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Friday 27 December 2019

December Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year I have been stitching Christmas Ornaments from the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Specials 2001 to 2009.  I have almost finished this month's ornament which is a design by The Sweetheart Tree called Merry Christmas.  So here is the top part only:

stitched on 32 count linen

I just need to add beads and fully finish it as a bellpull ornament like the other two, albeit slightly larger.  Here are the other Sweetheart Tree Ornaments I stitched for this SAL:

   

I did complete another Word in the Jessica Savage series for Cross Stitcher magazine.  This month it was Embrace:

stitched over 1 on 25 count blue evenweave

All five so far:


At the end of November I joined in with a new SAL - 1 small snowflake for 26 days by Stitchonomy.  I did well to start with but work and pre-Christmas busyness caught up with me and I finished it after Christmas.  I decided to use all beads instead of the charted colours.  The blue are some unbranded beads I had in my stash and the white and crystal are Mill Hill (00479 and 00161).  The fabric is a random piece of opalescent blue linen from stash:


I made a few changes, the blue beads are a bit bigger than Mill Hill and wouldn't all fit so I tended to leave them off where they got too crowded.  The "sparkles" she added on the 27th day are the little single stitches and small motifs inbetween the snowflakes.  I used a Madeira silver metallic for them.  Finally, I added a snowflake charm that Mouse sent me for Christmas.  Now I need a round frame!  For maybe just a round mount for a square frame.

This was a lovely SAL, not too demanding, any other time of the year I would easily have managed one motif per day.  You can buy it from her Etsy store now - Stitchonomy Etsy

I have now started the 12 Days of Stitchmas, originally I intended to stitch a band sampler but serendipity demanded a 12 Days design which I received as a Christmas gift.  Here is the cover:


And here is Day 1

And Day 2:


My plan is to stitch one length of green  border on each day and one colour on Day 1.  If I complete Day 1 then I'll stitch one colour on Day 2.

Then throughout 2020 I will finish one ornament per month.

Finally, I had a Smalls Tree this year!  Usually I have a section of our main tree for stitched ornaments but this year I decided as I had made quite a few myself there were enough to put them on their own tree:


How many do you recognise?


The gifted ones are mostly on this side:













15 comments:

Barb said...

What a wonderful smalls tree. I do remember seeing several on your blog!

Kaisievic said...

Jo, love your Ornie tree and some gorgeous Smalls, too. Love the snowflake SAL - you are always so clever with how you change things up.

diamondc said...

Jo: I am so in love with your tree with handmade ornaments, so sweet.

Happy New Year
Catherine

Pamela said...

Nice post! Your Smalls Ornament tree is fabulous!

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Wonderful stitching and what a sweet tree laden with your fabulous work!

Aďka said...

Prajem krásne sviatky, a výšivky sú krásne!
A.

Linda said...

Great new start Jo. Your tree is lovely.

Linda

Kay said...

I absolutely love the snowflake design, so pretty. x

Rachel said...

Lovely smalls again! Your snowflake looks amazing but I had to laugh at Embrace as it's the favourite buzzword of our son's headteacher!
I love to see an ornament tree, hanging with lots of lovely projects stitched or gifted over the years. Perhaps next year it will be framed by your new 12 Days of Christmas projects, which I think are fab, by the way! :)

FlashinScissors said...

Love the ornie tree, and yes, I do remember seeing many of them on your blog.
Very pretty snowflake SAL! Love the sparkles!
Hugs,
Barbara xx

Katie said...

Lovely smalls. The tree looks great! I just love your beaded snowflake SAL.

Bethan said...

Those words are quite fun. Such a wonderful smalls tree! x

Christine said...

The snowflakes came out so well! Love your little ornament tree too

Julie said...

The beaded snowflake is so different and pretty.
Loving the mini ornament tree, you'll need a bigger one next year if you add the JBW 12 Days - or do you have a special finish decided for them?

Leonore Winterer said...

Lovely small stitching and I do love your new start - what would Christmas be without a 12 days series around here?
I think I need to try and stitch some Christmas ornaments this year as well!