When I found out I was pregnant with Will (2 YEARS AGO) I started cross stitching a stocking for him because I have made stockings for both of my girls. The one I selected turned out to be very labor intensive. It is stitched on 18 count Aida cloth (meaning 18 squares per inch) and basically the entire surface of the stocking is stitched. I had hoped to have it done by his first Christmas last year, but I wasn't even close. So this year became my goal. I worked on it as usual throughout the year, but once December hit, I was working on it every spare moment. I completed it on December 22nd, just two days before Christmas Eve!
There were 35 French knots using 6 strands of metallic thread on this stocking. If you have never stitched or worked with metallic thread, know this: metallic thread acts differently than other thread. It catches on itself easier and doesn't slide as easily. French knots require that you wrap the thread around itself and then pull it through the middle, meaning lots of opportunities to catch and make a mess. Thankfully, it went pretty smoothly and didn't take as long as I had feared. Here are some close ups of the knots and some of the other stitching on the stocking.
We got to buy Christmas gifts for Rick's sister this year. I have always wanted to decorate one of these 7 Gypsies trays, and decided to make one for Terri with help from the kids. I cut a piece of white cardstock for each of my kids and had them write their name and draw a picture with markers. Then I decorated the other 3 openings with their current portraits and some paper and embellishments. I added a few extra embellishments to the front for some depth. Here is the final result. Each of the photos is held on by photo corners so they can be changed out.
No comments:
Post a Comment