top nine 2023

A little late to the new year party thanks to the flu virus, but here are my #topnine posts from 2023, as far as IG likes go. It was a very creative year for me, and that is exactly how I like it. I'm looking forward to more new designs in 2024, and I hear you that more beginner-friendly designs would be welcome. That's on my list. Also on my list is finally kicking this residual cough. Gah! I hope you guys are having an awesome (crafty) January. 

Not Even A Mouse: detailed Benzie color guides, kits available!

Not Even A Mouse is the fifth pattern in my 'Twas the Night Ornament Series. Below are the detailed felt/floss/sequin/bead color guides for you, so that you can easily make sleepy-mice-in-teacups that look like my four samples pictured above. 

Benzie Design has long been one of my favorite places to purchase wool-blend felts (and they also have 100% wools). They have stellar customer service, quick shipping, and their felt, floss, sequins and beads are an absolute joy to work with! Their friendly staff will be very happy to help you find what you need, including a good many of the tools and other notions you'll need for this series.

First, some handy links to get you started:

To buy the Not Even A Mouse pattern: mmmcrafts.etsy.com

To buy the Classic or Retro felt palettes featured below:
Benzie 'Twas the Night felt palettes

To buy the helpful notions kit:
Benzie 'Twas the Night notions kit

To shop their beautiful sequins & beads:
Benzie Sparkle & Shine page

Check the end of the pattern if you are looking for local sources of supplies. Outside the US? Benzie gladly ships internationally, but if the shipping cost is a consideration, check here for ideas. 

OK! Here are the Benzie color guides:

Classic Palette White/Red Teacup

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

White: Teacup, mouse 
Swan: Quilt
Coral: Pillow

Mustard: Teddy

DECORATIVE FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

Teacup: DMC 666 and D3852. Clear iridescent 8 mm + gold 5 mm sequins for large flowers, Benzie 4 mm gold sequins for small flowers. All seed beads for flowers are Benzie Gold. On the rim: 5 mm iridescent translucent sequins + Benzie Rainbow Iridescent seed beads.

Quilt: DMC 666. 5 mm iridescent translucent sequins + DMC White French knots.

Pillow: DMC 666 and White

Mouse: DMC 310

Teddy: DMC 310 and 666

*Matching floss colors are not listed. All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread. 

Classic Palette Blue/Gold Teacup

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Swan: Teacup 
Mustard: Quilt
Peacock: Pillow

Graphite: Teddy

White: Mouse

Bellwether Gold Metallic*: Teacup handle and foot
*Not included in the Classic palette

DECORATIVE FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:**

Teacup: DMC White (at rim), 3844, and 3852. Translucent iridescent 8 mm + Benzie White 4 mm sequins for large flowers, translucent iridescent 5 mm + Benzie White 4 mm sequins for small flowers. All seed beads for flowers are Benzie Rainbow Iridescent. On the rim: Benzie 4 mm Gold sequins + Benzie Gold seed beads.

Quilt: DMC 666. 5 mm iridescent translucent sequins + DMC White French knots.

Pillow: DMC 3852 and 831

Mouse: DMC 310

Teddy: DMC 3844 and 666

**Matching floss colors are not listed. All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread. 

Retro Palette Pink/Teal Teacup

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Flamingo: Teacup 
Chartreuse: Quilt
Julep: Pillow

Marigold: Teddy

Ecru: Mouse

Note: I dithered about doing the Teddy in green and the quilt in orange instead. If you make it that way, show me! haha

DECORATIVE FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

Teacup: DMC 606 and 991. Translucent iridescent 8 mm + Benzie White 4 mm sequins for large flowers, translucent iridescent 5 mm + Benzie White 4 mm sequins for small flowers. All seed beads for flowers are Benzie Foxglove.** On the rim: Benzie 4 mm White sequins + Benzie Rainbow Iridescent seed beads. 

Quilt: DMC 991. 5 mm iridescent translucent sequins + Benzie Foxglove seed beads (or sub in DMC 3806 French knots)

Pillow: DMC 904 and White. 

Mouse: DMC 310

Teddy: DMC 310 and White

*Matching floss colors are not listed. All sequins/beads sewn with iridescent sewing thread.

**Benzie no longer offers Foxglove. Try Magenta.

Retro Palette Mint/Pink Teacup

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Julep: Teacup 
Moss: Quilt
Chartreuse: Pillow

Flamingo: Teddy

Ecru: Mouse

DECORATIVE FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

Teacup: DMC 936 and White. Benzie Gold 8 mm + iridescent pink 5 mm sequins for large flowers, iridescent pink 5 mm sequins for small flowers. All seed beads for flowers are Benzie Foxglove.** On the rim: iridescent translucent 5 mm sequins + Benzie Foxglove** seed beads. 

