Lancelot

If you recall, I designed the monstrously complicated West Holmes Knight to represent my daughter's school mascot.  I knew what would happen as soon as anyone around here saw it.  I had my response all ready:

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

People always ask why I don't sell my ornaments.  I always tell them it's because they can't afford them.  Seriously -- that West Holmes Knight ornament would require someone to take a second mortgage!  I had a couple of people, though, who I knew would truly appreciate some sort of school mascot ornament, so I came up with a simpler design of just the knight. I had purchased some clipart from Etsy for the other knight and it also included this image:

  

I used that to design my little guy.  I substituted our school colors and put the initials on the shield and here's the finished product:

It was still a lot of work, but nothing like that knight on horseback.  The recipients were very pleased and I think he turned out great!

DISCLAIMERS:

In case anyone happens by and thinks I've stolen someone else's work or thinks I'm profiting from it:

• I purchased the clip-art.  I did not do a "right click/save as."
• I am not selling a pattern made from this clip-art.  I'm not even giving away a pattern made from this clip-art.  
• I am not selling ornaments made from this clip-art.  

Doczee

Brayden, our latest acquisition, had a dachshund when he was little.  He was determined to get an ornament this year, so I quickly threw this one together right at Thanksgiving.  I added the brown patches to make him look more realistic.  He was quick and easy . . . and well received!  

Panda

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I make each of my nephews an ornament each year.  My oldest nephew is graduating high school in May, so that means I'll be making another blasted Graduate ornament this year.  Another one that turns out great, but makes me hate it through the entire stitching process!  I was sort of stumped as to what ornament I'd make for him this past Christmas.

Then I recalled his love of pandas when he was little.  So deep was his love that he once wanted to be a panda vet when he grew up.  Not just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill vet -- a PANDA vet!  This fact is at the root of the great panda/pop-tart incident.  My brother-in-law does not allow food in his car.  Ever.  When Alex was in grade school, he fooled around one morning and didn't get breakfast before it was time to leave for school.  He begged to eat a pop-tart in the car and his father wouldn't let him and was hoping to teach him a lesson about procrastination and parents meaning what they say.  Alex had a flair for the dramatic and pitched quite the fit.  "If I don't eat breakfast, then I won't be able to concentrate!  If I can't concentrate, then I won't do well on my test!  Then that will wreck my GPA!  AND IT WILL DESTROY MY DREAM OF BECOMING A PANDA VET!!!!!"  

Sigh.  Good times.  

I'm not a huge fan of Carolyn DeAngelis' original panda pattern, so I decided to make some modifications to her Christmas bear pattern:

I liked the general shape of the body and the changes to the face seemed easy enough.  I had seen another panda ornament on the web that was clutching a bamboo stalk, so I sort of made something up.  I just rolled up a piece of felt and tied it with thread.  I cut some small leaves and glued those on.  It turned out well and Alex enjoyed the stroll down memory lane!

Happy Belated New Year!

Wow . . . . I can't believe I haven't posted since AUGUST!!  Did you think I'd been kidnapped by aliens?  I wish it were something that glamorous and exciting.  The short story -- which is about all you want to hear about my personal life on a blog about felt Christmas ornaments -- is that we inherited/got/took in another stray kid in the fall.  (I really don't know what the right word is.  It's not a traditional foster care situation.)  Now my house has TWO teenagers and all that goes with that.  Additionally, we moved my 94 year-old grandmother from her home four hours away to an assisted living facility 5 minutes from me back in November.  I try to go over every day for at least half an hour.

So . . . here is what my "immediate" family looks like now:

All of that activity has left me precious little time for stitching.  I didn't abandon it completely and I do have a few new ornaments to post.  I did several that were duplicates of ones I'd already done and I didn't think you needed to see another Ashland Eagle.  (And trust me . . . I didn't want to STITCH another Ashland Eagle, either!  I think that's my last one in this life.)

Consider this a late "Fond Farewell to 2015" post and enjoy this photo of all the ornaments I did manage to finish last year.