Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow Is...

FINISHED!! Could you hear my cries of joy all over the eastern U.S.? With one day to spare, I finally put the last stitch into this mammoth piece earlier today. I can't believe that after spending much of my 2010 stitching time on this piece, it is finally complete... Ahhh--I feel like I can breathe again!



The 11th block really stretched my patience to its limits and there were days that I honestly didn't think I would finish before year's end. (As you can see, I put the date "2011" on the ship rather than stitching the charted date of 1802.) In spite of the stress that this block caused, it is actually one of my favorites. Overall, though, I would have to say that the block with the Christmas tree farm is the one I like the best. How about you?






The 12th block stitched up very quickly and, after much debate, I decided to add my own name and the current year. The general consensus among my stitching friends seemed to be that, since this isn't a true reproduction sampler, but one from the wonderfully creative imagination of Kathy Barrick, it is fine to substitute the actual stitcher's name. I changed the body color of the little spirit/angel/cherub to a peachier shade (DMC 950) since the charted color just didn't show up on my flax-colored Belfast linen.

I really want to thank you all for following along on this project with me throughout 2010--your support and encouragement helped more than you know. Now, I need some advice...I've never taken a piece to be framed and wonder how you handle a large piece like this. Do you press it at home and roll it up to take it in to the framer? Are there any questions, requests, etc. I should ask about? Glass or no glass? I'm not using a mat... Honestly, any advice you can offer would help me so much. I am a total novice at professional framing having always done smaller pieces myself...

Well, I guess you would like to see the entire piece? May I present my finished Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow...


Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow
Fabric: 32 ct. Flax Belfast Linen
DMC threads
Started January 1, 2010 ~ Finished December 30, 2010
Now, I have a conundrum--what do I stitch next? I'm actually going to have to "think" about that in 2011, aren't I? I've been going through my stash and have narrowed my first start for the new year down to a few pieces that have really been calling my name, but I still have to make a final decision. I've decided that 2011 will be a "Stitching From Stash" year. I have so many beautiful charts that just keep getting set aside in order to stitch newly purchased charts, don't you? So, I decided to work on bringing some of "my old friends" to life in 2011.

The other thing I know for sure is that I will continue my "ornament a month" stitching in the coming year and I'm so excited that a few of my online stitching friends will be joining in on the fun. I am truly appreciative of everyone's comments on my last post about the ornaments and my Christmas tree--thank you, thank you! I'll have to admit, I spent a fair amount of time standing in front of my tree this past week just admiring the little beauties. They really make me smile and I almost hate to put them away for another year... Here is a photo collage of our Christmas morning:

Christmas Morning 2010



I want to thank my friend, Cathey (aka Pumpkin) for sending me a cute addition to my collection of ornament charts. She surprised me with this chart from Milady's Needle called "Up On the House Top" along with a beautiful Christmas card (featuring her own amazing photography) last week. I love it, my friend, and you know that ornament charts are a perfect gift for me. Thank you so much, Cathey. My oldest son has been working up in Canada lately and he always says how nice and thoughtful the Canadian residents are--I told him I already knew that from my Canadian blogging friends like Cathey!







And from Gracie, I won a very special giveaway. She was generously giving away three of the DMC "Stitch Pink" Needlework Accessory Kits and I was lucky enough to win one. Not only did she include the kit (which contains the prettiest pink scissors, pink bobbins, and a pink needle threader), she also gifted me with some pretty pink ribbon fabric, pink variegated floss, pink "love" mints, and a tiny silver charm for breast cancer awareness. Thank you so much, Gracie. These gifts will all come in very handy when I make another ornament for The Pumpkin Patch & Co. Breast Fund next year. Cathey organized a group of 17 of us to stitch ornaments that were auctioned off in November to raise funds for breast cancer research. Our little group ended up raising $875! Just think how much money we could raise if more of us donated an ornament. Cathey/Pumpkin will be continuing the group next year so keep checking her blog if you would like to contribute an ornament for this wonderful cause in 2011...

I'm going to be taking a bit of a blogging break for a while. My youngest son and I are headed down to sunny and warm (please let it be sunny and warm, please let it be sunny and warm!) Florida to visit my parents next week. I should be back around mid-January with my annual birthday/2nd blogoversary giveaway for my followers. What will be included in the giveaway? Well, something you've seen featured in this post for one--hint, hint!



I truly love vintage postcards and the sentiment on this one is perfect for the approaching new year. 2011 is like a blank slate for us. As Edith Lovejoy Pierce said: "We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." I hope your new year is blessed with good health, much happiness, and everything that brings you smiles...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!