‘A Pretty Song’ - 2025 Holiday Countdown

 I always feel sad on Christmas Day, but not for the reasons you might think.

Yes, it’s a time to reflect on love ones lost and of course that leaves me with a heavy heart, but there’s nothing I do to change that and as the years pass you come to terms with that kind of sadness.

The sadness I’m referring to here, is the fact that the ‘2025 Holiday Countdown' has come to an end for another year and the final three days has given us more beautiful artwork from Jacob and three more beautiful Roxy Floss Co threads.

I’ve mentioned before that the artwork this year has been amazing as always and I know for a fact that the Robin from the 25^th December is going to get put in a frame at some point.

The consolation of finishing the Countdown, is that we have several bonus charts to occupy us in the coming weeks and a fabulous pallet of threads to use up.

And I feel safe in the knowledge there will be a new countdown next year.

The other project I’ve been working on this week was the re-start of ‘Santa Claws Is Coming To Town’ from Historische Stickmuster.

I originally started this on the linen that came in the kit but I didn’t like stitching on it because it was stiff and rough on my hands. 

After sorting through my stash I found something softer and lighter and started over but that too didn’t look right, so I ordered four more pieces linen to try. They arrived in due course but I didn’t like any of those either, and in the end I went back to original fabric.

I’ve made a good start, but don’t get me wrong, I know that hate is a strong word, but I really do still hate stitching this fabric.

This time I'll persevere though!

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Project

‘A Pretty Song’ -  Holiday Countdown 2025

 A celebration with Evertote, Modern Folk Embroidery & Roxy Floss Co

Designer – Jacob de Graaf – Modern Folk Embroidery

Fabric – 36ct Linen – Vanilla Custard - Roxy Floss Co, and Evertote

Threads – Roxy Floss Co, and Evertote 

 

Santa Claws Is Coming To Town

Designer – Historische Stickmuster

Fabric –  32-count unbleached linen,

Threads – silk floss Soie d'Alger

 

‘A Pretty Song’ - 2025 Holiday Countdown – Day 21 & 22

 The Holiday Countdown,  ‘A Pretty Song’, is coming along nicely, and after these two days we have just three more to go.

Day 21 the floss was a pretty pink called Piglet.   Very Apt!

The artwork is a drawing by Willen Wenckebach dated 1870 – 1937 and is called Children in the Snow.

And then yesterday we had ‘Brick House, a beautiful coppery brown accompanied by artwork from a Egyptian textile of a grapevine inhabited by two birds, from the 5^th to17th century.

 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Project

‘A Pretty Song’ -  Holiday Countdown 2025

 A celebration with Evertote, Modern Folk Embroidery & Roxy Floss Co

Designer – Jacob de Graaf – Modern Folk Embroidery

Fabric – 36ct Linen – Vanilla Custard - Roxy Floss C0 / Evertote

Threads – Roxy Floss C0 / Evertote

 

 

‘A Pretty Song’ - 2025 Holiday Countdown – Day 19 & 20

 I really didn’t have an intension of having any more new starts before Christmas, but after deciding to put the Sal from Historische Stickmuster to one side because I couldn’t decide on the fabric, I  pulled out ‘The Tree Lot’ from Hands on Design.

I’m not sure that stitching on Black is something I’m really enjoying, but to make it a little easier, I decided to stitch it on 16ct Aida, and I made some good progress on my first afternoon of stitching.

I do love how the colours pop though!

I've also completed days 19 and 20 of the 2025 Holiday Countdown, ‘A Pretty Song’.

Day 19’s art work is a Limestone statuette of a bird.  ca.600-480BCE  and the thread was very special.  ‘Parakeet’ is a beautiful blue with tiny specks of green.

And today we had ‘Lipstick’, a rich variegated red and a very sweet thread bobbin....that was a nice surprise!

The art work shows details from ‘The Falcon Hunt’, a tapestry from the Southern Netherlands, ca 1500-1530.

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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‘A Pretty Song’ -  Holiday Countdown 2025

 A celebration with Evertote, Modern Folk Embroidery & Roxy Floss Co

Designer – Jacob de Graaf – Modern Folk Embroidery

Fabric – 36ct Linen – Vanilla Custard - Roxy Floss Co,  and Evertote

Threads – Roxy Floss Co, and Evertote,

The Tree Lot

Designer – Hands on Design

Fabric – 16ct Black Aida

Threads – Classic Color Works (Called for)

‘A Pretty Song’ - 2025 Holiday Countdown – Day 17 & 18

As the stitching progresses, we are now adding to the centre of piece and we have two more beautiful threads from Roxy Floss Co,

Cashmere and Belladonna

We’ve also had some more artwork on the back of one of the charts.

