Stitching Friends Forever

November/Thanks
Challenges

This is our blogging month of thanks and we are certainly grateful for all of you that take the time to come by and visit with us.   It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is so near.   It is one of our very favorite holidays and we look forward to spending the day with family and friends. 

This post is our challenges.   We have not done them for awhile so we have a nice assortment to share with you.  Among our challenges, we have stitches, finished ornaments and some old ornaments made new.   We hope you enjoy!

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RJ's challenges

I'm still working on my Santas and hope to have them all ready for my dough bowl for Christmas.   I have two finished to share today.   They both have garden themes and both are Prairie Schooler designs.  One is a Santa who has his tools and wheelbarrow and is getting ready for a day in the garden. The other is a sweet little stitch with Santa surrounded by sunflowers.  I love anything connected with the garden and so these are two of my favorites.

The first one is the Garden Santa. I love his watering can, wheelbarrow and the tools in his pocket.  I used over dyed threads instead of the called for DMC's.   He came out quite big so I decided to just back him with a checked fabric, add a bow and a flower charm.   It's a simple finish and was easy to do.

Well guess what? This Santa was supposed to have the garden tool charms and the other the sunflower.  I'll have to change them later.   Love how variegated the red and green threads turned out.   

Santa is sitting in a basket of flowers and old garden tools

Garden Santa
from the booklet Santas Revisited III
by Prairie Schooler
32 ct. Raw Linen
over dyed threads

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The second challenge is one of my favorites.   Once again, Santa has a watering can, a basket of tools and lots of sunflowers surrounding him.  I used over dyed threads instead of the called for DMC and whisper thread for the beard and trim on the coat.   I found this cute fabric in my closet that had a border of sunflowers on it and it worked really well.  Green rick rack between the fabric and the stitch was added.  And, the addition of the garden tool charms to his belt and a bow at the top were the finishing touches. 

Garden tools added to his belt

Santa is sitting in a market basket of flowers on an old shutter

Sunflower Santa
from Christmas Visit book 48
by Prairie Schooler
35 ct. Weeks Cocoa linen
over dyed threads
whisper thread for the beard and coat

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My third challenge was two more stitches to add to my French village.  I now have the toy shop and the tree lot to add to the others.  I have one more to show you next month.   I can't wait to sew these up next year.

Love the trim on the toy store.   Just need to add a French name on the white area.

The tree lot will get a name on it's sign before I sew it up

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Mary's Challenges

"Apple pick'in" by LHN was a complimentary chart that came with the purchase of two new Classic Colorworks flosses, Hayride and Wagon Wheel.

Apple picking is a Fall tradition as I live in "Apple Country".  So, I purchased and stitched this as soon as the chart was available.  I just finally finished it!   I backed it with red wool felt and added a sweet apple button.   I used CC Cherry Cobble for the apples.

A basket from Hobby Lobby and an apple dish towel complete by Fall vignette.

My favorite apples are Honey Crisp and Macoun.  There is nothing like a good, sharp cheddar on a slice of crisp, tart apple for a Fall treat.  I'd love to hear what is your favorite way to enjoy apples.

I found the perfect dish towel to go with my apple stitch

Isn't the apple button cute?

Apple pickin
by LHN
28 ct. Zweigert Raw Cashel linen
called for Fancy Floss

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My second challenge is two Ornaments Made New.  I stitched these ornaments a while ago and thought they were both too small and they were put away not to be seen again!

The first one is a free Shepherds Bush stitch.  I stitched it and thought it came out too small so I immediately re-stitched it and put the other one away.  A pop of color with the thin cording and a star on top brought this ornament to life.  I'll add it to the top of my tree on the smaller branches and my mistake now works fine.

The second stitch called Pear Tree by LHN was stitched one over one on 28 count which made for another small ornament.  All that was needed to jazz it up was some rouched ribbon and a small heart button.  I am pleased with my "imperfect" ornaments.

I'm glad I gave both ornaments a second chance!

before photo

Happy Snowman 
Free Stitch
by Shepherds Bush
Mystery Linen
Called for floss

before photo

Pear Tree
by LHN
Mystery linen
Called for floss

                                                                           

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Hope you all enjoyed our challenges today.   We will be back after Thanksgiving to show you our Styling with Stitches project for November.  They will be on our holiday dinner tables this year.  Thank you so much for coming by to see us and we will be by to visit with all of you.  If you have a blog and it is not on our sidebar yet, let us know the name and we will add it.  Have a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day.
                               
                                     The girls from Stitching Friends






"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom

                                                       Marcel Proust