Welcome to the Jolliest blog on the block! Each month we have a different theme. You choose your OWN chart, fabric and threads. Share your progress as you go along and post your finished piece by the last day of the month. You can join at anytime throughout the year and choose which months you wish to stitch with us. Happy Xmas everyone!
I know as the host the past few years, I have been quite an absent one but this year, I am hoping to be around far more often! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞It is so lovely to see what people have been stitching so far this year (please do check out the other posts for this month - all fabulous stitching.
Unfortunately, for me, despite stitching like mad all month I didn't quite finish my choices for two of the themes: One (12 Days) and Four (Nutcracker) although I have made a lot of progress on my Nutcracker Village for Theme Four.
But firstly, here is my 12 Days design - by Jim Shore - this is a picture of what it will look like when finished....
.... and here is my rather pathetic progress on it!
But I am pleased to say that my first section of Nutcracker Village by Country Cottage Needlework is coming along very well (although not finished). It is stitched on the called for sparkly fabric but I couldn't seem to get the sparkles to show up but I must say I think it is one of the prettiest Christmas designs I have ever stitched and I am sorry to say that the photos do not really do it justice.
... and for those who are still looking for ideas for the Nutcracker Theme, you might like to check out this design on Etsy (click on the pic to go to the page).
Well, that is all for me for my January report - I hope to have lots more progress next month.
As always, I am going great guns over January with my stitching - this is because we are not going away on holidays because of:
1. building the second new house (only a few months from completion now) and
2. There is nowhere safe to go - COVID!!!!!!
So, the upside is that I can stay home and stitch!
For January, I am attempting ALL FOUR OF THE THEMES! I know, crazy, hey? But what the heck, I have the time at the moment and I am not promising that all of this productive stitching will keep going all year but for now... all good!
So, Theme One: The 12 Days of Christmas - my progress on this will be shown in Part Two of my January Ornaments, most likely at the end of the month.
Theme Two: Christmas Movies_For January the theme was the movie "Elf"
And, on Pinterest, I found this very cute little Elf and finished him with a cute Christmas tree button and a tartan bow.
Theme Three: Just CrossStitch Christmas Ornament Magazines_For January, you had to choose from the 2009 magazine.
I chose this rather sweet design by Nikki Leeman from Country Cottage Needleworks (CCN) called "Visions of Sugar Plums". The first pic is the image from the magazine but you can see that I changed it a little as I placed the phrase "Sugar Plums" above the "lacework". The reason for this is quite simple - I am an idiot! I made a fundamental mistake from stitch one by not centreing my stitching correctly - Aaagghh! However, I think that I have overcome the error and with the help of one of my favourite ribbons (pink with red dots) and a gorgeous backing fabric, I have produced a pretty ornament. Oh, and I also changed the pink in the rug and the wording for a deeper pink.
Theme Four: A selection of Christmas Ideas_For January the prompt was "Barns".
I think that I found this very simple design on Pinterest but for the life of me I cannot find the link - my apologies. I made a simple change of adding a gold bead on the wreath and at the top of the tree and then finished it with four buttons. UPDATE: (thank you to our lovely Elf, Suzanne Harkison for the reminder).
finally I can show you the first two ornies for this year. We have had a photo session today around noon during half an hour of sunshine, the first half hour for days.
The left ornie is Fa La La by Something in Common that I saw here on this blog. And the right is Let It Snow by Country Cottage Needleworks that I found in an older JCS Ornament issue. But both will not be ornaments but I want to turn them into little bags for my grandson's advent calendar.
Now on to choose a new design for the March theme.
