Ornament Holiday Gift Purple - Updated 11/24/24

November 24, 2024--This is the next to the last gift ornament in the Susan Portra Holiday Ornament collection.  When finished into an ornament, it will have a curly bow attached to the top where you see a little gold square.  This one was a challenge with all the compensation stitches around the fleur-de-lis.

Ornament Holiday Gift Purple Completed

November 13, 2024--Was able to stitch the sides of this "gift" before running out of DMC Rayon thread.  While waiting for the order to arrive, I worked up the fleur-de-lis with beads instead of stitching it with french knots (which I hate--can never get them even on the canvas).  So now to put it aside until more rayon thread arrives.

Ornament Holiday Gift Purple in Process

Santa Sea Shell - Updated 11/22/24

November 22, 2024--Another Santa designed by Janet Zickler Case is complete.  This one is called Sea Shell Santa and I found the perfect button in my embellishments stash to use at the end of his hat. 

I was able to switch from YLI Ribbon to RG Fyre Werks Metallic Ribbon called white pearl.  It has a bit more of a red sheen to it, but at least it lays flat over the padding and has lots of shimmer.  I also did not use cotton cording (the kind used to make piping) to pad the moustache.  Instead, I used 3 layers of cotton pearl #3.  That brought it up nicely.

Santa Sea Shell Completed

October 29, 2024--I'm now working on another Janet Zickler Casey design called Sea Shell Santa from 2004.  It's easy enough to do but the YLI Metallic Ribbon Floss called for to stitch the beard is giving me issues.  I have some ribbon wound on long plastic supports, but not enough to do the beard (see photo 2 below).  So, I dug through my stash and found some of the same brand and color ribbon, but this time tightly wound on a spool.  This one has problems.  Evidently it was wound too tightly without care to be sure it laid "flat" around the spool, so it comes off the spool looking crooked, twisted, etc.  Most definitely not flat (see photo 3).  After stitching a few sections of the beard, I tore it out and reordered the YLI ribbon not wound on spools.  However, there's a long delay, so this project needs to sit for a while.

Note:  the red threads on both sides of the mouth are "tacking" stitches which will be covered up by the moustache thread.

PS:  I kind of like the beard as it now looks with the DMC Perle 3 padding stitches.  Maybe I'll just keep it or add another layer of the perle, but stitch it horizontally.

Sea Shell Santa 2004 Progress Photo

YLI Ribbon Photo 1

YLI Ribbon Photo 2 (Lies Flat)

YLI Ribbon Photo 3 (Lies Twisted, Not Flat)

Angels Clothespin for Hospice - Updated 11/20/24

November 20, 2024--Yesterday a group of us from Delaware's Seashore Chapter met at the Delaware Hospice Center to decorate a tree with the clothespin angels many of us stitched.  To fill in the empty spaces, one of our members donated some cut out wood angels that were the same size as the clothespin angels--perfect.  We are very pleased with how it turned out and hope it garners a large donation to Delaware Hospice.

October 25, 2024--Ta Da--All six have now been made up into little angels with hair and wings.  They actually came out kinda cute.  There will be a total of about 40 of these little angels placed on a tree at Delaware Hospice in November.

Clothespin Angels Finished

August 12, 2024--Finished cross stitching three more "skirts" for the clothespin angels that will be put together at my needlepoint chapter's October meeting.  I love the striped cat with a bluebird sitting on it.

Angels Clothespin Second Group of Three Completed

April 23, 2024--The last of the three Clothespin Angels is now stitched and ready for assembly at my ANG chapter's meeting in August.  This one simply states Happy Holidays with lots of embellishments. 

Angels Clothespin Happy Holidays Completed

Angels Clothespin All Three Completed

April 16, 2024--Now the second of the Clothespin Angels has been stitched--this one called Candles.  Now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing, I'm breezing along nicely.  One more to stitch up, then it's assembly time.   

Angel Clothespin Candles Completed

Angels Clothespin Stitched to Date

April 12, 2024--Have completed one of the Clothespin Angels.  This one is called Joy and was a real learning process for me.  First of all, I had to call our chapter's fearless project leader, Shirley H, on how many strands of floss to use on the 18 count Aida cloth.  I started with 2 strands but thought it might be too bulky.  Shirley agreed and recommended using only 1 strand.  Yay!  No laying or railroading the strands together.  Of course, I had to rip out what had been stitched so far, but that was fine since I totally messed up the "half" cross stitches.  

When working up the half stitches in this project, Shirley advised that only 1/4 of a regular cross stitch needed to be done since the backstitching would complete the half stitch.  See the two half stitches circled in the second photo below.  I'm so glad I checked with her about this--the results are much neater and less bulky than what I had initially done. 

I'm now hoping I didn't work up the design too low on the "skirt".  Need room to add lace around the bottom edge.  I also hope that the fabric will iron out nicely when all the stitching is done since I'm not using stretcher bars or a hoop--instead I'm stitching "in hand".

Angel Clothespin Joy Completed

Half Stitch Question

Boy, do I feel like a doofus on this project.  

April 3, 2024--My local ANG chapter, Delaware's Seashore Chapter, is putting together little angels for the Christmas tree at Delaware Hospice.  We received our kits from the member who is organizing this project (thanks Shirley H) which has enough materials to put together three angels (all we had to do was supply our own threads, needles, embroidery hoop, etc.).  

After cross-stitching the design on the "skirt", the fabric will be edged with lace and glued unto a clothespin.  Then each angel will be embellished with curly hair, drawn faces, a bow, etc.   Even though this isn't something I'd normally do (I generally don't like "crafty" things), they are too cute to resist.

Angels Clothespin Materials

Angels Clothespin Skirt and Sleeves drawn on 18 count Aido Cloth

I finally had an opportunity to use my light board to trace the skirt and sleeve patterns unto the Aida cloth.  I've had the light board for ten plus years now and besides loaning it out to a friend, it's been used only two other times.  Of course, I could have taped the master design unto a window, but it's a dark and rainy day, so the light board was used.  I should mention that I had to grab a ladder to pull the light board down from a top shelf in the closet, then put it back when done where it'll probably sit for another ten years.

Ornament Holiday Light Purple - 11/6/24

November 6, 2024--Another Holiday Light ornament designed by Susan Portra is complete.  The two purple colors are interesting but not my favorite.  The sparkling beads in the center add dimension.

The lights in this series are now done and I have two more "gifts" in the collection to stitch.  

Ornament Holiday Light Completed