Christmas stitching on Halloween

Happy Halloween! Do you have your candy and treats all ready for your neighborhood trick-or-treaters? What are you passing out this year? With the ever-increasing price of chocolate, we've chosen to hand out bags of popcorn and cookies this year instead of our usual candy bars. I adore chocolate and refuse to stop buying it for myself, but I've definitely cut back. Those chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joe's are my favorite after-dinner treat. I'm just limiting myself to one or two at a time these days as I try to make it last longer. So, do you celebrate Halloween in your country? It seems that it is spreading in popularity all around the world... I honestly think my grandson, Mister B, is even more excited about Halloween than he is about Christmas. He's dressing up as Snoopy from the Peanuts comics this year and has enlisted lots of relatives to join him. His little brother, Baby N, is going to make the most darling yellow Woodstock bird, his dad will be Charlie Brown, mom will be dressed as Snoopy's doghouse, his uncle will be Linus, and his aunt, Peppermint Patty. I can't wait to see a photo of the whole gang!

I should be stitching something for our next holiday here in the U.S. -- Thanksgiving. But instead, I've been working on catching up on my monthly Christmas ornaments.  For September, I chose this quick-to-stitch Prairie Schooler "tree" from the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine. It's stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle using DMC threads. I did change the suggested green color to 520 and used DMC 610 for the deer. I also rearranged and added a few more snowflakes at the top of the triangle.

A classic Prairie Schooler "tree" finish for September

To finish this one, I created a triangular template on my computer using the measurements of the three sides and then cut out a piece of sticky board a bit larger than that. After applying a layer of batting to the sticky part, I simply attached the fabric to the padded triangle using glue. I then made the same sized backing piece, covered it with green gingham fabric, and glued them together. I surrounded it with cording and added a yellow star from my stash for a cute accent. I debated whether to try to insert the little stick (found in my yard) in between the two layers, but ultimately decided it would be too bulky and it would leave a lump in the front. I don't know about you, but I care more about what my ornaments look like from the front than the back :) So, I ended up simply gluing the stick on to the back as shown below. 

I simply glued a small stick to the back for the tree trunk

October's ornament is a darling design called "Letter to Santa" by Living on the Rainbow. She has such fun and creative charts sold here on Etsy. It's stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle with DMC threads: 04, 310, 321, 322, 745, 3818, and white. Santa's beard and eyebrows are supposed to be stitched with Rainbow Gallery Wisper thread to make them fluffy. Unfortunately, I had none and didn't want to wait for an order to arrive so I just cross-stitched them. Not quite as cute, but probably easier :) I've never worked with Wisper thread, but I heard it's a bit tricky. Any pointers in case I choose to use it in future projects? 

Love the detail in Santa's face on this one!

What I love about this one, is that the backside is also stitched, making it look like a true letter! That checkerboard border on both sides about drove me crazy, but I'm very happy with the final look of this ornament.

Even the back side of the letter is adorable!

 

My Christmas ornaments for September and October 2025

 

I don't always decorate for Halloween since my dad died on that day eleven years ago. But, this year, with my grandsons visit in mid-October, I decided to pull everything out. I hadn't decorated my Pottery Barn cubby for Halloween in four years and it was so nice to see these old friends again! My five-year-old grandson loved the display and had fun counting the number of black cats (I believe there are 24!) that he could spot... so cute! 

Halloween stitching has taken over my Pottery Barn cubby. As always, my mom's silhouette occupies the center space.

Here are a few close-ups. I just don't have time now to link to each finish so if you have a question about a particular piece, feel free to email me or go to the "Halloween" and "Halloween stitching" labels in my sidebar to the right to do a search. Do you have a favorite in the bunch?

 

Giveaway winner... There were only a few entries for the "Autumn Walk" chart with the black cat which I offered in my last post. The winner's name picked at random is...

Marilyn H.

The winner of the "Autumn Walk" chart is Marilyn H.

Congratulations, Marilyn H.! Please send me your mailing address (my email is in the sidebar to the right under "A Bit About Me") and I'll get the chart out to you as soon as possible. Hope you enjoy stitching it!

Do you enjoy seeing photos from people's travels? I always do, so I thought some of you might like to see the photos from my youngest son's recent trip to the Patagonia region in South America. He and his fiancée (did I tell you he is engaged and their wedding will take place next June? We are so happy and excited for them! ) have traveled the world: Iceland, Norway, Oman, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc., etc. They truly love to travel together and experience different cultures. In fact, they are planning their honeymoon in Africa! Oh, to be young again :) Anyway, their pictures from Chile and Argentina were so stunning that I thought I'd share them with you today. Hope you enjoy...

Love the color of the mountains as they reflect the setting sun.

  

Wild and wonderful Patagonia

Oh, that blue!!

A lone cow gazes and grazes with those stunning, snow-covered mountains in the background.

My son and his fiancée did a grueling 14-mile hike one day. Don't think I would have made it!

Some of the wonderful animals they spotted on their Patagonian travels earlier this month. That fluffy, white pair of ewes is just so sweet, isn't it?

Another month is over and two very busy months lie ahead... I'm still in shock that 2025 is winding down so quickly, aren't you? Since becoming a grandmother, I feel the days pass by faster than ever. Or, maybe it's just getting older that causes that feeling. I don't like it, though, and wish the days would go by at a slower pace and last longer. Speaking of shorter days... we wind the clocks back this weekend--probably my least favorite weekend of the year. I dread the darkness that creeps in about 5:00... Anyway, nothing I can do to change that, right? Hope you all enjoy this last day of October! And, as always, thank you for your visits and kind comments. Bye for now... 

