SILVER BLUE CHRISTMAS STOCKING

This is my second stocking I made this year..With this I think I should put an end to stitching any more of them..This pale blue fabric was quite attractice with snow covered pine trees..Pls have a look at the first picture..The glistening snow is represented by silver sprays..For a change from the usual red , gold and green theme, I thought a blue and silver combo will make a difference!!The star in the center has been cut out from white and blue polka dotted fabric..They were then ironed on to fusible fleece and trimmed..I have a passion for satin ribbons.. So it was a pleasure attaching a ribbon bow and a few blue crystal beads.

LITTLE FLOWER GIRL PILLOW

New lease of life to an embroidery patch of a flower girl stitched on a cushion cover years ago!! Having been resting on an ordinary cushion for more than two decades now I felt that my li'l girl deserves a change for the gud ..It took only half an hour for this make over..I simply cut out the patch from the pillow and attached a matching printed backing material, little white lace and a few matching ribbon bows.Thats all I have done...The embroidery is mostly satin stitch along with lazy daisy, stem stitch,trellis,french knots,applique stitch, etc.The new pillow is much smaller , cute and cuddly!

BREAD BASKET

During my recent visit to a textile shop suggested by my dear frnd Nima,(I shud n't forget to thank her a million !!) I came across a beautiful cotton material with a basket weave design among bunches of florals in a shaded blue backdrop..I found it perfect for sewing a bread basket that I have been thinking of making for a while.Following a tutorial for European bread basket by "Tutorials To Boot it was a piece of cake!

Happy thread n needle moments to all of my blogland friends!!

X'MAS STOCKING

Well there are only 36 days left for the great event of Infant Jesus' holy birth..Everybody in the blog land is eagerly preparing for that auspicious day..So am I.. Before uploading the pics I wud like to share a bit of info abt the tradition of hanging x'mas stocking on the fireplace mantel..

While there are no written accounts of the origin of christmas stockings,there are popular legends that attempt to tell us the history about this christmas tradition..One such legend has several variations but the following is a gud example:-Very long ago there lived a poor man and his three very beautiful daughters...He had no money to get his daughters married and was worrying what wud happen to them after his death...Saint Nicholas was passing thru when he heard the villagers talking about the girls...Saint Nicholas wanted to help them but he knew the old man wudn't accept any charity..He decided to help him in secret and waited untill it was night and crept thru the chimney...He had three bags of gold coins with him , one for each girl..As he was looking for a place to keep the bags he noticed the stockings of the girls that were hung over the mantel piece for drying..He put one bag in each stocking and off he went...When the girls and their father woke up the next morning they were overjoyed to see the gold coins in their stockings..The girls were able to get married and they lived happily ever after...This led to the custom of children hanging stockings , eagerly waiting gifts from Saint Nicholas..

This is my first stocking of the year..It took only one day to make it since there are no embroidery done on it..Even though its too early to hang it, after having made it I cudn't wait any longer to display it and show it to my frnds.. Hope to make a few more this season itself but there are lot a of pending work to be done before the event..I think 36 days will be enough to finish doing all of them..Wishing all my blogland frnds very happy stitching moments!!

COFFEE RUG N COFFEE COASTERS

Again I cud grab a set of coffee theme printed dish towels made of very good cotton material at a sale.. The set had three pieces in it, one printed and the other two in matching plain colours..This time I thought of giving them a make over by going for a square shape for the quilted rug.The plain blocks were looking little too blank..So I thought of adding some applique to it..The coffee pot n the cup n saucer were made from the bits n pieces left from the towels..The rising steam are done in running stitches...Well ,am not an expert in applique..Hence the design may not be that perfect..The material was sufficient enough to stitch two simple quilted matching coasters as well.For the piping around the rug I used pieces from both plain n printed materials..The wooden button in the center had only one hole.. Honestly I did not have the patience to drill another one . Hence the easiest option was to position it in the center using a dab of fabric glue.

X'MAS WREATH PILLOW

After cross stitching this Christmas wreath I was wondering what to do with it !Whether to frame it or set it on some other household decor meant for the holiday season ..On account of the round shape of the wreath I could not find an appropriate frame for it ..Eventually came up with the idea of making a matching round decorative pillow and setting it in the center.The red colour of the polka dotted material was exactly the same colour of the red robins.The wreath has been embellished with cross stitches in gold and green metallic floss, and bordered by green rice beads , white lace and a braid in gold and cream!

CHRISTMAS ROBIN ON MY PILLOW!!

The humble Robin is a traditional Christmas symbol, the colourful bird often depicted on our Christmas greeting cards and gift wrappings..This motif was cross stitched several years ago.. The cheerful little bird was framed and kept solely for the Christmas season..But to give him a new lease of life this season I decided to go for a make over.. I rescued him from the old frame and attached the motif to a li'l pillow made of red printed material I had in my stash...Now he is happily resting on my drawing room sofa, patiently waiting for the festival, fifty days hence!!

RED N BLACK POT HOLDERS N MUG RUG

Being only a beginner in patch work quilting,I enjoy making small household items rather than elaborate designs,till I learn this art very well .I was planning to quilt a few pairs of simple pot holders for myself before making a few more of them as gifts for my frnds and relatives.. Luv this red n black combo a lot, even though the prints do not match a kitchen theme at all...Well its only a part of my learning process!..:)