Gifted Gorgeousness link up January 2025

 Starting this year with gifts received.

The first is from the same  lady who provided the bauble and pud featured in the first link up of 2024

This time it is a Christmas wreath .

Isn't it fun.

The second is from another lady at church, she and her husband were the first people I married!

This sewn box is rather fun and I am contemplating what to put in it.

Other than the Christmas card trees I made no gifts this year.

That is unusual for me.

Ah well perhaps next year.

I might be inspired by the other participants in the link ups of 2025.

Pop on over to the instigating blog to see what other gifts are being shared.

 Click Here to visit .

BFF SAL 16 Finished ?

 Not quite, and not just that it is not in a frame yet but because I still have some backstitching to do on the big boat at the front.

I have dispensation to do that "off" camera and add the fully stitched version as an update here later.

There were more words spoken about the backstitch  this evening.

And I have not tried to add the flying seagulls I thought I might, Although my section of the pattern did not have any, I had thought I might add one. 

But decided against it.

I expect that my framing issues will be the same but different to my BFF's

She will struggle to find a square frame to size and as the frame I had intended this for was no good, I an going to have issues finding a long thin frame the right size.

Ah I had thought this would be a fast frame finish bit that is not to be.

We did try discussing our next SAL but I was in that odd state of mind knowing only what I didn't want and not what I did.

So we will RAL until we do find the right project for us both.

I must admit that quilting has been a bit louder in the me now shouting even if just planning on the fan quilt (which posed a design question where I think what I want to do is mathematically impossible and will need some thought and possibly compromise) and its is fix-a-time for the bits-a-quilt which will get its own post once I have some pictures to go on it.

To see my BFF's FFS (finally fully stitched) update Click Here.

Oh and the additions I had considered here have not occurred, adding names to the boats. Although as I may not keep this, and depending when it gets gifted and to who, well that may change.

BFF SAL 16 is back

 -stitching, in more ways than one. We paused this and went RAL when we had both done all the cross stitching for our selected sections.

To be honest part of my brain was saying this was finished! Nope backstitching and not nice friendly follow the edges back- stitching.

This is a lot of in between squares back stitching. little half and quarter stitches.

So tonight's work was the bits that looked simpler.

We both started with the brown, then moved onto the grey. We did some of the same sections and some different. 

We had such a nice time chatting and grumbling about the backstitching and wondering what might be SAL 17 and chatting and grumbling about the backstitching.

So here is my progress for this week.

And for my BFF's update CLICK HERE

Into 2025

 and not a single stitch was added to Hark the Herald Angels in 2024, not even after I found the Christmas Card. The Earth and that comet did get some stitches but it feels like they will take the Millennium of the title to get done. The tie quilt still has not been started, the illusion quilt not quilted. The year in flowers has had no growth and so many things are still in the thinking stage.

Isn't it oft the same that it is the unfinished, not started, stalled (let us not think about the two knitting projects, shhh) that tend to be thought about?

I have finished things, the evidence is in a years worth of blogs, but at times I loose sight of the done, the completed and see only what remains.

And I begin a new year less in celebration of achievements and more a glum consideration of the things on this years try and do list that were in the same place last year.

So what did I do today?

A little bit of white on Hark the Herald Angels whilst listening to  Forestella.

I shall leave you with an update picture and the
first of this years Forestella videos.

The 12 Mice of Christmas

 finished the stitching on the project that has been the RAL recently.

What a difference the backstitching makes.

Not sure how I will fully finish them, There is the gift tag option that the kit suggests, or maybe as cards. There is the option or bookmarks and My mother wonders if they would make good key rings.

I have lots of time to think about it. That might not bee a good thing.

Will have to wait and see.

Do you want to build a snowman?

I was stitching another cone pattern, of a snowman and I went off on one of my tangents.

I got a bit fed up with the counting for some reason and decided I was not stitching the scarf, I had a replacement thought.

Then I made a mistake and missed stitching a bit of twig arm, hmm perhaps I would not stitch the arms then.

Then I decided not to stitch the carrot nose or the hat.

So he ended up looking like this.

Looks more like something for Halloween than Christmas.

First thing to do, stitch him into the cone.

Same overlap method as the reindeer which worked for the same reason, no point at the top to get in the way.

and then well there is this method of doing a little bobble hat that keeps popping up on my feed.

Although that tends to be onto a slice of cardboard toilet roll.

This is much smaller than that.

But worth a try.

Oh not bad, and you may recall I found my wire, just the white and not the black, which I had wanted for snowman arms. Not prepared to wait to find the black a design rethink was required.  

My initial thought was to wrap the wire with brown thread.

Then I thought that I might wrap them with a little bit of wadding first.

