CHRISTMAS IN JULY?

The Southerncrosscrazies on-line group that I belong to is having a Christmas Stocking Round Robin. There are three groups of 6 of us - Bells, Stars and Angels. Each person produces a basic Crazypatch Christmas stocking, and each month, this goes to the next person on the list to add some embroidery and other embellishments.

The RR organiser Joy, who is from Napier in New Zealand, and myself, actually signed up for two groups to make up the numbers.

So this month I have had the pleasurable task of beginning the decoration on two stockings, both of which actually belong to Joy.

The first is a very pale and delicate number, and I ummed and aahed before deciding not to alter the tone of it by adding any strong colour. A future participant may find the courage to do that. Whatever, I am sure it will look wonderful. That is the great thing about CQ - pieces do not need careful planning. You just keep working on them until they achieve balance and harmony. There are no rules.

Anyway, I have added some ruched ribbon to which I have sewn some star beads. The other seam has some embroidered stars with some tiny pink/gold beads added. It is hard to see but I have also appliqued a bell motif. I have just realised the whole picture is upside down, and being pale is difficult to see!

The second stocking is much brighter. Joy has done this one in what I call Medieval colours - deep red and gold!! I just love working with these.

A piece of my tatting in dark red occupies the space on one of the patches, and two seams have been embroidered in beaded feather stitch, and a variation of herringbone stitch. Finally I attached a gold heart, which was actually a segment from a bracelet I bought in an OP Shop in Noosa.

When working on a RR piece, one must discipline oneself to limit the amount of work you do on each piece, and leave some space for the other participants!

My own two "naked stockings" have been worked on by Maureen in Victoria and Helen in Queensland this month. Tomorrow I will post Joy's stockings off to those two ladies, while they will forward mine on to the next people on the list.

They will arrive home just in time to make them up for Christmas!