A Totally Useless . . .

Post? Camera? Stitch-a-long?

Yes!  All three, but especially that last one.

Tonight marks my inaugural post for the Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long.  Don't worry, it's not too late for you to be useless too.  Just follow the link and sign up.

My ORT jar is impressive (for me).

The picture doesn't do it justice since I took it at night in my kitchen, but my jar is gorgeous.  It is a little pitcher and is just precious.  I like having one around.  It gives me a place to stick all those little threads and when it is all fluffed up I feel super productive.  I am going to squash it down and add to it for next month.  This month it includes all my ORTs from finishing the stocking for Sebastian (not his real name).  It also includes ORTs from my first (messed up) Valentine Tin Topper.  I am off one freaking thread somewhere!  The pattern is geometric so there is no fudging it.

It also includes ORTs from my first ornament of the year.

Plum Street Samplers Adore Him (Freebie)

I am not so thrilled with my pictures or how the pillow turned out, but there is a first time for everything and it was my first try.  As you can see (out the window above the angel to the right of the ornament) it was dark when I took the pictures, no natural light).  The stitching itself, I LOVE and I will stitch this ornament again this year.  The 2012 (which you can't really see) and Adore Him I used some floss from I don't know where that is variegated red and green.  It doesn't "feel" like WDW thread it has a coarser texture, but isn't it lovely?  I used the DMC variegated green for the tree itself and buttons for the ornaments and around "adore Him."  The medium gold I used for the star is a bit too light.  I did blend in thread of gold with it though so in real life it sparkles a bit.  Otherwise, I really LOVE this ornament and didn't even go pack it away.  I left it in my sewing basket for inspiration.  As far as finishing, the particular tutorial I used (link omitted to protect those who do it better than I did) had you machine stitch the bottom afterwards.  Today when I was unhappy with mine I searched about other blogs like a stalker and Daffycat uses a ladder stitch.  Duh.

Thanks for reading this useless post!  I've already started stitching Snow Hop by Daffycat so it won't be long before I have a second chance at finishing an ornament.