Fully Finished Gallery - January 2026 🖼 (And family stuff!)

Wow, it's 2026 already?

I'm not quite sure what happened to 2025, but I definitely dropped the needle on posting!

I've still been stitching every day, just not blogging about what I've been doing.

This will be my 8th year of stitching every day, some days were definitely more productive than others!

I have a few posts I'd like to finish, mainly about our family trip last summer, and our Christmas holidays. Not only do I post for stitching, but also for me to look back on for memories. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to my blog to find something I've stitched, finished, or a photo I've wanted to see again. And that includes things I've done or places I've been. I want to make this year a better year for blogging, and even though I know it's old school, I still enjoy it.😂 

So let's go!

Since Rachel is on a hosting/posting break, I created this little guy until she returns. 

This month was a good finishing month, only because I didn't have these pieces finished before Christmas!

We had an extra special Christmas this year, my cousin and her family came to join us from Germany.

Which meant I wanted to make each of them an ornament, included her step-daughter, who wasn't able to be with them.

The last time C and little H were here, H celebrated her second birthday. This time they added the boys, her husband and baby B! He turned seven months old while they were here and even got his first two teeth!

This is for little man B, I thought it was cute and appropriate with his name.

This is for C's step-daughter, F, who I have yet to meet. I hope she likes hot chocolate!

I thought this was perfect for C and her husband, M. There was no way I could fit their names on it, so I added their initials.

It was wonderful to have them join us and such fun with the little ones!

I had something else in mind for Miss H, but found out she LOVES the Grinch. I had the perfect pattern from Brookes Books, so I had to stitch it. She chose for him to hold a little bell instead of the stitched small ornament.

Maybe next year I'll have to stitch her Max.

BIG smiles! Isn't she adorable?!

And of course, I had to stitch a giraffe for my daughter-in-love, C. 

I guess this was more of a birthday present or even could be considered a house warming gift. They just moved into their new house at the beginning of January.

They're only about 11 miles away from us, and the house was move in ready. It's so lovely, with lots of room to grow! 😉

That's it for this month. I hope I can be as productive next time.

I think my next post will be more of my cousin's visit with us, we were pretty busy!

Fully Finished Gallery - January 2025 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for January 2025.

This is a great way to make sure I actually fully finish my stitched pieces! 

Please consider joining this monthly SAL, it just might inspire you.

Nathan is an aide for Mrs. H this year, all the boys have had her as a science teacher. She gave him some lovely Christmas tree ornaments she made out of wood. Nathan told me she likes turtles, and I had this Mill Hill kit I had made before. I already had everything I needed to make another, so that's what I did. She liked it and added it to her collection in the classroom!

This little cutie is actually a January birthday present for our daughter-in-love, C. He does look like their "little" Finn. I just changed some of the colours, removed some hearts, and gave him a Christmas bow.  

These Bride's Tree Ornaments were supposed to be a bridal show gift for C, but I didn't finish it in time. (Imagine that!)

So it was a Christmas pressie instead. I found all these little patterns either in one of the books I have of smalls, or free online.

I'm not quite sure why it's called a German Tradition, I never heard my German Momma ever talk about this, and my cousin there hasn't heard of it either. But, I thought of her when I was stitching them so that works for me! 

This is what my mother-in-law always used to sing to all the boys when they were little, so I thought it was an appropriate gift for her. It's also a magnet if she wants to use it that way.

Not the best photo, but I finished the last month for this Hands on Design , A Year of Celebrations. I changed a few things. Some because I made a mistake and wasn't about to frog it, and some colours so you could see them better. It was hard to see white on cream, so I outlined the snowman and made some of the white a light blue.

Here it sits with all the other snowmen. I'll leave this display up longer than the Christmas decorations because... snow!

Wow, that makes 16 Fully Finishes!

Be sure to check out what others have done, I need to do some catching up on blog reading so I'll be looking at them soon.

Thanks for hosting another year, Rachel!

Fully Finished Gallery - December 2024 🖼

 Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for December 2024.

Wow, the year has flown by! I'm pretty sure I've posted every month, although I was hoping to have more finishes. There's always next year!

This isn't exactly finished the way I had hoped, but for now, it will have to do.

The only month I have yet to stitch is January, so at least I know I'll have one finish next time.

I made this for Nathan's band teacher this year.

From last year's photo of them together, I found out that he celebrated Hanukkah, not Christmas. Luckily it was a music ornament, so all was well! 

This can be either be hung, or used as a magnet.

And it matches his sweater, YaY!

It's pajama day at school, such fun. 

This is one that I personalized, but I can't show it right now. It was charted to say Cheers.

I hope you have enjoyed see all the finishes from those who have posted, I think there's quite a collection!

Many thanks to Rachel for hosting this year, it definitely made me get busy every month!

I'm looking forward to next year, I hope to be even more productive. 🤞

Fully Finished Gallery - November 2024 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 
Fully Finished Gallery SAL for November 2024.

This time I've actually been very productive!

I used the same frame that I made for September, although now I see the fabric really needs to be ironed. Oops!

I stitched these three Mill Hill ornaments as Models for the shop. These are the ones Amy picked out.

The Snowman ornament from Mill Hill.

I chose to omit the beads on the edge and used a candy cane S hook to hang it with.

The Christmas Tree from Mill Hill.

This one was stitched as shown.

Ugly Sweater from Mill Hill.

The only thing I changed was using a red bead that I already had.

This is my favourite!

Fall Fun from Mill Hill - altered to fit Amy's New Cross Stitch Shop - Born to Stitch!

More on her shop on the next post.

Be sure to check out what others have finished, I plan to look this week!

Fully Finished Gallery - July 2024 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for July 2024.

I missed adding to last month's link, so I'm early (for me) this month!

Another month using this frame, I still need to find a fall and winter one.

Here it is with my patriotic display for the 4th.

And here's a surprise, my 2nd Santa finally framed as an ornament. Only eight more to go!

Since I started from 1984, I've still got a lot more to stitch.

I'm not really happy with it, it's a bit puffy in places and not positioned the best. I'll do better next time.

Be sure to take a look at what others have finished!

Fully Finished Gallery - March 2024 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's Fully Finished Gallery SAL for March 2024.

Well, so much for this month being better than last month!

At least I have one to add to the ornament box.

Make sure to see what others have gotten finished.

No more making promises for next time, but hopefully it will be better.

Berkeley Springs at Christmas 🎅

A very belated pre-Christmas posting, but I'm trying to get it out before February!

This year, Kerri and I chose to visit Berkeley Springs, WV, about halfway between us.

It wasn't too cold and looked lovely there.

I got to join in with the carolers! 

Santa, here?! I know him! I know him! ~ Buddy the elf

The closest we got to snow.

The tree through the frame.

Isn't it beautiful?

The parking meters were all decorated differently.

A kitty and puppy tree.

This was in one of the shops, that hot sauce is potent.☠

A very attentive guy.

We stopped in at Almost Heaven Antiques Uniques and this was the checkout, an actual post office window. I love it!

Between that store and other antique mall there, these are some of the treasures I found. I didn't purchase any, but looking again, I really like the first one.

Who know where we'll be celebrating next year, so many choices between MD and VA.