Smalls SAL for January (a week early, as it happens)

It's already the end of January - I'm just amazed at how quickly we got here! It's (almost) time for the first Smalls SAL report for 2020. Mary from Marys Threads is the host of the Smalls SAL.

I have started on my annual ornament stitching marathon. I have just finished up my first 11 Christmas ornaments for 2020.  Here they are alltogether:

I'll start with the first of my 12 Days of Christmas ornaments, which I am stitching for myself.  

Designer: Linda Calverley, The Cross Stitcher (UK) Dec 1995.

I added the border and text.

This ornament is for my oldest nephew and his partner. They have quite a large collection of my Christmas ornaments.

Five ornaments for great-nieces and nephews:

Designer: Barbara Mock, Christmas Quickies II

Designer: Dale Burdett, A Mini Christmas DB 132 

Designer:  Barbara Mock, Christmas Quickies I

LA's Alphabets Galore booklet

LA's Alphabets Galore booklet

And four ornaments for neighbour children:

LA's Alphabets Galore booklet

I am pleased to have made a start on my stitching list. I'm hoping to finish eight ornaments in February. I'll enjoy visiting the blogs of all the Smalls stitchers.

Gifted Gorgeousness Report for January

Here we go again - 15th January means it's time to share our 'gift' stitching. If it's stitched using gifted supplies, or stitched to be gifted it qualifies for the Gifted Gorgeousness Report, hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.

I have 10 stitched pieces to show this month. They will all be made up into Christmas ornaments. Nine will be given this year as Christmas gifts  the tenth is stitched with gifted supplies and will be on my own Christmas tree this year.

For the first two I used a slightly modified Santa Alphabet from LA's Alphabets Galore booklet (1998). These are for a 6 yr old great-nephew and a 5 year old greatniece.

 I stitched this one for a 3 yr old greatniece. It's a Barbara Mock design (with a few little changes) from Christmas Quickies II.

This next design is one of my favourites. It's a Dale Burdett design. This one is for a 1 yr old greatnephew.

Another Barbara Mock design, for a 3 year old greatnephew.

Three more Santa initials, for 3 neighbour children.

And finally, a tree sampler stitched for my oldest nephew and his wife.  I will add some beads and charms when I make this one up.

My own ornament is Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas I have promised myself this year.  I chose a Lesley Grant design  published in the British Cross Stitcher magazine December 1995 but immediately ran into little problem when I found I wasn't a fan of the partridge in a pear tree from that set. So I substituted a design by Linda Calverley  conveniently published in the same magazine.

And that is all my 'gift' stitching for January. I will stitch one more, then make them all up before the end of the month.