Tag Archives: christmas

Jan 6 2019

House #5

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House #5 is done at last! This project has been a work in progress for a long time. I didn’t get it done in time for last Christmas, and I didn’t get it done in time for this Christmas. But instead of putting it away now that Christmas is over, I plan to keep working on it. It’s just such a fun project. Here is what it looks like in the hoop – it is the third and final house on the top row.

Next I will move on to the third house on the second row. I had to move the hoop anyway, so I decided to give it a quick iron. It’s not perfectly pressed, but at least the hoop marks won’t be as hard to get out once it is completed and washed.

XXX
Carrie

Apr 8 2018

Christmas Cutie

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Yes, it is a dog!

This was another free cover kit with The World of Cross Stitching. I didn’t get much time to work on it while visiting my parents but it stitched up pretty quickly on a lazy weekend.

After finishing, I just wasn’t sure about the bottom portion where there is no backstitch. It looked unfinished to me. So I decided to see what it would look like in the card…

Yes, that bottom portion definitely needed backstitch. I had to kind of figure out where the stitches should go, since the chart didn’t include it and the rest of the design had the backstitch go on an angle, instead of following around each stitch. But I think what I did to it made it look so much better:

Now I just need to mount it into the card! I love how the hat uses silver metallic thread. You can’t really see it in the photo, but it is so shimmery and sparkly, and really sets off the entire design!

XXX
Carrie

Apr 6 2018

What Is It?

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While going through some of my cross stitch magazines, I found this project tucked away between the pages. I had completely forgotten that I had started this while I was visiting my parents over Christmas break. Can you tell what it is going to be? Since it is another quick card project, I am going to finish this before working on the Gingerbread Houses again.

XXX
Carrie

Oct 23 2017

Gingerbread House Sampler

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I have started a new project. I know, I know. I have several WIPs already. But the deer in the woods is just not fun to work on, and A Summer Ball is quite challenging (and huge). I wanted to work on something that I could complete in the next couple of months, and have fun working on at the same time. I chose this gingerbread houses wall hanging from issue 141 of Cross Stitch Gold magazine. This pattern was designed by Durene Jones, and is just so adorable. There is no backstitching, no fractionals, and only a handful of french knots. The entire chart is done in only 7 colors, and has large blocks of one color. I have not worked on it much yet, just a couple of hours over the weekend, and I already have a good portion of one of the houses done. Photos to come!

This was not one of the projects I had in my “to do” pile. I really did want to start on either the colorful butterflies or the red headed mermaid. But I didn’t have the right fabric for the mermaid, and this chart seemed so much easier than either of them. Bigger, possibly, but with a lot less color changes and counting. And although I am not a huge fan of gingerbread cookies or cutesy things like this in general, I just knew I had to make this wall hanging when I saw it! I especially adore the green pom pom trim at the bottom.

XXX
Carrie

Aug 17 2015

Stash Finish #11

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Finally, mouse #3 is done! He is stash finish #11 for 2015.

stashfinish11

I have stitched all three designs on the long piece of fabric that came with the kit. I am not sure if I am going to cut them apart and put them in cards (which came in the kit) or leave it all together and frame it or finish as a bell pull. If I do leave it together, I think I will need to find a design to stitch in between the mice. Perhaps a small sprig of holly and ivy?

stashfinish11b

XXX
Carrie

Jul 12 2015

Christmas in July

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mice1

My new project is a set of 3 Christmas mice designed by Margaret Sherry. I adore her hedgehogs, and her mice are just as cute! The fabric that came with these charts is one long piece, and you are supposed to cut it apart to make 3 cards. But I think I am going to stitch them with the fabric intact, and then decide if I want to keep them together or not. Instead of cards, I might actually make this into a bell pull or possibly a framed piece.

Since I didn’t have any floss bobbins on hand, I decided to improvise and use a cut up cereal box! It worked out pretty well to keep these floss colors sorted. There are quite a few of them.

