Merry Merry!

Hmm....after all their hard work, I wonder if Santas relax after their big night...

Here's the grouping of most of the stand ups as they've been displayed this season on my piano.

Merry Christmas to all!

Absolutely Ready!

Perched on the roof. . .halfway down the chimney.  Santa can't get more ready than this one from Mile High Princess designs.

Just Hanging Around

This double sided hanging Santa is yet another favorite.  It was a painted canvas with stitch guide and I love the beautiful details from the shading on the face to the gifts in his bag.  I also have great memories of stitching this piece on the plane to and from a wonderful week in Paris!  The same stewardess was working both flights, and we had a lot of fun talking about stitching in general and my progress on this little Santa in particular. 

Could Santa Be Irish?

An Irish Santa?  With all the green, with this Santa, maybe he's Santa MacClaus. . . .???

Alternate Transport?

I guess if you have super powers like Santa, you're not limited to traditional animal based transport!

This piece was a painted canvas I picked up at my local needlework store's annual garage sale.  I used fibers from my stash for Santa and the duck's beak, eye, and feet.  I spent a lot of time coming up with a good stitch for the bulk of the duck (but I was not forward thinking enough to write it down).  I'm also really pleased at how the background came out.  Most of it is dark blue DMC floss. . .but there are also "clouds" of closely matching blue metallic that really turned out well. . . hard to see in the photo though. 

Packed and Ready to Go

I remember this Santa because I was stitching him during a trip to England with my sister, nieces, mom, and DH in 2000.  The pattern was published in Stitcher's World magazine, and I think he's just the epitome of today's dapper, but traditional Santa.

Falling Behind

Well, so much for my good intentions to post a Santa every day. . .   Somehow yesterday got lost in the shuffle.  To make up, here are two delightful Libby Sturdy Santas, her Jingle Bell Santa finished as a stand up plus a little Russian Santa ornament.  These are two of my very favorites!

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More Santas for the Tree

I love this traditional Santa with his non-traditional checkerboard background!  I believe he's a Princess and Me design.

Have I Made Santa's Nice List?

Last December I posted photos of several Christmas pieces that I had yet to complete the finishing on.  A year has passed.  Are they all "finished" finished?

Well........ These three are!  Hopefully that counts for something.  As for the rest. . . . 'nuff said.....

Would you believe turqouise - December 14

I didn't realize it until I was editing my photos, but I must have had a pile of turquoise floss sitting around a couple of years ago when I stitched these three little Santas from Princess and Me designs.  Add some bright pink, and I'm not sure if I was thinking Christmas or Easter.  But the pink and blue work great in these designs, and all three were a lot of fun to stitch. 

Turquoise Santa with pink background

Pink Santa with Turquoise background

Turquoise Santa with Pink Mittens!



A Month of Santas Continues - December 13

Today's little guy is a companion to yesterday's.  I believe that both patterns were originally intended for cross stitch, but they translate beautifully to needlepoint.

A Month of Santas continues - December 12

As we all know, stitchers are exceptional enablers.  And when I joined EGA and ANG, my stitching pace REALLY picked up.   For novelty stitches and fibers, needlepoint really excels. . . and so most of my smaller Santas are canvas work.

The pattern for this little Santa appeared in the predecessor to Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine. . . and is really tiny compared to the 2-foot high "big Santas" at between 3 and 4 inches tall.

Santa 3 - December 11

Subtitle for today's post. . . I am not a designer...

On a roll after finishing my 2 "big Santas," I tried to design my own.  Here's the result. . . not totally horrible, but it does highlight the amazing talent of all our wonderful professional designers.

Santa 2 - December 10

Here comes Santa number 2. . . a companion to the yesterday's "big Santa," stitched a year later from a similar pattern.

Countdown to Christmas - Santa 1

If I had to choose what type of stitching project was my favorite, I'd probably answer "Christmas stitching. . . especially Santas."  And with SO many fun patterns and a seemingly often open invitation to go totally and enjoyably overboard with fibers and stitches, is it any wonder?.  .

I had hoped to do a series of posts. . . a Santa a day throughout December, but found I didn't have that many.  But I still will be posting photos of a series different versions of that jolly old elf between now and Christmas.

To start off, here is a photo of one of my three "big Santas". . .standing about 2 feet high, stitched mostly in cross stitch on 7 count fabric.  I stitched this back in 1997 as I was getting back into stitching regularly after a pretty long absence.

Pattern: Cinnamon Stick Christmas XII

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