GimletBlog

IT’S DONE!

Due to the snow and slush, our family holiday party was postponed until Sunday, so even though the final Hardanger project wasn’t completed in time for Christmas Day, it’s ready to be shown off at the party.  Plenty of posts to write and photos to sort through over the next several days:  check back for our Santa visit, a quiet Christmas at home, bragging complete descriptions of all three Hardanger Christmas gifts, and snow, snow, and more snow.

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I decided to take a break from the long process of making embroidered Christmas gifts and stitch a quick, small project for myself.  This Norwegian reindeer ornament by Scandinavian Stitches was featured in the 2008 Christmas Ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine.  I would have liked to have tried using the recommended Danish Flower Thread, but the snowstorms made a trip to the embroidery shop impossible, so I used DMC floss and 30 count Weeks Dye Works linen.

My finishing skills still leave a lot to be desired but it’s not bad for a first ornament.  Mostly it was gratifying to begin a project in the morning, work leisurely at it through the day, and be able to hang the finished product on the tree just shortly after dinner.  After working long hours every day and night on the last Christmas project (and it’s still not completed!) it was a nice reminder that not all projects take a lot of time and energy.

The JCS Christmas Ornament Issue features several ornaments I’d like to try; obviously I won’t get around to them until after Christmas at this point but once the big project is done I look forward to relaxing with a few small goodies.

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It’s been pretty quiet around GimletBlog lately, hasn’t it?  At the end of October I started work on Christmas present #3, and it turned out to be a lot more involved than I expected.  The small fact that the project was about twice the size of the previous two should have been an indicator, but no.   As Christmas drew closer and closer, and other household and holiday tasks piled up, about two weeks ago I slowed down, made the difficult (but obvious) decision not to pursue Christmas present #4 this year, and made time to catch up on everything else.

As the post title indicates, it seems like the whole month of November was spent on the wrong side of half done, but now all that remains is the final steps of cutting and weaving bars — no fillings to slow the work down, thank goodness.  Come Christmas, the recipient will get to see the work-in-progress, and meanwhile I will have been able to wrap presents and bake some cookies.  No guarantees on mailing out cards, though!  After Christmas there will be photos and descriptions of the first two gifts, and hopefully the third will soon follow.

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At least two people on my gift list will get handmade embroidery for Christmas this year!  Follow the jump for a peek at the newest piece. (more…)

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It was starting to feel like handmade Christmas gifts were too ambitious of goals, but the first project is done!  Follow the jump for a few teaser pictures and cryptic details. (more…)

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After completing the band sampler, I had the great (or insane) idea that if I could successfully finish one small band of Hardanger embroidery, the next logical step was to make a whole bundle of table runners and centerpieces for Christmas gifts.  Well, we’ll see how far I get with that.  Beyond the jump are small spoilers — teaser photos and a few details about some of the projects I’m working on — so if you want to avoid any hints of what the elf sweatshop is up to, steer clear.  Look for an after-Christmas post describing all the projects in detail with plenty of photos. (more…)

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In addition to my niece’s band sampler, I spent the summer working on several small kits by Just Nan.  These projects are so cute:  lots of color and intricate stitches packed into a small space, and each could be completed in a couple of days.

This sparkly pair of enamel boxes are my new stitching assistants.  Lady Scarlet and Bella Bee (aka Barnabee’s Bride) preside over the dishes in which I keep small stitching odds and ends.  They’re surprisingly heavy, which makes them perfect for holding down the page in an instruction book, or pressing folds into place to mark the center of a piece of fabric.  But that’s not all:  each box opens to reveal a tiny needle book or needle roll.  It’s no surprise that Lady Scarlet and Bella Bee are Thing Two magnets, but he may only play with them with careful supervision.

Equally appealing is this year’s Over the Top/In the Tin series:  four small tins with embroidered lids and a stitching accessory to store inside.  The spring and summer tins were Hop and Sizzle, with a coordinating needle book scissor fob and pin wheel, respectively.  (I didn’t attach the cord to the needle book because I don’t have a pair of scissors tiny enough to fit inside the tin.)  I’ve also completed autumn’s Boo tin, but haven’t started its needle book yet.  Jingle, due to arrive in November, will finish out the series.

Finishing is not my strong suit but I’m improving with each project.  These kits are not very difficult to finish; very basic stitches and careful application of glue are all that’s required.  The Gimlet has been pressed into service to help wind the embroidery floss twisted cords that border each tin lid; enlisting a helper worked a lot better than trying to wind the cord alone using a door knob.

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Finally it can be told:  the band sampler was a birthday gift for my niece, who turned eight this week and is preparing to be baptized.  JoAnn’s Fabrics & Crafts did a super job on the framing: a lovely antique-looking frame with roses to match the flowers on the sampler; they also added extra spacers to protect the silk ribbon embroidery; and the pink matboard backing shows off the Hardanger band beautifully.

To see the completed sampler, click on the smaller image.  Earlier posts about the sampler in progress can be found in the “sinister craftiness” category.   I began stitching the sampler in June, completed all but the date in July, then added the date and had it framed at the end of August.  It was a lot of fun to learn all the new stitches, and the sampler was a great confidence builder for future projects.

The poem on the sampler is the first verse from “Shine On” by Joseph Ballantyne, a song in our church’s children’s hymnal:

My light is but a little one,
My light of faith and prayer;
But lo! it glows like God’s great sun,
For it was lighted there.

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