Quiet After Dark

Summer temperatures have just arrived in Iowa and I am not even remotely thinking about the winter holidays...but if you are "one of those" early bird needleworkers already working on Christmas ornaments, then you are in luck (and WAY too ahead of the game), because the Just CrossStitch Annual Christmas Ornament Preview Issue is here! If you have been enjoying my woodland ornament series, then you will be happy to see Blue Ribbon Designs included in this issue. You can find "Quiet After Dark" on page 25 of the August 2015 Issue (Volume 33, No.4), which is now available. This is the 10th anniversary of the JCS Ornament Preview issue and it contains a lovely assortment of 10 ornaments that will give you just a taste of what is to come in the JCS Christmas Ornaments Issue (which you will find Blue Ribbon Designs in, as well!).

My 2015 preview ornament complements my woodland ornaments from the past several years - and as usual, combines cross stitch over both one and two linen threads. I stitched the model on 40-count Mocha linen from Weeks Dye Works (same as previous ornaments in this series) and used Weeks Dye Works cotton floss. I opted for a flat-finish with two-tone cord as an embellishment....and as a little finishing tip for those of you using the 40-count linen - I used standard hotel room keys padded with cotton batting (or you could use fake or expired credit cards) instead of the padded mounting board that the magazine suggests...they are the perfect size!

Look for another woodland series ornament in the JCS Christmas Ornament Issue out later this year...and if you are a Halloween fan - there are several publications on the way with Blue Ribbon Designs!