One happy Puppy

Yes I made a Christmas Gift for my MIL's dog.
There was some debate among the family about dogs needing to be kept warm. I believe domestic house dogs don't grow a winter coat and can use a little extra warmth.
Necessary or not it is cute.

Hello Kitty ... cute as a button!

The Buttons were sorted and after looking at all the pictures of button wreaths others had done, Myra said "Can we make one of Hello Kitty's Head?"

Doorknob Pillow

I had a hard time deciding how to finish this project. Frame it? An ornament? Pillow?

What WasYour Favorite Childhood Ornament?

My Favorite was a Hobby Horse Candy Cane Holder.

Above is the One from my childhood.
Which still is a part of My parents collection.

Below is My updated version.
(different because I had no picture of the original until after I made the new ones.)

I made several of these to use in place of bows on my Christmas presents for nieces and nephews.

By Request

University of Kentucky Blue Jeans Purse.

Its a Floral Wreath

I could not find just the right colors in a finished wreath, or a wreath I could add just a little to so I started from scratch. Blues and whites being the theme. No hot Glue! Everything is attached to the wire base with plastic floral ties. I even made the bow. It is a Christmas Gift for My MIL.

More finishes!

Three More Christmyth Ornaments from Dragon Dreams. I forgot I had these stitched and found them in the file folder with my Freebie print outs.

Myra requested a Hermit Crab Ornament.

And to reflect his current interests, I made Noah a dinosaur.

Birthday Cake! Yeah Chocolate!

Thanks to my Hubby for a great cake and a great day!
Fudge frosting on Chocolate cake, mm mm good.

Thrifty find...Buttons!

I thought I was a little nuts when I bought this big shoe box full of the extra buttons that come with clothing. But then I saw this.

I haven't opened all the little envelopes yet. I am leaving it for the kids and I to work on during Christmas break from school. I am sure My Little girl will love playing with them and sorting them. And if it keeps them busy for an hour or two it will be well worth the $2. (cheaper than most toys) Plus we can make stuff with them too!

Finishing!

What was I thinking?! So many unfinished Ornaments.

An entire Saturday was spent turning them Into a wonderful collection.
Most all of the above ornament are for My kids with the exception of the Mitten. I did that one for me. Still have two or three to finish and two to pick out and stitch for this year.

What a terrific sense of accomplishment to get a few unfinished projects done.

Bunny

My sister and niece made the bunny body and asked me to finish up the clothes. I also stitched the face on.

A little of everything

One crochet dog sweater. Pattern from the Lion Brand web site.

One freezer paper stenciled bag. Bag made from a T-shirt sleeve.

One preprinted fabric stocking.

One pear, to be made into an ornament.

Brownies!

Not the chocolate kind, the Girl Scout type.
I added the logo to this blue turtleneck.
First I had to come up with a small cross stitch chart of the logo.
It is a little off in shape, but I think it embraces what girl scouts is all about.
(That is my story and I am sticking to it! LOL)

Just as I thought

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
North Central
The South
The West
Philadelphia
The Northeast
Boston
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Trick or treat

Erik the Viking, Myra as Hello Kitty in Oriental outfit, and Noah as the Amazing Spiderman.

Birthday Cake!

German Chocolate Cake! Happy 11Th Birthday Erik! Yummy coconut.

It's a Wrap!

The wedding present is wrapped and ready to be given.

I had no wrapping paper, so I improvised. Tissue paper with an origami lotus flower (also tissue paper) for a bow. An origami crane made of fabric, with wire in the wings. The crane is an ornament too!

Bus Wallet

For Dee! Can you guess what Dee does?
She is a Bus Driver!
I had this little scrap of fabric in my stash. I knew I had to use it.

First I had to come up with a pattern.

I had several pictures in my ideas folder to work from.

I hope she likes it.

Wedding gifts.

Wow! I am finished two weeks before the wedding!

The happy couple is planning an Asian theme to their wedding with flower choices and decorations. So to keep with the theme here are the gifts.

The biggest part of these gifts is the Cross Stitch piece. It did not call for nor did I add the names or the date since I wanted it to be more like "Blessing" or wish for the couple.

The wooden Double Happiness was a great find while I was out looking for a frame for the cross stitched piece.

The coaster set is store bought with the Asian characters stenciled on with oil based stencil paint.

The hand embroidered greeting card just makes it all flow together nicely. Inside the card reads "Harmony for a Hundred Years" a traditional wish for the bride and groom.

A really big tote.

From swapped stash to really big tote.
I think I could even fit my Laptop in it.
Almost all the strips of fabric are from the fabric I received in my swap.
I only added a few reds and a couple of blues.

Swap Stuff!

Lori at Moda di Magno and I did a little swap. I am so happy with the results.

1. Teddy bear pattern, eyes, noses, and rotating joints.
2. Great fabrics in several colors.
3. Trims and Tapes.
4. A little book with great embroidery patterns for Crazy Quilts.
5. A Beautiful bracelet.

You can check out what I sent Lori at her blog, Moda di Magno. I sent lots of beads and 3 stamps I made just for her.

Stamps

Rabbits and Water, inspired by a Japanese Kimono stencil.















