Thursday, February 11, 2010

Bride's Tree SAL

Though I can not claim to be a bride, having been married 39 years, I have joined this SAL. I had planned to make a Christmas ornament a month anyway this year but the notion of tying them all together with this lovely German tradition works for me. My husband is of German descent and we still correspond with his German cousins. This SAL is one way to honor his German heritage at Christmas. Currently, we honor it mainly with lots of calories: marzipan, stollen and spice cookies. Given our weight issues, the SAL seems to be a more sensible option.

Each month I will stitch a different motif into a Christmas ornament. Each motif symbolizes a value that promotes a long and happy married life. I intend these ornaments to look like a set and will be stitching them all on 32 ct natural linen and finishing them as fringed pillow ornaments of a similar size. The backs will include a date, a monogram with my husband's and my own initials and the stitched word naming the quality symbolized by the particular ornament.

January's Motif is a HOUSE symbolizing Protection or Shelter. I stitched the Workbasket Christmas House ornament from the 2007 JCS ornament issue using CC Belle Soie silks. I chose this because I like the vaguely Quakerish look to the design, especially in the roof line and chimney. I haven't yet stitched the back but I did spend a part of my lunch hour charting out a back using the word Protection, a date and a monogram for this piece.
Now I need to choose an ornament using February's motif: a HEART symbolizing True Love. Yesterday I checked my Workbasket binder to see if I had the February chart from the Quaker Odds and Evens series. I did not. I own only the Odds: January, March, May, July, September, November. I shall have to check out the website to see if the Evens chart for February is a Quaker Heart. I have this idea that I shall do my whole Bride's Tree SAL using Quaker style charts ... possibly all Workbasket charts as well ... making my Bride's Tree ornaments very unified and consistent in theme and style as well as in execution.

9 comments:

Paula C. said...

There is a free Quaker Heart pattern on their web site. I printed it out to stitch as well =)

Rachel S-H said...

tHAT WILL BE GORGEOUS. I am starting my heart chart as soon as I get this Pear Tree finished. Pears seem to be problematic for us, don't they, LOL? I chose an Irish heart for HTB's background

Carol said...

What a nice idea to make them all in one theme, Riona...I'll be watching to see your progress!

Annie Bee said...

I really like the idea of them all having a theme. I find the stitching fine but the making up is what gets me.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Oh now Riona, I think we all are still brides if our husband's walk into the room and you get little butterflies in your tummy or your heart does a little pitter patter - ok it may be indigestion....

Rachel S-H said...

Hey, I know it's not a January or February chart, but I found this among my freebies last night. November is an angel and there's a Quaker on this one.

http://www.tiag.com/otherproducts/1989preview.html

Blu said...

What a lovely idea! I'm sure it'll be gorgeous!

Dani - tkdchick said...

What a fantastic gift that will be for you and your husband and the more you can tie it all in together in terms of size and look the more fantastic it will be!

Lainey said...

What a lovely idea, look forward to seeing your finishes.