For Eliana -and anyone else interested lol

Miniature Christmas Stockings

I promised Eliana in my response to her comment that I would show her some of the miniature Christmas stockings I have done.  These are in 1:12th scale and are done on silk gauze, some with the floss supplied in the kits and some with 1 strand of DMC.

These first ones are kits I bought from Janet Granger - I love her kits and have done quite a few of them.  these stockings are stitched on 48hpi silk gauze using the rayon floss supplied in the kit.  The duplicate Teddy Bear stocking is done with 1 strand of DMC.

This photo gives an idea of the size of the stockings, although it was part of a series I did on how they are stitched together.  I think if memory serves me right that they are just over an inch long - maybe 1 1/8" from top to the lowest part.  That doesn't count the little hanging loop, which is made from cord, a continuation of the twisted thread cord that goes all the way around the outside edge.

Here are three stockings and a rather wonky cushion to match one of them, done on 40hpi silk gauze using 1 strand of DMC.  These were charts from Petitpointers, the wonderful online needlework group to which I belong, but were adapted to fit the outline of Janet Granger stocking kits.

They are the same size of course as the stockings above but the cushion isn't quite square.

I have several of Missy Boling stocking kits  - see miniaturehome.com  - but have completed these two so far.  Again they are done on 48hpi silk gauze.  Aren't they lovely?  I also have some by Bobbie Schoonmaker of micro-stitchery.com to make up.

And while we are on a Christmas needlework theme, I will show you these cushions.  They each measure approximately 1" square and are designs by Mary Bures.  I was fortunate enough to buy some of her charts before she passed away.   I did the cushions and variations on them as well.  There are quite a few more of these to do too.  Unfortunately though I didn't get them all.

So why did I want so many stockings and cushions?  I didn't at first.  But like Topsy it just grew.  So I decided that to indulge my love of them I would make a Christmas needlework shop and call it 'Noelle Needlework'.  Those of you who belong to Petitpointers might remember leading me astray and introducing me to the lovely little houses that I also fell in love with and bought a whole collection - and some of you tried hard to talk me into building a second storey to the shop to show them to full advantage lol.  I still might indeed do that too.  But here is the unfinished exterior so far.

As you can see, there is still a lot of work to do on it.  It was packed away by my nephew with the rest of my minis while we were away on our long trip. The darling little angels in the front window suffered damage which is sad because they are Reutter porcelain but I have located most of the bits to go into it again. 
One thing that I am puzzling about is how to do the lettering in gold on the front - I don't want to use gold stickers that are chunky and haven't found some in a font I like which is delicate enough to look painted on. Nor unfortunately do my lettering skills extend to painting it on myself.  It is little things like this that bring me to a stop in my projects.  I would also like to get some transfers or something of poinsettias to put on the part that has the name and on the front panels under the windows with further lettering.  I am considering printing what I want on the computer with maybe the lettering in green, then adding gold shadowing to it when I put it on the facade of the shop.  What do you think?

I'm not overly fond of poinsettas as flowers - they grow like weeds in Australia and I guess I take them for granted.  But I love them as part of Christmas decor.   I bought some Felicity Price charts for a Poinsettia carpet, firescreen and cushion for the shop as well.  So I had better show you these too lol. The stitching is all done with DMC - two strands this time, since it is on 22hpi and not on the fine silk gauze so they are not as delicate as the cushions I did above but I love the design.  Here I've set them up in the then-empty shop to get an impression of their impact. 




To add more cushions to the shelves and fill some more of that empty space, I did these ones using elements taken from the designs for the carpet and firescreen on some of the left-over canvas.

I found a free chart online for a little angel - I wish I could remember where so I could give credit.  It was for a wall hanging in real life, but by doing it on 30hpi silk gauze instead of on the linen that the original was charted for, and using 1 strand of DMC it came out the perfect size for a mini wallhanging, just over an inch tall.  I liked it so much that I did four more, varying the colour of each angel's robes and graphing different Christmas-themed words for the top.  I don't know why they look different sizes in this photo, it must be the angle I held the camera.

Of course every needlework shop needs to sell supplies, so Noelle Needlework is well stocked with kits for stockings and wallhangings.  Each of these 'kits' has a scanned or copied picture on the front, is packed with pages, and covered with plastic.  There are several of every kit so we are ready for the pre-Christmas rush!  And of course since needlework takes time, sales continue throughout the year.








Want your purchase gift wrapped?  Or a pretty box to put it in?  That need has been catered for as well.  In fact, there is a stocking being packed into a box right now for a happy customer. 



But hand stitched goods are also a feature of this shop and passers-by as well as customers are intrigued to see the owner sitting at her embroidery stand stitching her creations and samples of the kits, to go on sale.  Here her chair is set up ready, with a cushion for back support, and the needlework stand is ready for another project to be attached - she must have just completed one.  And naturally she enjoys the company of her loving cat at her feet.





Her sewing box is well-stocked with goodies, including a chart - maybe that is her next project? 

But still the shop itself remains another UFO, ever since Christmas 2008. Will I complete it in time for this Christmas? Maybe.........