Wednesday, December 26, 2018

The big reveal - December OMG complete!


It's after Christmas, so I can FINALLY reveal the "semi-secret project" I've been working on for a few months. I'm thrilled to say that the JOY projects were well received by Mums on both sides of the Atlantic, too.

The finished pieces are 12" in diameter, stitched on "Christmas Red" linen and mounted in wooden hoops I painted white. I finished the back with blanket-stitched felt, which turned out reasonably tidy.


There were no half stitches, but there were some unique stitches that added interest to the project:



And as with a lot of designs, the backstitching and beads really made the piece sparkle!


I'm so pleased with how they turned out ... but also pleased to be able to refocus on my big stitching project.


The One Monthly Goal link-up is organized by Elm Street Quilts; you can see all the monthly projects on the December Link-up Page.





18 comments:

  1. Sunny your work is beautiful! I used to do a lot of cross-stitch but not so much anymore. I do love looking at beautiful hand work though! Great job!

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  2. How gorgeous is that!!! Just stunning. Great job.

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    1. Thank you! I'm really happy with how it came out.

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  3. I love this! I would display it all year; it is not just for Christmas!

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    1. Aww, thanks Laura! I do somehow manage to leave at least one Christmas decoration out nearly all year by accident... ;)

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  4. This is beautiful! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

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    1. Thanks Patty! Your OMG linkup really helped me focus on finishing the project on time!

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  5. I'm the very lucky English recipient! Very blessed to have Sunny as my daughter in law🤗
    Laura, you're right about keeping it up throughout the year, the same idea as many have said to me!

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    1. I'm so glad you like it! (And really happy it didn't get destroyed in the post!)

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  6. Are the two pieces done on different counts of fabric or is just the distance from the fabric? Also, on my computer the pieces look just a tad different in shade. Do you have a pattern name to offer? This is beautiful work. I would love to make one and have it framed for a friend who is like a sister to me. She loves pink and I think it would be lovely on a light pink fabric with a darker pink thread. Beautiful work and thanks for sharing on the link-up so that I got a chance to see and enjoy it. I haven't cross stitched in over 5 years and just got new Rx reading glasses so that I can. Today I bought two pieces of fabric at the cross stitch store. One is black, yes black! I am going to a bald eagle face on it for my son. He is 41. When he was 18 years old, he earned his Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts. I thought that would make a nice gift for him when I get it finished. Then I bought a piece of light blue fabric with a slight teal tinge. I'm going to stitch Mary watching over baby Jesus in the manger and Joseph in 1/2 stitch behind them. I did 3 on this on a slightly different shade of blue cloth years and years ago. My magazine is torn in two down the spine. I made one for my mother, one for my mother-in-law, and one for my ex-husband's aunt. They are all deceased and I did not get any of them back. So, I'm going to make one for myself now. It's time. So, I'll have fun stitching them. I love to cross stitch and quilt, too. Beautiful work you do.

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    1. Hi Suze - the front (stitched) is 28-count even weave linen. The original pattern was "natural" linen with white floss, but I know both of my Mums love red and white, and that just felt more festive to me! But given that it's only one color of floss, I think the pattern would be very flexible.

      My pattern came from a magazine I picked up in the UK in 2016, but I have sometimes seen it on eBay. The specific magazine / issue is Cross Stitch Gold, issue 133.

      Your projects sound great! I love stitching on black fabric because the stitching really stands out. I hope you'll share them with the OMG linkup!

      Thanks for you comment!

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    2. Oh, and the back is just some felt -- to hide my messy stitching!

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  7. This is such a beautiful piece! It looks like quite a complicated design but you have finished it beautifully.

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    1. Thanks Catherine! Coming from you that's very high praise.

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  8. Those are wonderful! I bet both of you Mums love them!

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