Christmas Ornie SAL - April

The catch up session continues! LOL

So what was the delay with this? Well.... I initially planned on making this ornie as a bolster pillow finish, got my hands on some basic finishing instructions (thanks Jacqui!) and set to. Firstly I sewed the stitching onto the fabric then added the red, gold and green trim, then turned it inside out and sewed the edge together at the back - pretty straightforward and all went well with that. Next came turning it the right way round and this is where things started to go wrong...... I'd made the pillow too small/thin and I couldn't turn it, so handed it over to DH for a little more strategy and some elbow grease. He got it turned but unfortunately the stitching had pulled away from the edging trim and it looked messy, so I shoved it to one side while I tried to think of a way of rescuing it.

Two months down the line........ and one light bulb moment later: tuck the gold ribbon under the trim and over the pulled edge, sew in place and Voila! damage hidden and it doesn't look too bad at all. Then came sewing one end to turn it into a bolster pillow but when it was done it looked like a long, thin sausage and rather daft. OK, not happy with it so it got unpicked and I'd just started to wonder if this darned thing was ever going to get finished when another light bulb flashed on: turn it into a cracker instead and use the same gold ribbon I hid the damage with. Result!

• Design: Believe - internet freebie
• Designer: Tanya Marie Anderson - The Sampler Girl
• Fabric: 28ct Permin (Wichelt) linen, Lambswool
• Thread: Carrie's Creation, Holly Days
• Finish: Christmas Cracker ornie

It'll be one of the slightly more unusual ornies on our tree this year, that's for sure. LOL

So how did the weekend go for you all? Ours was another good one, though it was a stay-at-home one this time. The items I mentioned before, that were on Freecycle, all went so I sorted some more and gradually added those: I've rehomed a bathroom cabinet and a mahogany framed mirror that were my DSis's throw outs, also a huge beer glass (one of DS's clear outs) that someone will use as a vase (no handles, so it looks like one) and a chap is calling tonight for a Popcorn Making machine - that was OK while DS was small but it hasn't made it out of the cupboard in years. That is going to a Senior so she can make popcorn for her grandchildren which I thought was rather nice. :0) A wall light and ceiling light haven't gone yet but I have hopes that a carbooter will take those off my hands before long. DS took the books I'd sorted out down to the Hospice Bookshop for me, so I need to carry on doing the rest now the box is empty again.

We also had another amenities site trip and offloaded an old TV and microwave and a huge fan/light combi fitting that was really grotty - all of those will have bits reclaimed for reuse, so they won't go into landfill. I rescued the plate out of the microwave though and a Freecycler took that as a spare for a Senior neighbour who occasionally has mishaps with them. The wardrobe in DS's room was finished so we also set to building up his new computer desk between us - that was completed Sunday night, so DS had fun setting up all his computer stuff in and on it and is now organised. Monday evening he took his CD rack up and organised that...... so his bedroom is done. Yay! So it's on to the next job.....

Take a good look at the conifers in the pic because they are going: DH set to with the loppers and saw last night and cut half of them back to the main stems, ready for them to be pulled out with a winch prior to the fence being done. Brutal but effective..... and Momma and Poppa Blackbird's babies have now flown the nest, so it's the right time to do them. As a Pagan it goes against all I believe in to do this but I also have to be practical: neither of us is getting any younger and we both have arthritic bits and pieces already, so we have to make the gardening as easy as possible for ourselves. No conifers means waaaay less work so they have to go. The plus side of this is that the new fence means we'll be able to grow the fruit trees we've always wanted to have....... and we'll be leaving a share of the fruits for the wildlife and fairies, of course. :0)

Freecycle has proved useful again: I asked for some small Jewson sandbags today, so we could use them to pile the conifer cuttings in, to make it easier to take them to the amenities site - loading/unloading the smaller bags into the back of The Tank will be far easier than using the huge bag we currently have, which almost breaks our backs! I got an immediate response from the lady who took the pegs for her DD, so DH should be calling to pick those up on his way home from work tonight. If there's time we hope to be able to take some of the cuttings tonight. :0)

I also had some rather good bits of news too. I've won not one but two blog giveaways! Wow! Some serious HD going on here about that. The first was over at Lisa's blog for a cute chart and the second was over at Laura's blog where the giveaway was a rather lovely stitched item. I shall share pics when they arrive. Again, a BIG thank you to Lisa and Laura - can you tell I'm over the moon? :0)

Chris: the pattern is just short of joining at the back, though the instructions in the kit said to overlap them a little.... but both ways turn it into a long thin needleroll. It's probably one of the things I'd do differently next time around: allow more material and not have the pattern meet to make a bit fatter needleroll, as I think they look better that way. I need to get way more stuffing first though! LOL

Thank you all for the lovely comments about the needleroll, they are greatly appreciated. Hope you're having a lovely day and enjoyed your visit. :0)