Tennis elbow, Christmas, and Friends

A few years back, I developed a case of tennis elbow. Too much stitching resulted in searing pain that radiated down my arm making needlework far too painful to enjoy. I had several new patterns I wanted to stitch and share, but I simply could not do it. I don't release anything that hasn't been stitched, so several of my stitching sisters and brothers agreed to help out. I sent them patterns which they then stitched up, photographed and critiqued. It was a great help. The patterns made it onto my site and I made some wonderful friendships along the way.

That's how I met Maria. From our first emails it was obvious that we were on the same wavelength. She had me laughing out loud from the beginning, and even though she's half a world away and we've never met in person, our friendship is as solid as any I've ever known. That friendship was forged by the Quirky Quistmas Twee.

The imaginative Maria was playing with biscornus one day and stacked a few together, creating an adorable little tree. I loved her idea, so I designed several blackwork squares and we set to work stitching. This is what we came up with:

The Quirky Quistmas Twee

Maria did most of the stitching; I beaded the squares, then stuffed them, stacked them, and secured them with carpet thread through the middle. For complete instructions and pattern, click here. 

The moral of the story? Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't be afraid to lend a hand. The rewards are great.