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.

Happy Christmas 2020

What a year it has been. I hope that next year will be kinder to all of us. In the meantime I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and I will share with you my final Christmas themed stitching for 2020. Only the first of these is fully  finished.

Christmas Lace - Tracy Horner of Ink Circles

Gift of Stitching, Dec. 2007

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Mocha/Mushroom linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

It's Snow Cold - Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Smokey Pearl

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Daschund Through the Snow - Durene Jones

CrossStitcher Nov. 2020

Fabric: 25ct Crafty Kitten Pixie Dust Lugana

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Gifted Gorgeousness and Fully Finished SAL - December 2020

Once again I'm combining two blog events as there is a lot of overlap in what I am showing today. Jo of Serendipitous Stitching hosts Gifted Gorgeousness and you can found out how it works here. In summary it is an opportunity to show any stitching/craft related gifts you have made and/or received. 

Rachel of Ten Hour Stitcher is our host for our Fully Finished Gallery. The purpose of this gallery is to encourage stitchers to fully finish some, if not all, of their projects. I'm not great at finishing something when I've completed the stitching as I want to move on to the next thing instead. It's good for me to have an incentive to complete my smaller projects. 

First up is my gifted stitching.  For Advent I took part in Wichtelaktion (Advent Elf card exchange) organised by Martina. I wrote of this more fully in an earlier blog post but here is a reminder of the cards sent and received. 

 

Sent to Lynda Ruth (Purple Dixie)

 Received from June (Butterfly Wings)               

In addition, I received these extras from June.

Like many stitchers I've been busy stitching for Christmas over the past couple of months. The designs below are fully finished and have all been gifted. Three of these designs are from The Gift of Stitching magazine. I bought all the back copies years ago and in September I decided to choose some ornaments from this magazine. Just last month I discovered that there has been renewed interest in it and that it now has its own Facebook group. It's not like me to be 'on trend' :)

Prairie Schooler Santa - Prairie Schooler

Gift of Stitching, November 2008

Fabric: 32ct Raw unbleached linen

Threads: Suggested DMC

Snowed In - Something in Common in

Gift of Stitching, December 2006

Fabric: 32ct Flax linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

When I saw Snowed In on Margaret's Blog, I knew I had to stitch it. For some reason my photo is skewed. 

Snow Keeper - The Drawn Thread (freebie)

Fabric - Unknown light beige evenweave

Threads: Suggested DMC

Beaded Candle - unknown

Fabric: 18ct Antique White Aida

Mulberry Snowflake - Just Nan

Fabric: 32ct Natural Linen

Threads: Suggested DMC

Beads: Unknown petite brown/gold colour

Christmas Eve Deer - Prairie Schooler

Gift of Stitching, November 2009

Fabric: 32ct Raw unbleached linen

Threads: Suggested DMC

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. 

Prairie Schooler seasons

Throughout 2015, Clare has been running a four seasons SAL at Needlecraft Haven. To date, I hadn't shared my stitching with you so I thought I'd remedy that. Let me show you, Spring, Summer and Autumn from Prairie Schooler. Only Spring is fully finished and the other two seasons are just stitched. These designs were in The Gift of Stitching, Number 25, February 2008 (now discontinued).

Now all I need to do is stitch the winter design and finish off it and the other seasons so that they too can sit on a mini easel.

Spring - Prairie Schooler
stitched on 18ct Flax aida

Summer - Prairie Schooler
stitched on 18ct Flax aida

Autumn - Prairie Schooler
stitched on 18ct Flax aida