Atta boy, Clarence!

Well, how did this happen? We're just four weeks away from Christmas Day! It'll soon be time to break out the festive movies (if you haven't done already!) I'm already itching to get the decorations out and I thought you'd like an early gift. You can download this pattern FREE from my Payhip shop.

This sampler is a bit of a clue to my favourite Christmas film - It's A Wonderful Life. If anything's going to give you that warm and fuzzy festive feeling then it's the scene where George Bailey is reunited with his family and friends and is made to realise how loved he is by them all. Just then, the little bells on the tree start to jingle.

"Look, Daddy! Teacher says 'Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.'"

Clarence has finally earned his wings after saving George. Hurrah!

If you've seen this movie in colour, you'll know that the bells on the Bailey family tree are gold but I stitched this before I'd seen the colour version. Please feel free to stitch them in gold instead of silver if you wish. The bells motif is also perfect for greeting cards and other smaller projects.

I feel I've really made progress this year in many ways so I though this would be a nice way of saying thank you for all the support I've had.

Have a good weekend and happy stitching!

You can find more Christmas designs and free patterns on my website: hawthorntreedesigns.com

Robins are for lfe, not just for Christmas!

Here we are in September again. It's almost a whole year since I rescued that poorly hedgehog* (wonder what it's up to now?)

I've been very busy for the last couple of weeks re-formatting all of my patterns and updating my shops with new versions. I've also built a brand new website. You can find links to both my shops and this blog as well as the two free patterns in my Payhip shop.

hawthorntreedesigns.com

So, you're wondering what this all has to do with robins? Well, I've just added a brand new pattern to my collection...

This sweet little robin redbreast compliments my bullfinches. I have several more which will be available in the near future and others in the planning. (Did I mention I love birds?)These bird designs are really easy to stitch and I would have finished the robin in one afternoon had I not decided to change the shade of orange I was using. I was also distracted by Frodo and Sam making their way through the Dead Marshes in The Two Towers so you may well finish it sooner than I did!

Like the bullfinches, this robin has been designed to fit into a 4-inch hoop but he also makes a great motif for Christmas cards, should you want to get a head-start on making some of your own before things start to get really busy.

However, as the title  of this post implies, robins can be seen all year round so he is definitely not just for Christmas! To stitch him for yourself click here.

*To read about my hedgehog rescue, click here.

New Pattern - Festive Bauble

 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was giving my Festive Bauble design a makeover. I released the original last autumn, along with two other Christmas designs. While I'm happy with the Noel Sampler and I Will Honour Christmas, I felt there was some room for improvement with the Festive Bauble.

 

 

 

I decided to change the colour scheme to give it a different look to the other Christmas patterns. It now has a modern silver, purple and turquoise palette and a touch of silver metallic thread to add some sparkle. I have also resized it so that it fits neatly into a 7-inch hoop.

 

 

Everyone has their own preferences for Christmas colours and you may have your own ideas on how you'd like this bauble to look. You can make it look as modern or as traditional as you like. Match it to your own festive décor or make it look completely different.

 

 

If you're not a fan of metallic threads, you can always use stranded cotton or attach some beads instead. A length of narrow ribbon would also work well.

 

You can buy this pattern either by clicking on the listing at the top of the page or click here to go to my Payhip shop.

Time to Reflect

 

 

As I write this, we're just a couple of days away from the Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year. This is always an important turning point for me as it means that the days will soon be growing longer and lighter again (very good for us stitchers!). It is always a time to reflect on the passing year and looking forward to the swiftly approaching new year. This time I have been reflecting on my first months of trading and making plans for my business in 2015.

 

I've already learned a lot about what has worked and what hasn't. I'll definitely be working to improve my photography and I will be opening a Flickr account to share more of my behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as my inspirations.

