Noel and Silent Night

"Take Classes."  This advice was given to me from a friend.  Marge said, " if you want to learn and advance your skills, take classes.  You will always learn something."  Marge was right!  Hardanger was new to me.  Hardanger is very elegant and scary!  Cutting and removing those threads.  Then those picots!  My teacher would say, "even if you cut or remove the wrong thread, it can be fixed."  And I as made my way around the piece, I was holding my breath, praying everything would meet and match up! 

Noel was designed by Emie Bishop, Cross N Patch.

Silent Night, a small sampler ornament was designed for the Cheekwood Chapter of the Embroiders Guild by Beverly Hamer in 1994 for the Trees of Christmas exhibit.  Star stitch, four sided stitch, Herringbone, double stitch, crown stitch, crossed scotch cushion, eyelet, half Rhodes, whipped satin, mosaic, Smyrna cross, and Palestrina knots are some of the stitches used in this piece.  This was a good learning piece. 

Each year Cheekwood Botanical Gardens hosts the Trees of Christmas.  There is usually a theme for decorating the trees and local business and organizations are asked to decorate a tree.  Yes, I am biased, the EGA tree is always one of my favorites--all those hand made ornaments, hours of work, skilled hands working needle and thread.