Annie Bebop's Coloring Book

Valentine Stitching

2012-01-26T12:13:00.001-05:00

I love Valentine's Day and I always like to do some 'heart' stitching for the season. My first item is a card I made after being sick for a week and not doing much of anything. I had some computer problems and now that I'm back up, I can't seem to find the freebie that I used to stitch this design. It was the final thing I printed on my old computer from a collection of tree designs in monochrome with no specified colors. Maybe someone else will recognize it. I used a variety of pinks in no particular order on a scrap of hand-dyed Aida from Sassy's. The sequins are all different colors, but I think they don't show up too well on the photo. I felt like a kid in grade school arts and crafts making this up on Sunday morning.

My friend Jane did a double enabling trick on me for the next pieces. First, she introduced me to Raspberry Rabbits and the free heart of the month stitchery patterns that were offered on this site in 2011. I had been asking fellow blogging embroiderers how they transfer designs to fabric, and Jane told me about an inexpensive mini-light table, only 6" x 9", mostly designed for card-makers to use for embossing. I found one on overstock.com and took a chance that it would work out. Turns out to be perfect for smaller designs. I used each of my four favorite hearts as the centerpiece on a quilted coaster. Each of them has been received by a fellow stitcher at this point. It was good practice for me to make them.

One for Nia:

One for Annette:

One for Wendy:

One for Michelle:

I also sent Michelle a little manicure scissors to use for frogging a few stitches. The curved tips are perfect for this. I made a little pouch to hold it with a pretty crocheted motif as embellishment.

Finally, I was so charmed by the little triangular thread-catchers I had seen on so many blogs that I just had to try making one. Myra made tons of them as gifts so I figured maybe they were a quick project if she had time to make so many. I found the tute here. Easy to make, but hard to make perfect. I had to sew the sides by hand since my machine balked at going through 8 layers of fabric! Maybe there is a trick to this that I missed. Anyway, it's kind of cute sitting on the arm of my stitching chair and it continues my Valentine's theme.

Workbasket Tin & Gift Card Holder

2012-01-10T06:57:00.012-05:00

The New Year is a nice time to send a surprise gift to someone. The holidays are over and everyone can use a little winter cheer-up. In that spirit, I made a decorated Altoid tin for Carol. The design is "Blue Flower" by the Workbasket stitched on white Monaco. I know Carol is a fan of blue. I googled around til I found Carol's middle initial so I could add all three initials to the top. And I tucked one of those cute little titanium scissors inside. They are sharp, nice large holes in the handle and very portable. This is the first time I tried using wrapping paper to line the inside top of the tin. Worked well. You have to be careful not to line the top with anything too thick or the box won't close right. It's happened to me before so I'm hyper-aware of the problem now when I make these.

As an extra surprise I included an Amazon gift card since I knew Carol has a Kindle. But it's all about the presentation so I crocheted this little gift card case to house it. Handy credit card holder too for later. The case is a modification of this pattern.

No photo, but some Godiva dark chocolate covered almonds made their way into the package as well.

Carol has let me know she received the package, and I think she enjoyed the surprise.

Completed Birthday Village

2012-01-05T14:31:00.014-05:00

Not a lot to show today. I've been stitching and crafting, but mostly for gifts that haven't been sent out. Plus I've been experimenting with different ideas I see on the web just for fun that don't necessarily turn into finished items.

But at long last the San Man Birthday Village is all done. As I suspected, the December installment was Christmas-themed so I knew I would be changing it. Too bad since as charted it had a very cute Santa and reindeer flying over the roof. My modifications are ok, but not nearly as cute. In this village, you really have to dress in layers since the seasons seem to change as you walk along the street. Anyway, here is snowy December sans Santa and Christmas decorations. I changed the house to blue from red, removed a wreath from the front door, removed decorations from the tree, added a bird and re-positioned the snowflakes! Whose design is this anyway?

And the whole village laid out in a row that you can view if you have a magnifying glass I guess. It's clickable so you can see it a little bit larger. Also, you can use the Birthday Village SAL tag to find the previous posts with the close ups of each month if you are interested.

Assorted updates

2011-12-24T13:02:00.003-05:00

I had neglected The Great Escape SAL for a while, but I'm all caught up. My scruffy owl, named Wol by the designer, is up to date now with full body and wings. He'll get owl feet in the new year I hope. These stitches are so hard to do well, especially on the higher count fabric I chose. I just have to think of my work as 'rustic' and not get uptight about it.

In a few spare moments, I crocheted a couple of coasters to use up leftover cotton yarns. I actually don't intend to use them as coasters. For me, they are the perfect size to use as a hot, wet compress over my eyes and nose when I get a sinus headache. Large enough to do the job and maybe avert the need to take any meds, but small enough to keep my hair from getting wet and frizzing up! I keep losing them when I do my laundry.. sacrifices to the drier gods. So I made a couple of new ones.

This pattern is called a snowflake coaster, although it does have eight vertices, not six, but who's counting?

And this is very standard type of flower coaster. There are only so many ways to make these with worsted weight yarn since you only get about four rounds before the item is too large for a coaster.

And now for some fun gifts that the mailman brought be lately.

First, my friend Wendy
sent me a beautiful tatted snowflake. You wouldn't believe how fine the threads are and how perfect every stitch is!

A very fun surprise package arrived from Michelle. Look at this great array of goodies. A gorgeous pin cushion with the cutest birdie ever, a lovely beaded fob with a sweet little ladybug on the end, some heart charms, plus beads, ribbons and floss from South African companies that I had never seen before. How lucky am I!

Annette sent a card with an adorable heart-felt (little wordplay there) ornament. We both agreed this will work right through Valentine's Day!

Finally, I was lucky enough to receive one of Nia's cute little felt mistletoe ornaments. Hoping this results in lots of holiday kisses!

Many thanks to all of these ladies for remembering me this way. And many thanks to all those who take time to stop by my blog. The stitching community is the best, yes?

Happy Holidays!

Sewing Machine Cover & Village Update

2011-12-17T17:07:00.011-05:00

My ancient sewing machine contracted a little problem with the hinge that attaches it to its cabinet. I had a nasty time one evening with the machine stuck half in and half out of the cabinet. Once I got it out, I decided to leave it out til I can figure out what to do about that hinge. That of course called for some kind of dust cover. I found this tutorial that looked reasonably easy and would probably fit my machine without any adjustment to the measurements. I had some blue fabric to use, but I was afraid it would not be heavy enough. Then I saw some bloggers who suggested adding a mid-weight fusible interfacing if using quilting cottons. I'm glad I took that advice.

This project was another stitcher-tunity to do a little embroidery. I found this cute drawing of a sewing machine (so I'll know what's under the cover I guess) and decided to use it. I was exhausted after holding the piece up to the window to trace it while standing up. My felt tip pen wasn't all that happy to write at that angle either. My fabric shifted some, so my result is bit more, shall we say, 'whimsical' than the original. I was too tired after tracing to pick colors, so I settled for all red, DMC 814. All in all, I'm happy with the result and I wouldn't hesitate to make more.

This is covering a Singer Touch 'n' Sew 648 that was a college graduation present from my mother about 1000 years ago.

The Birthday Village from San-Man Originals is just about done with only one more month to go. October brought a red barn with an array of pumpkins surrounding it. November is a bit scary with that giant turkey. I assumed the people are heading to Thanksgiving dinner, but maybe after staring that big fellow in the face, they are changing their minds and opting for the barn dance next door instead. A little re-charting of the people here as usual with this SAL to make them look a little more to my liking.

I have received some lovely stitchy gifts this past week and when we get a little sunshine, I'll take photos and show them off.

Cottage Pinkeep Sampler Quilt

2011-12-04T12:41:00.016-05:00

I was feeling a little down yesterday so I decided to employ a bit of stitch therapy and finish up another little art quilt for AAQI. A 'finish-finish' always lifts my spirits. This design is the Cottage Pinkeep Sampler by Deborah Thorpe of Midsummer Night Designs. Deborah has granted me permission to use her design for this purpose. It's stitched on 36 count linen from HDF. I love the sweet motifs and muted colors, but I thought it needed a bright border to set it off. Might be too bright for some tastes, but I love it.

My addled brain totally forgot to post the wonderful gifts I won from Carol's contest. I had already put the toys away in separate places when I remembered I hadn't taken a photo, so I gathered everything up today and took a picture to share. Funny thing, Carol also included some chocolate, but that is nowhere to be found at this point...hmmm? Anyway I just love the wonderful stitching bag that has a nice flat bottom so it stands up on it's own. Carol included a couple of lovely fat quarters and nice little journal. And the pièce de résistance is the sweet little pin cushion she made for me. It's stitched on black fabric.. something I could never hope to do and it's stuffed with the crushed walnut shells that are so popular these days. It's fun to hold and squish... could be marketed like worry beads I think! Thank you so much, Carol.

Sea of Red, White and Blue Quilt

2011-11-18T12:10:00.013-05:00

Finally found a block of time to finish up the Oakhaven Designs "Sea of Red, White, and Blue" sampler into a mini-quilt for AAQI. I picked up the blue and white fabric in a clearance bin of fat quarters at the fabric store. I almost left empty-handed before I noticed it and thought it was exactly what I wanted.

Also finished up Carol's iStitch SAL. The last part had personalization and I didn't want to add any monogram or date since I'm not sure how I will use this piece. So I found a little squirrel design to substitute in the lower right. It's a slight modification of the one in A Mon Ami Pierre's Six Mains sampler. And there was supposed to be a date in the block below the scissors, but I changed that motif a little to fill in the empty space. This was a fun SAL and a ton of work for Carol. I hope she knows we all appreciated her efforts and generosity.

Brush with celebrity

2011-11-12T08:22:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post today. Part of my Saturday morning ritual is to do the 'Second Glance' puzzle in the Washington Post magazine. If you don't know that puzzle, it consists of a photo and an altered copy of the same photo. You have to spot all the differences between the two. They get the photos to use from reader submissions.
My friends who collect refrigerator magnets submitted a photo that appears in this week's puzzle. If that wasn't surprising enough for me, one of my x-stitch refrigerator magnets is in the photo!

Click for Puzzle Photo

My magnet is the 'READ' one in the upper right corner. I made that years ago when their son (who took the picture) was just learning to read. He's a Jr. in high school now.

Cool, huh?

Crochet Pincushion plus....

2011-10-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

I love to make thread crochet motifs, but I really find it hard to find a way to use them. I only like to make one of any design...not into crocheted doilies, tablecloths and such. I was browsing for something else entirely when I found these gorgeous pincushions at this Etsy seller, Namolio. Not sure of the details on how she attaches the motifs, but I decided to make something on that order. I cut two felt circles, used blanket stitch to sew them together and stuffed them. Then I sewed my motif on top, just tacking at each of the eight vertices of this octagonal design. I did it in a hurry so the sewing was pretty sloppy, but as a proof of concept, I'm pleased.

I've been keeping up with the Great Escape SAL in the Stitch Specialits Yahoo group. You can see the model on the home page. Each installment uses a different embroidery stitch and some are quite tricky to do well. My stitches are not really very even and someone said my owl probably has ruffled feathers. I'll go along with that. We've had 4 installments so far and the owl is starting to look like an owl. The fabric I'm using is a light blue violet, not this harsh blue that my camera chose!

Another browsing around session brought me to a cute sampler I fell in love with. It's called 'A Sea of Red, White and Blue' by Tonia Pappan of Oakhaven designs. I've finished the stitching and hope to make it into an art quilt for AAQI. Just waiting for Tonia to grant permission. Don't you just love the little guy with the spyglass. Little does he know that giant bird is right behind him!

Halloween Altoid Tins

2011-10-09T13:15:00.018-04:00

I started stitching little Halloween designs without knowing what I was going to do with them. When the first one turned out to be Altoid tin size, I made sure the rest were the right size too. I felt like an assembly line in a factory doing four of these at one time, but they are all done now and ready to give as little Halloween favors to members of my team at work.

The design that started it all is Boo House by Blue Ribbon Designs. This is in the 2011 JCS Halloween Ornament issue.

Next we have "Black Crow Lane" by Oak Haven Designs. You can find the chart here. I changed the wording since this will be for a colleague who works with maps and distance calculations. "As the crow flies" is a phrase we use all the time.

I thought this little "Acorn House" piece by Jeannette Douglas from the JCS Halloween Issue was cute and would be a real quickie. Didn't notice the over-one owl, cat and fence til I was part way through. Quite a task for me on 36 ct linen, but it came out quite nice, I think.

And finally, I stitched "Boo Tyme" by Homespun Elegance. This freebie is still available here. I added a little bit of color and I like the look.

For the inside, I used scrapbook paper and little felt cutouts. I'm going to put a little Halloween candy in each one.

Seasonal Pantries & SAL Updates

2011-09-24T16:13:00.019-04:00

AAQI has provided me with a new way to use all the designs I've saved up for the 'right occasion'. I never stitch anything twice, so when I really like something, I don't like to waste the stitching when I don't know how I'll use it. Am I the only one who does this? But the AAQI mini-quilts are perfect for those designs, especially since it doesn't seem like the 'right occasions' are ever going to come! Reminds me of how reluctant I am to wear new clothes until a special occasion comes along. Sometimes, those clothes hang in the closet un-worn until they completely go out of style!

So I decided to stitch up the seasonal pantry designs that Brooke Nolan offered to members of her Yahoo group some time ago and use them for a mini-quilt. Brooke graciously gave me permission to use the designs in this way. They are so beautiful, I just didn't have the heart to stitch them without a purpose. I used four different pieces of hand-dyed 18 count Aida. The amount of shrinkage was different on each so they aren't precisely the same size. But I don't ever stitch things up precisely anyway so not a problem. I used all cotton batting in this one. It's nice.. retains its loft when I press it and also stays in place without a lot of slip-sliding while I'm sewing it.

I added two months to the San-Man Birthday Village. We now have an LNS in town. Notice how it is the tallest building in the village, just as it should be! And you can buy a tasty apple snack on your way.

I'm up to date on the Carol's SAL too. The piece is small and the photo is even smaller. Carol wants to prevent people stitching from finished images and this is the best way I guess.

Pumpkin Heads Altoid Tin

2011-09-10T19:46:00.005-04:00

Donna from By the Bay Needleart offered the zaniest Halloween freebie ever in her latest newsletter. Who would expect this from a woman who usually designs such elegant waterfront landscapes? I was so taken with it that I had to stitch it right away. I had a perfect piece of hand-dyed aida from the good ole' days of Enchanted Fabric. Much more purple than the photos show. And as I was stitching it, I realized it would exactly fit on an Altoid tin top.

This Pumpkin Head Family is just so funny. Can't you just see the Mom thinking "Do these horizontal stripes make me look fat?". And the Dad is wondering how long they have to stay dressed up like this. The kid is saying, "Oh Dad, get with the program!".

The tin makes a perfect gift box to hold the Harry Potter beaded fob I won from Melanie. Melanie makes the cutest glass beads ever and I was so lucky to win this.

And the winner of the Blackbird Designs "Something Sweet" chart is Ms. Trillium! As soon as I get a snail mail address, I'll send it right out!

Something Sweet

2011-08-28T10:42:00.008-04:00

Tropical storms make for rainy Saturdays indoors so I got a couple of stitchy things done yesterday.

I decided to test my new binding skills to create a little art quilt that I hope can be used by AAQI to raise money for Alzheimer's research. My friend Jane gave me the chart for "Something Sweet" by Blackbird Designs and I thought it was just the right subject. My Mom had Alzheimer's and flowers were one thing she could still appreciate right to the end. As usual, my finish is a little lop-sided, but it actually looks less so in person. I used the fast-finish triangles on the back to make an easy way to hang it.. just insert wood slats, a nail file, a straw.. whatever and hang from a nail on the wall.

I'd like to pass this chart on to someone who would like to stitch it. Just mention it in a comment if you are interested. I'll do a drawing if there are a number of stitchers interested and post the results in a week or so.

Part 2 of the iStitch SAL is now done as well. Since Carol added some letters, I thought I'd add another color to the mix. The intrigue is increasing!

Coaster with Mitered Binding

2011-08-13T18:05:00.008-04:00

I know I wasn't made to be a quilter. Quilters have to measure precisely, cut precisely and seam precisely. I'm more of an eye-ball type of sewer. But, still, I wanted to see how difficult it would be to do a mitered binding so I could use that technique for finishing a cross-stitch wall hanging in a kind of art quilt fashion. I decided to do a practice run on a coaster. I had seen the logo for the UK Tea Guild and the graphic was easily adaptable to a quick stitchery design that was perfect for a coaster. After reading a ton of tutorials, I more or less followed this one. It didn't turn out perfect of course, but I thinks it's not too bad for a first attempt. Coasters work great for practicing.

On an impulse, I signed up to join Sew-Carol's Mystery SAL. It's an 8-parter, but very small size parts, so it will be easy to manage. I'm using 32 count bone lugana, with DMC color variations 4240, one-over-one. The first part is so small and dainty, it looks like it belongs in a doll house! I'm guessing it will turn out to be Miss Scarlett in the library with a lead pipe.

Ornament for Chelsea and Birthday Village Update

2011-07-31T17:02:00.008-04:00

Some of you may know the story of Chelsea, a stitcher who passed away recently after a battle with a rare pulmonary disease and heart-lung transplant. Her parents own a dive shop in a suburb of New Orleans. You can read her story on the Harry's Dive Shop web site. Some of the stitchers on Vikki Clayton's message board have volunteered to make some ornaments for the family. I chose to do a door-hanger with a nautical theme as several others have. The design is from the now-defunct blog of Carmela. Carmela's blog was in French, so I left the wording in French. Seemed fitting since they are from Louisiana. The family referred to Chelsea as their little mermaid so I appliqued the crocheted mermaid and the little crocheted fish I made some time ago to the back. I used a very pale blue-green piece of 35 ct linen from a grab bag of Vikki linen. The ornament is stuffed with thread clippings.

The July installment of the SMO Birthday SAL, brought a much-needed bakery to the town. I believe there were some zoning problems, since the town regulations limit the height of gingerbread men on signage to be somewhat shorter than the average person in the town. But rumor has it that some pastry pay-offs convinced the town council to approve. It's a rumor.. you just never know.

Maison Fleurie

2011-07-15T07:46:00.005-04:00

This little freebie, "Maison Fleurie" by Chantal Jordan, caught my eye and just cried out to be stitched. I had a lovely piece of pale pink hand-dyed Vikki Clayton linen that was perfect for it. Of course, my camera had other ideas about the color. The first image is closer to the pink color, but not nearly as pretty. I don't know where that little flaw in the center came from. It's not on the real thing.

I used to make these coasters all the time. I guess this kind of finish has gone out of fashion, but it's so easy to finish a design this way. The stitching is protected, and this particular type of coaster is large enough to hold a mug comfortably. I have a lot of these all over my condo.

Milady's Needle with CQ

2011-07-04T12:46:00.006-04:00

Can't seem to get this CQ type finish out of my head, so I stitched another little piece to try again. I have plenty of fabric scraps in my stash from ornament finishing over the years, so this is a good way to make use of them. The little sampler is by Milady's Needle from the 2010 JCS Ornament issue. I stitched it over-one on 32 count Bay Rum Jobelan. The thread was a sample freebie from Rosace, a Spanish company trying to compete in the standard DMC floss space. This was a 115 equivalent. I really did plan to have the sampler straight up and down, but life's too short to worry about they way it leaned. And this is crazy quilting so, why not have the piece askew? The embroidery stitches include chained cross stitch, feather stitch, slanted blanket stitch, long and short blanket stitch, and loop stitch. I used a stem stitch to embroider around the butterfly and dragnonfly wings on the left. Plus I added a few stems with green beads on the ends. Of course, all the colors are more vibrant in real life (or whatever passes for real life). Might as well send this one to Attic for the fundraiser as well. It's quirky, but interesting I think.

Monster Bubbles 4 + CQ

2011-06-19T18:43:00.010-04:00

There was one quirky design from last year's JCS Ornament issue that had been on my 'to-do' list for a while. I just loved 'Four' by Monster Bubbles for the four calling birds with their pretty beaded collars. I stitched it up on a piece of 32 count linen from Vikki Clayton and then I waited for inspiration to call me so I could finish it. I decided to try something new for me and see if I could make a kind of Crazy Quilt block. I cut the stitched design into a 5-sided shape and used the sew and flip method of foundation piecing to create the block. Then I used some embroidery stitches as seam treatments... closed blanket stitch, blanket pin wheels, coral stitch, spiny chain stitch and a poor imitation of the cretan stitch. Nothing perfect like the way Pam Kellogg would do it with waste canvas. Just my eyeballing everything. And I only barely read instructions for sew and flip.. just muddled through on my own. The charm is a little heart from Blue Moon. Special thanks to Kerry for all the stitch ideas in the sidebar on her blog. This finish is going to Attic Needlework for their annual Breast Cancer fundraiser.

Princess Parade and Printer Cover

2011-06-07T17:55:00.008-04:00

Today was a pretty good day. Sent off my latest Love Quilt square. Pressed another finish so it's totally done and I could take a photo. Plus I got my hair cut and colored, always a way to feel brand new.

The LQ Square is for Hailey G, who wanted bright colored princesses, especially orange and purple. I picked out the "Princess Parade" pattern from Country Cottage Needleworks. Of course, the design called for beautiful, muted, pastel hand-dyed floss. Hand-dyed doesn't work for LQ squares since the quilts need to be machine-washable. So I picked some brighter shades of regular DMC. The fabric in the photo may look like light blue, but it's really white. I made the clouds blue to compensate. I think it will work pretty well for the theme.

And I found a use for my "Sisters" Stitchery. My poor printer stays in a corner and doesn't get much use. Quite the dust catcher, so I decided to make a dust cover for it. I used this simple tutorial for an ottoman slip cover. No piecing of the fabric, just four 'darts' and a hem. Then I used Stitch Witchery to fuse the stitching to the top center and added a blanket stitch around the edges. Certainly not perfect, but definitely does the trick. And definitely an improvement over the old pillowcase that I had draped over it before. I understand the construction principles now and I think my next such cover will be better.

Finished cushion & village shake-up

2011-05-30T17:29:00.011-04:00

Finally got in the mood to finish my Sampler Girl pillow. Probably because we are having an early summer heat wave here in DC and I just didn't want to spend too much time outdoors. I found a pretty rosebud print fabric so I used that instead of the printed corduroy I had planned on.

Got a bit of a surprise when Sandy released the May installment of the Birthday Village. The motif she designed is a church with a bride and groom outside. I couldn't decide whether to skip this month or re-chart. And once again, I didn't like the people either. So off to the drawing board. We now have a shul instead of a church. And a somewhat changed bride and groom. This is kind of weird. I really didn't want to stitch anything religious, but I couldn't think of a reasonable substitute. Better start thinking of a December idea now.

Last week I received the best little surprise in the mail from Nia. She made me this sweet little bunny sachet filled with super-fragrant lavender. Hope you can read that accompanying card. It really made me smile on a day when I could use cheering up.

Sisters with Brutus the Cat

2011-05-16T08:17:00.006-04:00

I got in the mood to do a little more stitchery. It's hard to find patterns to my liking. I don't like the old-fashioned, vintage designs. And I didn't want anything too modern and funky either. I do like the kind of whimsical designs that I see on a number of Australian sites. Maybe this style has become more trendy in Australia. I finally decided on a block from the Red Brolly Catalicious quilt. I used the suggested colors, but I did mostly stem stitch. There are a few other stitch changes and slight modifications due to my poor tracing of the original design. Now I just have to figure out what to do with this piece. I haven't been in the mood for really finishing anything, so it may just wait a while.

Holds Upon Happiness

2011-05-03T14:11:00.008-04:00

I seem to be in a somewhat unproductive period these days with respect to stitching and crafting. Too many distractions I guess and not in the right frame of mind. But I did finish stitching this very sweet design from The Sampler Girl. This is done on a piece of 32-count hand-dyed Lugana from Sassy. The fabric looked so different in various lights that it was tricky to pick colors. But I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm planning to make it into a pillow trimmed with the print corduroy fabric in the photo. Just didn't have enough of that for a backing too, so I have to find the right backing fabric before I sew it up.

Spring break is over in the Birthday Village and the kids are going back to school. I tried stitching the kids just as they were designed, but since I had changed the girl on the swing, the new kids just didn't match. So they are all completely re-charted to be a little more in proportion. Don't know if I love them, but I was definitely ready to let them stay as is after stitching them.

Bunny SAL and Carmela's Garden

2011-04-18T11:39:00.012-04:00

I was one of many to join Kissy's Bunny SAL, 3 parts in 6 days, a commitment I could handle. I had a small piece of old fabric in my stash from Sassy's Fabbys from the days when she did the hand-painted technique. This was done on a lovely color called Spring Shamrocks. I changed up the colors to work with the fabric and just to be a little different. I loved stitching this and I love how it turned out. I made it into a little zippered bag since I never seem to have enough of those to store stitchy things and other small items.

Just finished a Love Quilts Square for a quilt with the theme of "Girls Being Girls". This design was a freebie displayed by a blogger named Carmela who has since closed her blog. She always had the cutest designs. I think I saved this one with the thought of making a Comfort Doll from it. I added the little motifs outside the border just to make the design a bit larger. Those come from some hardback books on my shelves by various designers. Just when I think it's time to get rid of those books, they come in handy!

Finally, here are some iPhone photos of the various t-shirts and onesies designed for my Jazzercise instructor's new grandson. My instructor was moved to tears by the efforts of some of her students. You can see my shirt with the owl in the top photo.

Moulin Rouge at Dusk & a T-shirt

2011-04-10T19:47:00.019-04:00

After I stitched that Moulin Rouge Dancer, I couldn't stop looking at a design of the Moulin Rouge at midnight in the same booklet. I wanted to stitch it, but the design was done on white with the the entire navy blue sky background stitched in. That sure didn't sound like fun. I thought about using a dark blue fabric, but that didn't sound like much fun either. So Lauren at Sassy's Fabbys came to the rescue and made a medium blue color for me, a bit darker than her standard Ebb Tide color. That way I could do a Moulin Rouge at dusk instead. As usual, the camera just wouldn't do justice to the great colors that really pop on this 18 ct Aida fabric.

One of my Jazzercise instructors just became a first time grandmother. Some of us agreed to decorate a t-shirt or onesie in some way and the collection will be presented to her as a class gift. I thought I had kind of mastered the technique of stitching on a t-shirt, but this little thing was so incredibly stretchy! From a distance it's pretty cute and the baby will outgrow it in a few months. And it will be given with a whole set of interesting shirts, so I'm not worried that it isn't perfect. The design is a Stickeule freebie you can fine here.

March Birthday Village

2011-04-02T08:49:00.005-04:00

I'm still here, but life seems to have interfered with my crafting so not much to show. I did manage to complete the March installment on the San-man Birthday Village SAL. Looks like the little girl in the pink house has come out to play on the swing. I completely re-designed her. I just wasn't happy with the way the original came out, and even with my "no frogging" policy, I felt compelled to re-do her. Proportions are a little weird on this design, but I do like her better now.

And for SherryA, who asked for the link to the double flower dishcloth pattern from this old post, here it is.. Click Here

Quilt Square for Lisa

2011-03-19T07:42:00.007-04:00

One of the members at 123 Stitch has organized a project to make a memorial quilt for the family of Lisa Roswell, the owner of the Primitive Needle, who passed away recently, a victim of the Ohio floods. Volunteers were asked to stitch a square with a Halloween theme. I started with this freebie. Lots of nice patterns on this blog, by the way. I saved that spider and web for last, and it was just too much for me to get that back-stitching done correctly. I gave up and frogged some. Then I looked for little motifs to substitute for that portion of the design. The black bird comes from a Drawn Thread piece. The cauldron is thanks to Helga Mandl. The moon, key and star are all from works by Lisa. Only used two colors - DMC 3799 and 920. It was a little small and needed something to tie it together so I stitched a border. This is done on off-white Monaco.

Moulin Rouge Dancer

2011-03-12T14:29:00.007-05:00

My latest finish is a Love Quilts square for a quilt with a music and dance theme. I fell in love with this graphic style dancer from the X-Plore Moulin Rouge leaflet. The designer is Stephanie Hedgepath and it's published by Jeannette Crews. I see that it is a download on Patterns Online too. This was just so much fun to stitch. Pretty colors used in such an interesting way. No fractionals, and almost no backstitching. And check out that super-model type expression on her face. I'm amazed there is any facial expression since the stitching is so simple, but that mouth is really pouty! She's just such a Parisian. The fabric is actually white but it may look blue in the photo. Hope she doesn't seem too risque for the quilt. I often seem to pick designs that are a bit edgy for these things.

Luggage Tag and Final Bookmark

2011-03-06T15:03:00.009-05:00

I recently completed a fun exchange on EMS. I like their exchanges because they don't require sending a lot of extra goodies so it doesn't take so much effort to participate. I get to concentrate on the part I like best.. the stitching. The only requirement for this exchange was to make something using over-one stitching. I decided to stitch this old freebie, "Brite Birds" from Barrick Samplers. I had seen Barbara's rendition of this a while ago so it had been on my mind for some time. It's on off-white Monaco. It turned out to be the perfect size for a luggage tag and could even work as a scissors case. This went to Liz in the Netherlands.

On the receiving side, I am the lucky new owner of a very sweet, delicate scissors fob from a different Liz, the one in Tennessee. I've never made one in this diamond-shaped technique. Now I'll have to give that a try.

And one final bookmark got finished for the Literacy Challenge. This is a recent freebie called "Bird and Blooms" from Kincavel Krosses. This one is stitched on Aida.. no problem with floppiness!

Carrot Bookmark

2011-02-28T17:36:00.006-05:00

My next bookmark for the Stitchers for Literacy Challenge is complete. I knew when I saw the 2010 Carrot by Cross-eyed Cricket that I would eventually make it into a bookmark. I stitched it on some white linen from Vikki Clayton that she offered at an irresistibly low price some time ago. It's 36 count and nice to stitch on. I should have used some stiff interfacing though. The grosgrain ribbon I used on the back still leaves it a bit floppy. But a floppy bookmark can still mark a page. It would have been cute to finish this up in a carrot shape, but I didn't think I really could pull that off successfully. So when those two little bunnies caught sight of the white space at the bottom of the rectangular bookmark, they just jumped right on! I added the border too to give a nice finished edge. I think I'll stitch one more design for this project while I wait for an online order to arrive with a new pattern to stitch for Love Quilts.

Alice In Wonderland Bookmark

2011-02-20T17:47:00.008-05:00

Time for the Stitchers for Literacy Challenge again. When I saw this free design made especially for the challenge, my needle almost jumped into the fabric by itself. This design is by Ship's Manor - Erik D Shipley. It's a freebie at the Stitchers' Village. Isn't this the most clever tribute to Alice? Look at all those sweet motifs - the rabbit and his watch, the Eat Me cookie, the Drink Me bottle, the Mad Hatter's hat, the chess piece, the talking flowers and the little red hearts. Plus it makes me think of the hookah smoking caterpillar in the Disney version saying 'Who are you' to Alice. I didn't even mind doing the border, something I usually am not so crazy about. This is done over-two on Vikki Clayton's 36 count linen. Comes out to be about 7", long enough that I didn't feel the need to allow any ribbon overhang.

I found a piece of cotton fabric ribbon in my stash. It's been treated with something that makes it stiff and prevents it from raveling. I just cut it to the length of the bookmark and used Stitch Witchery, the iron on fusible web, to attach it to the back. Very simple finish. Not sure where I got that ribbon, but it works great for this purpose.

And February brings new neighbors in a pink house to the San-Man Birthday Village SAL. What kind of people paint their house pink?

Valentine Stitchery and a Red Hat

2011-02-12T12:43:00.016-05:00

Seems like everything old is new again. I've seen so many people doing what they call 'stitchery' lately. It's what I used to just call embroidery. I learned to do it in the third grade when my teacher, the marvelous Mrs. M., gave a tea towel to each student with a stamped design of fruit or flowers. Each one was different. She taught us all to embroider the design, and I don't ever remember a word that would imply this was only an activity for girls. In fact the best work was done by some of the boys in the class. My towel was stamped with cherries. This turned out to be one of the more difficult ones because the round cherries required very tiny stitches, and I never really understood that at the time. So my work was not all that great, but my Mom used that dish towel for years until it was too worn to be of any further use.

Today I see many cute whimsical designs that are just so appealing, often incorporated in patchwork quilts. In anticipation of trying this again, I bought a piece of muslin and a washable transfer embroidery pen. I was kind of nervous about my ability to transfer a design properly, but it worked out great. The muslin is almost see-through in the right light so tracing is pretty easy. And the pen markings come out easily with water if there are any mistakes. I found this snowman design here on Elin's blog. It's the perfect size for a trial and great for Valentine's Day or even the December holidays. I chose to use a stem stitch over the outline stitch or back stitch, but I'm not really sure why. The results aren't perfect (just like the tea towel!), but I think this little door hanger is pretty cute. I sent it to a stitcher who I think is in need of a bit of cheering up.

The last time I was at the craft store I saw this really pretty-colored yarn that reminded me of DMC 115, the old variegated red. It was Caron's Simply Soft Paints yarn, and I bought a skein to see how I would like knitting with acrylic these days since I hadn't done that for a long time. I made this hat after seeing it done in such pretty yarn on Karen's blog. It's the free pattern on Ravelry called "Magenta Cabled Hat". I had never knitted a hat in the round, but with my new found ability to use DPNS, I thought I'd give it a try. I changed the teeny 2 stitch cable to a mock cable (knit the second stitch and leave on the needle, knit the first and drop both stitches). And I added the extra knit rows that Karen did as well. I'm actually quite happy with the result. Don't know how it will hold up over time, but it feels soft and warm when I wear it. The first photo is not great, but does show the color well. Its in darker reds, not like the subsequent pictures.

Valentine Birdie

2011-02-03T18:27:00.011-05:00

I can't let Valentine's Day go by without making at least one Valentine's card. For this one, I used the Valentine Bird design from Heart In Hand Needleart. I picked all my own colors and added that funky little striped heart.. free form heart stitching. The brown is a little lighter chocolate than the photo would have you think. I like the sparkly stickers too, although you can't see the glitter in the photo. I'm not always happy with my cards, but this is one of my favorites.

With that half skein of Patons Classic Wool blue denim yarn left-over from the last pair of gloves I made, I figured I'd try out a different pattern. These are made from the Honeycomb Wristwarmer pattern. I love them! They are a bit longer than the Fetching pattern and very warm. The thumb gusset fits just right! They worked up really fast too. The honeycomb pattern is an alternating knit one, slip one stitch so you really reduce the number of stitches from stockinette, say, by 25% if you consider the slipped stitch as 1/2 a stitch. Plus the body of the glove is all stockinette so no referring to a pattern constantly and no pesky cables! The thumb didn't require any extras stitches to be picked up and knit so no big holes to worry about either.

The color is more true to life in these photos:

Autumn Button Baby Sampler

2011-01-24T17:32:00.010-05:00

Another new baby boy arrived in November for my friend who had her first one a couple of years ago. I decided to make a companion baby sampler to go with the one I stitched for the first baby. You can see the first one on this post. Both designs are from the Homespun Elegance Button Sampler series. For the latest little bundle of joy, I stitched the Autumn Baby Sampler. I did this mostly in the suggested DMC alternatives. Several of those used the blended needle technique to give a tweeding effect. For the pumpkins, I used DMC color variations. The fabric was a piece of Rue Green 36ct Edinburgh linen that had been waiting in my stash for a good use. I added a little wooden leaf button at the bottom since I omitted the squirrel buttons in the corners as shown on the original pattern.

The trickiest part was the squirrel tail and acorn top. They are done in French knots just packed in to give that textured effect. This would have been a disaster if all the French knots had to be the same size, but not a problem for this kind of thing.

One of my non-stitching friends happened to look at my blog one day and grew very fond of my Fetching fingerless gloves. I told her the knitting fairy might help her out. The knitting fairy doesn't usually like to knit the same thing twice, so these gloves were done in Patons Classic Wool, New Denim. These knitted up smaller than the ones I made for myself. It's a good thing because my friend's hands are about half the size of mine.

I've decided to participate in a year-long SAL on the San-Man Board called "The Birthday Village". Each month will bring a different building in the village. Someone on that board started the SAL on linen banding and when I saw a piece that would work and was on sale at 123 Stitch, I couldn't resist. The piece is Mill Hill 27ct Simplicity Banding in Natural. It's 3.5" wide and almost all of that area is stitchable since this banding has only a very narrow selvedge. Here's the January house all stitched up and waiting for it's next door neighbor to arrive in February if the schedule is upheld.

E-reader Cover

2011-01-16T12:07:00.010-05:00

My brother's birthday is coming and I was running out of ideas for cross-stitched gifts to give him. Then he told me he bought an e-Reader, one of the lesser known brands that he got for a really good price. So a perfect opportunity for creating a pouch to protect it. I found the dimensions online and it's very close to one of the Kindles. So I whipped up this version based pretty much on the tutorial at Junie Moon. I left off the pocket since I don't think my brother will use this to listen to music. I had planned to make a cross-stitched card with a cute Margaret Sherry design, but in the end I decided to sew the design onto the pouch instead. I just turned the edges under and used Stitch Witchery to fuse it to the pouch. Then I edge-stitched on the machine to be sure it staid put. I think the pouch is a bit big, but better too big than too small. Since I didn't have the reader in hand to check out the fit, it was really my only choice. It's nicely padded with a velcro closure so I hope it will be good for something if not the e-Reader. Next time, I would taper the flap on the sides since it kind of sticks out a little funny. I keep telling myself that's the charm of hand-made items!

Big thanks to Nia for helping me find this cute as a button design. My brother loves crossword puzzles. I just changed the words in the puzzle to be more appropriate than the original 'Nice Cross Stitch'.

On another note, I had a wonderful surprise at our local Farm Women's Market last week. I met a lovely woman who owns a 'farmette' in Mt. Airy, Maryland, where she raises 'fiber animals' including alpacas, llamas and angora goats. For January/February she has rented a stand in the market where she is selling her hand-spun and hand-dyed fibers. These products are in the most glorious colors that you can imagine. For any yarn I pointed to, she could tell me the name of the animal that produced the wool. It made it so personal.

Take a peek at her website, Avalon Springs Farm, if you get a chance. She also has an Etsy shop where you can buy some of the pretties online:
Avalon Springs Farm on Etsy.

Diamond Wrist Warmers and Elephant Coin Purse

2011-01-03T16:12:00.012-05:00

With a whole ball of yarn left over after the last set of fingerless gloves, I decided to knit a second pair with a thumb gusset. This pattern was designed for a much larger hand than mine, but I didn't feel like ripping it out after I had finished the first one and made this discovery. So I just knit the second glove with fewer stitches cast on and it came out perfect. One of those patterns you have to concentrate closely on to ensure you don't mess it up. Still find I have some large holes to stitch up where the thumb joins the base. Maybe I'll figure out why that happens eventually. These are the Diamond Hand Wristwarmers by Micah Hazlett.

I recently discovered that a friend of mine collects elephants (not live ones thank goodness). Always wondered why she had a giant plush elephant on a chair in the living room, but I never noticed the curio cabinet behind it that had the most amazing collection of figurines. As a little New Year's gift, I crocheted the Crochet A Little elephant again, this time in pink. I made a quick little zippered change purse and sewed the motif on the front. On the back I sewed another of Wendy's tatting motifs. It has just enough batting to give it a little body.

Fetching Fingerless Gloves

2010-12-28T10:05:00.009-05:00

We were very lucky in the DC area to escape the monster snowstorm that wreaked havoc along the East Coast. But it has been very cold with extremely high winds. So I am delighted that I finished knitting a pair of fingerless gloves to cope with this weather. I love wearing them at the keyboard, when I'm reading and when I do needlework. They make me feel warm all over.

I used the free Fetching pattern from Knitty.com. This is a very popular pattern among knitters and I can see why. It's fun to knit and fits pretty well. The name is based on the fact that the cables on each glove twist 'fetchingly' toward each other. I love the picot bind off edging at the top too. This is my first foray into gloves knitted in the round on DPN's. The thumb was the trickiest part and I still need to work on that. These are done in Knit Picks worsted weight Swish yarn, Amethyst Heather.

I signed up to grant a mini-wish on the San-Man board. One of the members wanted a heart-shaped coaster. I planned to crochet one, but I didn't like the results. So I stitched this little freebie heart from Mausimom and added a crocheted rick-rack border. The fabric is a piece of hand painted 18 ct Khaki Aida from Sassy's Fabbys. I'll back it with felt or maybe fun foam.

Harry Potter Altoid Tin

2010-12-21T16:19:00.014-05:00

Teenage boys are never easy to stitch for, but I had an idea for a Harry Potter lover who read all of the books faithfully as soon as they came on the market. Hope he hasn't outgrown the franchise!

I started this Altoid tin top by stitching a cute little Harry Potter cartoon-like design. My first plan was to stitch it over-two on 36 ct linen. But it came out exactly the size of the top and looked way too big for the space. So I went back and re-stitched it over-one on tea-dyed Monaco and liked it much better.

For the inside, I stuck with the over-one approach and stitched the Hogwart's Crest. The crocheted owl is a motif from the Crochet A Little blog and makes a great Hedwig. I added the ribbons since I plan to enclose a little Hewlitt-Packard (initials HP, just perfect, huh?) flash drive and it will get tucked under the ribbons.

For good measure, I crocheted a teeny little golden snitch that can fit in the box as well. The pattern is done in knitting worsted. I used #10 thread instead.

I couldn't let the bigger version of Harry go to waste, so I made him up into a companion bookmark.

All of these patterns were freebies and there is a link to each one in this post. I'm so grateful to all those designers who are so generous with their talents.

Little Lulu Bag

2010-12-15T15:16:00.008-05:00

I finally got around to finishing the Little Lulu cross stitch piece. I made another one of those simple zippered sling bags that I find so useful. Hope my friend will feel the same. I modify my method each time I make one, but I'm never 100% satisfied with the results. This has some extra batting. I thought my last one was a bit flimsy. The two tatted motifs were part of the gifts I received from Wendy. I've beeen keeping my eyes and mind open to ways to use them and I think they look nice this way. The fabric color is somewhere between what you see in the two photos.

My Jazzercise friend Maggie tucked a cute little package into my hand the other night just before class started. I didn't open it at the time and I've yet to thank her, but it turned out to be a sweet little holiday ornament. I don't think Maggie is a stitcher so I'll be interested in finding out where she picked this up.

The other fun thing that happened was I reached the 20 class attendance goal that meant I got to take home this cute Jazzercise patent leather zippered clutch. Of course, my incentive to attend classes in this cold weather is gone now. I'm hoping I can continue to rally!

Knit/Crochet Fingerless Gloves

2010-12-08T11:57:00.011-05:00

My hands are freezing at the keyboard as I type this. It's a great winter for those trendy fingerless gloves, whether for texting on the subway, working at your desk or even for stitching. Before I dared try the double-pointed needles, I made this pair for Kirsten. These are a combination of knitting and crochet. They are stitched flat and seamed on the side leaving a space for the thumb to poke through. I first saw them while watching the Knit and Crochet Now tv show. You can find the pattern on the site, but you have to register. It's shown on Episode 222. The pattern as designed included beads at the cuff, but I omitted those.

They are done in Knit Picks DK weight Swish yarn in Marble Heather. This is a soft super-wash wool. I'm becoming quite a fan of Knit Picks.

They turned out a little large, but Kirsten has worn them already outside so I guess they stayed on! The hand in the photo is mine, not Kirsten's.

I sent them with this holiday card made from the Sweetheart Tree design in the JCS 2010 Ornament issue.

Yea for the international mail! This package took less than a week to go from DC to Germany.

Signs of Winter

2010-12-04T12:03:00.009-05:00

Seems like every blogger is showing photos of early snowfalls this year. It's cold here, but we haven't seen the first flakes quite yet. So this altoid tin top I stitched will serve to keep us on the lookout. This a Bent Creek design, one of the four for each of the seasons. Not sure if I love it in the over-one stitching on the tea-dyed Monaco or not. But I know I like the crocheted penguin inside. This one is just tailor made to be another winter survival kit with some Burt's Bees goodies added to fight the winter dryness.

Holiday Cards

2010-11-26T13:56:00.005-05:00

Over the years, I've stitched a variety of small winter holiday designs, just to have them ready when I needed them. I used to make little gift tags and small ornaments for co-workers when I went to an office every day. Now I was wondering if I'd ever use what I stitched. So I picked four of them up and turned them into greeting cards. I felt like I was working on some kind of assembly line, but it was fun to finish them up and be able to finally use them.

This was from a Sam Hawkins book of holiday designs. I don't know why I didn't use this earlier. It looks so cute to me now.

Not sure where this design came from. A web freebie maybe? A magazine design? Anyway, I like cute Rudolph's.

Here's another design I can't place. But he's a sweet little bear, I think.

And the final one is from a Donna Kooler book of designs. I've stitched a ton of designs from that book, and I can never resist a cute snowman.

Bent Creek Flatbed Fridgie & Altoid Tin

2010-11-18T17:08:00.009-05:00

I just discovered the adorable Bent Creek Flatbed series of little designs when I was searching for a cute turkey to stitch for Thanksgiving. This Flatbed Turkey looks so unaware of the fate that lies ahead. I feel kind of sorry for him. He's on my fridge at the moment merrily rolling along on sequined wheels, stitched on off-white Monaco.

One of my friends just passed her U.S. citizenship test and I thought that called for a little stitchy gift to help her celebrate. The Flatbed Uncle Sam was perfect for an Altoid tin top. I used button wheels on this one. Not sure what will go inside. I'm thinking red, white and blue hair accessories like barrettes and elastics topped off with a bit of chocolate. This one is stitched on Bay Rum Jobelan.

Consumed by Gifts

2010-11-08T11:00:00.003-05:00

There is something so special to me about Brittercup designs. Those sleek kitties that don't require a lot of stitching to get the effect are just so darn clever. I loved the colorful ornament in the JCS 2010 issue. It's stitched here on 32 ct bone Lugana with some DMC color variation substitutions. Finished with more hand-crocheted rick-rack.

Magic and a Knitted Owl Cup Cozy

2010-10-31T12:29:00.009-04:00

I can't resist a cute fairy design so I had to stitch up the Magic ornament from Charlotte's Web Needlework in the JCS 2010 Ornament issue. The suggested DMC colors came out a little lighter than the model photo in the magazine so I modified them for a little more contrast. For 963, 3716, 3731, and 3733, I substituted 3716,3733,3831, and 3731 respectively. I'm not a fan of metallic threads, but the silver wings and smyrna x-stitches on the dress called for it, so I suffered through it. And I just used some embellishments I had in my stash.

