January Christmas Ornament

Again this year I am taking part in the Christmas Ornament SAL and this year I hope to finish it. As every year, there are 3 options proposed for the monthly themes: 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas carols and Just Cross Stitch magazine. As I already did one project of the 12 days of Christmas and I am not fan of the Christmas carols, I went with the Just Cross Stitch magazine choice. For this month we need to choose something published in the Christmas issue 2016. I chose a design called Shining and Bright designed by Nancy Wahler of Faithwurks Design.

I stitched it over 14 count cream Aida fabric using DMC threads 321 and 910. Original design is having Mill Hill beads but as I have lots of beads from when I used to do earring I used those beads better than spending money in a lot of Mill Hill to use only few. I need to make economies.

Because of my broken wrist, I stitched it but didn't finished. I will update the post once I finished it. It took me 3 and a half hours to complete the design.

Update

I finished my January's ornament.

January Halloween Ornie

This is the first time I take part in the Halloween Ornie SAL. The idea of this SAL is to make a Halloween ornament each month related with the proposed theme (there is a proposed theme each month). I decided to stitch some of the patterns published in my collection of special issues of Journal Cross Stitch magazine, there are lot of things I want to do and that is a very good opportunity to do them. So let's go with the January ornament.

I need to mention that because of my broken wrist I could manage to do the embroidery part, but to fully finish the ornament, it will need to wait until my plaster is off and my wrist with mobility enough.

January theme is Pumpkin. I chose a design published in the Halloween special issue of Journal of Cross Stitch 2018. The pattern name is Pumpkin Pie and it is designed by Jennifer Rodriguez of Always Time to Stitch. It is stitched on Aida 14 count in cream colour with DMC threads 310, 471 and 721.

I will update the post once I finish my Pumpkin Pie.

Update

I finished my January's ornament.

Spring Dreamcatcher

One of the projects I want to stitch this year is a set of dreamcatchers, one dreamcatcher for each one of the seasons. I love dreamcatchers and the story behind them.

Long ago, when the world was young, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain. On the mountain, he had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi - the great trickster and teacher of wisdom - appeared in the form of a spider.

Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. Only spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand. As Iktomi spoke, he took the elder's willow hoop - which had feathers, horse hair, beads and offerings on it - and began to spin a web.

He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life and how we begin our lives as infants. We then move on to childhood and in to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, thus, completing the cycle.

"But," Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, "in each time of life there are many forces - some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they will hurt you and steer you in the wrong direction."

He continued, "There are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings."

All while the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web ... starting from the outside and working toward the center. When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the Lakota elder the web and said, "See, the web is a perfect circle, but there is a hole in the center of the circle."

"Use the web to help yourself and your people ... to reach your goals and make use of your people's ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your good ideas, and the bad ones will go through the hole." (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

The Lakota elder passed his vision on to his people. Now, the Sioux use the dreamcatchers as the web of their life. Traditionally, it is hung above their beds or in their homes to sift their dreams and visions. Good dreams are captured in the web of life and carried with them ... but the evil dreams escape through the center's hole and are no longer part of them. (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

Lakota believe the dreamcatcher holds the destiny of their future.

Obtained from historical documents and believed to be public domain.

  

I have few dreamcatcher at home, including one on my bedroom door and other over my bed headboard. But it was a longtime I wanted to stitch one. When I saw this pattern in Etsy I thought that 4 is better than one and I bought it thinking to stitch them separately to display the corresponding to the season of the year.

But once I had the pattern I though that is was going to be better if I stitch all together and it is like that I am doing them. I chose for that design my favourite cross stitch fabric, 18 count Aida rustic oatmeal and I used the DMC called for colours. It is true that for the net part you should be very attentive as it is very easy make a mistake, but in general it is easy and quick to do. I finished it in couple of afternoon, around an overall of 8 hours.

Next one, corresponding to the summer, will wait for sometime as I have spring parts of other season projects I want to finish before starting with the summer projects.

This post will be linked in TO DO Tuesday linky party hosted by Stitch All The Things

Hearts and More Hearts

Valentine's Day is approaching and even if I am not in couple at this moment I became a bit contagious with the hearts. Wherever you look now you are going to see only teddy bears and hearts, lots of hearts in many different materials and price. You can buy hearts in felt, rubber, candies,.....

I was this weekend working on hearts also and I did them for different reasons and with different purpose. I cannot say what is the reason I did each one because I want to keep it surprise for the person receiving but I can tell you that I did one for a Saint Valentine Swap in a Spanish embroidery group I take part from several years, other is for a blog hop, other is part of a year project and the other just because I wanted to make them.

One of them is knitted. It is fairly easy to make and I used for it white wool with pale blue wool to sew it together. A button in the centre serves as decoration.

For the second one I followed a pattern which appear in the magazine Cross Stitcher, issue 340. It uses one of the "new" DMC threads (not that new as the came to market last year). It is small but cute.

Next one was planned to be stitched last year as part of the project a sachet per month but I finally didn't have time. It is a Vervaco design and it is supposed to be a sachet. I still need to wash it and fill it with lavender or whatever,m but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to show it together with the others.

