A brand new design, and a previous retreat exclusive!
Is anyone in the mood for Christmas stitching yet? While the weather is warming up here in Australia, I felt the call for some traditional Christmas stitching this year – perhaps some yearning for the peace and comfort of simpler times. I hope these two designs bring you some comfort and Christmas cheer.
The first is a previous retreat exclusive, “Reindeer Dance: A Christmas Biscornu” – originally created for a retreat in Hobart back in 2023 for A Stitch in Time. When I was asked to create a traditional Christmas biscornu pattern, I had the vivid image of being tucked into a little cabin in the forest, with reindeers dancing overhead on Christmas night. It’s a simple stitch, with a couple of embroidery stitches added for texture.
This was also the first time I created my finishing trick for the centre of the biscornu – without using buttons. This technique is described on the pattern, while more general biscornu finishing techniques can be easily found online.
I stitched my model on 36-coutn Flax by Zweigart, using the brand-new (at the time!) “Bookshelf Edit” from Cottage Garden Threads. I can remember how excited I was to use them – and how I love them still. You can find the chart, PDF and threadpacks in my Etsy store, and at Cottage Garden Threads website.
The brand-new design is a bit cheeky: is it snow or icing? “At the Gingerbread House” was such fun to stitch, even for a Grinch like me! Whether your Christmases are hot or cold, I think we all love a Gingerbread House, so I hope you’ll start your Christmas stitching early with this design.
I have lovely memories of my mother baking gingerbread and constructing a Gingerbread House every Christmas when I was a child, and the smell of the baking gingerbread was divine. I was so impressed with her architectural skills too! Getting it to stay upright was quite a feat!
I’ve stitched my model on 36-count “Cinnamon” linen by Whoopsie Daisy Designs by Daisy Chain Stitchery, using the “Bookshelf” Cottage Garden Threads again. I used 1 strand in my model, but feel free to use 2 strands to really make it pop.
While I wanted soft whites for the snow/icing (and I used DMC White), if you’d like brighter whites, use DMC B5200.
The chart, PDF and CGT threadpacks are available from my Etsy store and Cottage Garden Threads. I hope stitching these brings happy memories and happy Christmas moments for you.
