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Prairie Schooler Santas

The Prairie Schooler began releasing a Santa chart every year beginning in 1984. The list hasn’t been updated since 2018 but there’s been one every year.

When I first started cross stitching, which was just a few months ago, a friend in Kentucky mentioned that she had done every one of them. I looked at them and though I kinda wanted to do them, I knew I wasn’t going to sit down and make almost 40 Santas. That was mature thinking on my part, don’t you think?

But, I kept thinking about them and I would love to have such a collection of Santas so I decided to make them for the years that have significance to our family.

Here are the ones I plan to make

  • The year Vince and I got married
  • The years Chad, Nicole and Addie were born
  • The year we moved to Kentucky
  • The year we moved to Missouri
  • The year we moved to Texas
  • The year we I moved back to Missouri

Edit: I’ve fixed those years . . I definitely had it screwed up the first time. Obviously, those Santas were not being made the years Vince and I were born since they started in 1984.

But it’s still kinda screwed up because Vince and I got married the same year we moved to Kentucky so that’s not really two Santas for two significant events. Oh well . . it worked out way better in my head than it has in a blog post. 🙂

The years I’ll be doing are 1987, 1988, 1997, 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2020

I may continue making them. We’ll see. I bought 18 count Aida to make them and I’ll probably make them into little pillows as shown on the reprint pages.

Any guesses as to how many I can get done before Christmas, 2021??

Before you think about that . . it’s after 2:00 p.m. getting close to 3 p.m. and I still haven’t taken the first stitch today! 🙂

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Comments

  1. I’ve been doing those Santas for years. I have fourteen of them done and love each and every one. (I hope you don’t think I’m being fussy, but if they started in 1984, how can you do the years you and Vince were born? You must be way younger than I thought! LOL) But you will love stitching them! I absolutely love the colors used. I stitch mine on 16 count Davos because that was the recommended fabric when I stitched my first one and I have continued to use it. Several years ago I needed more and scoured the internet before finally find some. It was super expensive, but Dan told me to do it and to buy enough, so I did. I think I’m set for life! 🙂

    • I was thinking the same thing–she mentioned it started in the 1980s, and I know both of them were born in the 1950s how does that add up on stitching their birth years? Ok Judy you got some splaining to do on that one,. 😀

    • Obviously I screwed that all up. The year we moved to Texas is in there. The years Vince and I were born are NOT in there.

  3. I bet you can get a lot of them done before Christmas, 2021. You were always so busy with the chickens and garden before and still got a lot done with your knitting, canning, etc.

  4. I did some of these Santas years ago, and they were quick to stitch. You may surprise yourself!

  5. Last year I made my 1st Prairie Schooler Santa…2016 think, the one with the treadle. Then I decided to collect charts so I order 10 of them as a Christmas gift from Hubby. He did good with his shopping. Hmm Easter is coming up, maybe he’ll buy me more for my Easter basket.

  6. And here I thought you were a genius at math since you could easily calculate how much fabric to buy to get your desired XS design.

    • Not only did I say they started i 1984 but I was sitting there with all the patterns in front of me so there were NONE from the 50’s so don’t ask me where that craziness came from.

    • I was sitting there looking at all the patterns and none of them were from the 50’s so don’t even ask me where that came from!

  7. I did a number of PrairieSchooler Santas, starting in 2003. There was a red series, a green series and a black series as well… all became tree ornaments. I never did the annual ones though.

    • I saw that they had some “redwork” santas, not like embroidery redwork. I wonder if that’s the red ones you mention.

  8. I too have decided to start stitching some of these Santas. I just completed my third one this past weekend. I stitch on them as I feel like it, so it’s been about a 4 month period that I started my first one. No rhyme or reason to the ones I am picking – I just have to like the design. Time to come clean here – I’ve been away from reading blogs for a while, so I was delighted to see you had picked up cross stitching in addition to all your other hobbies.

    • That’s fun stitching when you just do what you want when you want. I don’t want deadlines or pressure! Glad to have you back!

  9. Girls the new one for 2021 will come out in June or July. I used 14 ct and it fits perfect in a 5×7 frame but I have three or 4 custom framed together. I did do one 5×7 and that is the Santa with the flag! Judy you can finish all of those before Christmas, I am sure. Paula in KY

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