Once upon a tree & pendibule

My plan was to try making a covered altoid tin, but the design I picked was a little too big. I also discovered I had no idea how to cut out the perfect cardboard template needed. I could make one the same size as the top and that would be too big. I had a template from the Victoria Sampler site, but it was a little too small for what I had in mind. Sounds like a Goldilocks situation.

So I switched and made a little zippered case to hold some stitcher tools and such. This is the summer design in the Once Upon a Tree series from JCS, July/Aug 2009. The entire design would make a lovely bell-pull, but I didn't think I would stitch the whole thing. I like summer and fall (the one to be featured in the next issue) best. Lots of specialty stitches that I slogged through on the 36ct Vikki linen. So glad she will be offering a 32 count version come October. This really makes me think of summer with the wrinkled linen. ;-)



Next, a quickie mini-pendibule just to see how to make one. This design is from Stitch Creations. A little tricky to sew up the seam near the vertices, but the decorative ribbon hides a lot of that.




And the naked mail-art from the previous post arrived at it's new home in just a few days, totally unscathed. Except for the struggle I had with the post office clerk who insisted on attaching the postage label with Scotch tape, it was a perfectly fine experience. The recipients had never seen anything like this and they were appropriately thrilled (at least they acted that way for my benefit).