Christmas Spirit by Betsy Morgan

1ST NOVEMBER 2019 - ASU #210

As we begin the ramp up to the time of year where we enjoy the celebration and occasion of Christmas, we’re also mindful of what happens at the other end when it’s time for the festivities to ramp down and, with a bit of sadness, we pack away all the decorations for another year.

For us stitchers, packing everything away again is even more difficult as we realise that all those wonderful Christmas-themed embroideries we spent hours and hours creating will be once again boxed up and stored out of sight.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could leave them out all year around?

Well, there is a town in Alaska called North Pole which maintains its Christmas theme all year around. As well as a current city council member who has legally changed his name to Santa Claus, North Pole boasts Christmas-themed street names, candy cane decorations on street lights and businesses and its main attraction is a gift shop named ‘Santa Claus House’ which even has its own herd of domesticated reindeer.

Although the town retains the festive spirit all year, as December draws near, the Post Office is swamped by thousands of letters from hopeful children from all over the world, assuring Father Christmas that they’ve been good.

Betsy Morgan’s gorgeous Christmas Spirit etui, from Inspirations issue #104, reminded us of something you might see in this town. While the etui is decidedly Christmas themed, we feel it’s also something that can be used and enjoyed all year around without the need to be tucked away, waiting for Christmas to return.

Once completed, the project forms a perfectly constructed box, decorated in Betsy’s characteristic combination of exquisite counted techniques. It also has a scissor fob, needlebook and scissor sheath all of which fit neatly inside and all of which are essentials for embroiderers every month of the year.

If this is your first Betsy Morgan project, you are in for a treat. As well as having the pleasure of working with the rich, jewelled palette of colours, reminiscent of Christmas trees and sparkling gifts, you’ll be introduced to a range of techniques including Bargello, cross stitch, blackwork and Hardanger.

Every surface of this project brings new challenges and new surprises, all of which will leave you hankering for more.

In addition to Betsy’s marvellous stitching, her construction techniques are second to none. Provided in the magazine are detailed instructions to ensure that your construction is as good as your stitching so that once you’ve put it together, this etui can be used whatever the time of year and whatever the weather.

Capture a little piece of Alaska’s North Pole by opening your etui in July or even August and taking a moment to admire the colours and Christmas themed motifs. You might even hear the faintest jingling of bells and catch the tiniest whiff of pine needles. After all, can one ever enjoy too much Christmas spirit?