We did end up getting a bit of color in our front yard this year. Love the red berries against the orange leaves of the maple tree.

A Santa, a ghost, and a spider

Hello, everyone! I fully intended on posting last week, but then my grandsons arrived for four days and I was busy getting ready for their visit. And, of course, nothing stitching related got done while they were here--such busy, busy boys! So, how is everyone doing? Before I get to my stitching, I simply want to thank the many folks from around the world who left comments last time! I had no idea so many stitchers visited my blog and it truly warmed my heart to know I have "friends" all over the world who enjoy reading "Stitching Dreams!" Thank you, one and all! 

If you've been following my stitching this year, you know I've fallen in love with Teresa Kogut's Santas! And a new one has joined the group... May I present "Green Coat Santa" from her "Hello, Santa" booklet (a truly wonderful collection of Christmas/Santa themed designs that I highly recommend). For me, her pieces offer pure comfort stitching just like my beloved Prairie Schooler designs. I used the suggested DMC threads with only a few changes (I used DMC 420 for the hat's pom-pom, changed the little snowman on the right to DMC 712, and stitched his stick arms in 612). I also satin-stitched the snowman's nose in DMC 921 and used Smyrna stitches for the eyes on Santa, the snowmen, and the reindeer. Finally, the main change I made was to leave off the black border.

"Green Coat Santa" finish

He (along with the other two Santas I've finished), is stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha linen.  I actually call him my "Jolly Green Giant Santa" because of the way the little deer are staring up at him as if in wonder. He sure is one big guy!

That tiny deer seems to be amazed at the size of "Green Coat Santa!"

 

Joy, indeed! Stitching Teresa Kogut's designs always fills me with joy!

 

The gold, the red, or the green? Which Santa do you like best? For me, it's the big gold guy with the tiny snowman in his bag.

I purchased black rustic frames for each of them and fully intend on framing these before Christmas arrives. Hopefully, by putting that statement into words, I'll actually get it done :) 

A few days before my grandsons arrived last Friday, I suddenly got it into my head that I wanted to stitch them each a little Halloween ornament! Luckily, the talented Melisa over at Pinker 'n Punkin Quilting has generously designed some quick-to-stitch Halloween freebies for us so I had no trouble stitching and finishing both of these cuties in three days.  

A pair of not-too-scary Halloween ornaments for my grandsons. The orange and black polka-dot woolies flannel is what I used for the backing fabric.

For five-year-old Mister B, I stitched "Eek! A Spider!" on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle. I used DMC white, black, 3826, and 3347 for the colors and added a stitch of orange to the tips of each of the spider's legs. My grandson is already learning how to read so well in Kindergarten and proudly read "EEK" with no problem!

The cording is done in DMC 3826.

And, for five-month-old Baby N, I stitched the sweetest baby ghost! I used DMC white, black, 3826, 353 (for the cheeks) and 469 on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle. I also added three "doo-dads" to the background to fill in some of the empty space. 

 

I just love this sweet baby ghost!

 

So, what will they do with their little ornaments? Well, I also gifted them a wrought iron "tree" that I'd bought years ago fully intending to make myself a Halloween tree. That never came to fruition, so I thought it best to get it out of the attic and pass it on. I planned on making an ornament each year for them to fill it up... But, after counting the remaining hooks, I realize that I'll be stitching these until I'm 93 years old as there are 46 open hooks! Um... not going to happen. So, maybe I'll try to make them each two a year? Of course, the boys can always make little decorations of their own to add to the tree--I hope they do!  

I'm going to have to step up my Halloween stitching in order to fill up this tree for my grandsons!

Giveaway time... I came across this charming autumn chart the other day that I'd always intended to stitch, but never found the time (too many charts, not enough hours in the day as you know!). Would any of you be interested in stitching it? I've removed the pages of this sweet scene (a black kitty gazing at a wooden wheelbarrow full of autumn harvest) from an old Just Cross Stitch magazine (October 1999).  The chart will be folded and mailed in a legal sized envelope to save on postage...  I'll draw a name on my next post and all you have to do to enter is: 

1) Specifically mention in your comment that you want to win the chart

2) Tell me your favorite places to purchase your cross stitching charts and supplies

3) Be sure to leave your email address if I don't already have it

To enter the giveaway for this chart, please follow the guidelines above. I'll draw the winner's name and announce it on my next post.

Q & A: I was asked by someone in a comment last time where I purchase my stitching items. Sadly, for me, everything (except DMC floss) has to be purchased online. We have no local cross stitch shops at all. The nearest is 1 1/2 hours away! So, online it is... My go-to shop is 123 Stitch although I occasionally buy from other online shops if I can't find what I want there. I also purchase charts from Etsy now and then, especially from foreign designers who offer only pdf charts. My frames are usually thrifted or I get them from Franken Frames online. I imagine it must be magical to have a wonderful local cross stitch shop nearby--I hope those of you who do know how lucky you are! 

We so enjoyed our visit from our grandsons! Such busy little fellows... Mister B is so into reading and writing these days and loved the blank notebook that I gave him. He immediately began writing his own "chapter book" in it, complete with illustrations. So cute! And Baby N is just a charming, smiley bundle of love. He's rolling over, almost sitting on his own, and just a joy to be around. They'll be back for Christmas and I can hardly wait! Time to finish their ornaments... 

I hope your October is going well and that you're finding more stitching time now that the days are growing colder and shorter. I do love fall and winter stitching because I don't feel guilty about the outside chores that I should be attending to! As long as the sun shines and I can stay inside, I really don't mind the cold, do you? Thank you, as always, for taking time out of your busy day to visit my little old blog. Enjoy your week, everyone! Bye for now...