Christmas Banners Stitch-a-Long, part 8

Hi everybody! Last time I was feeling like there were SO MANY SEQUINS and that this was going to drag out a bit. Here's where I left off: 

I got all of the "inner" sequins done and started on the long line of sequins around the edge. And here's the thing -- they looked SO GREAT that I just kept stitching them on! Clearly, I got my groove back because...

IT'S HAPPY DANCE TIME!!!

I am so pleased with how it turned out after all. The red sequins around the edge add exactly what was missing from the earlier stages. Thanks everyone for all of your support as I struggled a little with this. 

I'm going to stay in the Christmas vibe because, well, I still have SEVERAL (yep, more than three...) Christmas kits downstairs. Next up is actually a new one: 

Yep, I'm moving into the third dimension! My husband loves gnomes, and over the years I have given him a gnome every year. Some I've made, some I've bought. This guy looks adorable and fits in with my felt-and-sequins obsession.

For our next check-in on August 11 I hope to have gotten a good start on him. I don't yet have a sense of how he goes together, so we'll see!

The other stitchers in this stitch-a-long are always working on amazingly beautiful and diverse projects. Go check out their blogs and get inspired: Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Jackie, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, Mary Margaret, Cindy, and Helen.

Halloween Ornaments Project, July 2024

For my June check in I hadn't finished my ornaments. Shame! Shame! But I'm happy to report that I finished two ornaments from the Prairie Schooler "Boo to You" booklet: 

But that's JUNE. For July I made up another pattern from the 2023 Halloween special issue of Cross Stitch magazine: Midnight Meeting. 

I stitched the cats on white Aida -- as called for in the pattern -- and thought it looked a little bland: 

So then I overdyed it with the "ice dye" method -- so much nicer!

So I made it into what feels a little oversized as an ornament, but will definitely find a home on my Halloween tree: 

Next month I'm going to do something a little different -- I saw this "kit" at a local store and thought it seemed like a good addition to my tree: 

I plan on staining him black and adding a little silvery color. I know this won't take long, but it will be nice to have a little break, maybe?

I'll be back on August 13 to share my finished ornament and my next project pick.