Sweet Treats for Christmas

If some of you didn't know, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love all of the pretty lights and sparkling ornaments decorating the streets, houses and malls. The smell of fresh baking always brings a warm and fuzzy feeling too at this time of the year because we have a few go to recipes that are made only at Christmas time, so it even tastes like Christmas!

The Christmas season is just around the corner and with that I have TWO patterns coming out in The World of Cross Stitching issue 223 on sale November 6, 2014. Both are cookie related and yet couldn't be any different from one another.

© The World of Cross Stitching magazine (issue 223), Immediate Media Co Bristol, www.cross-stitching.com

© The World of Cross Stitching magazine (issue 223), Immediate Media Co Bristol, www.cross-stitching.com

Speaking of Christmas cookie cross stitch patterns don't forget to join in on the Gingerbread House SAL fun on my Facebook group! ( Shannon Wasilieff Facebook Group ) There are many beautiful projects being stitched up! The last stage will be released around November 15th and will remain up and free until December 26, 2014.

© Shannon Wasilieff 2014 Gingerbread House SAL

Sneak Peek!

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been working on some commissions and even stitching them so obviously I can't show you them until they are published. The Cookie Sampler which I showed you guys a few months back will finally be in issue 223 of The World of Cross Stitching on sale November 6, 2014!

Since I can't show you my commissions I will let you in on my latest project. Currently I am designing and stitching a bunch of cross stitch designs to combine together to create a book. Once all of the models are stitched and finished off I will put my photography knowledge to work with a good camera and good lighting. When done, I will approach a few publishing houses with it or self publish it myself as an e-book and hard cover. Here is a little sneak peek at one of the many designs:

The colours are inspired by a vintage Christmas card I saw and I have to tell you it is stunning in person! I think I might have found a new colour pallet to work with in the future.

SAL Stage 2

Forgot to mention but the second part of the SAL has been released on my designer Facebook group! ( here ) This is the first house out of 4 and looks yummy enough to eat! Check it out if you haven't yet :)

Copyrighted by Shannon Wasilieff, for personal use only

Upcoming Pattern

I am really excited to finally show you guys my favorite pattern so far that I have designed! The World of Cross Stitching issue 221 (on sale September 11, 2014) has a bunch of Christmas related stitching and my Cookie Sampler is part of the designs for the month.

The World of Cross Stitching issue 221 on sale September 11, 2014

The red can easily be changed to a colour that goes with your decorating schemes and beads or regular stitching can replace the French knots used in the pattern. Also you can change the middle motif to say something like "Wasilieff's Kitchen" or make it into a frame for a picture of you baking with your kids or grandchildren. Could also stitch it as a cover for your Christmas recipes book.

Free Christmas SAL 2014

Hello everyone! This year I have decided to do a free Christmas stitch along (with a little help from a friend) on my Facebook page. It has 5 parts in total and measures 100w by 100h. The content is gingerbread houses, so if you love my Victorian style ones from last year you are going to love this stitch along! This is what the frame looks like:

(c) Shnnon Wasilieff 2014 Free Christmas SAL

In order to join all you have to do is like my page on Facebook and join in on the fun. To join follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1443923709209364/ or type in the search Shannon Wasilieff Designs and you should be able to find it. It is a closed group so you will have to be approved beforehand but it shouldn't take long to be approved :)

Hope to see lots of you there!! :D

Canada's 2013 Christmas Stamps

I was shocked to see that Canada's 2013 Christmas stamps were cross stitch related! Or as they said embroidery but that's close enough. Normally I don't collect stamps but these seemed like a no brainer :)

Christmas Elegance Day #6

After almost a week of stitching I have come this far:

It is stitching up fairly quickly and I am happy to say I am nearing the half way point on this. Every day of stitching this I am falling in love with it more and more. I really can't wait to start putting the beads onto it, it is going to sparkle so much!

Owl Christmas Ornament

This little owl Christmas ornament was cross stitched for my little sister. She draws these cute little animals and when I saw these little guys I knew it would be the perfect project for her. I plan on finishing it off with fabric in the next few weeks so she can have it for Christmas this year (I meant to have it finished last year oops).

This pattern can be found in Just Cross Stitch 2000 Christmas Ornaments Collection. The pattern is called Woodland Joy by Something in Common. I did alter a few things in the design, I left the border off around it and I added sparkly threads in the ornament, because every ornament needs something blingy.

All Stuffed up for Christmas

Christmas is coming!! It is my most favorite time of the year (just ask anyone in my family). I know it is only September but I have been playing with some Christmas ideas since July.

This little guy is a new prototype for my latest pattern. He is about 2 inches tall and chubby from the stuffing. There will be a few other little characters to follow but I was making sure that he could be sewn up like a gingerbread man shape.

I am stitching up another one over the next few days with the alterations I learned from doing this guy and then will put the pattern together as a PDF with instructions on how to finish them off. I personally don't think the photo does this little guy justice, he is so cute in person! Just imagine a plate full of them...

