Welcome to our new member....

NIKKI

This is what Nikki tells us about herself:

I live in Maine ( born in California). Married 50 years, retired from State of Maine 2 years ago after working there 18 years. I have 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren.

I have been cross stitching for over 40 years. I picked it up when looking for a gift to make for a relative and bought a kit. I was hooked. I don't do kits now, and prefer Lugana 28 or 32ct and choose my own threads.

Some of my favorite designers over the years are Chatelaine, Paula Vaughan, Lanarte, Blackbird Designs, Rosewood Manor, Moira Blackburn, The Drawn Tread, Victoria Sampler,  LHN to name a few.

The name of my blog is Nikki's Crossed Stitches that I started probably about 8 years ago, there are some long gaps where I wasn't posting; but have started again.    XX

XX Nikki's Crossed Stitches

I am in Instagram, but I don't post there; just read and follow a few people.

I belong to quite a few Facebook Cross Stitching Groups, Victoria Sampler CHAT Group, Cross Stitching  Exchange, Chtelaine Support Group, Prim Stitcher's Society, For The Love of Samplers, Stitcher's of Moira Blackburn Designs, Our Sampler Years, and others.

I am currently working on Scotland Mandala, by Chatelaine. After I retired in Sept 2017, a friend and I took a trip to Scotland for 3 weeks and drove all over the country. I have always wanted to go, and through Genealogy found I had some Irish/Scottish ancestors. I also had become a HUGE fan of Diana Gabaldon series of Outlander books about Scotland.............so I gifted myself the Chart and all the beads and silk threads, and am still working on it. I think I am about half done with it.

I found out about your Christmas SAL after you made a comment on my Blog, and I followed your profile and was looking at your Blogs.

I need some small things to stitch in between working on the Scotland Mandala, and my crocheting, so I thought joining your SAL would be fun, and at the end of the year I would have some ornaments to keep or give as gifts!!!

I do a LOT of crocheting too.....next to cross stitch, it is my 2nd favorite thing to do. I make hats for the Homeless, and have started making blankets for The Linus Project that donates them to children with Traumatic or Serious illnesses.  I also kn it, but prefer to crochet. I love to read, and as I mentioned Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series of books is my favorite. There is a TV series on Starz going into Season 5 next month based on her books, and she is due to release Book #9in the series, after a 5 year wait. I am so excited to read it.

I have attached some XS finishes I had done over the years.

Wow! I think that we would all have to agree that Nikki has some gorgeous finishes here.  Welcome to our humble SAL and we all hope that you enjoy yourself.

hugs, 

P.S. Love those Santas, Nikki.

Little Stitches Art January Ornament

Hello my stitching friends, 

I would like to show you my first ornament, not fully finished because of my broken wrist. I went through Theme Three and I chose a design called "Shining & Bright" by Nancy Wahler of Faithwurks Designs (p.55 of the 2016 JCS Christmas special issue).

I want to invite you to visit my blog Little Stitches Art.

DJ's January ornaments

I wasn't sure if I would try to participate in this again this year, I kind of burned out with ornaments last year.  So I decided I would only participate in two of the themes this year and if it gets to be too much, I'll switch to just one.

For the first theme I've decide to do the 12 Days of Christmas from last year's Stoney Creek Magazine.  They published three each publication until they had all 12.  So here is a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

For the third theme I chose Christmas Cardinal by Stoney Creek from the 2016 JCS ornament issue.  I'm hoping I can finish these into ornaments before the month is out (but I'm not promising...haha) it's been a busy month.  

So thank you for hosting this again this year.  I hope I can keep up, it's fun having all these ornaments to choose from at the end of the year to give as gifts.

Kaye's January Ornament

Hello Stitching Elves, 

I am so very happy to present to you my first finish for Theme Three: "Be Joyful" by Tempting Tangles Designs (p.70 of the 2016 JCS Ornie Mag).

I mixed it up a bit from the original (see below) - using an orange fabric instead of yellow and chose my own colours for nearly everything, I think.  I am so happy with how it turned out - I do love the intricacy of Deborah's designs.

I haven't decided how I am going to finish it yet, any suggestions?

