Another Just Nan Ornament Finish

Christmas Hearts by Just Nan
stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White
with DMC threads

During a Fair and Square exchange, I had the pleasure of being partnered with Linda B. We really hit it off and have been emailing back and forth ever since. Now if I can just talk her into starting a blog....

When Linda suggested a private ornament exchange, of course I said Yes! I love looking at the stitched ornaments on our tree each year when we decorated, and I knew Linda's ornament would be a very special addition to my collection. I also wanted to do something special for Linda, and as you may have guessed by now, this is one of my favorite patterns, and finishes. I love that even though it's a simple pattern, it's quite beautiful when it's finished. I also love being able to personalize pieces, change colors, etc. I think it makes every piece special and unique.

I also really like the mix of threads in this piece. I don't think the original called for using satin / rayon threads, but when I stitched it the first time with a red satin thread for the hearts, I was hooked and immediately started thinking about other color combinations. This pink and green one has been in my head since almost the beginning, and I absolutely love how it came out.

I used DMC 30899 (Rayon) for the hearts in this one, DMC 367 and 368 for the greens, 762 for the grey and 962, 963 and 3832 for the shades of pink. I used the same silver lined seed beads from the craft store to embellish this ornament as well.

Our 2010 Dallas Cowboys Ornament

Christmas Hearts by Just Nan
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White
with DMC and overdyed threads
embellished with beads

Every year, my husband and I add another Dallas Cowboys ornament to our Christmas tree. (You can see Emmitt Smith's elbow in the photo above) We have an entire section dedicated to these ornaments - we call it Cowboy Land. They're not all specifically Cowboys ornaments - we have a few assorted stars, mostly blue and silver, and a blue and silver angel hanging along with them.

I stitched this piece a while back in more traditional Christmas colors of red, gold and green, but had this color combination in mind for our own tree. Since the Cowboys use two different color combinations (one dark blue and white for the jerseys, silver for the pants, and the other white and light blue for the jerseys, and a lighter blue for the pants), I wanted to include both color combinations.

I used WDW Peacoat and Pewter for the dark blue and the grey around the border and a silvery grey DMC Rayon / Satin S415 thread for the hearts. The lighter blues are DMC 824, 826 and 827, and the other shade of grey is DMC 415 with a strand of opalescent blending filament. For the beads, I just used a silvery lined seed bead from the craft store and sewed them on with matching thread. It doesn't show up well in the photo, but the beads do add a pretty sparkle, especially in the light from the tree.

I finished the ornament with a painted wooden embroidery hoop as I described in the post about the first Christmas Hearts ornament. I picked up some dark blue ribbon at the craft store and mixed up a little bit of acrylic paint that I had to match. Once again, I am a big advocate of sanding the hoop before painting to make a much nicer finished product. Some fine grit sandpaper and a damp paper towel can make a huge difference in the hoop's appearance, and it's well worth the extra effort. To finish it up, I used two light coats of matte varnish, available alongside the acrylic paints at the craft store.

As a side note, we did purchase the Tony Romo Hallmark ornament when it was released, but it will not be allowed to join the ranks of the two Troy Aikmans (yes, we have two) and the one Emmitt Smith already hanging on the tree until Tony can bring home a Super Bowl. Sadly for us, it won't be this year, despite our high hopes at the beginning of the season.

Two more Bride's Tree Ornaments

Way back in 2008, I started on a project to stitch a set of Bride's Tree Ornaments for DH's cousin, who was getting married on August 1. While I did manage to get the first one stitched AND finished before the wedding, the rest of them kind of fell by the wayside. I did (do) have at least some of them stitched, just not finished into an ornament, but when I decided to buckle down and finish my son's first ornament into an actual ornament BEFORE I put away the Christmas decorations this year, I decided to finish up a few other ornaments I had hanging around.

Mind you, I am not a big fan of finishing things, unless I have an idea in mind. And even then, sometimes the tedious nature of finishing hampers my progress. But I am bound and determined to finish up AND send these ornaments to DH's cousin before their second anniversary in August. Wish me luck - I think I am going to need it!

This is the "bird in a nest" ornament, a freebie available on the Waxing Moons Website.

Spring Bluebird by Waxing Moon Designs
Stitched over 1 on 18 ct. fabric with DMC threads

I finished it with a pretty piece of floral fabric on the back and a bit of store bought satin cording.

This one I am going to have a VERY hard time parting with -- it's one of my favorites:

Christmas Hearts by Just Nan
Stitched on 32 ct. Bone fabric with overdyed and DMC threads, plus beads

This is one of those ornaments I knew exactly how to finish before I even started stitching it, and it was inspired from beginning to end, not to mention a lot of fun to stitch. So much so that I'm going to stitch it at least twice more - once more in this color variation, and a second time using pink and silver instead of red and gold.

It fit PERFECTLY into a tiny wooden embroidery hoop that I sanded and painted a pretty shade of green to match the thread. I can't stress enough how much a light sanding with a fine grit sandpaper can improve the look of craft store wooden objects. After sanding, I wiped the hoop with a damp paper towel to remove the dust, let it dry, then put on a coat of sealer (available in the paint section with the acrylic paints). A couple coats of paint to get the right color, and a top coat of varnish (also available with the acrylic paints), and the hoop was finished. You can't tell here, but I only sealed, painted and varnished the outer hoop - I left the inner hoop natural wood after sanding.

