Handprint - Rose Garden - Happy Dance!!

 I completed the project on September 19. The day before the baby was due. She wasn't born until September 29. I delivered all of my handmade gifts October 3.

I framed the project with a simple white frame. 

I also made a baby card, 

ornament, 

front

back

and paper purse to hold the ornament using my Cricut Maker 3.

front

back

I had a lot of fun making items in pink. My gifts are not perfect, but neither am I. I'm still learning how to work with vinyl on ornaments. I prefer paper crafts (cards). 

December - FFG

 

Thank you Rachel at the Ten Hour Stitcher for hosting this SAL.

I stitched these 2 snowmen ornaments months ago. I fully finished them last month. The one on the left (pink & blue scarf) was mailed this week in a Christmas card to a video game friend in OHIO. I wanted an ornament that was flat to mail. The one on the right will go to my son Jordyn and daughter-in-law Sarah. I have given them an ornament every year since they met in 2014.

Snowmen Christmas ornaments

I was finally able to finish the Handprints - Woodland Animals project with baby info. Henry was born on August 17 (only 3 days late). Here is a photo to see how the fabric will look with it the wood frame.  I still need to frame it properly, this was just to check the colour. The love how the frame matches the colours of the raccoon.

In the meantime, I have stitched 2 snowman ornaments.  I have stitched this pattern in the past. I will mail one to a friend in OHIO (keep the 2nd one for a backup sometime), that is why I decided on this design because the ornament is flatter than most. You layer the 3 snowballs on top of each other. 

I’ll try and build them for next months FFG along with assembling 5 mice.

Here is the link to the last time I stitched this snowman.  https://colourfulcrossstitches.blogspot.com/2016/09/snowman-ornament-happy-dance.html

I have been going through some of my old cross stitch magazines looking for some new projects.  Here are 5 I have chosen. 2 lighthouses for our ensuite bathroom and 3 garden scenes will go somewhere else in our house.

Lighthouses - Just Cross Stitch June 2001. I will be using 28ct Jobelan Bablingbrook (leftover fabric from Snowman Wisdom shown below). 

Lighthouse - At Home on the Point (5x7)
Lighthouse - Rounding the Point (5x7)

In the Garden - Cross Stitch & Country Craft magazines (1988). I will use 28ct white evenweave for all 3 garden scenes.

Colonial Garden (7 1/2 x 5)

Victorian Garden (7 1/2 x 5)

Country Garden (7 1/2 x 5)

These should keep me busy for the rest of 2023 and early 2024.

Fully Finished Gallery #7

I’m not sure where the time has gone, summer is almost over.  I have not stitched all over the summer.  Every day I spent swimming at my friend Lisa’s house.  This is the last week of fun because Lisa (SK teacher) will be back in the classroom next week getting ready for school to begin the day after Labour Day.  

I started finishing some ornaments at the beginning of the month, but didn’t finish them in time for the check in on August 10.  I finished the last one this morning and thought I’d share them anyways.  Nothing too exciting, but I’m happy to cross off 6 more from my list.

The first 3 ornaments are all finished with a green felt on the back.  This one is a Dragon Dreams ornament from a 2012 Christmas magazine which I stitched in 2016.

This one is from the Omni Book of Exotic Pets.  I stitched it in 2006.  It was supposed to hang beside our turtle tank for our pet turtle Frodo.  I never finished it.  She passed away last year (March 2018 from pneumonia).  Frodo was 12 years old.  I will hang it on my Christmas tree as a tribute to Frodo.

I think this one is a Sue Hillis Design.  It was in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament 2008.  I stitched it in 2013.

This one I stitched in 2005 from the Cross Stitch Christmas 1992.  One of the few times I have stitched on linen (not my favourite).  I used red felt for the back of this ornament.

This ornament is purple because it is my favourite colour.  I used left over cording I made for an ornament last Christmas.  I also backed it with purple fabric.  This pattern is from the book called Sam Hawkins 520 Christmas Cross Stitch Designs.  I stitched this in 2002.

Here is the back showing the purple fabric.

Here is the last ornament of Jack Skellington’s face.  This was a free design I found online.  I stitched this in 2015 for my youngest sister Denise.  She loves The Nightmare Before Christmas.  I used a black felt for the back so it would match with the front design. 

Cardinal Tweet (again)

Last night I started another small Just Nan project.

I stitched this quite awhile ago, but gave it to a co-worker.  I always knew I’d stitch it again for myself.  I don’t have all the same items (beads, wire tail) that were in the original kit, but I’m sure I can find something to substitute them with.  This pattern is so small I am using a scrap piece of 28ct mushroom evenweave from another Just Nan mouse project.

 I also found this online, someone used the cardinal chart to make a blue jay.  I’d like to make one of those as well.

Fully Finished Gallery SAL #3

I am a day late on this SAL, everyone else started showing their Fully Finished Gallery yesterday.  If you haven’t heard of this SAL, go over to see Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher for all the details.  Thanks again Rachel for hosting this SAL, it has encouraged me to finish several things this year.

Just Nan’s Gingerbread Angel.  I finished stitching this one August 1, 2016.

I actually assembled it last month, but forgot to include it with the other ones.

Freebie from Charles Craft (not available anymore).  I stitched this way back in 2008.  