This is a silver box in the shape of a swan by Huybert van de Berch, Dordrecht, 1639.

There was no artwork on day 18 because Jacob from Modern Folk Embroidery has kindly given us another bonus chart, making 4 extra charts so far.

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Project

‘A Pretty Song’ -  Holiday Countdown 2025

 A celebration with Evertote, Modern Folk Embroidery & Roxy Floss Co

Designer – Jacob de Graaf – Modern Folk Embroidery

Fabric – 36ct Linen – Vanilla Custard - Roxy Floss C0 / Evertote

Threads – Roxy Floss C0 / Evertote 

Snow Globes – Hello from Liz Mathews

Over the weekend of the 5^th December, I joined in with the ‘Jingle Ball’ and took part in three of the virtual classes and yesterday I spent the afternoon having fun making up my Snow Globes.

I decided that I would make two globes to start with, one in a jar and the other in a plastic globe that I came across in ‘The Works’. I had pre-stitched all the little pieces, including a little Robin, because he is known as our Christmas bird over here.

The first one I completed was a little woodland scene, with a tree, reindeer and rabbit.

Then, I went for a winter scene, complete with a house, snowman and my little robin.

I was so pleased with the way they turned out and especially loved the technique that Liz came up with to stiffen the stitching around the edges to stop the fabric from fraying.  It’s definitely something I will try using again on other projects.

Now I need to get a wiggle on and finish the projects from the other two classes, but instead I've been trying to catch up with  ‘A Pretty Song’,  the 2025 Holiday Countdown. 

You last saw it when I had reached day 6. 

Now I've reached day 16 and I've caught up.

I'll share all the previous, fantastic artwork that Jacob has given us later, as well as all the gorgeous Roxy Floss, but todays artwork is ‘Argonauts in Peacock Boat from 1664 and the floss was  ‘On the Air’

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Happy  Stitching!

Sue

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You’ve Been Framed!

 It's only taken 3 years to get the oldest of these pieces framed.

But this was the weekend!

You will have already seen that I ordered the frames from my usual supplier, Picture Frames Express, a few weeks back and this has been the first opportunity I've had to get them done. 

The first project that I framed was ‘Sing for Joy’ from Cottage Garden Samplings which I finished in April this year.

All the other projects are all Evertote, /Roxy Floss Co and Modern Folk Embroidery Holiday Countdown related.

First is the Holiday Countdown from December 2022, which was a Frisian Band Sampler.

And that year we were also given a bonus chart, ‘Dream of a Winter Garden’.

Next is the Holiday Countdown from 2023 and that was ‘Gathering the Last Fruit’.

And finally, last year’s Holiday Countdown was 'The Yule Dance’.

This year’s Holiday Countdown is coming along nicely, although I'm still playing catch-up and I'm currently stitching on day 9.

But I already have the frame for it, so there shouldn't be a 3 year wait for this one!

 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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12 in 25 - Believe – Christmas Blue Ornaments – Joan Elliott Designs

Last week I was on a high because all the plans I had made had gone well and I achieved everything I'd set out to do.  This week…..not so good!

Some things have gone well, including the finish of my final stitch for the 12 in 25 Christmas Ornament Sal, hosted by Carol from   Stitching Dream Blogspot

‘Believe’ was the 9^th of the Blue Ornaments that I changed to Gold, from Joan Elliott.

I even managed to correct last month’s one that I had mistakenly finished on the wrong side.

So, here’s my little tree, displaying this years efforts, well 10 of them anyway! 

The other two have already gone to their new home.

Thank you Carol, for the fun challenge again this year and roll on January!!

I managed a new start last week, which I also FFO'd and one other FFO.

The new start that I fully finished was ‘Snowman’, a free chart from  Erin Elizabeth Designs 

And the other FFO was ‘Toy Shoppe’ from Dimensions.

I ordered the custom frame from  Picture Frames Express .

Now, the things that didn't go so well were the two stich-a-longs. I feel bad, having promised daily updates, because I’ve not done a single one.

I’m still playing catch up with ‘A Pretty Song’ the Holiday Countdown from Evertote, /Roxy Floss Co and Modern Folk Embroidery.

I’ve just finished day 6 and love how it’s coming along.

As for the Santa Claws is coming to Town, from Historische Stickmuster , well I’ve not touched it at all since then.

As you know, I changed the linen because I felt to was too stiff and swapped it for a lighter colour.  But I’m not happy with that either, so I ordered four new pieces of linen from 123 stitch. 

All I have to do now is decide which one to use and start over again.   Third time lucky!

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Tis the Season to be Jolly!

