At the beginning of 2017, I received a picture from Yoko Miyamoto from Japan. Since 2017 is the year of the cock, she embroidered a nice picture of a weathercock. Isn´t it beautiful? Cocks, hens, and birds were popular designs with my readers this year. Bettina Limburger from Germany sent me a picture of her Easter “tree.” It is lovely with a couple of embroidered eggs made in natural colours from my 24 small designs. Marina Pastushenko from Turkey and her friend Kate Vasilieva amaze me with their perfectly embroidered variations of French Hens. Both speak Russian and now teach Schwalm whitewotk in Russia! They also attend a craft fair in Moscow and show Schwalm embroidery there. Their Russian-speaking students know very little about Schwalm embroidery, but they already love it! Also, the projects of their students are worth seeing. I am particularly impressed with the work of Cindy Russell from the United States. First, she sent me a beautiful two-sided ornament of a Happel Heart. She wrote, “In preparation (practice, practice!) before doing a large Schwalm piece, I´ve been working on a series of heart ornaments. They are admired by everyone who sees them, and they are very fun to do.” I have never seen such a finishing technique before, so I asked her how she did it. She told me, and at once I ordered a circle cutter – I am ashamed to admit that so far it is unpacked! Cindy not only gave me directions, but she also promised to make a clean and clear description. She d i d! Some weeks later I received the document, and what a document it is – the steps are explained exactly and with great detail accompanied with clear pictures. She gave me permission to publish the pdf document on my blog so that all of you can easily download it for free. Hasn’t Cindy given us a very special present for the start of the New Year? She wrote, “If anyone has questions they are welcome to ask.” Her email-address is included on the downloadable document. A hearty “Thank You” to Cindy and all the others for sending pictures of their progress. And thanks a million to those who gave me permission to feature their projects in this blog post. To all I wish limber fingers, keen eyesight, and plenty of time for the most beautiful stitching moments. Happy New Year!