Tag Archives: ornament

Windows, Lights… Pillows?

‘Tis late. We’re not long back from ‘doing’ the Myer windows and the Boulevard lights – two Melbourne Christmas institutions if ever there were. With a stop off at Haigh’s on the way. Yum. Two happy but tired kids fell asleep on the way home. I thought I’d show you a couple of recent finished objects before I do the same.

This cushion:
Finn's Cushion

which is a long awaited finish (remember the work in progress?) from Finn. He finished it in time to show his teacher last week at his (sob! sniff!) last Kinder session.

The proud boy (since having a new camera – early gift from Mum, thanks Mum 🙂 – necessitated taking new playground shots of kids):
Finn

And a finish from me, which I probably shouldn’t really be showing off yet, since it’s still en route to the recipient:
Ornament Exchange 2007

This was for an ornament exchange on the Aus Xers yahoo group. I joined up before I realised what a slump in stitching I was about to experience. Blah. So I have to confess… I probably broke the rules a little bit. This stitched piece (a Drawn Thread freebie) was sitting in my ‘to be finished’ pile already(!) When I realised I had zero chance of getting something new stitched for the exchange, I picked this out and finished it up as a pillow ornament. Is that bad? Anyway, I’m not counting it as a finish for the year, but I do plan to restitch it for myself, because I think it’s really pretty. If I manage to kick myself in the butt after Christmas is over, I might just get it done before ’08!

Again with the Hardanger!

Niamh-thief
Be wary – the little people, they strike when you are least prepared. And nick off with your latest finish!

Haha. Moments after this shot, Niamh was ‘posing’ the ornament up against the wall, just like Mummy :giggle: I have photos of that too, but they’re just too blurry, and besides, this one captures that glint in her eye just perfectly!

Hardanger-Ornament-1
So here then is my latest finish – Scissors Keeper (only it isn’t) from the book ‘Hardanger Embroidery’ by Jill Carter. It’s stitched with one of my hand dyed #8 perle cottons and a couple of DMC pinks which I don’t think were perfect choices, really. I just grabbed whatever I could find because I was itching to start this. Both sides are identical, and it’s finished this as a pillow-style Christmas ornament instead of a fob.

Can you spot the suspended beads in the Dove’s eyes? How about now:

Hardanger-Ornament-3

Good trick, no? I like this a lot, and I’m planning to do another in a different colourway, and with larger beads (again, I just grabbed what came easily to hand). There are a couple of other pieces in this book that I’d like to stitch, too. Next up – the Pincushion, I think.

Hardanger-Ornament-2

Belated HDs

I started my day with a wonderful package from Annette this morning. Poor girl must be quite sick of me – not only was I her partner for a whole year in the Seasonal Exchange, but then by chance she drew my name in the SBEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange as well :giggle: Anyway, the ornament she’s stitched for me is quite lovely, but will have to wait for another day (maybe tomorrow?) when I un-lazy myself for long enough to find the digital camera.

But.

SBEBB_Red1

It did remind me that I have been remiss in posting my own Exchange happy dances. So here we are. First up, here is the cushion I made for Annemiek in the Redwork Exchange. While I adore the design and the effect, I’m not sure I love stitching in one colour, there’s little to relieve the tedium. The fact that I stitched it in silk helped a little though 😉

SBEBB_Xmas2

Nextly, we have the ornament I stitched for Danielle. This is the Prairie Schooler ornament from the 2005 JCS Ornament Issue (thanks again Cathy 🙂 ) I really love the colours in this, and despite some curse words being muttered as I did the finishing (I cut the matboard insert a little bit too large, and a little bit skewiff), it turned out very nicely, if I do say so myself!

See… I do stitch! 😛