Here’s my progress so far on the little guy that’s chasing a star.

mice2

mice3

XXX
Carrie

Feb 16 2015

Stash Finish #4

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bellscard

This is a kit for a Christmas Bells card that came free with an issue of the British Magazine Cross Stitch Gallery. I was able to finish it in just two days of stitching. Of all the kits I have ever done, this was by far the worst in terms of sorting colors. I know it doesn’t look like it, but there were 4 shades of red, 4 shades of gold, and 4 shades of green. And the names meant nothing (parrot green, saffron). I had to use the color photo that came with the chart in order to figure it out. On the plus side, it came with WAY more floss than was needed, so my ORT jar is filling up nicely! And the card blank that came with it is lovely. The picture doesn’t really show it, but the entire card is gold paper with a nice lined texture to it.

XXX
Carrie

Dec 8 2014

The angel!

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The angel is really starting to take shape! I have decided to do the backstitching my own way. The directions called for couching and cording of the yellow/gold outlines on the robe, and I wasn’t really in the mood to do either. I just want to be done with this project, which has been 5 long years in the making. I made lots of mistakes along the way. The part of the robe where the black and dark green were mixed together (the triangle shaped areas) were supposed to be done in half cross stitch. Oops. The yellow/gold backstitching on the robes was supposed to have gold metallic threads mixed in. I just didn’t feel like working with that stuff any more. The wings are a totally different color from the photo on the kit because, well, Dimensions either messed up or used different colors when they stitched the model. So the backstitch on my wings barely shows up. The kit photo has much nicer colors. Oh well, you live and learn. This was my first Dimensions kit and definitely my last! I can’t wait to stop using this horrible shredding floss and get back to stitching with real DMC.

The kids have their Christmas concerts at school tonight and tomorrow night, so I probably won’t get any stitching done until at least Thursday. But hopefully I can get a lot done over the weekend and maybe, just maybe be done with this stocking by next weekend. Actually, I have to be. Christmas is just a few days after that. Yikes!

 stockingdec8

XXX
Carrie

Nov 30 2014

Done with the cross stitch!

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I was hoping to get all of the cross stitch done on the stocking by the end of the weekend. And I’m happy to say, I did it by Saturday! But I am not going to relax just yet. I still have a TON of backstitch to do. And I think I need to plan a good three days to get the stocking washed, ironed, cut out, and sewn together. This gives me just three weeks to do all of the backstitching. Not only is there a lot of it, but it is complicated – lots of colors, lots of stitches that don’t fall in any actual Aida block, and lots of couching and cording. Ugh. I guess I better get cracking!

XXX
Carrie

Nov 21 2014

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One border section done, two more to go! I am really hoping I can have both of those sections done by the end of the weekend. Thanksgiving is coming up and hopefully I will have time to work on this then. I would love to be able to start on the backstitch before December! The only problem is, this design is getting so out of whack. The areas where the solid red is are so heavy and warped. It made stitching the multicolored border at the heel difficult. I can’t get my fabric taut on the scroll frame, no matter how many times I take it off and start again. I am having to hold the fabric taught in my left hand (pulling the left edge of the fabric towards the left) while I stitch with my right hand. This is the only way I can get tight fabric. A hoop would give me even tension but there isn’t enough fabric to use a hoop at the sides of the design. The little bit that is showing at the bottom of the toe part is literally how much extra fabric I have on this. Just one more reason why I will never stitch another kit from Dimensions. I can not wait to get this thing done! And I’m sure Adrienne will love finally having a stocking with her name on it. Christmas Eve is exactly one month from today. Not much more left to do on this now. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

stockingnov21XXX
Carrie

Nov 19 2014

Whew!

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The heel, toe, and stocking top are finished, and I did not run out of floss. But I have only a few strands left, and I still need to use it in the multicolored border designs which go inside the green lines. So I am not out of the woods yet. But these areas should blend in a lot better if I do run out and need to substitute with another color.

stockingnov18a

XXX
Carrie

Nov 17 2014

Running Out of Floss

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I will definitely never do another Dimensions kit again. I am certain I will run out of the red floss used in the heel. What I am doing now is stitching a row, leaving a row blank, stitching a row, etc. I will then go back and fill in the gaps with whatever floss I have left. If I do run out, I will have to substitute DMC but at least the new floss won’t be in one big block area, which would stick out like a sore thumb. Hopefully if I do have to substitute, it will be subtle.

stockingnov17aXXX
Carrie