Themes for 2016

Thank you so much for all your comments on the post about Plans for Next Year.  I am so pleased that so many of us want to continue and you're enjoying the blog.

We had some great suggestions for new themes for 2016 and as ever it was quite hard to choose.  The favourites from this year are Black Cats, Pumpkins and Ghosts so they will all feature next year.  I also amalgamated some categories into one (Bats and Owls have become Winged Creatures).  I have included two free months so you can stitch your choice even if it didn't make the list this year.

So here are the themes for 2016:

January - Winged Creatures
(Bats, Owls, Crows and Ravens etc)

February - Mummies and Monsters

March - Pumpkins

April - Ghosts

May - Spiders and Bugs

June - Free Choice

July - Witches' Accessories
(things like brooms, hats, boots, cauldrons etc)

August - Spooky Words

September - Bad Fairies and Wicked Queens

October - Black Cats

November - Skeletons and Skulls
(including Sugar Skulls and Day of the Dead themes)

December - Free Choice

You can be imaginative with your choices, the theme doesn't have to be the main feature of the ornie as long as it is in there somewhere!

I also have a larger piece which features many of the themes so I'll be showing that too.

Lisa had a great idea of theming the months according to the alphabet.  We thought this would fit in very well with The Alphabet Club posts.  I have done A-D so far and December's will be E.  So if you have any spooky stitching which fits in with the letter E please email me a picture before the 1st December.  It could be a designer beginning with E or a design title beginning with E or an E feautured in the design (Spooky Elephant anyone?).

Just to finish off a wordy post, here is Trixie The Hallowe'en Witch from Brooke's Books looking very elegant:

Jo's February Ornament

Which only took a few days longer than I planned!

I saw this design in the Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en Special 2013 and I knew I wanted to stitch her as soon as I saw her.  So when I was planning the themes for this blog I thought "if I choose Vampires I can stitch that 1920s Vampire Lady".  Perfect.

Then, along comes February, I dig out the magazine and realise that Brooke Nolan had designed her as a Bat Witch!  I decided to leave off the witchy accessories (broom, hat and bat) and add some little fangs so she looks like the Vampire I envisioned.  Here she is:

I stitched her on 32 count lilac evenweave using the recommended DMC and Mill Hill beads.  I subbed the Kreinik for DMC Metallic because they are a fraction of the price and go much further being a stranded thread.

I am now looking for a nice stone doorway for her to pose in so I can make a scrapbook page for her.

I promise my Witch will be ready actually in her month!