Advent Calendar

This little mischievous angel takes the lead.

The design measures about 12 cm X 11 cm. It was stitched on handwoven linen with an 18/cm thread count.

The hair was stitched with 2 strands of 6-ply stranded cotton.

Rose stitches (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework and Lesson #2) are worked in the star with a grid cut 1, leave 2.

Double Crosses in straight rows (Openwork Pattern Samplers) are worked in the gloves with a grid cut 1, leave 2.

Wave stitches (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework) are worked in the boots.

Net (Limetrosen I) are worked in the wing.
Röserich A1 (The most beautiful Röserich Filling Patterns) are worked in the dress.

It is suitable and easy to mount this angel in an embroidery hoop for a casual holiday display.

But if one wishes to hang it so that it is backlit (e.g., hung in a window), threads carried on the back side will be visible. One can remedy this by using double knots at the beginning and end of each small section separately and trimming the thread tails short.

I decided to place my little mischievous angel on a bag.

Many of my blog readers are already looking forward to the Advent calendar. I’m glad because I really enjoy creating them, and I’ll give you a hint about this year’s: there will be a big gathering of angels.

For many centuries angels have been represented by embroidery stitches – mainly in Petit Point and Cross stitch embroidery. In these types of embroidery, the most diverse designs can still be found today.

At the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, it was especially popular to integrate angel figures into Richelieu embroidery

and into Filet embroidery.

Angel motifs were even found in needlelace embroidery. At that time, the winged heavenly messengers were usually depicted unclothed.

In recent decades, these motifs fell out of favor with whitework embroiderers. Now they are gradually being viewed with interest. However, the illustrations have undergone a major change.

For example, Christa Waldmann drew angel motifs as an embroidery design. Unfortunately, I do not have an embroidered version of it.

A few years ago, Maria Deistler designed a pair of angels that were skillfully embroidered on the finest linen.

There are also designs for Schwalm whitework.
Angels were never depicted in traditional Schwalm whitework (at least I have never come across any). In fact, I’ve never come across any seasonal designs at all in traditional Schwalm whitework.

I’m not really a “cherub” type, so I’ve had a hard time deciding on this motif. But thinking more about the subject, I began to find joy in designing the winged heavenly messengers. The result is embroidery with a variety of characters – simple, small, big, playful, nostalgic, modern, floating, dancing, making music, walking . . .

They can be found on tea cloths, table runners, bands, bags, pictures, hurricane lamps …

It was only in October that I made the decision for this year’s theme. At that time I had only a few embroideries with angel figures. Since then, I have spent many hours stitching to give shape to my visions. Fortunately, some embroiderers could also provide treasures from their collections. And so there are twenty-four different projects altogether. Many thanks to all who contributed to this effort!

I hope the daily – starting tomorrow! – angelic surprises will delight you.

Here is an overview of all the Advent Calendar 2017 designs and projects.

Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 1
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 2
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 3
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 4
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 5
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 6
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 7
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 8
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 9
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 10
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 11
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 12
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 13
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 14
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 15
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 16
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 17
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 18
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 19
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 20
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 21
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 22
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 23
Advent Calendar 2017 – No. 24

Aren´t they beautiful?

It was a lot of fun to embroider all the different small designs. Having barely started, they were already finished. Different linens, different threads, different stitches, and different patterns made the process exciting.

Although in the beginning I wondered if I would get twenty-four good ideas for presenting the embroideries, I ended up with more ideas than I needed.

Embroidering was fun, yes, but finishing the projects was sometimes a little bit challenging. This was because I had only my ideas and no patterns or instructions. Of course there were easy-to-assemble projects: the cover for the sliding box, the flat bags, and the cover for books. And the easiest to finish were the picture, the ornament, the label, the cover for the box lid, and the bookmark. Some projects were easy but more elaborate because of the hemming, for example, the cover for a glass jar.

I spent some time considering how to close the covers of the cylindrical boxes and glasses. I wanted to be able to wash and iron them, so I tried a hook and loop fastener, but this was too bulky for the smaller projects. So in the end I chose to sew the ends of the covers together with Whip stitches.

I encountered challenges when sewing and mounting the cover for the pyramid, filling the heart, and lining the stocking. But slow and steady wins the race! With patience I ended up with good results for all my projects.

But you don’t have to be as ambitious as I. Making only pictures, or covers for sliding boxes, or ornaments is a perfectly good idea. After finishing one such project, it’s easy to finish the remaining pieces.

These are my ideas, and you’re welcome to use them as you wish. But perhaps you have another idea for using these precious designs? I really look forward to receiving photos of your realizations!