 

I'm very excited about the patterns that I'll be releasing next year. There are some Celtic designs inspired by ancient artwork; some designs inspired by the natural world, including my favourite bird, a colourful finch and his mate; there are some fun and quirky ones too. I haven't yet finalised the order in which I'll be releasing them but as soon as each one is ready, I'll be telling you about it here.

 

I'm also planning to create some one-off pieces. Not necessarily to sell but just to share my love of embroidery with like-minded people and to grow as an embroiderer. Although all of my patterns are either cross stitch or blackwork, I enjoy all kinds of embroidery and I want to make time to really enjoy the craft and learn new things. I'll be sharing my progress on Flickr when my account is set up.

 

The best thing about this year has been the contact I have had with other designer-makers on Twitter. It's lovely to know there are so many creative people out there who enjoy sharing ideas and giving each other encouragement. I am very happy to be part of this community. Working on your own at home can be difficult at times so it's good to know you're all out there.

 

You may be aware that from 1st Jan 2015, the EU have decided that anybody selling digital products to EU countries will have to pay VAT to whichever country the sale was made in. This is mainly aimed at large companies who choose to funnel their taxes through the countries with the lower rates. I have no sympathy at all with such companies and it's about time they were made to pay tax in all of the countries that they trade in. The problem however is that there is no threshold being applied so no matter how small the business, VAT will have to be paid. Businesses will also be required to collect customer data and store it for 10 years. This is extremely difficult for small businesses and will add a huge administrative burden as well as a financial one. It won't affect me as I only sell through third parties but I was planning to eventually trade independently. That will not now be possible. If you'd like to show your support for small businesses you can do so by signing this petition:

 

https://www.change.org/p/pierre-moscovici-a-unilateral-suspension-of-the-introduction-of-the-new-eu-vat-laws-for-micro-businesses-and-sole-traders

 

To end on a more cheery note, tonight I'll be watching my favourite Christmas film It's A Wonderful Life. Last year it inspired me to make an embroidered piece to hang in my room. So all that remains is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you to everyone who has supported me.

 

 

 

New Christmas Patterns!

I can't believe we're already almost halfway through October - where does the time go? I didn't work at all last weekend as I was at Derby Folk Festival enjoying all the great music. Due to the fire earlier this year, the Assembly Rooms are closed until further notice so it became an outdoor festival. There was a big marquee set up in the market square and a number of events took place in the Guildhall Theatre and the Old Bell Hotel. It really showcased Derby's cathedral quarter and created a real buzz in the city centre. I was able to indulge myself in my favourite music all weekend with performances from Coope, Boyes and Simpson, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, Martin Simpson, Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies, Steeleye Span, Show of Hands and Kate Rusby. Fantastic! I'm already excited about what will be on offer next year.

 

There were sycamore leaves and seeds all over the market square and the chilly nights reminded me that winter is fast approaching. For us crafters, it's time to think about the projects we want to work on for Christmas. If you're looking for something festive that won't take up too much of your time then I have THREE choices for you! They can each be finished in well under a month and only need two skeins of stranded cotton and a small amount of metallic braid. If you're speedy you could easily make more than one of them before Christmas.

 

The first is this Festive Bauble, inspired by traditional band samplers and Assisi work. Although it will fit into a 6-inch hoop, it looks more balanced in a 7-inch hoop. It can be worked in any colours you choose so feel free to use my design as a guide to match it to your own festive colour scheme.

 

The second is this Noel Sampler featuring mini motifs which can be used for smaller projects such as Christmas cards. This design fits perfectly into an 8-inch hoop.

The third design is this sampler inspired by the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. For me, no Christmas is complete without this story and I'm a big fan of the TV version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge. When the old miser is shown the error of his ways by the Spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come, Scrooge vows to make amends and change his ways. You could almost imagine Mrs Cratchit herself making this sampler to display on the wall as her family sit down to their Christmas dinner.

 

 

You can find them all in my Etsy and Payhip shops and don't forget you can also keep in touch with me through Facebook and Twitter.