Sinister Craftiness

Christmas Robin, Victoria Sampler Designs by Cathy Jean
Just Cross Stitch 2010 Christmas Ornament issue
Natural linen (30 count)
Stitched with GAST and WDW

Between the Crazy January Challenge, other WIPs, and other projects I’m hoping to tackle, I wasn’t planning on making time to stitch ornaments this year.  However, my little stash enabler (Thing Two, age five) can be very persuasive.  He’s been an avid birdwatcher for a few years now, and can identify many of our native birds.  He also loves to decorate the tree at Christmas time.   (Guess where this is heading.)  Unfortunately, the little guy has been sick all week with a bad cold, so I thought making one of the “Button-Up Birdies” from Victoria Sampler would cheer him up.

Here’s Thing Two showing off his new Christmas ornament.  Yes, he’s wearing two hoodies.

This Christmas Robin isn’t part of the series; the chart was published separately in last year’s JCS ornament issue, but I’m adding it to the button-up flock.  Now Thing Two is eager to see the rest of the birds stitched up, and is looking forward to the next birds in the series.  They stitch up quickly, so I think this charming series is a doable addition to this year’s projects.

Thing Two quickly identified all the birds in the first three charts (and the sneak peek at chart #4 featured in the Victoria Sampler newsletter) save one:  February’s Whiskey Jack.  Victoria Sampler is a local designer, so we guessed that this must be some sort of native bird to our region, but we couldn’t find it in our field guide.  A little further research revealed that Whiskey Jack is another name for the Gray Jay, a bird we’ve seen in the mountains.

And now Thing Two has stopped by the computer to ask “Why haven’t you started stitching the cardinal yet?” so that’s my cue to get going.

Halloween by La-D-Da
Just Cross Stitch 2009 Halloween Ornament Issue (September/October)
Natural linen (30ct)
Stitched with Crescent Colours Belle Soie

This little pillow ornament was a quick stitch — so quick, in fact, that I did it twice.  Why?

My LNS doesn’t carry the Belle Soie or WDW linen called for on the chart, so I ordered the kit for this ornament.  When it arrived, I thought the chestnut colored linen was too dark for the silks; I can barely see the stitched pumpkin.  Here’s a photo of the stitched-but-unstuffed pillow ornament.  The linen looks a lot lighter in the photo; actually kind of nice, but even so, the pumpkin doesn’t stand out as well as I would like.  And the linen is much darker in real life, trust me. I also had a difficult time stitching on the dark linen, so I made a few mistakes, and then when it was finished, I just wasn’t crazy about how it looked.  Have you ever had that happen with a project?

As I said, this ornament stitches up fast, and I have a bunch of extra 30 count natural linen with no project on which to use it, so I decided it was worth trying again. (The linen was on sale at my LNS and for good reason; it’s very stiff and scratchy.  Not very fun to work with, but perfect for this re-do, as it has the right sort of rustic charm.)

This time, I’m much happier with how it turned out.  My local fabric shop had just set out their autumn/Halloween fabrics, and I bought a few fat quarters to experiment with this ornament and the Blackbird Designs Halloween stockings.

In other Halloween stitching news:  Trick or Treat?  My Just Nan Spooky tin autoship arrived, but the linen is missing!  I called the shop and learned that they had run out of WDW Peoria Purple.  It’s backordered and they’ll send it to me when they receive more.  Hopefully I’ll be able to stitch up the tin lid before Halloween.  Like all the other Just Nan tins, it looks so cute (Spooky is an especially unique design) and I’m eager to get started on it.

2000 years ago
the angels sang
shepherds watched
wisemen came

2000 years ago by Shepherd’s Bush
Vintage Country Mocha Belfast linen (32ct)
Stitched with GAST, WDW, DMC

Thought I’d do a little Christmas stitching while I wait for the new Halloween designs to arrive.  These four designs originally appeared in the 2000-2003 JCS Christmas Ornament Issues, but have since been reissued by Shepherd’s Bush.  I picked up this chart, along with the reissued In A Stable, and all the charms during my visit to the Shepherd’s Bush shop last month.  The mats for these were darling, so I’m considering splurging for them.

Trimming the Tree by Miss Crescent’s Crowne
Just Cross Stitch 2009 Christmas Ornament Preview Issue (July/August)
Fairy Dust linen (32ct)
Stitched with Crescent Colours
Doves:  Just Another Button Company
Fabric:  Madeira by Blackbird Designs for Moda Fabrics

I wasn’t able to finish this ornament before we left on vacation, so here it is now.  An interesting side note to the finishing process:  the twisted cording is made out of twine and perle cotton.  Since the “threads” are different sizes, the usual square knot won’t work to keep them secure while the cord is being twisted.   Instead, use a sheet bend to hold the two together.  It’s handy having a scoutmaster around the house!  (He learned how to tie a sheet bend when he was a scout, but this is the first time he’s ever had to use the knot.)

A week ago Thursday I was about to finish this ornament from the new JCS Ornament Preview issue when the school nurse called to tell me that Thing One might have broken his arm.  And she was right!  A “fun” morning at the doctor’s office followed, and we’ll make a second trip to the doctor this week to put the cast on it.

If that were not enough, The Gimlet and I were supposed to fly to Sacramento, California the next day for a wedding.  After we determined that Thing One felt well enough for us to go (he wanted to go on his end-of-school cruise and a dance Saturday night, so if he felt well enough to party, surely we could go to the wedding), we packed our bags and left.  I didn’t get as much stitching done on the plane as I had hoped ( it’s a short flight) but I did make a start on the Blackbird Designs stockings.

These stockings are stitched with Gentle Art Sampler Threads, Weeks Dye Works, and Crescent Colours, all on various kinds of overdyed 30 count linen.  I’m going to back them with Blackbird Designs fabric; unfortunately the stockings are a little too large for Charm Pack squares but the Layer Cake squares should be just right, with a nice variety of related patterns.

Hopefully this week will be a little less exciting, and I can get some more stitching done.  I’m bringing the BBD stockings with me to the cast setting; I’ve been told those take a long time.  (Meaning the appointment; the stockings stitch up pretty quickly.)

I decided to take a break from the long process of making embroidered Christmas gifts and stitch a quick, small project for myself.  This Norwegian reindeer ornament by Scandinavian Stitches was featured in the 2008 Christmas Ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine.  I would have liked to have tried using the recommended Danish Flower Thread, but the snowstorms made a trip to the embroidery shop impossible, so I used DMC floss and 30 count Weeks Dye Works linen.

My finishing skills still leave a lot to be desired but it’s not bad for a first ornament.  Mostly it was gratifying to begin a project in the morning, work leisurely at it through the day, and be able to hang the finished product on the tree just shortly after dinner.  After working long hours every day and night on the last Christmas project (and it’s still not completed!) it was a nice reminder that not all projects take a lot of time and energy.

The JCS Christmas Ornament Issue features several ornaments I’d like to try; obviously I won’t get around to them until after Christmas at this point but once the big project is done I look forward to relaxing with a few small goodies.