The one I am going to show now is part of a pattern collection proposed by the magazine Cross Stitcher. Each 2019 issue will be giving a flower corresponding to the month the issue is coming. That is the first one of the collection and it is a snowdrop. That is the first flower to appear as winter turns to spring. This flower signifies hope and beauty and with the carnation, is the birth flower of January. I finished it following the magazine suggestion.

My last hearts are 4 in one. It is a freebie desig I saw in the blog Tbhe World ~According to Agi. It is stitched in white with pink point 14 count Aida fabric and I framed it in a wooden frame/

That is my heart collection for Valentine's Day. I am going to show a picture where you can see all together. 

Halloween Decoration

How fast the time goes…… It seems that not so long back we were celebrating Christmas and we are already preparing 2018 ones. We have just celebrated Halloween last week. Halloween (or Samhain, depending on what you believe) is one of my favourite (or even I should say my favourite) festivities of the year. After autumn equinox and change to winter time dark time is long, weather start to be chilled and we experience the first frosten. It is the point where you can feel stronger the turn of the wheel of the year. So, as I love that time so much, I invested lot of time in prepare home decoration for that festivity, and I want to share it with you.

During the last couple of months I have been stitching a hooty design from Country Magic Stitch called Halloween Owls. I bought it in Etsy and consists in 12 owls wearing spooky costumes. We have from the witchy owl to the mummy one passing from Frankestein, vampire, ghost, skeleton, devil,.... For that design I chose a green olive 18 ct Aida cloth and used the call for DMC threads. I frame it using a picture frame from the second hand shop and I decorate the frame with Halloween shapes (bat, pumpkin, spider, ghost) made on glitter black, orange and white foam.

Just before doing the owls I stitched a Halloween Unicorn designed by AnnaXStitch. I stitched in 14 count yellow Aida fabric and DMC threads. I framed it using a hoop previously wrapped in black ribbon. I stitched a black ribbon in the side of the design as decoration and use the same black ribbon for hanging.

The next couple of jobs are from the Cross Stitcher issue 336 magazine and I really fell in love with them when I saw. I chose for that design the hateful but beautiful 14 count aida in black. For the spider I used the  glow in the dark thread by DMC with black metallic thread for the spider web. Those two were used also for the 31st October ornament together with the called for DMC threads. I want to write a full post about the glow in the dark thread as I was really impressed with it, I thought it was not going to be that glowy but I was surprised. I framed both ornaments in a flexi hoop (I would like to make a tutorial on how to frame using flexi hoop soon).

To finish this post I would like to show you two pictures that cannot be missed in Halloween, the carved pumpkin and a witchy black cat. She is my beloved Luna, my life companion and my biggest treasure.

Small SAL 2018 - August Check In

I was very delayed with this project. From January to May I did month by month the corresponding sachets. But from May I dedicated more time to my plot and I was delayed with the cross stitch. I am up to date and I have 4 sachets to show.

In May was the turn of a mushroom from Vervaco. It is done in 14 count cream Aida fabric and the threads are mainly red shades. For the back as well as for the ribbon I chose a red colour.

June sachet is a Vervaco design in black and white and represents a butterfly. I did over 14 count Aida white with black and grey shades DMC threads. I used black fabric for the back and a black ribbon.

July sachet is a pink girlish owl. Ok, I need to tell the truth. The original design from Vervaco comes with the word ‘Teeth” written in backstitch and it is suppose to be a sachet for keeping the teeth for the Fairy Teeth. I didn’t embroider the letters and it is perfect for my sachets’ collection. I did it in Aida pink fabric with dark pink for the back and the ribbon.

Finally, August sachet is also a Vervaco design made in grey and black shades, but this time represents a bird. It is done in 18 count Aida marble effect fabric. As for the previous black and white design, I chose black for the back fabric and the ribbon.

My collection is increasing. It is lovely now how they look in the basket I chose for them.

My Easter Decoration

Easter is over other year but I would like to show you what I did for the Easter decoration.

I only decorated my living-room as it is the place where I stay longer. In the window, in a way that you can see from outside, I hanged an Easter biscornu and an Easter Rabbit, both designed by Agnes Palko and given as freebies in her blog The World According to Agi. They are made in typical easter colours and the rabbit is mounted over yellow felt.

 

Together with these two embroideries I made an Easter chickens wreath. I put yellow ribbon around a ring and decorated with small yellow chicks, nests and small eggs. It is easy to do, the most difficult part was to avoid Luna, my beloved cat, take all the chicks as her toys……

For inside I decorated with the two Ostara designs I showed in a previous post and an Easter eggs basket. I painted myself all the eggs (ok, I also painted some of Luna’s hairs) and used some rabbits I has from last year’s Easter. I surrounded the basket with daffodils shape candles as well as by two tea candles, one in white and the other in black, representing the equilibrium of the season. It is quite surprising that the eggs are still there in spite of Luna trying to play with them….. I also prepared a hen which is a cosy egg. As I don't eat eggs I used it as part of the Easter decoration covering a plastic egg.