• Holidays,  Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    The Grand Finale!

    Well here we are.. the very last week. Twelfth Day!

    I hope you've enjoyed this stitch-along. I am so grateful to all of you who have been so willing to share your progress.. it's been so much fun! Whether you've decided to stitch all twelve days as a sampler or divide them up into individual ornaments, I hope you have a finished project you are happy with.

    Twelve Days of Christmas

    Click here to print Twelfth Day: Download Twelve Drummers Drumming

    Click here to print the Sampler Layout (one page) (optional): Download Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler Layout

    Click here to print the entire Sampler Chart (four pages) (optional): Download Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler Chart

    I wish you all a very, Merry Christmas!

  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Week Seven

    I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! My oldest daughter, Bre, cooked her first Thanksgiving dinner at her home this year, since she couldn't make it to Nebraska. I was so sad not to have her there with us for the first time in 25 years, but I am so happy that she seemed very content in her own kitchen. It warmed my heart!

    And so we embark on the Christmas season with our nine dancing ladies!

    Week 7 Sampler Layout

    Click here to print Ninth Day: Download Nine Ladies Dancing

    I've so enjoyed seeing all of the progress on the Sunday Mystery Samplers.. thank you for sharing your pieces! All of the color changes have been so fun to see. 🙂

  • Holidays,  Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Seven Swans a-Swimming

    ETA: The blog post below was pre-blogged earlier in the week and scheduled to publish today. Before you get to it, I would like to express my sincere sorrow for the people of France, for the heartbreaking events of tonight, Friday evening. My prayers are lifted up for you.

    *************************************************************************************************

    I'm so excited for the Christmas season! I recently purchased a Bluetooth speaker to listen to Pandora Christmas stations, and it's put me in the mood for snow, snow, snow!

    Anyway, welcome to Week 5. Have fun!

    Week 5 Sampler Layout

    Click here to print the Seventh Day chart: Download Seven Swans a-Swimming

  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Sunday Mystery Sampler: Week 2

    Here we are again! I'm so happy you're back!

    Did you figure out whether you would stitch the charts as ornaments or a sampler? Did you gather all your supplies? Have you already put your first stitches in?

    I had several questions this past week, so I will answer just a few of them quickly…

    Q: How many skeins do I need of each color?
    A: Since I haven't stitched the sampler (and only the first 2 ornaments), I'm honestly not sure. If you're stitching over two threads with ONE strand of floss, then I would say you should be safe with 2 skeins the red and one of each of the others. (Please note: There are only 60 stitches used with the color gold.)

    Q: What colors did you use for the gold and the black?
    A: I never used those colors, because until this stitchalong, I had not designed or stitched any of the other blocks. So please feel free to choose whichever gold and black you like the best! (And the same goes with the red and green!)

    Q: Are the red and green you used (Cranberry and Weathered Vine) cottons or silks?
    A: They were silks. Those two colors aren't available in the Classic Colorworks (formerly Belle Soie) line of cotton fibers.

    Q: Will there be an additional border around the sampler layout?
    A: There will be no additional border, unless you'd like to add one yourself (which would be fun!).

    If there is anything I haven't covered in any of my previous few blog posts, let me know, and I'll get back to you!

    And now it's time for your Week 2 chart! I hope you enjoy stitching Four Calling Birds.. and I've added an interesting little note on this particular lyric on your chart. 🙂

    Week 2 Sampler Layout

    Click here to print the Fourth Day chart: Download Four Calling Birds

    Thank you again for stopping by, and enjoy your week!

  • Holidays,  Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Welcome to the Sunday Mystery Sampler!

    Good morning to you all!

    Is your printer plugged in? Is it loaded with paper? Are your stitching supplies gathered? It's time for the mystery project to begin! (This is so exciting, even though I know how it ends already..)

    If you're just now finding out about the Sunday Mystery Sampler, you may want to scroll backwards just a few posts to catch up on what supplies you'll need to participate. And then you will need to decide if you want to stitch twelve individual ornaments, or one large sampler.

    Here we go!

    First, for those of you who are stitching one large sampler, here is a picture of what your layout will look like. The picture is not the chart; the chart file link will be shown below the picture. (Please feel free to orient the boxes however you like; just make sure your fabric size will accommodate any changes you make!)

    Your outline should be stitched in whichever red fiber you chose.

    Twelve Days outline

    Here is the printable chart for the above sampler layout (1 page): Download Twelve Days Outline Layout

    If you prefer to print out the layout in larger print for easier counting (and coloring, if you like to color in your charts), then print out this chart (4 pages): Download Twelve Days Outline Chart

    And now for the ornament charts! Rather than posting pictures of each individual design, I will show them as they are added to the sampler blocks. Those of you who are stitching ornaments will still be able to see what your individual ornaments will look like when you're finished with them.

    If the Twelve Drummers Drumming were here, I'd ask them for a drum roll… Here are the first three ornaments for the Sunday Mystery Sampler!

    Week 1 Sampler Layout

    Click here to print the First Day chart: Download A Partridge in a Pear Tree

    Click here to print the Second Day chart: Download Two Turtle Doves

    Click here to print the Third Day chart: Download Three French Hens

    And that's your Week One portion of the Sunday Mystery Sampler! I hope you have a wonderful time stitching, and if you're stitching the sampler, you don't necessarily have to stitch the entire outline first. I tend to get very bored with straight lines, so I would stitch one box and then fill it, and move on to the next box when I was finished. (But that's just me.. I'm always amazed at people who can just keep going and going and not want to throw their stitching down and stomp on it when it grows monotonous. And have you ever noticed that the word monotonous has repeating o's? What kind of a sick joke is that, anyway?)

    I'll see you next Sunday for Week 2, but I may be back here for other topics before then.. Enjoy this beautiful day of rest!