Purple Rose Sewing Bag

These purple roses are cross stitched on 32 count cream. The purple is my own conversion, originally they were to be a pink but I thought I would be a little daring. I am going to turn this into a small pouch that I plan on using to keep buttons, pins and other small things in that I would use for sewing or cross stitching.

I am thinking I will turn the process of turning this into a pouch into a tutorial to share with you all. I should do the same for how I finish off my smaller patterns into ornaments (like the donkey from a few days ago) so people can finish off some of their Christmas cross stitching into gifts. Yes I am already thinking of Christmas! Now is a good time to start your projects to give you ample time to finish!

First Finish of 2013...Kind of!

Feels so good to have put the last stitch into Ivy by Nora Corbett this evening! She is done and ready to be washed for beading.

Bluebell is near completion as well, she finally has another leg! I think all that is left to do on her is back stitching and I am hoping to get that done tomorrow so I can wash them at the same time. While they dry Mermaids of the Deep Blue will be pulled out and the beading will be worked on some more!

Before picking up Ivy my Winter Maiden by Joan Elliott got a page done! Just the snow at the bottom of her feet needs to be done. I keep putting her off knowing I have to do her hands 1 over 1 as well. I love the effect, it is just so time consuming! 

I Think I Can!

After telling myself multiple times that my Victorian Christmas Lady would be for me and my own enjoyment I have crumbled and decided nope, my nan would love it. As my mom said "you should just give in and surprise her by giving it to her" She is constantly asking if I have finished it yet and bringing up how she wants to open the green present. Not only is it her colors but she loves ladies and trees. I enjoy seeing her face when I surprise her, she is so cute and shocked that I managed to just finish a project!

So with that being said....I have started a new project in hopes that I finish it in the next 2 or so weeks so I will have my own Christmas cross stitch to hang up in the dinning room! I am working on Joan Elliott's 2012 Christmas Angel

It is not overly Christmas either so I can hang her up for the winter season if I want to. I am not too sure about the wings and might end up leaving them off having her as a Winter Maiden instead. I am also planning on doing her skin over one!

Here is my progress so far:

This is after just one day of stitching. She is on white 32 count linen and uses some of my favorite shades of teal. It is far from my nan's colors so I know this one is for keeps for sure!

Victorian Christmas Lady Finished!

I have managed to finish yet another project this year! And finally this one is all for ME!

Joan Elliott's Victorian Christmas Lady

It took a while to get all of the supplies to finish her. When I ordered all of the beads I forgot to order one of the Krieniks that was just used for the outlines of the fur part of the dress. Then once I got the order I ended up having to go away for a week. During that week away though I managed to get two Christmas Ornaments stitched up, but I can't show them just yet since one is for a Christmas Ornament exchange I am participating in and the other is a gift.

I am going to get her framed in a few weeks so she will be ready for Christmas. I already have an idea of where she is going to hang! Now I just need to figure out how to have her framed. I am thinking of a double matte. Have the bottom matter in either a red or green and then the top matte can be a cream or beige. I want something neutral because all of the colors are so bright.

Has anyone else started their Christmas stitching yet? I would love to see some of your work!

Page 2 Completed!

Sorry been away for a little while, the heat sure has gotten to me and in turn made me super lazy and not wanting to move much hehe. However I managed to finish page 2 of my Victorian Christmas Lady. That makes 12 working days invested into working on her.

Victorian Christmas Lady

She is so beautiful and I can't wait to finish her! I compared her to my Christmas Angel (also by Joan Elliott) and the two of them really compliment each other. I am not sure the last time I updated on my Christmas Angel though so here she is:

Christmas Angel by Joan Elliott

The lighting of the two pieces isn't the greatest but in person the vibrant colors look amazing together. They are about the same size too so they can be framed similar if I want to do that.

Quick Update on Victorian Christmas Lady

I have invested a total of 9 days so far on working on her, not full days either so I can only imagine how far I would be if that were the case! I finished up her hair and did some back stitching tonight so her face didn't look as scary. The only areas left to do on this page is the tree and the boarder, which I am still unsure of if I want to keep it or not, so that will be a final decision once the other pages are done. Here she is so far on 32 count white linen:

Joan Elliott's "Victorian Christmas Lady" Update as of July 27, 2012

I placed an order today for the beads and missing Kreinik and hopefully should get that all within the next week or two. I also had some other patterns magically end up in my shopping cart as I was checking out! Oops ;) ...Those patterns are Mirabillia's Lily of the Woods and The Petal Fairy, and a John Clayton cross stitch kit "Charlotte", which will be for my nan if I ever find time to stitch it! I also have a couple patterns I am going to order from Joan Elliott for my mom and I....Oh dear!

Joan Elliott's Victorian Christmas Lady

This lovely Victorian Christmas Lady pattern was given to me by a fellow stitcher from the cross stitch forums I belong to. She decided she wasn't going to get around to all the patterns in her stash and decided to give them to people who would enjoy stitching them instead!

