Monday, April 23, 2012

Ornament finishes, a new needlecase and a beginning!

This past weekend was devoted to taking some of my small completions and finishing them into useful and decorative items. And while I didn't get everything I wanted done (who ever does?) I am happy with my progress.

Before I get to the good stuff-- i. e. the pictures--I wanted to make a personal observation. I have noticed there is a flow to my cross stitch activity. I like to do a lot of smalls but then when my to "finish pile" gets rather large, and the guilt of not finishing them in a timely manner gets too overwhelming; I tend to switch gears and work on larger stitchery patterns just so I have time to do finishing.

Right now, since my "to finish" pile is  large and therefore I am itching to work on my larger WIP's. However, that may not happen anytime soon since I still have a couple of small exchange projects to do plus a Mother's Day gift I need to start.

Personal observations aside, I do have some finishes to show you!  First up is the needlecase I made with the Flowering Crown chart by Just Nan. Although it isn't perfect I still love it! It's the first needlecase I have ever completed and it turned out nice. I have learned from the mistakes I made on this particular case and will be sure to make any future attempts better! So here it is:




 When I saw this design I immediately thought it would make a gorgeous needlecase. I used pink fabric with sparkles for the inside of the case, added pink ribbons and used iridescent gold trim. Here is a look at the inside:


I have saved fabric ribbon for decades and finally found a use for this lovely pink/mauve ribbon I received on a Christmas package. I used it as an area for holding needles. Eventually the bottom of the case will have some magnetic strips-- also used for holding needles. All in all this was a fun project and I will definitely be making more!

On to more finishes:

This is the front of the Peppermint ornament from Little House Needleworks--and this is the back:

I actually used the same adorable pink  fabric that I used on the back of the Flowering Crown needlecase.

This is another ornament from LHN. I thought this design was so cute and like all LHN designs a joy to stitch. This is the back:

Seriously, I have enough of this Christmas plaid fabric to use on a zillion ornaments. Get used to seeing it because you will see it a lot over the years...

Yes, I even have a new project to show you! The design is from a blog entitled Alioka and the website address is http://aliolka.blogspot.com. She has so many delightful free designs on her website. It is well worth your time to peruse her blog pages. I had a hard time deciding which pattern to stitch up first, but finally settled on this particular one:

Very timely for Spring....

That's it for now. Happy stitching!

Brightest Blessings!

Beth B.

6 comments:

  1. Congrats on the finishes! Beautiful stitching!

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  2. All look lovely and my favorite is Flowering Crown among the others.

    Cheers

    Nurdan

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  3. Mooie kreaties heb je gemaakt,ik hou ook van Just Nan, Victoria Sampler, Blue ribbons en Little Needleworks.

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  4. The Flowering crown needle book is very beautifull ,I rwallu like that pattern and your finishing skills are great!!
    !! :)

    The LHN Ornaments are both lovely..as well as the Aliolka freebie!!I like those bright red tulips and greens on it!!
    Enjoy the weekend and your stitching!

    With my best greetings,
    Lumiruusu from Finland

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  5. Such beautiful finishes!!! Love your new start too! :)

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  6. Thank you all for your lovely comments! I am blessed by having some wonderful cross stitching friends!

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