Snowman Front 

Snowman back

This one I stitched so long ago (2008).  I absolutely love the colours, the sparkly DMC metallic white floss.  They recommended stitching it on vinyl aida.  I of course prefer to stitch on 28ct evenweave.  I tried so many times to assemble it, but the shape is so tight when you try to sew it together (front to back like a biscornu) it doesn’t work.  It didn’t help that I cut it so close to the shape of the snowman.  I finally decided to stitch an extra skinny piece and make it like a mattress.  I think that is why it is called a mattress pincushion.  It still took a lot of fiddling, but I’m happy with the results.  I will hang it on my Christmas tree each year to remind me how much time and love went into finishing it!!







And finally a Just Nan Holly Bows.  I finished it into a pillow.  I like this finishing technique because you don’t need another piece of fabric.

Christmas ornaments I made in 2018

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I made 14 ornaments.  I will now show photos and tell you what DMC colours I used.

Samantha loves purple as much as I do so her ornament had to be purple.  She is married to Rob and they have 4 cats.  I made a cube ornament on 28ct Lavender Lugana.  I made the cording with DMC 3887 purple floss and DMC 52 variations purple floss using the Kreinik corder.  I had so much fun making this one using different patterns I found in my books or online.  I also signed it with my initials and date.  I LOVE how it turned out! I think I will make one for my son Jordyn and his fiancé Sarah sometime but in red and/or blue.

Kristine loves pink.  I found the pattern on line, but I changed the arrangement so the second side wouldn’t look exactly the same and I added my initials and date.  I don’t like how it lost it’s shape when I assembled it into an ornament.  I only made the one because it took too much time to make.  It was stitched on 28ct white Lugana using DMC 315 floss.  I made the cording using DMC 99 pink variation floss and DMC E316 pink metallic.

Jaimie also likes pink, but I didn’t want them to look exact.  I found an ornament that didn’t take as much time to stitch.  This one I created the pattern as I stitched, that is why the center isn’t square, but no one else will notice after it was assembled.  Cording was made from the same DMC 315 pink floss in ornament and DMC 316 pink metallic floss. 

Jaimie is a single mom to an 8 year old girl named Avery.  As you can see I made 2 smaller ornaments.  I gave one to Avery and I kept the other one for my tree.  I stitched both on 28ct white evenweave.  Cording was made from DMC green floss 319, 367, 369 and DMC E699 green metallic floss.

Nathan also got the same shaped ornament as Jaimie but in red.  I stitched it in red because it is a Christmas colour.  I created this pattern myself and signed it with my initials and date.  I stitched it on 28ct white evenweave using DMC 321 red floss and DMC E321 red metallic floss.

Patricia loves blue so I knew what colour to use.  I found a pattern online that I liked.  Both sides are supposed to be the same but I made the front with 3 shades of blue and the back with only 2 shades.  I signed the back with my initials and date.  I’m not happy that it didn’t keep it’s shape when I assembled it into the ornament.  I stitched it on 28ct white evenweave using DMC 825, 813 & 827 floss.  Cording was made using DMC 121 variations floss and DMC 824 floss.

Sue - I didn’t know what colour was her favourite.  I really like humbug patterns and wanted to stitch it.  By the time I was finished I knew it would be perfect for Sue.  I stitched this on 28ct blue linen using DMC 825 floss.  Cording is made with DMC 825 blue floss and DMC E825 blue metallic floss.

David I stitched 2 squares (modified from a pattern found online) and sewed them together and shaped it like a bell.  I added some beads and a bell.  It was a little bulky when you have 6 layers in the corners (2 squares and trim on 2 sides of each corner).  I only made the one using DMC 3848 & 3849 floss.  Cording was made using DMC 3848 floss and DMC E3849 metallic floss.

Melanie loves purple and I already stitched a purple ornament in June but still needed to be assembled.  After I figured out how to assemble it, it became my last minute ornaments to stitch.  I LOVED how this pendible ornament turned out, I will be making another one for myself this year.  I stitched it on 28ct white Lugana using DMC 211.  Cording is made from DMC 211 floss and DMC E211 metallic floss.  I forgot to sign it when I stitched it, but I added my initials and date after it was assembled.  It was harder to do, but not impossible.

Jim got a red pendible ornament because it was easy to make at the last minute.  I stitched this pattern on 28ct white Lugana using DMC 321 floss.  Cording was made with DMC 321 floss and DMC E321 metallic floss.  I used the same squares in a row like the purple one for Melanie above, but the rest is my own creation.

Chris also got a pendible ornament because it was easy to make at the last minute.  I stitched his on 28ct white Lugana using DMC 3886 floss.  Cording is made from DMC 3886 floss and DMC E718 metallic floss.  The pattern is the same one I used above for Jim.  I made Chris’ this colour because he lives with his wife and 3 daughters, so I figured their tree would be more feminine.

Adam I made another pendible ornament but in blue.  I found a pattern in one of my magazines for a corner motif which I used for the front of the ornament, but the back I used the same small snowflake from Melanie’s purple pattern above.  This was stitched on 28ct blue linen (like Sue’s ornament) using DMC 825 floss.  Cording is made from DMC 825 floss and DMC E825 metallic floss.

I was worried I needed more ornaments so I stitched an extra one in red and green.  This pattern is another one of my creations, it is similar to Jim & Chris’ ornament.  I stitched it on 28ct white Lugana using DMC 321 & 319 floss.  Cording was made using DMC E321 & E699 metallic floss.