eldercare responsibilities.  I had a simple, simple gift tag project (involving hot glue, some embellishments, and silver thread) planned for August -- I estimated it would probably only take about 15 minutes to make a dozen tags.  Well, somehow I didn't even find fifteen extra minutes.  How lame.

So when I thought about Rudolph Day coming up again this week, I thought that of course I would complete that project today.  It's not happening...

Instead, I decided I would at least crack open the door to the Christmas Kitchen and just give a quick little update.  In view of how busy my life has become,  I'm planning just one handcrafted gift per grandchild this year ... very simple projects, all using the same pattern but different themes.  We will see  how that goes.  I'm finding that some of the components aren't as easy to locate as they used to be, but have bought some online and am almost ready to start on the first gift.  (I don't want to be more specific, as some of the recipients (or their moms!) read my blog. 

Guess I'd better close the kitchen door and order some more materials now.  Hope all of you are having a more productive Rudolph Day than I am!

How to finish a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, #3

Here it is -- how to finish a cross stitch ornament #3.  I saved the most difficult finish for last -- framing with fabric -- and it is not very difficult at all, though it does involve the use of a sewing machine.  If you can sew a straight line and turn corners, you have all the skills you need to sew this ornament.

If you have never tried framing stitchery with fabric, it's very easy.  You can either use the same fabric for all four sides, or two different ones as I did.  Obviously, you will want to choose colors that complement those in your design.

To begin, just measure your finished stitchery horizontally and note down the width of it. 

Also figure out how wide you want your "frame" to be.  (For something this small, I thought an inch would be about as wide as I wanted to go.)  Plan on a half-inch total seam allowance and cut your top and bottom frame pieces accordingly.  (Don't cut the side pieces yet!)   For example, my stitchery is was 4 inches wide, and I wanted a 1" frame, so I added 1" for the frame and a total seam allowance of 1/2", and cut the top and bottom frame pieces 4 by 1-1/2 inches. 

Pin and sew your top and bottom frame pieces to the top and bottom of the stitchery, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Press the seam toward the frame pieces.  Press on the right side too.  Trim off any frame edges that don't line up with your stitched piece.

Now for the side pieces.  You will measure vertically now, the length of the stitchery which has now become greater because of the top and bottom frame pieces you sewed to it.  Again, add the desired width for your frame (1" in my case) to your 1/2" total seam allowances.  I cut my side pieces 5" by 1- 1/2".)

  Again, pin and sew the side pieces in place along each side of the stitchery/frame piece, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Press the seams toward the side frame pieces.  Press on the right side too and again trim off any frame edges that don't line up with your stitched piece.

Now you will make a backing piece for your stitchery.  You can either use fabric that matches your frame, or a solid color like red or green.  Simply measure the finished piece, with its frame stitched in place and pressed,  and cut a matching piece to use for the backing.  (In my case, that meant a rectangle 5" by 5 1/2".) 

Sew the two pieces together with right sides facing, using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving a 2-inch opening for turning.  Turn right side out, press neatly, and then stitch around the finished piece about 1/8" from the edge, which will sew the opening closed. and will give a nice finished look to the ornament.

I could have sewed a loop of ribbon or metallic cord in place when sewing the front and back of the ornament together, but I decided it would be simpler to just thread a needle with cord (I used green crochet thread) and pierce the top center of the ornament, then tie the ends of the cord together and trim the ends neatly.

And there you have it!  It probably took me a lot longer to type this (trying to be very clear with my instructions) than it will take you to assemble your finished ornament!

How to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, method #2

 Here is how to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, method #2!

This is quite easy, being mostly done with hot glue and a few other simple items.  It is a little harder than just popping it in a frame as in finish #1.