Five stamps made from stencil that was purchased from the local craft store.













There are a few more I made this week but they are part of a swap.

It is a set!

I finished the second table cover! I need to make a couple of underskirts to cover the table legs.

I also did a little crochet. I made two little pink granny style hats with flowers on the side. I don't have a picture of them and I have already gave them away to two cute little girls.

Next up I have a wedding gift to make.

One down one to go....

End table with a new look.

Mixed Mushrooms

Salt and Pepper.
They may not be a matching set but they look cute together.

Green Circles

Yes it is a new project. There were no rules to how the pieces were placed together. I just picked them up and sewed. And before too long little strips became really long strips. Then the long strips became seven inch wide group. Next I cut the really long (almost seventeen feet) group into sections just a tiny bit bigger than twenty-four inches. Group those together and create two twenty-six wide pieces. These were then cut into the two twenty-four inch circles.

More to come as the project continues.

Thrift Store Stuff

I bought this vase for the fish.

What is this? A search for Tanuki teaches us that this is the animal's name.
Tanuki translates as "Raccoon Dog"
Is it a String holder? Is it a souvenir drink cup? People on eBay have it listed as both.

Where have I been?

I have been.......


Cleaning the Basement!,

Reading everything Moomin,

and Making stamps.


I have also been crocheting the shrug/wrap. I have about 40 inches or more of what looks like a single crochet black scarf. I thought I had bookmarked the pattern, but can't find it so I am finishing this by memory. If anyone knows where I saw this please let me know. It is simply a pair of sleeves conected by a long flat section you wrap around your shoulders with a cross over in front, back or under one arm.

Getting Organized

I have not been working on any projects the last couple of weeks. All of my free time has been spent sorting organizing and getting the work tables uncluttered. I had a bunch of stuff to put away. I am still not completely finished. I put away bags of fabric from generous family members who cleaned out their stash. Sorted beads from My grandmother. And just about completely rearranged all the furniture and shelving in the basement.

I am hoping when the kids go back to school next week I will get back to finishing some of the many projects I have started. Projects to finish include no fewer than four quilts in various stages of completion. (Honestly there are probably a lot more than four.) Other works in progress include a large cross stitch (previously picture in the blog), a knit scarf that has been put aside several times for other projects, a crochet shrug/scarf, and finishing a bunny doll for my sister (she started it, but I am going to finish it).

Of course I doubt I will be able to resist the urge to start something new. Which is why I have so many unfinished projects.

Books!

I have been getting books at the thrifts lately. I found three children books that have great artwork.

Magic Heart by Jan Wahl(1972)

The life adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum(Wizard of Oz)(undated reproduction and condensed) The story can be read Here; The life adventures of Santa Claus

Christmas is a Time of Giving by Joan Aanglund(1961).

I also purchased a vintage crochet book. The Complete Book of Crochet by Elizabeth Laird Matheson (reprinted 1947). This book has lots of doilies and edgings and some nice hats. Even a mini top hat.

And as Mentioned on monster crochet, Wild Knitting on Interlibrary loan. Now I can try to figure out how to make the Armadillo Wrap!

Finally a finish.

After a week of vacation I have finally finished something. I have been having trouble getting motivated and back into the routine of everyday.

This Little scrappy quilt was a make it up as I go kind of thing. Fabric choices and quilting were all decided as I got to each step. I wanted it to look sort of heirloom.

A bit of fun

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

So I have to wonder how one goes about writing up these little tests. I would say that Inigo was a character I liked the best. But how do ten little questions associate my personality to his or is it all random?

Birthday Cake!

Polite Panda Care Bear Birthday Cake! Happy sixth birthday to Myra!

Also a Thrifty Find. I got the Cake pan at the thrift Store and was really excited it was a great deal.

Maternity blouses to quilt

One blouse was a hand-me-down from my sister, One was actually store bought, all the others were homemade by myself or my mother. My mom Has made them all Into this beautiful memory/scrap quilt. Thanks Mom!

It's bright baby!

I made this small quilt for my new great niece, Mallory. I love all the bright colors and fun prints.
The other day I suggested someone use a roller foot to quilt straight lines with verses the more expensive walking foot. It had been some time since I had used my roller foot so I thought I would make sure It really did work as nicely as I remembered. It turned out great, but I shall have to practice making a straight line without a guide.

Thrifty Jean-skirt

One pair of jeans form the thrift store, plus one skirt from same thrift store combine to form one fashionable skirt.

The embroidered pockets on these slightly worn jeans were perfect. And the bottom half of a skirt saved time and effort with the hem already finished.

A project bag for my crochet.

The fabric is preprinted and a scrap left over from making a quilt. It was sitting out on the table and I got the idea to make a bag from it. (Yes, my fabric talks to me. Doesn't everyone's?)

Progress is slow...

... But I am starting to see results with the biggest cross stitch project I have ever decided to stitch.

Tiny Totes

These are a little smaller than what I was thinking. But that is actually okay since the idea is to limit how much each of the kids can take along in the car. And they have the organizer to hold some things too.

If my sewing machine had a mind of its own it would be breathing a sigh of relief. And Asking itself "why did she want to use fusible craft weight interfacing with French seams?"