I know I’m a few days late, but Happy December my stitchey friends, I hope all your planning for the ‘Big Day’ is going well and you have some time relax and enjoy the season.

I love the lead up to Christmas and I’ve been busy decorating, but the one job I really hate is putting the lights on my tree. 

It’s only a 6 foot one, so how those of you that have much bigger trees (and more than one come to that) manage, I’ll never know. One thing I do know for sure is that when the time comes for a new tree,  it will definitely be a pre-lit one!

I’ve no finishes to show you at the moment but I do have three new starts.

The first is my final ornament for the 12 in 25 Christmas Ornament Sal.

As I was pulling out my ornaments to decorate this morning, I realised I had made a blunder on the one from last month and I can’t believe that I didn’t notice it before.

As you know, I’m finishing them all the same with the stitching attached to the velvet side, but somehow I managed to attach this one to the back, instead of the front. 

Now I have to try and prise it off carefully, because I don't have any of the velvet left and try again.  Oh well, there’s never a dull moment when I’m trying to FFo things, Lol!

My next new start is the Evertote, /Roxy Floss Co / Modern Folk Embroidery, Holiday Countdown 2025, that this year is called ‘A Pretty Song’. 

I hope to have daily progress on my Instagram,  but failing that, I’ll be back here next week.  This is the first two days stitching and the two beautiful threads.

My final start is ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’ from Historische Stickmuster , and the chart is actually an incredibly fantastic freebie, in four parts, that can be downloaded from their web site.

You can also purchase the Soie d’Alger silk thread and fabric pack from there too.

I did get the silks and fabric but to be honest, I didn’t much care for the 34ct fabric that came with it.  It was so stiff, so I put it aside and pulled a piece of 36ct ‘Parchment’ linen that I already had.  It’s a little bit lighter in colour but I think it will be fine.

Here’s my small start.

I don’t know about you, but I’m already enjoy all the ‘flossmas’ recordings on YouTube.  The trouble is, I keep finding new ones to watch and I’m getting nothing else done around the house, Lol!

Well, that’s it for now.  Enjoy all the festive goings-on and especially enjoy time with all the special people in your life, be them friends or family.

I’ll be back in a day or two with some more progress, so in the meantime……….

 Happy Crafting!

Sue

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 Oh, how could I have forgotten, it’s the Jingle Ball this weekend!

I hope to cross paths with some if you if you are attending and if the time difference permits.

I finished enough pre-stitching to hopefully make two snow globes at Liz Mathews class.

Log Cabin Mr Snowman – Little House Needlework + Framing of Log Cabin Christmas

I started stitching the ‘Log Cabin Christmas’ series from Little House Needlework in October last year and at the time I completed the first three charts. 

Over the course of this year, I have been stitching the rest and have just completed the 9^th and final panel, which means I have a ‘ BIG FINISH!

The 9th panel is Log Cabin Mr. Snowman.

 

 I decided to stitch all 9 panels onto one large piece of fabric.

I love how it’s turned out and can’t wait to get it framed, in fact the frame is already ordered, so it will be on my wall for Christmas this year.

Updated

Here's the framing of  Log Cabin Christmas ( 15/11/25)

With that stitch finished, I decided it was time to make a start on the next project from the Quintessential Frisian Smalls Sal.

This is the ‘ Hindleoopen Pinwheel.

I’ve only made a very small start on the band that goes around the sides.

The last thing I’ve picked up this week is my knitting and I've just realized I have a bit of a red theme going on here.

Nothing very much to see at the moment but I have added around 8 inches to the length.  I’ll soon be up to the split and ready to start on the sleeves!

So this it for this week.

My plans for next week are to carry on adding to my knitting, stitching on the pinwheel and make a start on my 12 in 12 Christmas ornament. 

If I have time, I would also like to pick up a wip from last year and add some stitches to my Dimensions ‘Toy Shoppe’, so with me luck.

Oh, one last thing before I go.   

I had some happy, happy, happy mail arrive this week.

My 2025 Christmas Countdown from Evertote, Yah!

 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Chart- Log Cabin Christmas – 9 part series - Log Cabin Christmas

Designer – Little House Needleworks

Fabric – 32ct Zweigart Linen – Raw

Threads – Called for Classic Colorworks

 

Chart – Hindeloopen Pinwheel – Quintessential Frisian Smalls

Designer – Modern Folk Embroidery

Linen – 36ct Linen – Porcelain – Roxy Floss Co / Evertote

Thread – Falu Red (hand overdyed cotton) – Roxy Floss Co

  

Pattern – Dover Jumper

Designer – Margaret Holzmann

Yarn – Pure Wool Superwash Dk – Cygnet Yarns

Shade – Claret  (592)