Looking forward to seeing more January finishes over the next couple of days, 

hugs, 

Lynne's January Ornament

Hello again. It's been quite a while since I posted here. Thank you, Kaye, for accepting me back to the fold. I am a serial Christmas ornament stitcher, but I rarely make them for myself. I will enjoy this self- indulgence.

I've decided to go with the '12 Days' theme this year.  Many years ago I stitched Di Noyce's Aussie 12 Days, but I have never stitched a traditional version. I'm hoping that next time I set up the house for Christmas I will have both Aussie and traditional 12 Days of Christmas ornaments to display.

 I had such angst trying to choose a set to stitch that I decided not to commit to any particular 12 Day set, but to pick and choose designs as I please, and then finish them all in the same way.

Here is my January ornament:

The designer is Linda Calverley, and the chart was in the UK magazine The Cross Stitcher, December 1995.  I added the border and text.

Suzanne's January 2020 Ornaments

Hello Everyone! I am going to mainly use the Just Cross Stitch magazine theme this year but I don't have all the issues, so look for some Christmas Carols thrown in there for fun! I've started off slowly this year with grand plans but not much stitching. I did manage to stitch and finish these two from the Just Cross Stitch 2016 ornament preview issue and the Christmas ornament issue. Both are from Hands on Design and they are companion pieces. I stitched them on 14 count ecru and black aida scraps and the aida was very stiff so I couldn't quite finish them like the lovely photos in the magazines. I did my best interpretation :)

Yuletide from the JCS December 2016 issue

Blessings from the JCS 2016 Christmas Ornament issue

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's stitching in 2020.

Welcome to our two new members....

Jayne 

and

Kim

Jayne

"No blog for me.  I work full time and enjoy handcrafts.  I have been knitting for likely 30 years but my first foray into crafts like many people was cross stitch.  I always enjoyed it but gave it up when it seemed to have to place to go other than in frames.  I was not well aware of finishers etc.

Last year I decided I really wanted to give it a go again and lo and behold found floss tube which has been immensely helpful in terms of getting reconnected.  Funny enough after that, I discovered that my son who lives @ 4 hours away, had a local shop near him and I went in.  I was so impressed at how much stitching had changed with cloths that were no Aida and I was hooked.  Its all been uphill from there."

Kim

"I am in two EGA chapters and was president of one and program co chair of another.   I am no longer working, been married to my hubby for 42 years, live in San Jose, CA, no kids.   I have an ornament exchange party, this was the 36th one.  

I  have been stitching about 40 years and learned in a small eclectic store in Phx. that no longer exists.

I love lots of cross stitch designers!  They are all unique and offer their own thing to me.  Right now I am doing a Durene Jones design but don't really have 1 favorite.

I don't have a blog but sure subscribe to lots of them.

I am on Instagram but had trouble logging in the other day.

I am in tons of FB cross stitch groups, LLN and CCN, Crazy Annie's, EGA, Lucie Heaton, Durene Jones, Hands on Designs, are just a few.

I am working on a Durene Jones ornament now to see if I want to make it for my ornament party next year.  

I saw this SAL on the Big List of SALS sent by Craft Gossip.

I love Christmas and SAL's, sounds right  up my alley!

Just want to join and share and see what others are doing.

I am learning how to post pics, still need to work on that, my new years resolution."

I think that both these ladies found out about the Christmas Ornie SAL via this list of 2020 SALs:

Cross Stitch SALs to join in 2020

It is well worth having a look.

Also, I have created a new badge for the SAL for 2020, please feel free to download and add it to the sidebar of your blog.

On a sadder note, I would like to ask for your prayers for those affected by the almost apocalyptic bushfires that we are currently experiencing in Australia. A number of people have lost their lives and many more have lost their homes.

Click on the two images below to read articles about the size of the bushfires and the extent of the devastation.

Many species of Australian animals are at risk due to the sheer size of the fires, including our beloved koalas:

Luckily, TraderVic and I are safe at the moment here in Eaglemont, although only three or four suburbs away a few metropolitan suburbs were at risk last weekend.

So, please send your prayers out to all those brave firefighters and to the families who have lost family members and/or their homes.

hugs,