WIPocalypse Report

I've missed the past few WIPocalypse reports, but I made it back for this one.  I've been working my way through my 'to stitch' list, even though I forgot to report.  In the past month I have stitched, but not yet made up, six Christmas ornaments.  These six ornaments are the final ones on my stitching list for 2015.  When I have made them up, my Christmas ornament tally for the year will be 50.

First, a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament for my very new greatniece Annabelle (just 3 weeks old today):

Teddy chart is a DMC freebie (I changed most of the floss colours)

Then, ornaments for a three year old boy and his very special bear Dougal, made for him by his grandma:

The stocking chart is adapted from a chart in LA's Christmas Caboodle leaflet.

And finally, ornaments for three sisters.  Two of the ornaments are ready for finishing up, the third one still has to have its beads added. In fact all three are exactly the same size, despite the size difference here. These are my own design.

Now for the discussion topics:

Pick one of the WIP pieces you’ve stitched on this month, and tell us about your stitching journey with the piece, and where do you buy most of your stitching supplies?

Not much to say about my WIPs - this month they were all Christmas ornaments.  Each year (for the past 25 years)  I make personalised Christmas ornaments for many children (and a few adults) who visit my Christmas house in December.  It started small, but it's sort of got out of hand, and now I make around 50 each year.  The two Christmas stocking ornaments that I made this month were requested by one of my sisters, for the 3 year old grandson of one of her work colleagues.  I don't know the child or his family. My sister will bring the little boy, his grandmother, and possibly other family members over to my house for a Christmas visit this year.  Often a one-off Christmas visit like this turns into an annual event, which I enjoy.

I get my stitching supplies wherever I can - from craft shops, online needlework shops, eBay, occasionally from needlework shows.  Lately I have been buying from online needlework shops in US (mainly 123stitch)  because even with the bad exchange rate and the cost of postage, it's cheaper to get things sent from US than it is to buy them locally (in Australia) - and sometimes they just aren't available here anyway.

OK then, that's all from me for this month.  In October I will make up my final six ornaments, and start - and hopefully finish - a name sampler using an Aussie-themed alphabet for a baby cousin, born and living in New York of Aussie parents.

Gifted Gorgeousness Report for September

It was a very slow stitching month for me.  I didn't meet my goal of finishing all my ornaments, but I I have stitched and finished two Christmas ornaments, and framed a cross stitch finished earlier in the year. I have now almost finished my 'gifts to stitch' list for 2015 - or I would have, had I not just added another 6 projects to the list.

This ornament is for my niece Amira, who admired my collection of Lorri Birmingham antique Santas last year.

Designer:  Lorri Birmingham

from Santa Bell Pull chart

in BH&G Cross Stitch Chrstmas 1995

 And this one is for her mother, my sister Gayle, who has an abiding fascination with cherubs. The scan has distorted it - in real life it  has even edges, not distorted ones.

Designer:  Nancy Dokter & Linda Culp Calhoun

from LA 2870, Angel Alphabet

My niece Aislinn gave me this kit, which she had intended to stitch, when she found her new baby was interfering with the time available for cross stitching.  I stitched it earlier this year, and have just framed it (in a pre-loved frame I found at a garage sale).  I will be giving it back to my niece for Christmas this year. The photo doesn't do it justice - the colours are much brighter, and the light has created some odd marks on the frame.

Dimensions kit, Santa's Secret

For next month's report I hope to have my remaining six Christmas ornament gifts finished, and to have made a start on a name sampler using letters from the Allura Aussie alphabet.

I really enjoy being part of the Gifted  Gorgeousness 'group', and love looking at all the other blogs.

Gifted Gorgeousness Report (slightly late)

I'm a little late (sometimes life just gets in the way), but as my Granny used to say, better late than never.  I'm working my way through my gift list for Christmas 2015, and this month I have eight Christmas ornaments finished, and another one stitched and almost ready to finish.

Full designer details are in previous posts.