Ah but before that he needed a nose.

I may need to add a little something to that later to make it more carrot and less beak.

Then do the brown thread. It did take quite a bit of thread. This was a random thread from a charity shop purchase so I was quite pleased to be using some of it up.

That just left the item that had been the first thought for the 3D additions to the pattern.

Can you remember from the start of this post? Not my crafting strength but unlike the hat there was no cheat method for this. 

Real knitting was required.

Yes a scarf. Actually it was made weeks ago, before I had even finished stitching the snowman.

I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

And am I finished meddling with it?

Possibly not.

I have thoughts about additions that would perhaps utilize my felting supplies.

It depends how the mood strikes me however he is finished enough for now.

I found my wire!

 Just as I stood the Reindeer alongside the more finished cone Christmas figures and accepted it would not be fully finished for Christmas and the wire made an appearance.

Perhaps my acceptance made its game of hide and seek no longer fun.

So, with a ring of wire holding the body in shape and another stopping the Bambi on Ice slippage of the legs, and some sequins for added snowy sparkle

He is finished and done.

I think he looks almost as happy as getting him finished made me feel.

And here is an appropriate song link.

BFF RAL indeed,

 a week and a day later than planned we managed our online get together. We fully expect it to be the last one for 2024. 

I was working on the same pattern(s) as last week. One colour at a time.

First blue, that was my pick.

And then I asked Roni to choose, she asked for red as there is no red in her current stitching has no red.

So with the red.

what is left, green, white and black.

as this is a RAL and not a SAL I can, should I wish to and find the time keep going with this one.

Ah and this time I can add a link to my BFF's blog for her update. It might not be there yet but I expect there will be shortly.  Click here for Blog link That feels so nice after we have had quite a long gap. Wow its been 5 weeks ! 

Reindeer, bell and behind

 this almost made it for Christmas 2023. All the stitching was done, I had even found the bell I knew I had somewhere and then? Well then I stopped. Why? Well I was also working on the cone snowman, I had a plan for the snowman and I thought I would be finishing them off together.

Then I realised I had used two different whites on the snowman and I paused and the pause just went on a very long time.

Roll around to December 2024 and I thought I would try again.

Got a bit further this time.

Reindeer is cut out, and has his bell added.

The bell is not part of the pattern, it is a stitched one, but I thought adding a real one would be fun. And they did suggest it might be a nice idea.

However, and it is a funny thing to say but I think I am more pleased with how the behind turned out.

I did a one square overlap and then cross stitched that row. I think it is a nicer looking finish that the suggested closing method.

You can just about see the join, but not that much.

So is he finished?

No not for me. I wont be hanging it, I want it as a standing ornament to go with the other cones. CLICK HERE for link to them

As such and to to prevent Bambi on Ice with the legs he needs a bit of supporting wire.

The wire that has been there and getting in my way and being annoying and has been moved to a sensible place.  

Hmm now if I could just remember where I thought would be a good place to put it when I moved it!

The snowman, well he is a little further on also with the white issue settled in my mind. However he also needs me to find my wire, white wire and I have some black, I think they are together, snowman needs the black as well as the white.

So wish me luck in finding my wire and if I do there may be a snowman soon, or Christmas 2025, you never know!

December 2024 Gifted Gorgeousness Link up

 Follow this LINK to the host blog for an explanation of the Gifted Gorgeousness Link up process and to fins links to other participants.

This is a combination of gifts. The 12 days of Christmas panel was a Gift from my BFF for last Christmas, although as you may be aware we have over the last several years tended not to manage an in person at Christmas and oft end up "doing" Christmas at the same time as our joint birthday get together, which is usually in the middle of the year!

Things were much easier to arrange when we worked together and when we lived in the same town, but things change and you manage how you can. 

That aside,  the edge and the back of this project are from material gifted to me by Mrs Jackson. It was nice to use it up. Well there are some small trimmings from the green and a row of kings from the patterned back. I did think of using them to make cards, but I ran out of puff and maybe next year!

Oh this was the 8th zip getting inserted when I made up the cushion covers for the children at Church.

The size was determined by the size of the red cushion I bought just as a prop for a photograph related to a completed BFF SAL 11.

For a reminder click HERE

So all I needed was a festive cover and not a new cushion.

If you have not visited before and the items on the wall in these pictures have you wondering, yes I made them and the details are in the post christmas-card-inspirations.html

I did think there might be a fourth joining them this year, but I managed to mislay the Christmas card that one is based on just before Christmas last year and I only found it again a week ago! It might get worked on over Christmas and I have taken pictures of the card just in case I manage to loose it again.

I have a few more festive projects on the cusp of completions so although there is sadly no Advent Hop this year there will be some festive things to look at.