You will need:
* Scissors
* Ruler and pencil
*Poster board or cardboard (I like to use the shiny metallic back of a recycled Christmas card.)
* Glue gun and glue sticks
* Glittery Christmas trim or rickrack
* Metallic cord for hanging

In addition to your finished stitchery.
Start by trimming your finished stitchery so that it is a nice even size and has at least 1/4" to 1/2" of unstitched area around the design.  Measure your trimmed stitchery piece, and cut a piece of cardboard or posterboard to the exact same size.

Cut a small piece (maybe 2 to 3 inches) of metallic cord to make a hanging loop.   Place  the cardboard square wrong side up on your work surface.  Fold the metallic cord in half, and glue the ends of it to the top part of your cardboard square, letting the loop part extend above the square so it forms a hanger for your ornament.  (If you prefer, you can simply glue the ends of the loop to the back of the ornament, but it doesn't look quite as neat from the back.)

Now, take your stitched ornament piece and glue it, wrong side down, over the glued cord ends, matching the stitchery and the cardboard piece as evenly and neatly as possible.

Lastly, you are going to cover the raw edges of your stitchery with the glittery Christmas trim, braid, or rickrack.  Probably the easiest way is to cut the top and bottom pieces and glue them neatly in place.  Then, when those are in place, cut the side pieces and glue them neatly in place as well, paying special attention to the corners where the pieces of trim come together.

You are finished!  I've finished off many cross stitch ornaments this way, and they are quick and easy to do.

If you wanted a more rustic look, you could back the ornament with cardboard and glue twigs around the edge instead of the metallic trim, using twine or jute for the hanging loop.

I must say, though, that the quick and easy frame method #1 is my personal favorite way to finish off  a cross stitch ornament.  The method I've shown here is quick and inexpensive, but the purchased frame is more foolproof.  

Whatever method you choose, I hope you will try making some cross-stitch ornaments this Christmas.  So much fun!

How to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, #1

Years ago I used to love making cross-stitched ornaments, and have made many over time.  This past winter I stitched up a couple of simple designs, but hadn't finished them off.  I decided to do so in time to share for Christmas in July.  I'm planning to share three simple ways to finish off a cross-stitch ornament, and will start with the simplest -- just popping it into a frame.

Here is the ornament before anything was done to it.

            I may have mentioned that I'm in the process of clearing out some unneeded items at my dad's house.  I'm finding many craft items  from both my mother's and my sister's stashes.  I came upon some brand new frames just perfect for  ornaments.  There was a red one and a green one, among others. 

Obviously, in framing your ornament, you want to use a color that echoes or complements the colors in your design.   I chose the green  because I wanted to point up the green lettering, and felt that the red would be just too much red.  With this type of frame, all you do is snap off the back, trim your stitchery to fit the frame, and snap it in place.  So easy!

I wish I had taken a picture of it at that point, unembellished.  I decided that it needed something more, and thought I would add a snip of red ribbon and a jingle bell.  But in looking through my box of embellishments, I found a package of these pre-made red bows.  You can't really see in the photo, but the print on this ribbon is musical.  Perfect!  And there are some green touches to the print as well.  I tried threading a jingle bell onto the bow, but it wasn't working out.  I had been thinking all along it might be fun to attach real jingle bells to the stitched bell strap, but was afraid it might be too much.  Now I decided it would be just the touch that was needed.  So I took the stitchery out again and sewed the real bells in place before re-framing it.                                           

I think it came out really cute.  And it was so easy!

Stay tuned for methods #2 and #3 later in July ...

I'm dreaming ....

Photo by The Stitchery

... of cross-stitching this gorgeous Snowy Village Table Runner.
 
This week, I received a catalog from The Stitchery, a place where I have spent many dollars in years past.  I glanced through it while eating lunch and found it to be a place where I could still spend time and money, given the opportunity.

I completely fell in love with this table runner, which is a Stitchery Exclusive ... meaning it is not sold elsewhere.  (Incidentally, there is a tablecloth with a similar design -- the village motif is on all four sides.  But a table runner works better for our table.)  I showed the picture to my husband.  I will give Mr. T credit; he did not blanch at the price.  But he did mention he thought it would be a time-consuming project; I believe his comment was something along the line of "it would take you the rest of your life to finish that."