I am stitching this next ornament to give to my sister Gayle, who is besotted by cherubs, and likes a little bling.  I've stitched the design and have just started on a border (which will contain soem beads when I have finished it).

The chart came from LA2970, Angel Alphabet.

  The designers are Nancy Dokter and Linda Culp Calhoun.

I stitched this as charted, using  the purple clothing choice.

The only change I made was to add some gold blending filament to the cherub's wings.

I'm hoping that for the next report (and I will try to make it on time) I will have finished all the ornaments on my Christmas stitching list - even the two not yet added to the list!

Another batch of Christmas ornaments finished

I'm working my way through my stitching list - another five ornaments to cross off the list today.

First is the replacement for the ornament my pup destroyed last month.  This will be a Christmas gift for a young Christmas visitor.

The letters are adapted from the Santa Hat Alphabet

 in Alma Lynne's A-Z series Christmas Alphabets and Borders.

These three Nutcrackers will be Christmas gifts for three brothers.

Fronts:

The Nutcracker design is adapted from the Nutcracker

 in the "Merry Christmas" picture from

 Just Cross Stitch's 1991 Special Ornament Issue

Backs:

 The letters are adapted from the Santa Hat Alphabet

 in Alma Lynne's A-Z series Christmas Alphabets and Borders.

And this one is for a lovely young couple who have recently started their life together.

The design is adapted from Dale Burdett's Christmas Minis booklet

Three finished ornaments

I made these up tonight.  Had Angela not been such a busy little baby there would have been four ornaments in the pic.

A disaster - and it was all my fault!

I was making up one of the ornaments I had stitched last week.  I had just the last side to finish when I decided to have a short break, and sat down at the computer (in the next room) to check on this month's GG posts. Minutes later I heard the sounds of a very happy puppy growling and rough-playing with her toys back in the lounge room.  Something made me go and check - too late, unfortunately.  Miss Angela had got into my work basket (which was on a box well over a metre (3 foot) from the floor - and was playing with my almost-finished ornament.  Luckily she left the needle behind in the basket.  This is what I retrieved from her (eventually - she thought it was a great game):

She has not only chewed off some of the edging and inner border beads, she has torn several holes in the stitched design and shredded the seam allowance of the side I hadn't yet stitched.  I have no option but to start again. Fortunately for Angela, I love her a lot.  And she is still a puppy - almost. It's not the first time she has got away with one of my stitchy projects (though up till now I have always rescued them before too much damage was done), so I have only myself to blame for it.  I am going to have to get cleverer about protecting my basket.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day - and hopefully life goes on!

Gifted Gorgeousness Report for July

Well, I sort of met my target for this month, and I have made an impact on my 'to stitch' list.   I have had quite a busy month.  And apart from my stitching, we had a birthday in the family - Miss Angela turned one.  Her favourite Auntie taught her all about party caps and opening presents.

So - the stitching.  My target was ten ornaments, and I have stitched and finished 8, and stitched another 4 - so I'm calling that a win! I also stitched and finished two other gift items. These four ornaments, are the ones I have yet to make up. The Christmas tree is for a favourite aunt who likes a bit of Christmas bling, and the other three are for children who will visit me at Christmas time.

The chart for the candy cane (but not the letter T) came from

 Alma Lynne's Christmas Alphabets booklet - I did change all the colours

(only because I used floss colours already in my work basket).

The Santa hat alphabet chart was in Alma Lynne's Christmas alphabet booklet (I changed the floss, and removed some of the hats - also changed some of the letters). I adapted the star design from a Dale Burton design, changing the floss colours and adding backstitching.

I also made this pendant (well, made the double-sided cross stitch insert for the pendant), as a gift for a friend.

I also stitched and made up these eight Christmas Tree Christmas ornaments - the first two are for friends (ex-work colleagues) who will visit at Christmas, the other six are for children who will come to see my Christmas house.

And I made this lavender sachet holder for a friend's 50th birthday. 

The inspiration for the letter came from the very first cross stitch chart book I ever bought - also the first one I ever saw! - a very old Vanessa Anne booklet.