Advent Blog Hop - 8th December

The Advent Blog Hop is again hosted by Jo, Serendipitous Stitching. There is an entry for each day up to and including the 24th December. Pop over to Jo's blog for the list of participants.

My winter/Christmas themed stitching that I'm sharing today is a Christmas Robin. This was due to be completed as an envelope but due to my miscalculations it's larger than that. I'm thinking of finishing it as a mounted flat-fold ornament. That won't happen until I find the safe place that I put it!

A Robin's Christmas - Lynne Nicoletti

Fabric: 28ct pale blue linen

Threads and beads: Recommended DMC and Wisper threads, Mill Hill beads

This year Jo asked us to share our favourite Santa traditions from our family or local area. The main thing I remember about Santa was that he came down the chimney in our bedroom (it is an old farmhouse) and left our toys at the foot of the bed. We were told that if we ever saw Santa delivering our presents that would be the final time he would visit us. Needless to say that left us with the quandary of who would risk getting out of bed during the night to see if our presents had been delivered. Someone usually did and we learnt in later years that we were usually awake not long after Santa had visited.

One summer there was great excitement when the chimney was cleaned and a small soft toy duck fell down it. As children we were convinced that it fell out of Santa's sack when he was leaving us the Christmas before. The mystery of how that unknown toy ended up there has never solved.

Enjoy your month of December.

Advent Calendar Blog Hop 2022

Sorry, I've just discovered that this blog post disappeared. I wondered why I received just one comment. I hope it stays up this time

I might not have been stitching recently but I didn't want to miss Jo's Advent Blog Hop. Each person taking part posts a photo of something we have stitched with a Christmas or Winter theme. In addition we answer a question which this year is "What's for Afters?", otherwise known as dessert.

Jo has listed this year's participants for each day here. Day 3 will be from Clare at Aimetu's Stitching.

My photo is a small Christmas ornament called Joy Ambigram by Meg Shinall of The Flower Thread Company. This design features in The Gift of Stitching, Issue 69, November 2011. The fact that the word "Joy" in the design is an ambigram (can be read right-side-up or upside down) appealed.

Joy Ambigram - Meg Shinall, The Flower Thread Company

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart White Linen

Threads: DMC - Blanc; Carrie's Creation - Frosty Pine, Colonial Red

Growing up we always had a choice of 'After's' on Christmas Day. It was either Christmas Pudding with custard or Sherry Trifle with whipped cream. I usually chose the Christmas Pudding and had my Sherry Trifle in the evening. As Christmas Pudding isn't a 'thing' in France, I settle for keeping the tradition going with Sherry Trifle and the second choice of dessert is a butter cream chocolate Buche Noel.

2021 Advent Calendar Blog Hop Day 13

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching is hosting her annual Advent Calendar Blog Hop. The theme this year is Christmas trees, our traditions, ornaments and whether we are a Star or Angel household when it comes to a tree topper. The links to this year's participants can be found here. Today it is my turn to share some Christmas tree memories and some Christmas stitching.

Since this year's theme is Christmas trees, I had to stitch this tree design.

Christmas Tree Sock Hop - Fresh Threads Studio,

Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2011

Fabric: 28ct The Craft Kitten Dawnblush Lugano

Threads: Suggested DMC but substituted DMC 958 for DMC 3812

and Soie d'Alger 2114 for DMC 907

We don't tend to take a photo of our Christmas tree and since we put it up the final weekend before Christmas, it is still sitting in its box. As we put it up so late, it comes down on the Epiphany.

You've probably guessed with my reference to box that we put up an artificial tree. This year we are putting up a new tree as last year's had got so old and droopy. It had been in use for 25 years so it doesn't owe us anything. Our tree is topped with a star.

When I was a child we always had a real tree topped with an angel, but once Santa stopped coming my parents bought an artificial one. We had beautiful glass ornaments and I always made sure that I was the one who put up the bell. I looked forward to the day it would be given to me to hang on my own tree. Sadly during the late 1980's someone dropped the box when taking it out out of the loft and virtually all the ornaments were broken, including 'my' bell.

As a result our Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments that my husband and I have bought together over the years. We tend to buy to buy a Christmas ornament when on holiday so for example, we have Santa on a San Francisco tram, Father Christmas climbing the Eiffel tower, Murano glass from Venice and wooden ornaments from Oberammergau. This means that decorating our tree can be a slow task as there are many pauses prefaced by "Do you remember when ..."

All the Christmas/Winter ornaments that I have received in crossstitch exchanges over the years are hung from a garland which hangs behind our television. That way I can easily admire them every day that they are up. The current year's exchange ornament is always hung in the centre.

Have a happy Advent season as we progress towards Christmas day.

2020 Advent Calendar Blog Hop

It's the fourth day in Jo's advent blog hop.

My Christmas stitching that I'd like to share today is this Christmas tree. I love the effect of the variegated thread in this design.

Christmas Tree Ornament - Debbie Draper Designs (Gift of Stitching, Dec 2007)

Fabric: 40ct Zweigart white linen

Thread: Crescent Colors Bing Cherry. Cording in DMC 3685

Jo asked us to think about Christmas books that we enjoy. I don't have a 'go to' Christmas read but as a child I always looked forward to Christmas as Santa would leave me a Christmas Annual of my then favourite weekly comic. I think the first one I received was Bunty. This weekly magazine comprised of several short comic-strip stories, broken up by letters pages, competitions, featured readers, puzzle pages, promotions, next-week previews or advertisements. The back page initially featured a cut-out doll and paper clothes. I loved that.  As I got older, my tastes changed and my favourite weekly comic became Tina, later called Princess Tina as it and Princess magazine merged. The contents were broadly similar to Bunty but for a young teen audience. Of course these are now out of print.

 

Check back to Jo's blog to find out who has/is posting on each day in December. 

Online Advent Blog Hop - 7 December

I'm taking part in Jo of Serendipitous Stitching's advent blog hop. This link will take you to all those taking part.

The Christmas design I wish to share with you today is the one that got me back into cross-stitch when I stopped working full time. It is Victoria Sampler's Jingle Bells Christmas Tree Farm. I fell in love with this design and had to have it. It was stitched quickly as I wasn't busy with other craft projects as I am now.

Jingle Bells Christmas Tree Farm - Victoria Sampler

Fabric: Zweigart 28ct Smokey Pearl linen

Threads: VS Accessory Pack

The theme of this year's Advent Blog Hop is "My favourite Christmas Song". It was hard selecting one but in the end I opted for a more modern song. I use the word 'modern' loosely as 'Fairytale of New York' from the Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl was released in 1987, reaching number 2 in the UK singles chart. My favourite lines from the song are:

"I can see a better time

When all our dreams come true".

which I think captures the hope that many of us feel at this time of year.

I hope you enjoy listening to it.

'Fairytale of New York' - The Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl