Spring Celebration and Hope House

Spring is in full bloom here now.  My headaches are a testament.  But I love going outside without a coat and just feeling warm anyway!    Lately I seem to have a fascination with primitive designs.  It's such a change from the really detailed type of cross-stitching I used to prefer.  When I saw this cute little freebie from the Primitive Hare,  "Spring Celebration", I couldn't wait to stitch it up. I used a piece of 32 count natural Gander linen that I bought from The Thread Basket.  I had heard so many good things about this linen that I was curious to try it out.  It's not available much in the U.S., but the Thread Basket does specialize in French patterns and has a limited supply on the site.  It's a nice weighty linen, and I enjoyed working with it.   It was just the right size to turn into a luggage tag for Spring Break getaways.  I gave it to a Jazzercise instructor who taught an especially fun class on the day I finished it up.

 

While searching for something completely different, I found this cute pattern for a funky crocheted house on Pinterest.  Just for fun I tried to see if I could actually re-create it.  My finishes from a lot of crochet patterns just don't turn out anything like the models.   This one worked out pretty well though.  I added a safety pin on the back.. poor man's brooch.  One of my friends has been training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.  She's trying to get in shape without over-doing and it's been a little tricky.  I will give it to my friend as a gift of encouragement.  The pattern is called "Hope House" and you can download the free pdf here.  I should have taken the photo in context so you could see the size.  It's about 3" (7.62 cm) high.  I crocheted it using #10 crochet cotton with a size 7 hook from colors that I had already.
 

Dutch Tulip Luggage Tag & Crocheted Pincushions

Sometimes, a design grabs me because it is the perfect size for something I want to make.  That was the case with this Dutch Tulip design from Threadworks Primitives.  I saved the chart some time ago, earmarking it for a luggage tag.  I also saved the photo of Anne's rendition because I liked her modified color scheme.  She used hand-dyed floss, but I tried to come close to the look using DMC colors.. 356, 407, 433, 758 if you are interested.  I'm pretty happy with finish on a linen scrap I had.  I think the backing fabric and eyelet were good accompaniments as well.

While everyone else is showing their orts once a month as part of the TUSAL,  I just accumulate mine to be used for pin cushion stuffing.  The bag was full and my periodic urge to crochet some thread motifs kicked at the same time so I made three little mini-cushions.  Each is only 2-2.5".  They work up really fast and will make nice stitchy gifts. 

The first is from Margaret Hubert's Granny Square Book. This is called the  Dogwood Flower Granny Square.  It's  a perfect design for this type of pin cushion.  I think I picked it because the model was crocheted and blocked so perfectly.  I aspire to that kind of perfection, but I settle for much less.

The next two are both from various Japanese designs I've found on the web and saved.  They are presented as graphs with little text hints.  Of course, text in Japanese doesn't help me, but usually I can pretty much get along with the graph only.  Like reading sheet music and not understanding any Italian.

 

The round ones are a little harder to do, but not much.   

Three little cuties together:

Luggage Tag and Final Bookmark

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!

Fatties Luggage Tag & Crocheted Bookmark

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!

4 Seasons Kitties Luggage Tag

These little kitties from The Cats Whiskers are just the kind of design I look for when I want to make a luggage tag. This is the first one I made using Jobelan fabric. The color is Bay Rum and really makes a nice background. I like when I can find a design to stitch on each side better than using a backing fabric on one side. This will be a little holiday gift.

Season Petites Luggage Tag

Mother's Day is fast approaching so I made this small gift to give to my cousin who always includes me at her holiday dinners. This is from a Brightneedle leaflet, "Season Petites". I used a cafe mocha fabric from Enchanted Fabrics and a Moda fabric lining. It was hard to find one fabric for the stitching that would make all the seasons 'pop'. I changed the lettering colors at least to be darker to show up better.

My Bag...

And the final luggage tag of 2008 is now complete. I got really tired of making these and I kind of shortchanged the workmanship on this one. This is a design I adapted from a back issue of the Cross Stitcher UK magazine. It's done on pale pink 18 count Aida. I used pink X & O eyelets. Couldn't find the satin cord I like in pink so I chose a pink velvet ribbon for the hanger. The intended recipient loves pink.



The backing fabric is a nice girly print. Thanks to Sandra for sending me this. It worked perfectly for this tag.



And thanks to Claire for letting me know that she is the designer of the Home Sweet Home tag in my previous post. I'm not sure how I found that design since she hasn't blogged about it yet, although it is in her on-line album. Maybe I was googling images.

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

Home sweet home...

It's that time of year when lots of people are returning home for the holidays. So here's my next to the last luggage tag of 2008 which will be a gift for one of those travelers. It's done on 14 ct blue Monaco. The backing is a green cotton fabric. The design is a freebie I had in my stash, but I didn't note the origin. So thank you to the designer, whoever you may be. Perhaps someone will recognize it and let me know.

Snowmen luggage tag

Always nice to hear that what you have mailed has been received. My friend Jenny just let me know that the mailman brought her this luggage tag that I made for her. It's a San-Man Originals design stitched on 18 count Aida in the yummiest purple called 'Clematis' by Sassy's Fabbys. I had been waiting for a reason to use those snowflake eyelets. Hope Jenny is planning a nice winter getaway so she can use it.

Boy designs

Does everyone have as much trouble as I do thinking of things to stitch for males? I mean embroidery is inherently a girlie thing, but you would think there would be more suitable subjects for designs than what's available. I wanted to make a luggage tag for a guy. Not sure if any self-respecting guy would use an x-stitched tag, but I was hoping I could find the right thing. I looked through a gazillion mags. Found some things if the guy goes for stereotypical themes like fishing and golf, but not more general designs, at least not in the right size. I finally settled on this sailboat and lighthouse scene. I think the intended recipient will graciously thank me, but I don't know if he he will actually ever use it.

This design is from the August, 2005 issue of Stoney Creek magazine.



And while I was at it, I finished up the little mousie as an ornament:

Double-tagged

Two taggers in just a few days:
Mylene
Penny

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Off the top of my head in no particular order:
1) I tap dance in elevators
2) I love ice cream
3) I hate to travel (strange since I love making luggage tags)
4) I need my morning coffee every day
5) I have a crush on Dr. McDreamy.
6) I've been reading Newsweek faithfully every week for one zillion years.

I think I'll skip the tagging of others for now, but thank you to my taggers for thinking of me.

The Accidental Tourist

Remember the book by Ann Tyler that was also a movie starring William Hurt? "The Accidental Tourist" is about the author of a travel book for people who travel but really don't like to do it. The book provides hints for how to make your travel experience seem as close to living at home as possible. No 'when in Rome' philosophy for this guy. It's all metaphorical and makes good fodder for discussion in high school and college literature classes.

Meanwhile I made this luggage tag and immediately was put in mind of that movie. It will be a gift, but I don't think the recipient shares the views of Macon Leary, the book's protagonist.

The design is a freebie on Cyberstitchers by Barbara Ana, stitched on 14 count taupe Aida.

Prairie Fairies galore

I completed the 4th in the Prairie Schooler Prairie Fairies series and made one more luggage tag last night.



Then this evening, I got notice that Sandra just received the luggage tag made with the first two fairies I stitched. Hers has a fairy on each side. This was for the K.I.S.S. exchange:




Today was a very rainy day.. the edges of tropical storm Hannah, so I stayed in. And lo and behold, I received a package from Sandra just one day after she had received mine! I had asked her for some clarification on the directions for crocheting a little doll hat and she actually made the hat for me! Then she added the gorgeous thread she used, plus fabric and beads to the package. What a great surprise on a rainy day:

Prairie Fairy

Spent my crafting time this weekend working on a celebrity doll for the Show Business doll swap I'm hosting on Stitchin' Fingers. It's coming along nicely, but once again, it is mentally exhausting. So to get a better feeling of accomplishment, I did the finishing on this little design from Prairie Schooler. It's meant to be a luggage tag and you can insert an ID card. For this one, I backed it in the same fabric as I used for the top border. The inside is about 1/2 lined, more of a facing than a lining.



It puts me in mind of these adorable Tooth Fairy Pouches on Marie's blog. With a little adaptation, these luggage tags could serve as tooth fairy pouches too, I think.

Luggage Tag

I finished my first attempt at a luggage tag. Let's just say that the finish is a bit 'rustic', but that's OK since I used a Prairie Schooler design. It's the Four Seasons from the cover of a recent issue of the Gift of Stitching Magazine. I just stacked two of the seasons on each side. Once again, I used my beloved crop-a-dile to make the eyelet. An id or business card fits neatly inside. I stitched it on 18 ct Aida. The color is 'Into the Sky', hand-painted by Lauren at Sassy's. The hand-painted fabric is much softer to work with than un-dyed Aida.

The Prairie Schooler Frenzy

I'm stitching a little Prairie Schooler Four Seasons design that was on the cover of the Gift of Stitching Magazine. It caught my eye when I saw the finished version in the art gallery on San Man. I think I'm going to make it into a luggage tag, the kind that you use to distinguish your luggage from everyone else's. I hope to have a little pocket in it to put a card. It's a fun stitch with pretty colors, no fractionals, limited backstitching and very nice use of a small number of stitches to make an effective design. But not the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I've never appreciated these designs before, but lately I see lots of buzz about them on all the message boards. And I see outrageous prices for the OOP Prairie Schooler charts on e-bay. I don't really get that.

Maybe a reader will enlighten me.