"Be Merry" Ornament

I just finished this tiny hanging ornament for my dear niece. For gift-giving I popped it into a small premade paper-covered box from the crafts store, which I enhanced with an added scrapbook sticker that says "forever joyful" – which is how I think of her. :)

Val's Stuff "Be Merry"
from Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments 2007 magazine
25-ct. Dublin Linen Light Blue, DMC floss (substituted for Weeks Dye Works)
Stitch count: 40W x 35H
Start 12/18/09 - finish 12/21/09

Love

Stitched this sampler for my nephew's wedding in March. I changed the pattern slightly by adding seed beads for the heart instead of using french knots, eliminating the border, and personalizing it, of course, for the happy couple.

Bent Creek "Love Sampler"

Two more ornaments

I didn't include these two in my last ornament post as I forgot to take photos before I mailed them out. The pieces I sent were finished as pillows, not as flat ornaments as shown, but you get the idea. Next time I make some I think I might try finishing them this way, it looks a heck of a lot easier than all that sewing and stuffing! LOL

The Prairie Schooler 2008 Freebie "Noel"
The Prairie Schooler Designer Series "Forget Me Nots" From My Garden

The kiss of the sun

This cheery sun and sunflower piece on 14-count white Aida cloth hangs in my kitchen. I did another one for my sister on 18-count, which I think turned out even more nicely on the smaller weave. I revised the saying slightly more to my liking around the border and removed the french knots (I hate french knots!) from the chart, so it differs from the chart. :-) This was stitched back in the early 1990s as well. (Sunflowers are another favorite motif of mine.)

American School of Needlework "Sun, Moon, Stars" by Linda Gillum
7.5" x 10" stitching / 11.5" x 14" frame

Ornaments 2008

For Christmas 2008 I stitched a variety of small Prairie Schooler patterns on pieces of 14-, 18-, and 22-count scrap Aida cloth and finished them as tree ornaments. All of pillow backs were cut from medium-weight dark green cotton cloth, and I used silky green cording for the hanging loops. I secured the reverse of the stitching and attached cotton batting cut to fit to stabilize the backs. After stitching the little pillows together on the sewing machine I turned and stuffed them with polyfill, ladder-stitching closed the small gap I used for stuffing.

Top, left to right:

Prairie Schooler Book No. 24 "Prairie Birds" Wren
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Snowman
Prairie Schooler Book No. 124 "Folk Art Christmas" Angel

Center, left to right:
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Farm Snowman
Prairie Schooler Promotional Minicard "A friend is a gift you give yourself"
Prairie Schooler Book No. 134 "Christmas Day" Santa & Tree

Bottom:
Prairie Schooler Book No. 24 "Prairie Birds" Junco