Smalls Report for February

The end of the month is here, and that is my reminder to put up my post for the Smalls SAL, hosted by Mary at Mary's Thread.  So far this year I have stitched only 'smalls' - and all my finishes for this year so far are Christmas ornaments. This past month has been a very productive one. Today I have 20 finished Christmas ornaments to show.  My target was 8 for February, so I am currently way ahead of schedule.

First up are my ten tiny stocking Christmas ornaments. I adapted a Kooler Design Studio chart (LA 3428, Christmas Ornaments) for a one-dimensional plastic canvas stocking by smoothing out the edges,  adding the 'cuff' for the name, and attaching a back to make a real little open-top stocking.

 

The final stocking I made missed the group  photo, so it gets a solo appearance:

This is my '2 Turtle Doves' Christmas ornament.  I modified Lesley Grant's design (UK Cross Stitcher magazine Dec 1995) by omitting the charted dove cote, adding a second turtle dove  and adding the border and text.

These four initial ornaments are for the grandchildren of an old friend - two English brothers and two Kiwi sisters. The designer is Alma Lynne (A-Z Christmas Alphabets and Borders).

  

I made this angel for a dear friend who has a fondness for angels, the colour purple, and hearts. The designer is Patricia Behrens (Two Hour Crossstitch), but I have to admit to making a lot of changes, including omitting the musical instrument, making a few changes to the dress, and adding the facial features. 

This ornament is for my favourite aunt. I found the 'JOY' chart on-line as part of a Christmas ornament freebie chart  and I added a tiny Kooler angel and the border.

And, last but not least, three Santa ornaments. The Santa initial ((LA Alphabets Galore, 1998) is for a greatnephew, the other two (designer Barbara Mock, Christmas Quickies) are for two young neighbourhood sisters.

Thank you for visiting.  

Gifted Gorgeousness Report for February

February 15 is the day for our Gifted Gorgeousness (GG) reports.  GG is hosted by Jo at  Serendipitous Stitching.  Any projects stitched using gifted supplies, or stitched to be gifted, qualify for inclusion in the monthly GG report.

I've been stitching more ornaments in the past month, and I also finished up last month's stitched ornaments.

So far only five of this month's stitching have been finished as ornaments. One is the ornament I am stitching for myself, using gifted fabric and floss. It's Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas set I am stitching this year. I made a few changes to the design, eliminating the charted dove cote, and adding the second dove, the borders and the text.

Adapted from design by Lesley Grant 

in The Cross Stitcher (UK) December 1995)

The other four finished ornaments are tiny Christmas stockings (just under 7.5cm or 3" long) which I made for extended family children. I adapted a Kooler Designs Studio chart for plastic canvas, from LA 3428 'Christmas Ornaments'. I added a 'cuff' for the child's name, and a backing piece to make real little stockings.  I'll be making 5 more tiny stockings this year, if my patience holds (they are particularly fiddly to make up).

This one is for my oldest great-nephew. The Santa with 'D' is from LA's Alphabets Galore booklet (1998). I did make a few tiny changes to the charted design.

I stitched this little angel for an 

angel-loving friend whose favourite colour is purple. I changed some floss colours, eliminated the musical instrument, and added the heart charm and border.

Adapted from design by Patricia Behrens,

 from her Two Hour Cross Stitch book

The next four ornaments are for the grandchildren of a long-term friend.  Snowmen for two young English brothers, and Santas for two young Kiwi sisters. The designer is Alma Lynne, and I found the charts in Alma Lynne's A-Z Christmas Alphabets & Borders. 

This pair of Santas were designed by Barbara Mock, from her Christmas Quickies booklet. They will be Christmas gifts for two neighbour children (sisters).

This one is for my favourite Aunt. I found the  'Joy' chart on line as part of a freebie design, and I added a tiny Kooler angel and the border.

I think that I will be spending the rest of February making these stitched designs into Christmas ornaments.

Valentine Blog Hop

Jo at Serendipitous Stitching is hosting the Valentine Blog Hop once again.  

These are my Secret Valentine pics:

Such a pretty Valentine! I'm keen to discover the stitcher.