"Victorian Christmas Lady: by Joan Elliott

I received her in the mail on Friday afternoon and raided my stash that night. I have spent a total of two and a half days on her and still haven't lost interest! I think she will be a nice sister piece to my Christmas Angel that I am oh so close to finishing!!

July 17 2012 Update

In order to keep the pattern in great condition I am working from photocopies and keeping the magazine portion in a plastic sleeve to reduce exposure to my hand oils so I can have the pattern for many years to come in case I want to stitch it again!

I will admit it, I am addicted to Joan Elliott's patterns. Including the two patterns mentioned above I also have all four element goddesses and Cinderella to do! Not to mention all the gorgeous flower fairies!

Little Drummer Boy

An opportunity and a new challenge presented itself to me yesterday afternoon. I offered to design a little drummer boy for a customer who was having difficulties finding a detailed cross stitch pattern. She said that she had looked everywhere and the only ones she came across were the quick 2 hour projects, and that just wasn't going to do! I was happy to design her a little drummer boy, not only for her but for others who are having difficulty finding something more advanced!

Here is the little cutie:

The Little Drummer Boy by Lasting Allure

He is designed using 20 colors of DMC and measures 45 stitches wide by 79 stitches tall. And surprisingly there is no sparkles in him! Which is unusual for my designs but I think he is going to look just as good stitched up and the sparkles would have over powered such a small design. There are a few quarter stitches in him but that was unavoidable due to the scale of the design and wanting to get his delicate tiny hands and nose perfect without them becoming blocky. Back stitching was also used to help create details such as the hair poking out from his head dress and the rope details on his belt.

Some of you may notice the the antique mauve and pine green combination are one of my favorites to work with! I wanted to give it more of an antiqued look and what better way to do that than using dusty colors?

Update time!

Wow sure has been a while since I last posted. I have been super busy with moving to a new town and getting organized and back into the swing of things! Moving isn't easy and doesn't allow a lot of down time or creative time. Over the past month or so I have been able to get a few things done though and I wanted to share how much I have done.

This is the progress I have gotten on my Christmas Angel by Joan Elliot:

She is coming along nicely. I spent a total of 4 days stitching the update in between organizing everything for the move and I think a couple more days of stitching she should be done! It is a pretty fast stitch if you are able to dedicate a couple days to it. I am just excited to start adding the beads! :D My goal is to finish her by late October...but we shall see how that comes along..I may get distracted once again!

Because of all the reds and greens in her I got a little bored. I kept messing up in areas so I had to put her away for a little while. I then decided to pick up my first ever project on linen that I started about 4 or so years ago. It is the Flower Faerie by Barbara Baatz. My mom has been on my case about completing her since it was one of those projects I HAD to start right away. So after unpacking I had found my mom bought all the missing threads so I didn't have an excuse to not finish her. This was how far I had gotten before I stopped for 3 years:

And after 2 days I was able to complete this much:

I have done a bit more since I took this picture, but not enough to post an update of it just yet. I love all the colours in her and she is going to look so beautiful when she is done.

I have a craft fair coming up at the end of November so I have also been working on new products to be sold there. I have been doing a lot of bead weaving lately and would like to share my newest additions to my collection.

They are very blingy. I love how from afar they look as if they are high-end gem encrusted gold but when you look closer they are just made of beads! They are perfect for the party season that is approaching. If you are interested in purchasing them you can see if they are still available at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LastingAllure


And one last thing I have been working on are my own cross stitch patterns from my paintings/drawings. I hope to have a pattern up for sale in the next month or so so please check back to see if my current project is up! I promise you it is very pretty and will have beads and sparkles!

For now though I must go do some chores so I can get back to being creative! Happy weekend everyone.

Christmas Around the Corner!

With Christmas around the corner I have decided to start designing a Christmas Cross Stitch collection. They are going to be quick and easy cross stitchings that people can whip up in an afternoon or evening. The neddlepoints will be perfect size for ornaments, gift tags and Christmas cards and any other project you think may seem fit for them! All my patterns are in PDF format and can be found on my Etsy store that is: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LastingAllure just click this link and you will be taken to my online store :)

Anywho here is the first design that I have added to my collection. He is a jolly and joyful snowman who is adorned with a smile and a Christmas tree on his side. He started out as a drawing that was coloured in with coloured pencil and then I transformed him into this handsome cross stitching. Hope you enjoy and happy stitching!

Update of Christmas Angel

Well I guess I don't need sleep when it comes to cross stitching. I have been up all night working on this and think I am going to power through a little bit more after my dinner (KD ahh...the cuisine of a university student). Here is the newest picture:

 I also just bought a cross stitch pattern maker to design my own patterns which I also plan on posting here and most likely will sell the patterns that work out on my Etsy store along side my jewellery. Keep checking back for more updates on how the designing is coming along for that one...Anywho back to cross stitching!