I've stayed away from knitting patterns that use double-pointed needles after my one attempt on a dishcloth some time ago. But it made me mad that so many people seemed to do it so routinely, so I decided to tackle it again. The incentive was this super-cute owl coffee sleeve pattern. This was a test run for practice. I had read on Ravelry that a lot of people thought it turned out too large, so I knit one fewer owl than the pattern called for. The yarn is just some left-over Red Heart that I had hanging around. After a few false attempts, I kind of got the hang of it and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I added French knot eyes and duplicate stitch beaks. Now I can get some nicer yarn (maybe that Knit Picks Swish super-wash wool!) and make another. I finished it easily in one evening including all the frogging and re-starting. A nice quick gift. Here's a photo on a porcelain cup I bought as a gift that looks like the Starbucks take-out version.

The final bit of sweetness for today are two thank you notes I received on Friday. These came from the daughters of a co-worker to whom I sent the Day of the Dead ornament I made this year. These drawings are just too adorable. I like the way Cecilia turned me into a 60's hippie! This was quite the unexpected treat!

Snow Love

2010-10-24T18:39:00.008-04:00

I believe I was the last subscriber to receive the JCS ornament issue. Finally I had to call them when it didn't show up and they re-sent it. That took an extra ten days. But I do like the issue and the Nov/Dec issue has already arrived too so I'm caught up.

I decided to stitch the Sam Sarah snowman 'Love' ornament first. So many pretty colors and such a fun design. I used all DMC so it looks a bit different from the magazine model. I didn't have those L-O-V-E buttons to attach to the gifts so I just used some little buttons from my stash instead. I like the way she used couching for the heart border. Very effective and original. The ribbon hanger is a deep purple. Not sure if the color is showing up well in the photos. I took one inside and one outside and, of course, I'm not really happy with either one.

Little Lulu

2010-10-17T19:10:00.005-04:00

I have a friend who loves Little Lulu. You have to be of a certain age to remember the comic book character, but she was beloved by many little girls at one time. My friend believes she even looks like Lulu. She has long, dark, naturally curly hair that tends to hang in corkscrew curls, but I think that's really where the resemblance ends. For quite a while, I've wanted to stitch her something Lulu-related, but apparently that character has not been licensed by the x-stitch pros. So I bit the bullet and adapted a drawing myself. My method is just to trace the design onto tracing paper and then tape it to graph paper printed with the same number of squares per inch as my fabric. Instant chart! Here's the result with plenty of back-stitching to help get the shapes right. She's stitched on 25-ct Vikki linen. I used some DMC color variations for the dress so the color wouldn't be so 'flat'. And that ice cream cone is from the skein of pink Princess floss that I won a while back. I think I'll make it into a little bag of some kind with some cute backing fabric I found today.

I received a lovely surprise gift from Kirsten. It's a luminary made out of card stock with a cross-stitch design. You just put a tea light (battery-powered for safety!) inside. This is so cool, but so difficult to photograph. This photo is showing the light from the lamp behind it. There is no light inside yet. Kirsten used an opalescent fabric so it's really sparkly. And it folds flat so it can be mailed like a greeting card. You can see better photos on Kirsten's blog, the 10-16 entry.

I never saw a purple penguin Altoids tin

2010-10-09T13:11:00.010-04:00

This must be the year of the penguin for me. My latest finish is the Workbasket "Mr Quaker Penguin" stitched on 28-count white Monaco over one. This will be a gift for a purple-lover (who may or may not be a penguin lover). I used Sassy's Strings hand-dyed floss in "Royalty", a rich color with lots of variation. This floss is a very reasonably priced alternative to some of the other hand-dyed threads on the market. But I just read that she is discontinuing this product. Apparently it just doesn't make economic sense for her to offer it. Sigh.....

I added lots of purple trim to the Altoid tin both inside and out.

Plus I made another crocheted penguin motif in purple thread to live on the inside.

The project took a bit more time than I thought it would due to the arrival of my seasonal headaches. But doing just a little bit each day adds up to a finish before your know it!

Crochet Ric-Rac for Ornament Trim

2010-09-28T09:51:00.007-04:00

After a long-need rainy day yesterday, the sun finally peeked out long enough to let me take some photos of two ornaments I just completed. My crochet guru Kirsten pointed me to this tutorial to make ric-rac by crocheting. It's easy and fun to do and the ric-rac made this way is very flexible. I'll definitely be using this more in the future.

The first try combined the ric-rac into the trim and hanger for the "Cool Christmas" design by Fresh Threads Studio from the JCS ornament preview magazine. This style seems similar to Monster Bubbles designs and I was expecting it to be one of theirs. I liked it because the color scheme is so unusual. I think it will make a perfect gift for someone in Florida.

Next I made this Day of the Dead design that really is by Monster Bubbles from the JCS Halloween issue. This time I used the ric-rac for the edging only. Then I added a couple of crochet motifs on the back. The crocheted skull pattern can be found here.

Thanks to Lazy Girl

2010-09-19T11:57:00.010-04:00

I feared that the sampler I stitched was going to become one of those 'stitch and stow' items, the kind you put in the closet and never really turn into something useful. For inspiration, I ordered the Lazy Girl Runaround Bag pattern even though I've made a couple of different variations on this type of bag and really didn't need it. I was curious to see if there might be some helpful hints in a real pattern. Pink Chalk Fabrics turns out to be a good online store that I never knew about before. Fast service and decent pricing. Sure enough, the zipper insertion technique is so clever and easy. Didn't even need a zipper foot. It's one of those, "why didn't I think of that" ideas. I didn't follow the rest of the pattern exactly, but the pattern directions did provide a few other construction tips. I used fusible craft fleece to give it a bit of padding and cut it small enough so it isn't in the seam to reduce bulk. I could really have used a walking foot to make sewing through multiple layers a bit easier, but I hate to buy one for my machine since it's so old and the only one available was made my a third-party, not the original manufacturer. But they aren't very expensive, so I may decide to try one anyway for next time.

I finally decided to go with the darker fabby on the outside and the lighter one as the lining for the stitching side. And then since it looked a little bare, I added two little butterfly beads from my stash that had been quietly waiting for the right moment to make an appearance. The photo of the back makes the print look blurry, but it's fine IRL.

Marquoir Annie

2010-09-15T10:42:00.007-04:00

I had hoped to have a completed project to show by this time, but only the stitching is complete on this. Dany designed this lovely sampler for someone named 'Annie' (see the Aug. 25, 2010 entry). She stitched in the name and the birth date. The date was not all that much before my birth date. So I considered it my destiny to stitch this piece. I used 32 count "Mottled Magpie" linen from Vikki Clayton. It's not quite as bright a blue as in this photo. And I didn't stitch in my own birth date! I'm still trying to figure out how I want to construct a zippered bag from this. You can see the two complementary fabrics I bought last weekend that will be used in some way. Hopefully I'll get inspired to do the finishing soon.

Halloween Greetings

2010-09-04T17:26:00.018-04:00

This design by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers from the Halloween issue of JCS just reminds me of the place where one of the 'Real Witches of Salem' would hang her hat. This is not a color palette that I am generally attracted to, but it was so perfect for this piece that I really enjoyed working with it. I love the look on the 36-ct linen from Vikki Clayton. It was from a grab bag of assorted colors and sadly, no longer available. I stitched it all in DMC and the main change was to replace the date on the lower left with a flower that is more or less in the same style as the other motifs. The little leaf buttons came in handy to dress it up after a quick finish.

The colors are more true to life on the indoor photo, but the flash insisted on making an appearance, so I took and an outdoor shot too.

My crocheted elephant and giraffe motifs found new homes. I appliqued each of them onto a batik fabric and sewed each one up as an envelope style needlecase. If you call your blog "Giraffe X-ing", as Theresa does, you clearly are meant to own the giraffe needle case.

And if your son is fascinated by elephants and is also learning to x-stitch like Dawn you are perfect for the elephant case.

Trick or Treat Tree & Jack O'Lantern Crochet

2010-08-26T14:24:00.014-04:00

The JCS Halloween ornament issue has so many cute designs for Halloween that I would love to just stitch them all. I wish I had more little kids in my life to stitch for. I picked the "Trick or Treat Tree" by Pat Thode for my first finish from the magazine. A bit of a wonky finish, but that's par for the course when I do these things. I added a few cute buttons from a Dress It Up pack. The rick-rack worked out ok after hand basting first. And one more use for the crocheted treble chain as a hanger.

I was searching for Halloween motifs to crochet, and it occurred to me that I could use potholder patterns but crochet them in bedspread weight thread instead of using worsted weight yarn. So I tried it with this Jack O'Lantern pattern from Leisure Arts and turned it into a needle case. It has a clear plastic snap for a closure. I'd never tried the plastic ones, but I think I like them. I added it to few things I sent to Cathey (Ms Pumpkin Patch herself). I'm sure I'll use this idea again.

Penguins everywhere & the Crochet Lagoon

2010-08-18T16:21:00.011-04:00

I stitched up this cute freebie penguin ornament, "Chilly's Gift", from Stitchy Kitty mostly because I was looking for a way to use the little crocheted penguin motif I had made. I had everything I needed in my stash: Cape Cod Sky fabric from Sassy, blue piping for the trim, a cute heart button for the 'gift', blue crochet thread for the hanger (yes, it's the treble crochet chain again!) and the blue backing fabric. The cutie pie penguin appliqued onto the back is another of the motifs from "Crochet a Little".

And for a quick visit to the crochet lagoon courtesy of Crochet A Little once again, take a look at these creatures. Now I have to think up uses for them! I think I'll try one more mermaid. That was the first one I made using those diagrams with much help from Kirsten. Maybe I can do her a little more neatly the second time round.

Summer Love shirt and other critters

2010-08-12T16:26:00.010-04:00

When a designer creates a design especially with you in mind, you really can't do anything but take up the challenge. That was the case for me with Kirsten's "Summer Love". Modell's had an oversize shirt that was perfect for Jazzercising and part of a summer clearance for only five bucks. Who could resist? I tried to pick colors that would show up nice. That's always a challenge. The design elements may be a bit small, but I'm pretty happy with the results on this one, although my stitches are never really nice enough on a t-shirt. I've come to accept that!

And for those of you thinking of running away and joining a crochet circus, I have two friends you can join. These are my latest from the Crochet A Little blog:

I heart reindeer

2010-08-05T13:52:00.013-04:00

The "I Love Reindeer" design in the July/August issue of JCS was such a cute idea that I had to stitch it up. The design is by Deborah Thorpe of Midsummer Night Designs and is stitched on Vikki Clayton linen. It has three cute little reindeer overlaying a background of snippets from the first verse of "The Night Before Christmas". Of course, that poem was not suitable for me so I changed up the background to be snippets from "Jingle Bell Rock"! You can listen to Bobby Helms, the original singer, sing it here or read the words here. For the finishing I used the same crocheted border from the heart sachet in my last post. It's backed with a red cotton fabric and thanks to a tip from Lee, I used two pieces of felt between the stitching and the backing to act as a stiffener, a quick substitute for quilt batting.

And the mention of Lee is a nice segue to show you the beautiful gift I received from her as a winner in a drawing she had on her blog. Lee is really a master needle worker and she has been making variations on this friendship heart idea. This little piece made my jaw drop when I opened it. It is so expertly done with the gorgeous beading, a delicate buttonhole stitch border, a teeny bullion rose and a dragonfly charm. A little "made with love" charm is attached on the back. It's so deliciously exquisite at only about 2.5" high. I absolutely adore it.

Little thngs

2010-07-30T11:55:00.016-04:00

I wanted to the try the Sulky Blendables thread that has been enjoying such recent popularity so I bought a spool in "Jeweltones" since it was so pretty. This is size 12, about equivalent to 2 strands of DMC, but you stitch with one thread, not splitting into strands. I think the little heart design I picked got kind of obscured by all the colors, but the thread is great to stitch with and looks great so I may get some more. I turned this piece into a sachet filled with lavender that I can hang in my closet. The crocheted edging was the first row of a much larger crocheted border. I love it because it is another one that doesn't require a foundation chain. I just stitched it onto the top with sewing thread.

The heart design is a freebie from Le Grenier de Zoé

I've seen so many cute crocheted pincushions that look like hats lately. Nima even ran a challenge to crochet the one she designed, but I never got around to creating one of those. When I saw a pattern for this miniature one, I just had to make it since I knew it wouldn't take very long. The pattern is a freebie from Crochet Soiree called "Hats Off to Mother". It's just big enough to park a couple of needles. I used #10 crochet cotton and a US Size 7 hook.

I've also been crocheting some of the little motifs from Crochet a Little, a Japanese blog. The designer comes up with such cute ideas, and I'm gradually learning to read the diagrams with the symbolic notation in order to make these. Better than sudoku for taxing the mind! Here's a sample of a cute little girl that I finally managed to conquer! I'll find a use for her and some of the other motifs at some point. They are all too cute to keep hidden.

Angel meets giant ladybug...

2010-07-24T12:10:00.006-04:00

After I finished the "My mother, my friend" quilt square from a couple of posts ago and was about to put away the JCS issue with the design, I discovered another sweet design in that issue, "Angel Joy" by Gail Bussi. And sure enough, Love Quilts had a quilt with a theme of angels that needed stitchers. I just stitched the top part without the bible verse. I would have loved to use the light tan linen in the magazine photo, but I had to go with white for the quilt. The model also used hand-dyed threads which would be unsuitable for this since they are not colorfast. I had to modify some of the conversions given to get a better look. I think when designers use the hand-dyeds and offer a conversion to DMC as well, they don't think too hard about the DMC colors. Not sure why the ladybug grew so large, but it seemed to drive the angel to make a peace offereing!

Psychological AC

2010-07-18T12:27:00.008-04:00

I'm finally recovered from a nasty 2-day headache. Started about the time of the mini-earthquake we had which I never even noticed although I did wake about the that time with this headache. Might be allergies and might be the heat. And might come back soon, but I won't think about that now. Instead I decided to finish up a couple of cards from stitched winter holiday designs to make me think cooling thoughts.

The first is a design by Shepherd's Bush from the 2008 JCS ornament issue. The lettering said "Starry Night", but I preferred 'Reindeer X-ing' to lighten it up. Done on a scrap of Enchanted Fabrics Cafe Mocha Flair...a long gone company and color now.

And the 2nd card is a Prairie Schooler design from booklet 151, "Santa and Snowmen". The fabric is the same color and dyer as the first card, but this was the painted line instead of the flair. I really miss Enchanted Fabrics. Both of these are 18 count Aida and after dying, the fabric is so soft to work with, yet has really good body for using on a card.

Now I'm going to be brave and go out in the heat with my fingers crossed that my head behaves.

My Mother, My Friend

2010-07-10T13:30:00.006-04:00

I wanted to stitch this piece from the first second I saw it in the May/June, 2010 JCS issue. I didn't know what I could do with it though, so I just kept admiring the magazine photo. Finally I found a Cole's Quilt kid for whom this could work. It's a stretch of the quilt theme definition so I won't be disappointed if they decide not to use it for that quilt when they look at with the other squares. The design in JCS was stitched on pink gingham Graziano linen. I loved that look, but I'm perfectly happy with the look on good ole 16 ct white Aida. The only change was substituting some little flowers at the top where the Mother and daughter's initials would go. Got it out of my system now. The designer is Deborah Thorpe.

Cross-stitch Tank Top

2010-07-04T12:41:00.007-04:00

Just in time to wear on the 4th of July, I finished a little cross-stitch design on a tank top. The top is a very light, bright green, not a color I usually go for. So I thought I might like it better with a little embellishment. The shirt looks much paler (and even blue) in the photos. I used waste canvas, but it's still a struggle to get it to come out well. It'll do. Next time I might try adding some iron-on interfacing first, but I'm guessing I won't like working with that either. I could try wash-away stabilizer at some point.

The design is a Mausimom freebie, but I don't think it's available online anymore. At least the last link I had for it doesn't work now.

Now I want to find a design to use for this luscious floss I received from Mary after winning her contest on the San-Man board. This is 'Princess' from the Sassy Strings line. I've use lots of Sassy's fabrics, but I've never tried her floss. Very reasonably priced too.

Have a great 4th of July weekend everyone!

Fatties Luggage Tag & Crocheted Bookmark

2010-06-27T15:54:00.010-04:00

Every time I see a four seasons design with a small motif for each season, I automatically think 'luggage tag'. The recent SAL on the San-Man board for the Four Seasons Fatties was no exception. I stitched two motifs on each side and omitted the original border. I'll hold onto this one to use as a gift later on.

I couldn't resist trying out this cute thread crochet corner bookmark. It's such a cool design. You might think you would make two identical triangles and then crochet or stitch them together. But this is worked in the round, all in one piece. So only the beginning and ending threads need to be worked in. And the instructions were super-clear. That's not always the case with crochet instructions, freebies or purchased. This turned out so well that I think I'll make more in other colors. Another good little gift idea. You can find the instructions here.

Here's my super-find of the weekend. For $.99 at the grocery store, the cutest pair of socklets I've seen in a while. I just couldn't resist! I mean, really... pink ladybugs? They were calling my name!

Card Exchange plus Exercise Chart

2010-06-21T06:40:00.013-04:00

Our cross-stitch group on Stitchin' Fingers held a card exchange to try to energize the members. Seems to be hard to get members to participate and the hope was that since a card is such a quick finish, we might get some interest. My partner was Noel, a gentleman from Ireland. I decided to do this Bayview Estate freebie from By the Bay Needlearts, a good uni-sex design. Got a bit carried way with stickers!

Noel stitched this sweet little pony for me. Just precious!

And I did one more exercise magnet for a survivor that was on vacation when we had the fundraiser.

Here's the chart if you want to make your own:

Beach Dreams

2010-06-10T10:20:00.007-04:00

I was in the mood to stitch something 'beachy', but I didn't really know what I would use it for. Then I found one of the Cole's Quilt kids who liked beaches. I downloaded the design from PatternsOnLine, kind of taking a chance on what it really looked like since the photo wasn't too detailed. After signing up, I wasn't sure I really wanted to stitch all that sand, sea and sky. I really just liked the motifs. But I was committed so I bit the bullet. Turned out that I loved stitching this piece. I did the sky in 1/2 x-stitch so it went pretty fast. And I'm very satisfied. The photo may look like the fabric is blue, but it's really white. The design is by Sharon Pope.

Back to the 50's Crochet

2010-06-02T11:07:00.006-04:00

When a friend of mine told me she has a Smithsonian-sized collection of Scottie dog tchotchkes, I started looking for stitching designs to make her something in this theme. I knew there was a Scottie ornament in the 2009 JCS ornament issue, but I wanted to see what else was around. My web surfing took me to a booklet of vintage crochet designs from the 50's that featured Sunbonnet L'il, a more grown-up Sunbonnet Sue. I fell in love with the appliques in this booklet. And one design in particular called "Out for a Stroll" was perfect for my friend. I decided to applique it onto a ready-made totebag. It was fun to crochet this, but much less fun to stitch it onto the bag. I don't think I'll be making many more of these. But my friend was so surprised and she seemed to love the bag even though it's way outside the type of thing she would usually go for.

The booklet called for Lily threads that I don't even think are made anymore. It needed different weight threads and hooks for various parts to get the proportions correct. I only had size 10 crochet cotton and several different hooks so I had to improvise. I think the Scottie is a bit large, but that's ok since the Scottie was the most important part.

Queen of Macaroons plus Exercise Charts

2010-05-27T13:40:00.012-04:00

My cousin makes the world's greatest chocolate chip macaroons. She always serves them at Passover since they have no flour as an ingredient. I've made the recipe a couple of times, but mine never turn out as perfect as hers. Luckily, the ingredients are all so yummy that everyone gobbles them up anyway. In honor of my cousin's upcoming birthday, I made this oh so appropriate card from a design by the fabulous Bé Courtadet. This is the "Queen of Macaroons", one of several of her sweet ladies decked out in dessert-shaped dresses. Worked out nicely on this peach butter linen from Vikki Clayton.

Last Saturday, my Jazzercise class held a fund raiser for the 'Back in the Swing' organization, a group that works with breast cancer surviors. I decided to give the two little exercise magnets I made to the two cancer survivors in our class. What I didn't realize is that we had a couple more survivors that I didn't know about. So back to the drawing board. Since I knew these were for breast cancer survivors, I added the pink ribbon. And the runner was specifically for the marathon runner.

And for your stitching pleasure if you are interested, here are the charts:

Exercise Motivation Charts

2010-05-21T09:08:00.008-04:00

I've been doing regular exercise forever. I did many years of dance and when I stopped that, I continued with regular Jazzercise classes. But I find that even though I attend those classes regularly, I'm not really motivated to work hard once I get there. It's still better than sitting in front of the TV eating potato chips, but all life's little aches and pains seem to get magnified when I start exercising and I hold back. I decided I needed someone like Jillian to inspire me. I don't have a weight problem, just an exercise motivation problem.

So here are my two new personal trainers that have taken a place on the door to my fridge:

And you stitchers can have your own trainers too:

Alphabet Heart Sampler

2010-05-17T15:50:00.006-04:00

I just mailed my latest Love Quilts square. Unlike the usual squares that will be used on quilts for kids, this one is for a special adult-themed quilt. Love Quilts is making a few that will be given to the American Cancer Society to sell as a fund-raiser. The theme of the one for which my square is destined is 'Pink'. The sign-ups seem to be for a lot of hearts, flowers and ribbons. This design from BHG Australia seemed versatile enough for this quilt and lots of others, actually. I just used brighter pinks than are shown on the model. I've seen it done in variegated thread and hand-dyes of almost every color. I expect that I will stitch this one again sometime on more interesting fabric with a higher count. This is a plain old 14 count Aida in white. White Aida is required for LQ.

Primitive Wizard of Oz

2010-05-11T14:45:00.007-04:00

I finished up this piece over the weekend. This is the Primitive Wizard of Oz by Midsummer Night Musings and it was a really fun stitch. So relaxing with no back-stitching or fractionals. It's such a clever design too. If you've never looked at this pattern closely, see if you can identify all of the motifs. Note how each is positioned near the letter of its initial. Took me a while to figure out 'hurricane' since I always thought of the storm as a cyclone, tornado or twister, but I looked it up and it all depends on the version you read or see. And since the 'T' already had the Tin Man and Toto too, there was more room near the 'H'. Look how the flying monkey is neatly positioned between the 'F' and the 'M'. Same for the Wizard himself with the 'O' and 'W'. And what a perfect winding yellow brick road.

This is stitched in my own DMC substitutions on Vikki Clayton 32 count linen in Bunny Brown. I had a small amount of the trim and backing fabric in my stash, but not enough for this pillow. I loved the look so much that I went out and bought more for just for the purpose.

On another note, I stumbled on the coolest little household tip for storing those plastic grocery bags we keep around to use for wastebasket liners and other things. Maybe you have switched to the re-usables and don't accumulate so many now, but I still seem to stack up my share of them and never had a decent way to store them. I love the method described here at Polka Dot Pineapple and I'm storing my little folded up bags neatly in an empty coffee can now!

Ladybug Card

2010-05-05T15:45:00.005-04:00

It's so springy and beautiful outside. This ladybug themed card (or ladybird depending on your preference) seems really appropriate. It will accompany a Mother's Day gift for a friend. I've had that little freebie around for a long time. When there is no finished model to look at, I'm never sure if I will really like it stitched up or not. But I think it worked out pretty cute. It's a Borduurblad pattern you can find here, #11 at the bottom. Inside I wished my friend a 'shower of flowers' for Mother's Day.

Turtle Needlecase

2010-04-28T15:10:00.012-04:00

It seems like it must be the year of the turtle. Lately, everywhere I turn I see something with a turtle motif. Last night the woman in front of me in Jazzercise had a T-shirt on that advertised the Green Turtle sports bar. Another woman had a tote bag with a sea turtle print on the fabric. Somehow, I caught turtle fever and got the idea of making a crocheted turtle needle case. I think it was partly based on seeing this cute cross stitch set and partly based on this cute potholder. I couldn't find a pattern that I really liked, so I kind of invented my own. Note the snap on the tail to close it. Kirsten says it must be a snapping turtle!

The needlecase was a little birthday gift for a stitcher friend and I sent it with this card I made. It's an Archie Bear by Margaret Sherry from the UK Cross Stitcher Issue 210, done on an 18 count hand-dyed Aida from Enchanted Fabrics. After the rinsing, the fabric shrinks a bit so the count is really a little higher than 18. Those fractionals and back-stitching were quite the chore. But he's pretty cute, I think. He stands out better from the fabric in person.

Garden Altoid Tin

2010-04-22T09:25:00.005-04:00

My latest tin gave me a bit of trouble. All my others were done using Monaco, a fabric with substantial weight, but still very flexible. This one is done on linen and maybe that was the problem. It's a pretty piece of 36 count hand-dyed linen from a Vikki Clayton grab bag. I stitched a cute little garden theme from an old Oakhaven Designs freebie by Tonia Pappen. Very difficult to get the ribbon trim on properly. This is for a little gift to someone, and I hope the flash drive will make up for the imperfect job on the ribbon gluing.

Birds Bookmark

2010-04-17T16:12:00.004-04:00

I finished the companion piece to my Squirrel Bookmark. This is from the same Donna Kooler book. I think I actually like this design better. It was fun to stitch and a bit of back-stitching made the birds pop better.

Someone asked how I do these. I fold the short ends to the back and use Stitch Witchery to fuse them to the back of the stitching. Then I do the same for the sides, but turn down each of the 4 corners diagonally first (just as if you were wrapping a package). The sides are wide enough to cover the back and meet in the middle. Then I use Stitch Witchery to fuse the ribbon to the back. Quick and simple. No raw edges or stitched back is showing.

Both bookmarks are now at the Stitching Post, the closest LNS to me that is participating in the Stitching for Literacy campaign.

Purple House on the Hill Altoid Tin

2010-04-11T11:59:00.013-04:00

Nail biting time is over. My gift for Wendy arrived safely. For this tin, I chose part of the House on the Hill sampler by Barbara Ana. One of Wendy's favorite colors is purple, so I changed the color of the house and one of the birds to be more to her taste. This was done over one on ivory Monaco.

I find that I'm always on the lookout lately for suitable patterns for tin tops. The fixed size makes it a challenge sometimes. Over-one allows for a more detailed design in a small space, so that means designs that fit in 56X90 stitches are always on my radar. I was just lucky to spy Barbara's design and discover that the motif is just perfect. Luckily, Barbara's designs are light on fractional stitches which is critical for over-one stitching.

Wendy may decide to store a tatting shuttle in the box if one fits, but I tucked in a little scissors she can store in it if she likes.

Tatted Treasures

2010-04-07T16:07:00.013-04:00

When Wendy suggested that she and I do a personal exchange, I was honored and delighted. Wendy asked that I make her a decorated Altoid tin, and I asked Wendy to make me something tatted. I love tatting, but it's not something I've devoted enough time to so I really can't do it myself. Only time for so many crafts!

Wendy's package arrived here yesterday. My gift for Wendy is still in transit so I won't show any photos of it yet. But I wish I had some photos of my eyes bugging out of my head as I opened the little envelopes inside with all of Wendy's beautiful tatting. She used so many gorgeous threads and her work is so perfect!

First, we have this lovely book mark (or book thong as Wendy calls it):

Next, the cutest little Easter motifs. Is that bunny a sweetie or what?

Now check out this collection of beautiful motifs. I love the richness of color in that red/purple/blue heart!

Finally, we have these gorgeous frames. Can't you just see an x-stitched ornie finished inside one of these beauties? Plus my tatted name to use any way I please. It's shown inside the clear envelope and works as a book mark on its own!

Thank you so much, Wendy and I hope my gift for you arrives soon!

Scallop Potholder

2010-04-03T15:51:00.005-04:00

Still in the mood for a bit of crocheting, I worked up this pretty potholder. It's sturdy enough to use as a trivet too. This is another one from the Ultimate Book of Pot Holders from Annie's Attic. I've seen a lot of variations on this pattern and I was curious to see how those petals worked up.

I made some chocolate chip macaroons today to take to a Final Four party tonight, but I didn't have the heart to use the new potholder, at least not yet. Too soon after the finish to see it covered in chocolate stains!

Squirrel Bookmark

2010-03-30T11:56:00.005-04:00

Feeling kind of uninspired after finishing up an exchange piece that I'll show later, I started browsing through Donna Kooler's "Great Cross-Stitch Gifts" book. Not all of the charts in the book have a photo of a finished model and my eye never seems to linger on the ones that don't. This time I discovered a couple of bookmark designs that I never noticed before. I stitched up one for the Literacy Project and I think I'll do the other one as well. That squirrel looks like a cross between a squirrel, a kangaroo, and with those weird horn-like ears, maybe a reindeer, but we'll attribute that to artistic license.

Chicken potholder

2010-03-21T18:59:00.010-04:00

Don't know why I had the urge to crochet a chicken potholder, but he just looked so cute in the photo I found on the web that I couldn't resist. This one is two layers thick so no worries about burning my fingers when I take the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven! The pattern is from the Ultimate Book of Potholders by Annie's Attic, but here is a link to one that is very similar.

I've been negligent in responding to the blogging awards I've received lately. Seems like it's the season for awards.

Thanks so much to Vinniey and Annette for this one:

And thanks to Belinda and Michelle for this one:

Here are a few random facts about me to go with the awards:
1) I've stepped foot in 23 of the United States plus DC and Puerto Rico ... I count changing planes in airports.
2) I've stepped foot in 8 countries.
3) I was voted most likely to have supernatural powers in my history of witchcraft class. I had long hair and kind of looked like a less cute version of Morticia Addams at the time so that was probably why.
4) I never wear high heels.
5) I once took a tap dance class with the late, great Gregory Hines and a jazz dance class with Ann Reinking. Those are my claims to fame.

Stitching bloggers make a such a nice community. There are just too many deserving bloggers and I don't want to limit my selection for passing these on. I follow a number of blogs, and they are all in my sidebar. Be sure to visit some you aren't familiar with.. you will find many treasures and inspiring posts among them.

Ezmeralda's House Happy Dance!

2010-03-17T10:14:00.006-04:00

I'm calling this a happy dance because I completed the stitching on the Brightneedle design, Ezmeralda's House, last night. But it was like finishing a really good book. I was sorry to see it come to an end because I enjoyed the stitching so much. Looks like it will fit perfectly in a 12" X 16" frame. This is actually on 36 count fabric. I believe I said 32 count in an earlier post. I love when a standard size will work to cut down on the expense of custom framing.

How nice to finish a Halloween design just in time for St. Paddy's Day. ;-)

Here's a closer look at the bottom 2 floors and the 'garden'. I showed the top 2 floors earlier.

The Stitcher II

2010-03-10T14:24:00.008-05:00

Becky let me know that my gift for her arrived (and quickly too -- big thanks to the Post Office). I made Becky a zippered bag to use when you only want to carry a few things and want your hands to be free. I like to make a nice long strap so you can wear it diagonally across your body. I also like to place the zipper in the back so it lies against your body. Just seems safer that way. I found a new tutorial for these that leaves no exposed seams on the inside. The link is in my sidebar if you are interested. I'd been trying to invent a way to do that for a while and just never could figure it out. Topologically speaking (that's math talk from a math major) there had to be a way, but that didn't mean I could find it alone.

The design is a part of "The Stitcher II" by Homespun Elegance. I added the border around the top and sides from a piece of the Hands to Work sampler in the Feb 2009 issue of JCS. The crocheted edging is from a book of edgings I have and this one is especially nice to do because you don't have to stitch a foundation chain first.. you just keep adding the pattern repeat til it's long enough.

I also used fusible fleece to give it some body. The fabric is Light Coffee 32-ct linen from Vikki Clayton. The lining is the same fabric as the backing.

Gifts from Becky

2010-03-07T17:49:00.008-05:00

I got the most wonderful package from Becky last week and finally got around to photographing my new gifts. My photos are nowhere near as nice as Becky's so I'll refer you to her blog post where you can see these items more clearly.

But for the record, here is what she sent. First, she made me one of her fabulous decorated hinged wooden boxes. I had asked her for hints on how to do the wood staining a while ago and she immediately volunteered to do more than just give me tips! This was just such a generous act on Becky's part. I adore this piece.

As if that wasn't enough, I was honored to find out that I was Becky's partner in her pin pillow exchange and, as such, I received this gem. The design on this as well as the one for the box are so to my current tastes.. tastes which are continually changing. This is such a cool way to do a finish.

My bear got hold of the pillow and now he says he's never giving it back. It's become his security pillow and I can't say I blame him.

Big hugs and thank you's to Becky. And a little something is going to be making its way to Becky's house this week!

Merry Month of May Pin Cushion

2010-03-04T06:49:00.008-05:00

Just heard that my exchange partner, Nicky, for Becky's Pin Pillow Exchange received the little pin cushion I stitched for her. Nicky has a beautiful blog, well worth checking out. This was her first exchange so I'm glad the piece arrived safely. I love how excited first-timers are to participate. Exchanges are so much fun!

I stitched a San-Man design that was part of a SAL for Sandy's board members last spring to celebrate the merry month of May. I had my doubts while I was stitching it since it seemed like the colors weren't really popping from the fabric. But I was pretty happy with it when I completed it. The fabby is Vikki Clayton's 32-ct Peach Butter linen. I added a little bee charm in one corner to hide a spot where the lace trim kind of got lost in the seam. I think that's one of my favorite parts of making things... how to recover from mistakes!

Michael Powell Coaster

2010-03-01T15:08:00.008-05:00

Some years ago I stitched up this Michael Powell freebie but I never knew exactly what to do with it. I was just fascinated by his style. I thought it would make a nice coaster, but it was too big for the acrylic ones. So instead, I first stitched the 'big' cross stitch border. Then I backed it with fusible fleece. And finally I used stitch witchery (fusible web) to back the whole thing with a piece of matching felt. I thought I had some Scotch Guard, but I guess that was used up long ago. So I'll get a new can and spray to protect it. It looks cute right now just sitting on the coffee table.

I'm so glad February is done. It may snow some more, but the days are getting longer and the snow probably won't hang around for too long (I hope). This little sun face was an old freebie from who knows where that I lifted from an acrylic coaster that was past its prime. Added a magnet sheet to the back and he's adorning my fridge, doing a pre-announcement of spring! I see he even has some metallic threads running through him, something I haven't used in quite some time.

Ezmeralda from the top down..

2010-02-23T10:16:00.002-05:00

I've been gradually constructing Ezmeralda's House by Brightneedle from the top down. I started in December, but since this is a larger project than I usually tackle, I've just worked on it intermittently swapping in more small projects. This house turns out to be really great fun to stitch. With the exception of the border, there are really no long boring areas to slog through. And the details are just so much fun. I'm using light coffee 32 count linen from Vikki Clayton, but the color is really not very true in the photo. The whole thing is much more light brown. The designers suggested that one stitch the whole house frame first. That to me sounded like a recipe for frog legs! I fill in as I go and it's proved to be a good decision. Lots of touch points to check your work along the way.

Secret Snowdrift

2010-02-15T13:26:00.010-05:00

With all the focus on snow in DC, I decided to stitch up a snowman ornament for Pumpkin's Project. This is a design by Trilogy called Secret Snowdrift. It's done on a piece of hand-dyed Aida from Enchanted Fabrics. I'm sorry to hear that Enchanted Fabrics is closing. She did such nice work at such reasonable prices. I've always had a problem with rickrack, but I like the look, so this time I hand basted it in place before machine sewing. I think that worked pretty well.

