Fa-la-la and Tra-la-la!

 I have a finish!!

Christmas Sparkles

2025 Christmas Ornament

Tricia Nguyễn, Thistle Threads

I spent the day finishing this.

There was angst.

There are little foil doodads that the beads are mounted on. You have to punch a hole with an awl--it also requires a mallet so you can get enough pressure on the awl to make a hole. (I was using my wooden meat tenderizer hammer because Dearly Beloved was out hunting and gathering. I didn't want to rummage in his tools without supervision because I don't want him rummaging in my tools with supervision.) The hole was tiny, so I was trying to just slightly enlarge it with my stiletto.

And I broke off the tip of my stiletto.  Which I use a lot, so I had to find a source for a replacement and order the replacement.

So, the hole was going to be tiny. It was so tiny that my size 28 tapestry needle would not fit through it.. I decided maybe a beading needle should work.

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll remember that beads and I are not compatible, so I have a limited number of beading-related items.

That means the only beading needles I could find are a size 13.

Have you ever seen the size of the eye on a size 13 beading needle? I have the needle. I have magnification. I still don't think I've actually seen the eye--it's that small. So I had to thread the needle by feel rather than sight.

OK, beads and trims added, and I needed to press the fabric I wanted to use for the back of the ornament.

My iron decided it didn't want to heat above "barely warm enough to notice."

I now have a new iron.

Finally, fabric pressed, back and front sewn together, really neat metallic trim attached around the ornament. . . 

And I have to stow away all the leftover stuff from stitching the design and assembling the ornament.

Maybe it's the clean-up after completing a project that keeps me from having more finishes.