Patriotic Christmas

I am so proud of myself! I finished another stitching project last night! woo hoo! This project took me more than two years to complete. No, not because it was that complicated, just because I was that slow. I had finished the stitching portion over a year ago, but never got around to turning this into an ornament.


I found this red plaid fabric in my stash. Now I must add here that I am not a frequent buyer of fabric. Some of these items have been in my stash for over a dozen years. One of the bundles of fabrics had a tag from Lolly's Fabrics in Shipshewana, Indiana. I know for a fact that I purchased that when I still lived in Michigan, before the first Lolly's fabric was burned in a fire and rebuilt, that's how old this fabric is! But that's the wonderful thing about a lot of craft items. If you hold onto them long enough, you'll eventually find a use for them!

I used a little fiberfill stuffing to give this some form, added a rose red grosgrain ribbon (Stampin Up) for hanging, and hand-stitched it all together. Not bad!



This pattern is from one of Sandra Sullivan's Homespun Elegance designs. My Sam said it looked more like Independence Day than Christmas, but that's what I love about it. It's a design that works all year long! Father Christmas/Uncle Sam holding a flag, with just a teeny little snowman to tell you this is a winter image.

I like to make my designs with loops that are long enough to turn them into doorknob hangers, if so desired. As a former preschool teacher, I have a TON of ornaments from students, and I'd probably need five trees to display them all. But a doorknob hanger can be used to dress up any door for the holidays. You can add it to a wreath, fancy up a flat fronted basket, or even display it from a coat rack hook, as I have done here.

I have now cleaned up my work-in-progress stitching mess for the holidays. Whew! I forgot how much fun it is to stitch in the evenings. It has such a meditative, calming effect for me. I have a brightly colored Lizzie Kate Snowman pattern that I think I'll work on next.

Four days until Christmas! Are you making any gifts this year?