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I thought we'd better get Christmas and New Year's celebrations out of the way first, and then a few weeks to get settled into the new year and remember not to write 2009 anymore , and then we could start the Stashaholic Stich-A-Long!

This is what the design looks like (well, in the original -- read on for lots of possible changes and variations):



You can download the chart here. Shade numbers aren't given, as I would like everyone to adapt and change to their own stash preferences, but here are some notes I made for myself about the design:

Stitch count:
67h x 103w

Design size (approx):
14/28ct --> 4-3/4" x 7-1/2"
16/32ct --> 4-1/4" x 6-1/2"
18/36ct --> 3-1/2" x 5-3/4"

Colours free. As it was designed, the shades are as follows (DMC)

Letters: 310 (black)
Buttons: 320 352 676 922 799 3746
Scissors: 415 blended with silver, and 676 729 blended with gold; eye is a french knot in dark grey
Skeins: 434/435 and 333/3746; Bands: 310 with backstitch in 729
Needle: 729 blended with gold, or gold or silver on its own; Thread in needle: 798
Bobbins: white with black backstitch lettering; 792/793 and 815/321
Beads: mixed colours, sewn on at random

Options:
Use real buttons instead of all or some of the cross stitch buttons
Use buttons for one group of them and charms for the other
Use different sizes and shapes of beads and/or sequins
Couch a small beading needle in place of the backstitched needle, and possibly couch the thread which is in the needle as well or use a ribbon
Use variegated threads for the skeins, stitching in horizontal rows left to right and back again to make them look like proper variegated skeins
Couch down skeins made of real thread

So feel free to experiment -- myself, I'm going to do two versions, one all in cross stitch and one with as many sewn on bits as possible !

Edited:

My design program doesn't let me show couching or charms, but here it is as close as I can get to an embellished version, using satin stitch for the bobbins and couching for the needle and skeins:

Thanks Mabel I'm in

I am gonna sit on the sidelines and cheer you all on! Look forward to it!

I'm in! We get complete freedom to tweak the design right? I have ideas
Faith

This is a great design and I may down load it now to do later but I would really like to stick to my resolution list at least the first month. So I will cheer for all and look forward to all of the different versions but I won't stitch it in January.

I'm definitely going to try and participate in this one. It'll be a secondary project though, as I've got to start working on my cousins afghan and that'll be taking priority. But I've already printed this one and can't wait to start working on it as well!!

I'm in too! I love taking part in these group SALs

Thanks for this Mabel, I am really going to try to join in this. shouldn't take too long to stitch

I have 2 baby samplers to do one for February and the other one baby was due in mid March but decided she wanted to join her parents for Christmas, she weighed under 2lbs but seems to be getting on OK.

I've made a few changes to the chart -- I suddenly noticed the bobbins didn't have slits to secure the thread in, so I added those . Also, I have added what you might call the "embellished" version, using satin stitch for the thread on the bobbins, couching for the needle-and-thread and the skeins, real buttons and charms, and beads where the "plain" version now uses French knots. The download link remains the same and can be found in the first posting of this thread, where you can also see a picture of what it will hopefully look like when stitched

I would love to join this one, it makes me smile each time I look at it, but I'm going to have three large projects on the go at once as it is. So I think I'm sadly going to have to sit this out ... you can be sure I'll be cheering you on and waving chocolate bars at you all though!

Mabel--That's cute but I have my own stash stitching so don't need to join.

Good one Granny !

I'm very tempted to join in but it depends on my work schedual :s If I don't then good luck to everyone that is this looks like a lot of fun to stitch

Thank you for the link to the site!

I like the changes to the design, Mabel!
Faith

awesome!

Got some buttons and things for the sampler today -- I had bought a set of charms already at the pound shop a while ago, and then I found some pretty miniature buttons and some lovely silver flower beads on eBay -- I particularly like the bobbin button!

I think I'm going to join in with this too! It looks like great fun. I posted a couple of days ago, I think in my Aero Fractal thread, that I had intended that Fractal to be my new morning project, but then changed my mind because I would have to keep swopping my one and only snap frame from one project to another.

So I will stitch this sampler in the mornings instead! I have various oddments of fabric to choose from and my local knitting shop has a great variety of buttons in little tubes where you can just buy one for about 8p - 10p each. I've also got loads of seed beads I could use, which believe or not, come from my jewellery making stash. Can't wait to get started.

Just bumping this up to say I'll be starting this after the weekend -- I've got my fabric and charms, just need to get the threads together. Anyone who would like to join in, feel free, the more the merrier !

There is no set timetable, no set fabric or size or threads or way of finishing -- it's just a bit of fun which you can either stitch as it was designed, or go mad and make all sorts of changes to. If you can't join in now but think you'd like to a bit later, please do -- the thread will simply remain active for as long as anyone is working on it!

A few stats -- I'll be doing the design twice, once "plain" and once "embellished", both on 32ct Zweigart linen, shade "Flax". I'll then probably sew them together using a whipstitch finish and make them into a door hanger. For the plain one (which I'll do first) I'll be using DMC, the embellished one will have all sorts of threads.

Let the Stash-fest begin

I'm still up for this but may not be starting on the 25th as I haven't had chance to get my stash together for it yet