OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern by Joan Elliot
• Fabric & materials : Silkweaver Mississippi Blue Belfast, DMC, Kreinik #4 braid, Mill Hill beads
• Size: 10″ x 14″
• Time to Stitch: 25 days in 2025

I’m so happy to present one of my favorite finishes of 2025, and the third in my (self defined) “Joan Elliott Christmas series”.

The pattern, which I found in Cross Stitch Collection magazine, November 2012, is also currently available as a chart pack. I can’t say enough good things about it, Ms. Elliott is a wizard with color, creating gorgeous shading without too many colors. There is a lot of backstitching, which I did in 2 chunks (bottom half, then later top half) was extensive, but not too painstaking. I altered some of the backstitch because I don’t care for the “stair step” method on fancy ladies.

As for the materials, I picked this dark navy blue linen because I wanted a night time feel for the design, and I knew the wings would pop. Actually, all the colors pop except possibly her dark brown hair. That doesn’t matter much since very little hair is right to the negative space. The dark navy wasn’t always easy to see, but I had no problem using the “needle poke” method. I’m really happy with how the beads stand out. The Kreinik in 3 colors (green, star blue, gold tourmaline) is used extensively, mostly for backstitch, but also some of the cross stitching.

My favorite details are her magnificent wings with feathers outlined in gold, the cute little robins, and her gorgeous face. Also, the swirls of beads enhance the magic feel of the piece. Plus, all the colors, the greens, blues, and purples, are my favorites. She was a joy to stitch and the stitchy time flew by. Christmas Blue was my third Joan Elliott finish of the year (after Fairy Wind & Father Christmas), as I was focusing on her charts for the Daily 30 designer yearly challenge. It was so much fun but if I continue, I’ll run out of her charts sooner or later, and that would be a shame!