Sledding By Starlight.....

 

 And A Dog Named "Soot".....

As I was stitching all the Snow on the Tree Skirt, Dear Readers, I noticed a few places that were just Begging for details. And once the ideas had formed, there was no choice but to stitch them quickly before all the Snow was filled in. And so "Soot" appeared in the yard with Mrs. Claus and Santa! For what dog would want to miss an opportunity to howl at the stars? And if you were Santa and had a big black dog, wouldn't you name him "Soot"? I couldn't resist! And before the Snow had even settled I realized there was a small Hill that would be Perfect for sledding!

Have you ever been Sledding by Starlight?

These Elves were only too happy to take a ride!

(Sorry the picture is blurry... they are very small!)

And here you can see them with the Snow filled in.

 

And as I was nearing the completion of the stitching

 on this project, Dear Readers, 

I became aware that I didn't want to stop yet.... 

and there were some "corners" of the cloth that might be useful...

and might be just the right size for Pillows!

And all I had to do was outline the area to be filled....

and borrow a few ideas from the Tree Skirt!

Of course, they will be a little bit changed...

 the shape is square and quite small...

But I think it will be fun to make a "set" of Pillows

 to go with the Tree Skirt!

So There you have it, Dear Readers.....

Just A few more Tiny Details....

Sledding by Starlight....

And a Dog name "Soot"!

Stitching The Tree Skirt Snow....

 

 

And The Christmas Card...

I Thought you would like to see, Dear Readers, the completed Sky on the petit-point Christmas Tree Skirt. Yes, I did a lot of stitching on the weekend. I do think it looks lovely and as Birgit has commented, the way the sky shows off the Snowman and the Snowdeer are particularly satisfying. All that remains to do is the snowy ground around the border, and since I was not-commuting to work this morning I made a start. I thought it would be easy, just add the white in the circle shape, but discovered that it was Not easy at all! Making the circle edge completely round is a delicate mix of ever changing rows of stitches, and counting the correct number of stitches for each row requires that you know exactly where you are on the chart at every stitch! Yikes! After the easy task of just filling in the sky background.... making the snowy Ground required vigilant attention.... and lots of taking out stitches!

Here you can see the Snowman and the

 Snowdeer with the finished sky.

 

Here you can see where I have started to add the snow.

And at a certain point I realized that I 

needed to stitch the outer edge first, 

making a "line" at the edge that

 I could fill in afterwards.

It was easier to count the placement of the edge stitches first...

Until I came to where I had added

 the Cavorting Deer to the design...

and I am afraid I made them a little too frisky,

 and they overstep the border edge of the snow!

Even though I had drawn the deer onto the pattern guide

 within the snowy edge, 

when I was stitching I did not stick exactly to my drawing.

You can see in this closeup that I have had to "bump out"

 the circle edge the littlest bit to fit around the deer!

I am hoping that once it is all stitched and hemmed, 

it won't be noticeable at all!

But it has made it very difficult to get back to the

 "proper edge" of the circle design.

But I am Sure that what some of you Really want to see

is the finished Christmas Card Drawing.

The Post Office delivered it in Record time so here it is!

Please judge it Gently, Dear Readers, as it is not the Prettiest of my cards.

But it was not a pretty year and we all struggled to cope

 with more changes and more danger than we ever imagined.

As always it is pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 

drawn to actual size of the printed cards, 8.5 by 11 inches.

I did not count the hours this year.... 

nor did I count the trips up and down the stairs

 to double check my details....

And there is at least one glaring mistake!

But I hope you never notice it!

Stay strong and stay well, Dear Readers,

and I hope you are Comforted by the 

Glimmers of Hope for this New Year!

It's Not A Lot....

 

 But It Is Progress....

I Can't Show it to you yet, Dear Readers, but I finished drawing the Christmas Card last Sunday! I got it printed on Tuesday and mailed the copies to my Family before sunset the same day. As soon as I hear from my Mother that she has her card, I can then post a picture here. So it is up to the US mail service which this year has given new meaning to the term "snail mail"! The package I sent them for Christmas took three times as long as usual to reach them, arriving the day after Christmas. I really don't blame the good postal workers, they have been working bravely and steadily throughout this crazy year.... but they were overwhelmed by the amount of things people wanted "delivered" this year. So we will see. Maybe I will be able to show you the Card next week. Until then you will have to put up with another Tiny update on the Christmas Tree Skirt. It has been very soothing during the past tumultuous week to be able to just pick it up and add a few stitches! Nothing Fancy... no creativity involved! And that is all I have managed to do!

Soon I will be done with the sky blue and will move on

 to the White snow around the edges.

I can't tell you how much I love this little Village!

 

So there you have it, Dear Readers,

 It is Not a Lot.... but it is All I have to show... 

and it is Progress!

Filling The Sky....

 

 

I  Hope.....

You will Understand, Dear Readers, that this will be a short post. Just a glimpse of the Sky being filled with stars.... spreading the message of Hope Eternal.... for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Mankind. Tonight is Epiphany... The Magi arrive and give their Gifts to the Baby. How much we need to hold Faith now! I have Hope that our institutions are strong and will withstand the turmoil of the next few weeks. Meanwhile, I will keep adding to this Sky... one stitch at a time. And I will complete the Christmas Card drawing... almost done (but so difficult to concentrate just now...!) I have Hope that it will be done by this weekend. Soon it will be traveling to my Family near and far.

I Hope, Dear Readers, that you are all well

 and that you can see the Stars from where you are. 

We will make it through these challenging Times!

I Hope.