OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by Nora Corbett
• Materials: 32 ct “Pewter” opal belfast by Picture this Plus, threads, beads, etc as charted
• Size: 5 x 6.25″
• Time to stitch: About 10 days

One reindeer done!  This is just the beginning.  I plan to stitch 8 in all, plus the sled.

Blitzen is small and a relatively quick stitch.  I started him after Christmas last December and worked on him for a week, then I put in several more hours, sporadically, until now.  The fluffy tail, in Wisper thread, took far longer than it should have, since the thread kept shredding (though I did use short lengths, that stuff is very fragile).  The beading took about 4 hours over 2 days.  My addition, his name at the bottom, was a bit fussy.  I wanted it to be bold, so I used two threads for the backstitch.   I frogged a few times before figuring out the spacing, etc.  There is a small mistake- I used #8 instead of #4 braid for the border (right color but thicker thread); I didn’t think it was worth frogging.

The fabric is a light mottled grey and sparkly.  I love using opalescent fabric for Christmas stuff.  Perhaps a slightly darker fabric would create more of a night effect, but I like this well enough (and I’ll be using the same fabric for at least 3 other reindeer).  One fat quarter of 32 count, cut carefully, is enough for 4 reindeer.

I fell head over heels for Blitzen after I started beading.  His sparkly aspect is definitely my favorite part.  He’s just so fancy and festive, I love it and I’m very excited about stitching the rest of the series!  Dancer is now on the go and I do plan to finish him this year, too.  In addition, I may start Donner and/or Dasher (both are stashed).