Slow Progress

Hi Everyone,

Before this month of November, which I´m convinced is having only a handful of days this year instead of the traditional 30, draws to an end, I´m hoping to complete a few Christmas projects which at the moment seem to have practically ground to a halt.

My stick men are nearly finished, bodies completed but lacking their scarves which were last seen years ago in the dark depths of the Xmas decorations box, yet to be retrieved from the storeroom.

I searched all over town without luck for a length of narrow green cording as our local needlework shop failed me, having every colour cording under the sun except green which had sold out.  I don´t like the second option for my calendar - you can see in the photo the different sizes and the larger size covers my embroidery a bit, so I can´t finish this work yet....perhaps I will leave off the cording.

In the Dreaded Drawer I found three embroidered Christmas trees, free patterns from the Internet which I stitched along with others a few years back to enclose in greeting cards but three didn´t get sent, so I have been completing the cards.

My crochet bells need starching and I am yet to find a polystyrene form or similar to shape properly the  bells, we only have a few too tiny decorations at home and our local Chinese bazaar, stocking a thousand and one lovely decorations, has no bells at all.  I´m following a free pattern by Katy at ergahandmade.

However not all is gloom and doom as Christmas is still a month away so hopefully these projects and  others will all get finished in time as these two hearts.

Patterns by Renato Parolin, also stitched last year and now with some added beads, are ready for display.

Hope you are all making progress with your Christmas stitching, I´m a bit behind with blogging visits and hope to catch up this week and see what you are all up to.

Sheryl

The People´s Choice - November

Hello Everyone,

I thought I might join Jo´s new SAL called `The People´s Choice´ celebrated the first Saturday of each month and with this month´s theme being birthstones.

Looking through my stitched items, I don´t seem to have embroidered anything at all to do with birthstones or gemstones in general or even a peridot in particular which happens to be my August birthstone.  However I found a Hardanger piece which I had finished with a sparkly gem.

I stitched the pattern on 28ct. antique white fabric using Anchor perlé thread #8 and #12 and a dash of Anchor floss Nº 93 for the dove´s eyes.  Other stitches include button hole edging, kloster blocks, wrapped bars, maltese crosses and a blanket stitch flower in the centre.

I didn´t want to make a bookmark as such and hunted about for a suitable frame.  I hardly ever frame embroidery.

and apparently this wasn´t going to be the exception either as none of the 20 odd examples knocking about in the basement were suitable and the above example just too small.  So how about a fabric frame?

linen from stash,  a bit of lace, some beads and buttons.

Thank you for looking.

Linking to Wen for Simply Neutrals

Sheryl