I tried to be as neat as possible with the stitching, but I still wanted it covered up. I took a plain piece of neutral cotton fabric and glued it to the rim of the inner hoop, across the open area. After it dried, I trimmed off the excess and put the stitching over the top of it. And yes, I used a little fabric glue to hold my stitching in place, then trimmed off the excess stitching fabric after that dried. The painted outer hoop covers the edges nicely, and no threads peek through.

As a final touch, I wrote the name and wedding date of the happy couple on the inside hoop.

A prize! A prize!

Saturday, DH and I went to our hometown (about 90 minutes away) for his cousin Kerri's engagement party. I absolutely adore Kerri - we've been thick as thieves since we met, oh.... 17 years ago. She was 10 at the time, and announced at our first meeting, "When you marry my cousin, I am going to be in the wedding!" The poor girl had to wait 12 years, but yes, she was in the wedding. :-)

This time, she's the one getting married, and I'm one of the lucky bridesmaids, so it was off to the engagement party we went. Granted, the weather wasn't the greatest, but the food was good, the company even better, and I can't think of a better occasion to celebrate that my little Kerri getting married. Can't wait for the wedding!

The weather was a little overcast for the party, and SUCKED driving home (visibility was near zero and I was glad DH was driving, not me!), but I did get the sweetest surprised when we got home. Tucked away in our mailbox was an envelope all the way from Canada, containing a wonderful prize from Christine (Mtrl Girl) as a reward for guessing the pattern she was stitching on. Since it was a pattern I had stitched myself, it was easy for me to guess, and you MUST check out the gorgeous piece she stitched! I stitched the same design in a purple thread, but she did hers in a beautiful multicolored floss, and it's just lovely.

In my package, Christine included a beautiful piece of Silkweaver Fabric (Blueberry Delight), something I've been wanting to try, a skein of Glorianna Silk in a raspberry color (another goodie I've been eyeing up!) and a a sweet Just Nan pattern called Primrose Path. Plus a beautiful little card / note to go with it all. (I must say, I've gotten some stunning cards from my fellow stitchers - you all have the best taste in stationary!!)

I never expected such a generous package, and I am deeply appreciative. Christine, THANK YOU!!!

This weekend's stitching and finishing

I did a whole bunch (for me, anyway) of stitching and finishing this weekend on some ornaments. I may have bitten off more than I can chew in the way of Bride's Tree Ornaments, seeing as how I am trying to make 3 sets, one of which needs to be completed by an August 1st wedding date. Another of the sets is for myself, so I don't have any problems backburnering that one for a little bit to make progress on the others. (And the house I picked for January is much more complicated than I originally thought.)

I did finish two house pieces into ornaments. The one on the left is for my best friend and her husband (name intentionally blurred). It's a free chart from Maryse, which I modified to include their name instead of the month. I also added the year. I originally had this set up as a padded ornament with cording, but the stitching wasn't centered, and I got so frustrated I took the ornament apart. The ornament I glued together. With hot glue. Which I will probably never do again. I ended up turning it into a little pillow ornament which is cute, but a little disappointing to me because it wasn't what I originally wanted. However, it's stitched over 1 on 25 ct. linen and I won't be stitching it again any time soon. I think it turned out okay.

The one on the right is a freebie from Chartmakers, House on a Hill. I backed the ornament with a brown calico-like fabric which turned out nice with the black cording. (Again I modified the design to change the year and the initials to those of the couple.) I'm pretty pleased with how this one turned out.

I also finished an ornament for myself - a Princess ornament! This was a freebie by Lorraine Niesy I found on Cyberstitchers. I'm making three of these in different colors - one for me, one for my niece and one for my cousin. All three of us are "Princesses" (Nevermind that the 5 year old is probably the only one who should be called princess. LOL) I did mine in my favorite colors of blue and silver, added a little silver crown and some star sequins. I stitched it together with a beaded edging during the Oscars, and yes, it took me almost the whole ceremony to stitch it. This was my first time whip stitching with beads, and guess what? It's harder than it looks!!! (I hope it gets easier with practice!). One down, two to go!!

In the Category of Finished but Unfinished, the single nominee (at least the only one I can show for now) is Christmas Hearts by Just Nan. Yep, another freebie pattern. I'm trying to stitch as many ornaments as I can from the hundreds of freebies I've collected - with keeps stash buying to a minimum and accounts for all those hours of freebie hunting and organizing.

And another pattern I modified. I wasn't thrilled with the pinkish purple called for in the pattern, especially since I wanted to use red DMC Rayon thread for the hearts, so I substituted 2 shades of golden yellow DMC floss. I also used WDW Hunter and Holly for the green, and generic gold seed beads for the beading part (I modified placement of the beads.) I am IN LOVE with the Rhodes heart, and am looking forward to stitching more of them. I also found that 2 strands of the rayon made the satin stitch hearts a little fuller and much nicer. This was SUCH a fun stitch and I absolutely love the way it turned out. I'm going to finish it by framing it in a mini wooden hoop and turning it into an ornament for one of the Bride's Tree sets, but I'll definitely stitch this one again for us, probably with a slightly different color combination. (And yes, the thought of stitching it in shades of blue and silver crossed my mind!)