Just because you "can" does not mean you "should." I have told my children and grandchildren that at every appropriate opportunity. I remember when Michael Jackson died, the kids actually got the message loud and clear. Just because you can get anything (for instance, illicit items), does not mean you should get those items. While I feel I got through to them at that time, I don't think for a minute that they are listening to me. But somewhere along their life, the situation will bring that recollection back to them.

So, I was thinking about holiday decorations and I am addressing Christmas specifically. You can adjust any information to your lifestyle.

One item was foremost on my mind, FSL Ornaments. Just because you can do them as Free Standing Lace does not mean you have to do them as Free Standing. You can place them on napkins and other linens, towels, and kitchen appliances. Put one on the refrigerator along with the cutouts and other designs the kids did in school.

Because FSL does not require fabric, the designs are a bit denser than designs for fabric. That density supports the stitches and, as amazing as it is, the thread does not end up in a heap. I can only imagine the first person to create this style, a few hundred tries later, FSL was born.

I have several fabrics that shout "Holidays," and I selected one that is lightweight. I am using a water-soluble stabilizer, Badgemaster is the best available. I have a couple of Blogs about it because there are so many good things about it. (Did I mention that, if you have to tear out stitches, even a large number of them, Badgemaster holds up to multiple 'redo' stitching.) (Did you know that a light water spritzing on Badgemaster makes it sticky for use on projects that need an adhering stabilizer?) That is a twofer that saves cash.



Make Christmas easier for someone who is going crazy trying to think of a gift just for you. I would rather purchase something I know they want than to guess at what they want. These scissors, Karen K. Buckleys, are on sale right now for 25% off. What is better than getting something YOU will use frequently and have it on sale. That is a great combination.

I did purchase this set several months ago. I reach for them every time I am cutting a project. I am still impressed and highly recommend this package of two scissors.

This Freebie is also a twofer. That is two designs for the price of one. I designed the snowman and his prized selfie but for a 4"x4" (100mm x 100mm) there are nearly 10,000 stitches. That is a lot of stitches for the size.  If you decide to do the outline, I recommend doing the outline in one color and do the phone in multi-colors. A single color for that small design is not easy to see clearly.

So, I extracted the outline and phone for a quick but recognizable change. I hope you like it. The outline stitch is still a problem. It should not be jumping around as it does. I contacted the support, they gave me instructions that did not work for me. Oh, well. The outline is complete when the project is finished. 

I am planning to send these to my grandchildren to give to their teachers as a winter festival gift.

snowman selfie The Avid Embroiderer a.zip (162.3KB)

snowman outline selfie The Avid Embroiderer.zip (85.2KB)