2019 JCS Christmas Ornament & December~Celebrate! Both Debut

It is only the latter part of September but around Gracewood it is feeling a LOT like Christmas!!

I'm happy to announce that the special 2019 Christmas Ornament Edition of Just Cross Stitch magazine is coming soon to your mailbox and will then be available on news stands.  This is what it looks like this year.

The ornament I contributed is this one listed in their 'Home for the Holidays' section.

Homespun Thistledown Christmas

A salute to my Scottish ancestors, this is a pattern I've had in mind for a while and was happy to use it for the ornament issue.  I found the vintage piece of homespun fabric on ebay and I thought it really worked well with the design. 

Another reason it seems like Christmas is that I'm introducing the December design for the Calendar Collection series.  I hope you'll find it a fitting pattern for the month.  It is a time of so many celebrations and this design looked like something that would dress a traditional table filled with all the goodies you can think of, lol

December ~ Celebrate!

I've chosen to stitch the model using Gloriana's variegated silk floss in their beautiful 'Holly Berry' shade. 

I can't promise to finish it by December but I've promised publishers to try so I hope I'll be able to achieve it!

Lastly, it feels like Christmas can't be far away,  because it has been quite cool and wet and everything is just shouting that fall has arrived!  Leaves are turning golden, mushrooms are everywhere, and for the last two nights a bear has raided our bird feeding station and that usually happens when their thoughts turn to that long winter's nap they take!

Hope it is lovely where you are as well~