I know he's right, but still I find myself dreaming of a Snowy Village.

The joy of handcrafting for Christmas

A lovely handmade pin made by my friend Ruth

Few things bring me more joy than sitting at my sewing machine or my little crafting desk and creating a gift or decoration for my own home or for someone I love.  At such times I feel perfectly content.  It's even nicer if I have a cup of Candy Cane Lane tea at hand and the snow is falling outside the window!

Some time ago, I read a lovely post on The Legacy of Handmade by Myra at My Blessed Life.  I have been meaning to share the link here ever since, because Myra's post captures much of what I feel about handcrafting gifts.


My handmade gifts are not perfect, but I hope they will be a blessing to the recipients and will become heirlooms of a sort.   I hope too that they will inspire others -- especially my children and grandchildren -- to continue the joyous tradition of handcrafting gifts for others.

Christmas in July!

Today is July 25, Christmas in July!

This year I was blessed to be able to take part in a Christmas in July gift exchange at a Christmas crafting forum I frequent. I just finished opening up the parcel my Canadian friend Fuchsia sent me and thought it would be fun to share the contents here.

Wish I had thought to take a photo when I first opened the package. But here it is with only some of the items opened. Festive!

Fuchsia even included some shiny red jingle bells to make the package sound like Christmas even before I opened it.

Here is the lovely Christmas card she made. Now I need to find out how she did this.

Hot apple cider sets the Christmas mood.

These fabulous butter cookies will be wonderful with cider. (And now I need the recipe!)

This beautifully handmade stocking

was stuffed with a candy cane, gift bags with snowman closures,

and these sparkly Christmas light bulb ornaments!

Another view of the pretty magnets.

This gives you an idea of how beautifully each gift was wrapped.

Aren't these note cards gorgeous?

What a fun cross stitch! (My kitchen and dining room have a strawberry theme.)

I've saved the very best for last. Fuchsia is an expert at making these glittery little putz houses.

When I found out we were to be CIJ swap partners, I was so hoping to get one of these. And I was not disappointed! This yellow and blue house is so lovely ... and I love the little snowman in the front yard.

Thank you, Fuchsia, for all of these thoughtful, generous gifts! Merry, merry Christmas in July!

A wintry wall hanging

Here is a UFO [unfinished object] of long standing, which I managed to complete last evening! I have long enjoyed the art of D. Morgan, and this cross-stitch pattern is one of her designs. I loved the sentiment and the little picture and started working on this last winter. It was sort of a make-do project from the beginning. I had a country blue Aida on hand, but it wasn't exactly the blue the pattern called for. I used it anyway. I finished the stitching of this piece some months ago but hadn't decided for sure how to frame it. The long narrow design would require a custom frame, an expenditure I didn't want to make for such a casual project. A friend suggested framing it in fabric, which is something I've done with other similar pieces. I've been stalling around all this time because I didn't have the perfect fabric to frame it with. If you can't read the poem, this is what it says: 

The way is long,
The air is cold,
But -- my heart is warm
Because -- in a few moments ...
I'll be home.

I finally decided to use scraps from an old flannel shirt of my dad's for the "frame". It would add to the sentimental tone of the design even if the blues didn't match exactly. I had planned to embellish this with some glittery snowflakes, but evidently I had used them all up on photo ornaments a few years back. Need to get some more! But I did find 2 matching snowflake trims that I could use. I hand-sewed a length of wide bias tape to the back of this for a casing, and used a dowel from an old calendar towel, slipping white cord into each end to hang it by. I do apologize for the sort of skewed look in the photos. I took them quickly, all with the wall hanging in place on the wall. But I love the sentiment of this design. It speaks to me not only of the warmth and security of my own home on a wintry day, but also of the cold, blustery storms of life and the fact that I am on my way Home to heaven.