Little thngs

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.

Ooh la la..

A little Mother's Day sachet for my cousin who is not my mother, but who is a wonderful mother. Reminds me of Mae West and
Lillian Russell.

I found some black lace for the trim at my local old-fashioned variety store. The scanner is not so good with 3-d images, so in case you can't see them, there are little red beads around the top and bottom of the bustier and gold beads down the front seam. The ribbon was to hide the uneven lace insertion on the upper left. I'll add some lavender filling and it's ready to go. The design is from the Feb., 2008 issue of Cross Stitcher magazine (UK).