Christmas Countdown #1: Partridge and Pear

Hi all! I thought it would be fun to do a Countdown to Christmas day, using the 12 Days of Christmas ornaments I stitched up last year!

All these patterns are available in the Mmmcrafts Etsy store - this is Partridge and Pear.

Here's a link to my post for details on how I stitched this up:

Final post: the Twelve Days of Christmas

It took me long enough, but I couldn't help sharing one final photo of all of my completed ornaments!

What took me so long? Just that I am a recovering perfectionist... :)

I love the phrase "recovering perfectionist" because it describes my crafting nature perfectly (pun intended). :) I waited for days to get good light (artificial light just isn't the same). I moved each ornament around, futzed with little gold hanging strings (which would always tangle and bend the wrong way. In the end, I was NEVER HAPPY, I just had to suck it up and post a photo.

As luck would have it, I just happened to post the photo to our Instagram page on the actual 12th Day of Christmas, yesterday. :) It occurred to me that I had never known when the days of Christmas really are - my Google search confirmed that they actually begin on the 25th and continue through Jan 6, celebrated by some as the Feast of the Epiphany.

I really like this idea - because I don't know about you, but I always have this uncomfortable feeling of loss the day after Christmas - that strange time between Christmas and early January, I always want to continue to be filled with Christmas joy, so I leave my tree up - this year I even left my opened gifts under the tree, so I could see them and be thankful. I mailed late Christmas cards, because, chemo, but I enjoyed extending my observance of the holiday season. I think I'll use this definition of the days of Christmas from now on, to celebrate and appreciate the season more deeply.

I wanted to thank everyone who has sent me their own versions via email - they've been so lovely to see!

#twelvedaysornaments on Instagram

I was so inspired throughout my process by Larissa's hashtag #twelvedaysornaments on Instagram - there are SO MANY beautiful versions there, I thought I'd share a few of my (many) favorites here:

View this post on Instagram

I love all the 12 days of Christmas hand-sewn ornament patterns by @mmmcrafts. I put this little turtle dove together last night, and she's ready to go to her new home for Christmas! #twelvedaysornaments

A post shared by A Happy Carrot Dolls // Kim (@ahappycarrot) on Dec 12, 2016 at 1:16pm PST

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Won’t get through all twelve days this year, but am having the best time making these wool felt lovelies 💕 #twelvedaysornaments by @mmmcrafts #feltonthefly

A post shared by Annette (@stitchbot) on Dec 8, 2018 at 10:38am PST

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Flock. #twelvedaysornaments #yearofmaking2018 #turtledoves

A post shared by Cindy Cameron (@cindy_makes_things) on Sep 26, 2018 at 6:22am PDT

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First set of Twelve Days ornaments, done and dusted. My daily commute on the train to London gives me plenty of time to work on these #mmmcrafts #twelvedaysornaments #handsewing #pinkchristmas #embroidery #homemade #christmasinmarch #feltchristmasornaments #trainstitching

A post shared by hulaflorence (@hulaflorence) on Mar 4, 2018 at 3:17am PST

Hope you enjoyed this feature, as I plan for the new year! Did you know about the history of the days of Christmas?

And just out of curiosity - do you have a favorite, out of all the ornaments I stitched this year? :)

12 Months of Christmas: Lord a Leaping

Last up is my final finish, #12 in Mmmcraft's 12 Days of Christmas patterns, Lord a Leaping. Yes, I made it! If you follow me on Instagram (@nyfloresita), you'll see I finished on Christmas morning, in my pajamas, meaning I completed 3 of the more complex final ornaments (Piper Piping, Lady Dancing and Lord a Leaping + complimentary Heart) all in 1 month, nothing short of a miracle for me, being that it was December and my last 2 weeks on chemotherapy.

All that said, in my final rush to complete Lord a Leaping, I'll admit there were elements I would do differently in the future, but I am just happy I finished!

Here is the mess that is typical of my ornaments in progress - actually I am being kind, and if I zoomed out a bit further you'd see even MORE mess on our sad coffee table, with threads, stuffing, scissors, and needles galore.

Remember the mod I did because I didn't have a black pipe cleaner for Lady Dancing? Well I did it again with Lord a Leaping's Elvis-like front curl - I wrapped the same black crochet thread around my green pipe cleaner. Making his hat was tricky, because his head was bigger than the pattern due to my larger wooden bead. I had to improvise making the hat a bit bigger, but not too big. I did ok, but I wasn't a huge fan of the burgundy color I chose, it might have been better to tie in the color of his pants again... Minor self criticisms for next time!

I once again used most of the same threads as I used on Lady Dancing, including the DMC Etoile floss in C915 and C471, and regular DMC floss in an Ecru shade for the vest and heart detail. All felt was again Benzie Design, and again a mix of a few different palettes I purchased from them.

All in all though I was quite charmed by all the little details in this pattern, particularly those tiny boots and the movable legs! One thing I love about Larissa's patterns is that I find myself sewing things I never thought I'd be able to, because she gives such excellent instructions.

I love how simple and pretty the additional heart was to stitch - I can see myself making lots more of these when I need a lovely quick finish ornament for gifts.