Looks like our snow will be with us for quite some time. Traffic is now a nightmare since people can get their cars out, but roads are still only cleared with a limited number of lanes. I have constant rush-hour type gridlock outside my home making it hard to get a car out of the driveway, and then adding 20 minutes to go four blocks. But I have made good use of the boots I bought after the first of the major storms back in December. Actually, I don't believe all of that first snow ever melted, before getting buried under the next series of storms.

Teddy Bear Valentine

2010-02-09T19:32:00.008-05:00

After a long, long trip, so long I had given it up for lost, the Valentine I made for the EMS Valentine Card exchange finally arrived at its destination in Canada for Bea. I picked a cute teddy bear monochrome heart design from Aurelle, stitched over-one on off-white Monaco. I was so happy that it exactly fit the opening of my heart cookie cutter. Then I found a number of little crocheted teddy bear patterns on the web and ended up using a touch of each to make the funky little bear. I guess he's a polar bear. White was the only color of crochet thread I had that made any sense to use on this card. I couldn't find any kind of brown or tan in the stores.

January Carousel Horse

2010-02-06T15:24:00.010-05:00

About a thousand years ago I stitched the January horse, a unicorn, from Donna Kooler's "Carousel Horses in Cross Stitch". I had originally planned it as a gift for a baby born in January, but I didn't complete it in time for that. So I decided to make it into a pillow for me. Bought all the supplies, and then let it sit until til today. We had a monster snowstorm here in DC. Started Friday morning and it's still snowing! In the last few minutes, it just started getting a bit heavier, but I think this is supposed to be the tail end. So in honor if this record-setting event (I'm really tired of breaking records with snow totals!), here's my finish. The first photo is before I inserted the pillow form... easier to get a good picture that way.

It's done on a pale blue Zweigart Aida. I suppose if I was stitching this today, I'd go for linen or evenweave. But my heart really still belongs to Aida I think.

Suzy's Zoo Turtle

2010-02-01T17:15:00.004-05:00

I have three different Suzy's Zoo booklets for cross stitch. They are some of my oldest charts. I can't believe how often I've turned to them for cutesy designs, especially for baby samplers. This little turtle (I think he's officially named 'Corky') is not for a baby, but I thought he made a sweet birthday card. And I had more fun with cutting out my own opening, this time an oval. He's stitched on a scrap of hand-dyed Aida. Those scraps come in very handy.

Altoid tin dragon

2010-01-25T12:51:00.007-05:00

My brother's birthday is coming and I always include a little stitchy gift as part of his present. He said he thought I had made just about everything there was to make for him. But he hadn't seen the covered Altoid tins. So I stitched up this one with a little dragon freebie that you can get here to use as a flash drive caddy. I used DMC color variations 4030 on tea-dyed Monaco over-one. I forgot to put batting between the stitching and the lid, but since my brother has nothing to compare this to, I think it will be fine. Plus I'll add the drive and a gift card to his favorite restaurant so it should make for a nice birthday package.

Unfortunately, the Altoid tins are just a touch too small to hold a gift card, credit card or business card, so the gift card will have to remain outside of the tin. It's a shame since the tin could really have more uses if it was just a tad larger.

From washcloth to potholder

2010-01-18T11:24:00.006-05:00

I was about to toss some old frayed terry washcloths, when I stopped myself, remembering that I had read they make good insulators for potholders. I really wasn't in the mood for sewing, but I did want to see if that would work out. So I dug up this little cross stitch design that I had stitched long ago. Reminds me of the Campbell Kids from the soup can days. It came from an old Cross Stitch and Country Crafts or Cross Quick magazine from the 80's or 90's I think. I whipped it together so quickly that it looks like I must have been high on something and had my eyes closed, but I just consider it 'proof of concept'. This can work just fine and if I had only taken more time with it, I'd be very happy with the result. I'll file this technique away for future reference.

Hearts don't grow on trees!

2010-01-11T09:46:00.007-05:00

As a wise person once said, "Hearts don't grow on trees. You only get one, so be careful what you do with it". But it would be nice if they were replaceable. This heart tree Valentine's card represents that sentiment. The design is a freebie from Passione Ricamo, one of her beautiful heart designs. I used a cookie cutter to draw the heart shape on card stock and just a plain old scissors to cut the opening. Added a couple of little crocheted hearts and voila! The fabric was a piece of 36 count hand-dyed linen from Sassy's fabbies that I got in a grab bag of ornament cuts a number of years ago. The top of the card is not really skewed.. that's just my camera playing it's usual jokes on me.

I received one final holiday exchange gift, a card from Gina. Beautiful design and I love the sparkly fabric.

Hearts and flowers humbug...

2010-01-03T13:02:00.009-05:00

A new year and time for a new 3-d shape. This is my first cross-stitched humbug. I wanted to see how the designs are laid out so I would understand how to select patterns on my own later. This one wraps perfectly and even has a cute little heart that meets at the underside seam. It's very easy to stitch up using the biscornu whip stitch method over a back-stitched border line. Especially easy on linen since that fabby is so flexible. In keeping with green efforts, it's stuffed with re-purposed thread-clippings (i.e. orts).

Here's the pattern, a freebie from Hearty-Craft. I think her stitching and finishing are much better than mine, but I'm pretty happy with the result.

Spiral scrubbies & dish cloths

2009-12-29T10:30:00.012-05:00

Crocheting and knitting are very relaxing, and if I pick small projects, I don't get bored before the end. So that's what I've been doing in addition to a stitched project that I can't show yet.

These cute little spiral scrubbies have always intrigued me. You can use them for your face or your dishes. The small one is knitted and the other two are crocheted. I much prefer the crocheted because you get those nice ridges by crocheting in the back loop only. I haven't figured out how to make them as neat in the end as all the tutorial photos, but how neat do they need to be really? But if anyone knows a trick they can share, I'd appreciate it. They are all done with worsted weight cotton yarn.

Click here for the crocheted tutorial.

Click here for the knitted version.

I haven't been keeping up with the Monthly Dishcloth Group, but I checked in and found a couple of designs to try.

The first is 'April Showers'. Supposed to look like raindrops I guess. Fun to knit.

The second cracks me up. The pattern is called Log Cabin, as if you couldn't guess. It's kind of hard to see the pattern in the photo. I could use a good lesson in photography I think.

Too much snow!

2009-12-22T07:58:00.008-05:00

The DC area is still recovering from the record December snowfall we had last Saturday. We're now in that miserable cycle of melting by day, re-freezing by night. Personally, I only like stitched snow, not the real thing. But in honor of reality, I finished up this little ornament, Snow Merry, by Homespun Elegance from the 2009 JCS ornament issue. I used a hand-dyed 32 count evenweave and added a simple buttonhole stitch for the border.

I had one final holiday card to mail and realized I better use this one before the year ended. The design is the 2008 freebie from Rosewood Manor slapped on top of a piece of wrapping paper for a background. And the crop-a-dile helped me touch it up with a few eyelets. Kind of funky, not my favorite, but it's always fun to experiment.

Happy Holidays to everyone. Enjoy and stay safe.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Poe

2009-12-17T10:23:00.006-05:00

Only a little more time left to celebrate the year of Edgar Alan Poe's 200th birthday. I remember so many Saturday afternoons as a kid when, with all my friends in the neighborhood, we walked to the movie theater, and our parents could be free of us for several hours. Those were the days when it wasn't so risky to allow the kids to go off and do this kind of thing without parental supervision. We saw the giant cartoon show followed by a double feature. So often one of those feature films was a Vincent Price horror movie based on a Poe short story, like "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Fall of the House of Usher".

So, in need of another 'boy' design, always a challenge, I chose this Plum Street Samplers pattern based on "The Raven" for my last altoid box of the season. Again, over-one stitching on tea colored Monaco. And I tucked a thumb drive inside.

Plum Street card and goodies in the mail

2009-12-11T13:21:00.011-05:00

Gina and I decided to do a personal card swap since we were the only two to express interest in it on the Stitchin' Fingers Cross Stitch Group. Gina has received mine so here it is for show and tell. It's a freebie from Plum Street Samplers that I changed a bit. I also added the little crocheted bird. He was my own invention. I tried to write down my steps so I can make more of him, but if past experience is any indication, I suspect my scribblings will look like so much nonsense when next I go to use them.

The mailman brought be some goodies in the last few days. Mylene sent me a surprise pinkeep. She does such exquisite stitching and finishing. I am so honored to have one of her pieces.

My gift package from my partner, Janeth, for Sue's 123-Stitch ornament exchange arrived also. What a fun set of gifts! Janeth chose a beautiful Lizzie Kate design. It looks so gorgeous on that blue fabric. She also enclosed a variety of pretty floss, plus snowflake embellishments and stickers.

And to top it off, she added the most adorable little chicken pin cushion. This photo doesn't really show its super-cuteness, but it is a real treasure.

Doll Alphabet Altoid Tin

2009-12-08T08:37:00.005-05:00

The half-doll silhouette alphabet found here by Meridel Abrams has always been one of my favorites. But until now I had never found a way to use those letters. Turns out they were the perfect size for over-one stitching on 28 count Monaco for decorating an Altoid tin top. This one was made as a gift for my friend Jenny (initials JW). The 'J' doll is just especially charming to me!. And kudos to the postal service. Took less than a week to get from DC to Sweden.

American Pie

2009-12-03T10:42:00.005-05:00

One of my friends just passed her citizenship test and has now become a full-fledged citizen of the U.S.A. No self-respecting stitcher could pass up this opportunity to commemorate the occasion. I picked out a Bent Creek design called "Made in the U.S.A.". Changed the lettering a bit and added a few little crocheted touches.

The little heart crochet pattern can be found here.

The little bow crochet pattern can be found here.

The fabric is 32 count Jobelan in Bay Rum.

Pink Altoid Tin

2009-11-27T09:25:00.008-05:00

Hope everyone had a nice turkey day. I spent mine with family and had a wonderful time with excellent food and company.

My latest decorated altoid tin is for my pink-loving friend. I turned this one into a scissors case following Vonna's tutorial more or less. My friend is not a stitcher, but she does a lot of crafts involving paper cutting so I think this will work for her. The design is a freebie by Claire, stitched over-one on blue Monaco. I changed a few colors to be more pinkish. I added the little charm on the side to cover a bad glue spot. The inside is a brighter, hotter pink than the photo shows.

I won't quite say I'm addicted to making these. But there was a sale on Altoids at the drugstore last week, so I did buy I few just in case.

Cable-stitched Neckwarmer

2009-11-20T09:00:00.005-05:00

These neckwarmers are so quick to knit. I made this one in one evening of TV watching for a holiday gift. It's made with Wool-Ease chunky yarn, an 80% acrylic, 20% wool blend. Very soft feel on the sensitive neck area. The pattern is free on the Lion Brand site. You need to register to see it. Search for "Lion Brand chunky cable scarf" to find it. I just made a shorter version with two buttonholes just before the garter stitch border. I also made it slightly narrower, casting on a couple of fewer stitches that surround the cable. I really wanted to make a pink one, but A.C. Moore didn't have that color in stock and I didn't want to order just one skein online. But I like this berry color also.

Warm Winter Altoid Tin

2009-11-13T08:30:00.007-05:00

I'm having fun with Altoid tin stitching now. I finished one I really like that I can't show yet since it's a gift for a regular reader. But I also made another I can show now. This one is a slight variation on Barbara Ana's "Warm Winter Welcome". I just changed the wording a bit and a few colors. It's stitched over-one on tea colored Monaco. I'm planning to make this into a winter survival kit by filling it with lip balm, a hand sanitizer packet, travel soap leaves, and anything I can find in a small enough size to fit that follows the theme. Still finding the gluing to be messy and hard to do. Sometimes the glue seeps through the ribbon no matter how careful I try to be. The colors are much richer in real life. Can't figure out how to get the camera to understand that!