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

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.

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.