I can't believe it is a wrap on all of the ornaments, and that I finished them ALL before Christmas!

What a wonderful journey it has been, and as I did on Instagram, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who tagged along on this quest, left a kind comment, or shared a word of support. This project helped keep me going in a time of intense physical struggle - it kept me hopeful, focused, and calm in the eye of the storm. Thank you for coming along with me in this stitchalong and through every week of my chemotherapy - you all meant so much to me! I'm so thankful to God for bringing me through to the finish line, healthy, happy, and well.

Thank you of course to Larissa Holland of Mmmcrafts for designing such beautiful patterns which inspired me and gave me purpose throughout this year. Her 12 Days patterns are available to purchase in her Etsy store, and she has discounted bundles of some or all of the patterns as well.

Previous Stitchalong Posts

#1-2: Partridge and Pear; Turtle Dove

#3: French Hen

#4: Colly Bird

#5: Gold Ring

#6: Goose-a-laying

#7: Swan-a-swimming

#8: Maid-a-milking

#9: Drummer Drumming

#10: Piper Piping

#11: Lady Dancing

12 Months of Christmas: French Hen

It's a wrap on the French Hen! Let me take you back two weeks previous, when I first began...

This messy progress shot gives a good idea of just how many threads and bits and needles are in play at any given moment...

I started off with the flower shape on the wing in another color, then changed my mind to this darker felt.

I sewed it on using 1 strand of metallic silver thread, which let me say can at times be disastrous, as you can see in the next photo...

Use short lengths of metallic thread, work slowly and carefully, and realize you can still have a mess! Deep breaths, the side not seen is not so important. Just wanted to show you my back, so you don't get frustrated when this happens to you. :)

This photo reflects a full day of stitching, along with a few of the threads I used in the little teacup. I tend to find recurring colors around me as an unconscious source of inspiration in my stitching.

So, if you're uninspired in color selection, surround yourself with a few beautiful things you find inspiring, you'll never know what can happen!

This morning I was just about finished. All that was left was to add the gold pearl cotton to hang the hen, and stuff the shape and close it up...

I am glad I remembered to add the hanging thread before I sewed her up - I almost didn't, and that would have made things much trickier!

Although the French hen wasn't particularly hard to put together, I did find myself wondering at times if I was doing it right. With the wattle, comb, and little pantaloon-looking shapes above the feet, there are a lot more little pieces in play to sew and sandwich together.

Larissa's tip to use glue to hold the pieces together is perfect, but I'm too impatient to wait for glue to dry, so I haven't done that yet. I'm also messy, and could easily picture myself making a gunky mess of my sewing. :)

I'm also fairly sure I botched the feet a bit, but I chose not to dwell on that tiny part of the process, instead enjoying the overall project. It's really fun to stitch these once a month, as it gives me time to really think about the colors and not get too frustrated working towards a deadline...

Here they all are together - I'm really enjoying how the colors are all coming together - I'm using the same shades of felt and threads on each piece, for the most part, for a few more details on the metallic threads I'm using, check out my previous post!

Join the 12 Months of Christmas Stitchalong!

Are you inspired yet? Would you like to join in? Remember, joining this stitchalong is easy, and no-pressure! To join, visit Larissa's shop to purchase the Twelve Days pattern of your choice. Tag your pictures with the hashtag #twelvedaysornaments and #12monthsofChristmas on Instagram so we can find them.

Leave a comment here with a link to your blog, or any space on the internet where you are tracking your progress. Don't miss the page Larissa has set up with lots of tips for stitching this series: http://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/p/twelve-days.html. Next month is Colly Bird! Let's stitch!

Christmas Countdown #15: Benzie Design

If you have never crafted with wool or wool-blend felt, I highly recommend trying Benzie Design on Etsy - this beautiful Guest Curated Felt Bundle can be purchased in 6 different colorways, coordinated to match the Mmm Crafts 12 Days of Christmas Patterns.

I've purchased this felt bundle myself, and it is gorgeous and well worth a try. If you're looking for Christmas palettes that are unique and more vibrant than the typical red and green, this is your ticket!

Christmas Countdown #2: Mmm Crafts

It's become a holiday tradition for me to pop over to Larissa Holland's beautiful Mmm Crafts shop to see what she's created next in her 12 Days of Christmas series - this year, it's the sweet Drummers Drumming and Pipers Piping patterns. I also highly recommend the matching felt sets from Benzie Design - once you've used them, you'll never want to craft again with simple craft felt!

Christmas Countdown #2: Larissa Holland

How exquisite is this 8 Maids A-Milking pattern by Larissa Holland? The pattern is part of a gradually released series of patterns, based on the 12 Days of Christmas song, here are all 8 patterns so far:

  

  

  

  

It's no secret that I love Larissa Holland's patterns - every year at Thanksgiving I pull out her beautiful Snow bird pattern, and make ornaments to give away to friends and family for the holidays. I know from experience that Larissa's patterns are extremely detailed and well-made, and I highly recommend a visit to Larissa Holland's shop for truly wonderful holiday inspiration!