Yes, Christmas is coming scarily closer and closer. I’ve been co-opted to conduct the volunteer handbell ringers for our Lunch Club Christmas party – have been busy transcribing some carols into numbered charts and am searching for a suitably authoritarian looking stick to use as a baton(!) I’ve also had lots of orders for my Christmas Bunting and between printing this, ringing bells and general busy-ness have managed to squeeze in a special Christmas gift for blog readers.
Yes, you might have guessed knowing me – it’s applique again, this time with some of Annie’s lovely felt. I’ve been enjoying the lovely book “Scandinavian Needlecraft” by Clare Youngs (see details in my sidebar) and wanted to create a Christmassy design with that sort of feel. But I am sorry to say that I am not disciplined enough to limit my colour palette as she does to such wonderful effect. And of course red and green are classic Christmas colours. And I do so love animals!!
So here are two little deer looking up in wonder at their Christmas tree. I worked the stars in metallic floss for a little extra sparkle.
And a pair of mischievous foxes – their tree is larger than the deers! I’m particularly pleased with the girl fox on the left peeping upwards in a very flirtatious manner. My finished panels measure approx 8″ x 6″ but you could work them any size depending on your project. They’d also look good without the felt applique, just outlining the animals in stem stitch – but I just love adding blocks of colour to my work.
I’ve tried all day to take good photos for you, but it’s been raining here continuously and the light is dreadful -the backgrounnd felt is much more of a vanilla shade rather than the sort of greyish fawn colour it appears here. Anyway, I do hope you like my Christmas Woodland Friends … the pattern’s free as my (early) Christmas gift to blog readers, and you can download them at Bustle and Sew on the More Free Goodies page.
Amendment Dec 2011 – The Christmas Woodland Friends pattern can now be found in my free pattern library – check it out using the button in the sidebar or the tab at the top of the page.
Also, I’ve listed the next Rosie and Bear design in my Etsy Shop and also on Bustle & Sew. That’s it above – January – with that naughty Bear holding a pawful of snow ready to fling at Rosie! In response to demand I’ll put together a fur tutorial for you very soon – but it will have to wait a little while as I have two dozen Christmas Robins to make before the beginning of December!
Sew long for now!
PS only a few days left to enter the free draw for the hedgehog scarf!
Hi Ellie! I love your designs! I have to run to the shop next week to buy some felt and start doing some appliqué again myself!!! I did a lot of it a lot of years ago…
Bye,
Have fun making all those robins! They are beautiful!
Marian
So beautiful, all of them (what a naughty bear!)!! I thank you your gift to us! I love the foxes!
Thank you very much!! they're lovely!!! the foxes are great!!
I do, I do like your forest animals enjoying their Christmas trees.
Oh goodness they are gorgeous!!! Thankyou so much for the free pattern! I can just see little hedgehogs and skunks and raccoons made the same way, and kangaroos for here in Australia!
aahhh beautiful
I'm in love! Both of them are so dear. Thanks so much, I'll be linking.
harika olmuş……
Thank you so much for the patterns! I love stitching with felt. My problem is not being creative enough to come up with a design so I'm happy you share yours for everyone to use. Thanks again!
thank you so much for a fantastic Christmas present! This applique is the perfect thing for a christmas stocking I have been asked to make a friends new granddaughter.
I just found your blog through a post on Craft Gossip and I wanted to tell you that your patterns are very, very cute! Thank you so much for sharing this Christmas treat!
This is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing with us, you are so very generous. Blessings, Nan
Oh, Ellie, these are just adorable! Thank you so much for the delightful designs. And they are very versatile, too. You put such wonderful personalities on all the figures. I can't wait to make them.
Leslie S. in MN
esclante at comcast dot net