Throwback Thursday - 2003 (Part 1)

If it's Thursday, it time to look back on projects from long ago. This is what I made in January and February of 2003.


Arctic Rose

This is the last in the series of ornament designs I picked up while in Alaska. This is stitched on a scrap of Fiddler's Cloth and finished as a "pillow" ornament, using a picot edge satin ribbon for the hanger. Having these ornaments to hang on our Christmas tree each year is a great way to remember the 10th wedding anniversary Dale and I celebrated in Alaska.

Giraffe

Here's a giraffe to add to my stitched collection. I love his sweet expression and the way his little round body sits on his short little legs. This is part of by X-Calibre Designs "Little Ones" collection, which is geared toward beginner stitchers. The inexpensive kits came with with fabric, needle, threads and a large print chart.

I framed this sweet guy in a 5" embroidery hoop that I'd painted gold. I added the black bow at the top because most of my giraffe stitcheries are either stitched on black fabric, or have a black mat. I wanted to carry over a touch of black in the finishing work on this piece, too, to fit into the collection.

Cosmo-Kitty

Cosmo-Kitty was designed by my oldest daughter, Jeanne. At the time, she liked to design cross-stitch more than she liked to stitch. She called me her model stitcher. This was the third of her designs I stitched.

Thank You Note

My brother Mark surprised me by sending me a nice cross-stitch book called The Art of William Morris in Cross Stitch by Barbara Hammet. It arrived on a day when I needed a pick-me-up, and I so appreciated his thoughfulness.

The designs in the book are simplified and stylized from the original embroideries. The book has very nice photos of Morris' original works, and then color charts of Hammet's interpretations. Among the many birds, florals and fruits is a lovely capital letter alphabet called the Kelmscott Alphabet. I stitched the letter "C" for my brother (the initial of his last name).

The entire design is stitched using DMC #8 perle coton, in navy blue #823. 

Welcome to the World Magnet

I stitched this kit for our new neighbors who had a baby boy. I added this magnet to a gift basket I put together for their baby.

I had great fun shopping for the little guy. The basket included a hooded towel with matching washcloth, four receiving blankets, three pair of socks, some shampoo and bathing goodies, and a rubber duck that lets you know if the bath water is too hot or not. What fun!