Quilt: DMC 959. 5 mm iridescent translucent sequins + DMC 3806 French knots

Pillow: DMC 3851 and 3847 

Mouse: DMC 310

Teddy: DMC 310 and 666

*Matching floss colors are not listed. All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread.

**Benzie no longer offers Foxglove. Try Magenta.

I hope these guides were helpful! (Looking for other color guides? Check here.) The way I've combined these Benzie Classic and Retro felt colors are just a few of the possibilities! Feel free to follow these guides exactly or come up with your own lovely color variations. I'd love to see what you make. :-) Here's the IG hashtag:

#twasthenightornaments

Not Even A Mouse pattern is in the shop!

Yay! My new Not Even A Mouse PDF pattern is now available in my Etsy shop: mmmcrafts.etsy.com

Skill level: INTERMEDIATE
(If you finished my Twelve Days series, you are ready!)

Not Even A Mouse is the 5th ornament in my ongoing 'Twas The Night ornament series. It is entirely hand sewn. Sleepy mouse and Teddy are both removable so they can be ceremonially tucked in on Christmas Eve. 

There are options in the pattern to give Mouse a tether or fix him permanently in place. The natural grabbiness of the wool felt keeps the free range mouse securely tucked in. He even stays put when I turn the ornament upside down!

The samples you see here are made with my curated Classic or Retro 'Twas The Night palettes at Benzie Design. One of my samples also features a small amount of their lovely gold metallic felt if you want your teacup handle and foot to be extra fancy!

I'm so excited to be FINISHED! I hope you enjoy sewing your sleepy lil' mice and teacups.

Pattern available here: mmmcrafts.etsy.com

Coming next: The fifth ornament in my Ebenezer series, Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.

not even a mouse: prototype - year is in, chip is out

More prototype photos. I've found a placement for the year that I like the best – on the cup bottom where the maker's mark would be. Because the ornament hangs from the front rim edge at a slight angle, the cup bottom is at the back of the ornament.

 
The chip – meh. I don't think it adds much to the finished look, it's a pain to manage across the three sewn layers of the cup, and it seems to cause the cup rim to pull out of round. Three strikes – it's out. Maybe an optional embroidered crack instead.

I do like the embroidered ticking stripes on the pillow, but I'm going to try another version with more. Side Sleeper Mouse is the winner! But not happy with Mouse yet because eight year old inner Larissa insists that he can be removed from the blanket (because fun) and therefore he needs optional tiny arms and legs and a wee tail and the blanket needs to be secured somehow for easy in and out.

 
I envision small fingers tucking Mouse in bed with Teddy on the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature should be stirring, not even a mouse. A fun tradition to do on Christmas Eve?

 
But of course if your inner 40 year old says NO way to that because you don't wish for carefully handsewn Mouse to go MIA every year, you may certainly glue him and Teddy in place.

Several have mentioned a tiny tiny stocking, and you may be unsurprised to know that one had already been included in the pattern for trying out on the previous round. So far I haven't gotten to try the stocking because I'm still working out the bigger stuff. It may go the way of the chip. LOL

maybe a chip in the cup?

This teacup in progress will have a chip in it. If I like the chip I'll make it an option in the pattern. Little known fact: House mice are commonly known to repurpose your discarded china cups as their tiny little beds. Actually, that is not a little known fact nor a generally known fact because I just made it up, but it sounds true. 

The chip is part of another round of revisions and samples I'm making as I fine-tune all of the pattern pieces. I think I like this teacup embroidery pattern better than the previous coral pink cup (see earlier post), but I'll wait to see how it all looks sewn together. I can't believe I forgot to include the year on the cup somewhere. Doh! I'll have to work that in somehow. More photos to come!

This Not Even A Mouse pattern is the upcoming 5th pattern in my 'Twas The Night ornament series. 

not even a mouse: prototype

Couple of prototype photos of my new 'Twas The Night pattern in development: Not Even A Mouse!

 
This sample is by no means final, as I'm still experimenting with details. Cheese wedge was a fail. Not included. Teddy bear was lifted directly from my Wee Mouse pattern and it will be included for sure. I think the side sleeper mouse looks so cozy and snuggled in, so he will probably be the final mouse rather than back sleeper mouse. (But I find back sleeper mouse pretty charming and wanted to do another round of changes on him later, maybe a one-off ornament. Cute little guy with his stumpy legs. Needs fattening up though, bless him. And arms.)

The felt pillow is currently too small. I love the cotton ticking pillow from my Wee Mouse pattern, but I don't want to oblige you to buy special fabric for a less-than-2-inch pillow, so I'm trying a hand embroidered ticking stripe. I'm not currently happy with the embroidery designs on the cup or blanket, and blanket isn't the right size yet...Blah blah blah and about 50 more details I'm dithering about. On we go!

Not Even A Mouse is the upcoming 5th ornament in my 'Twas The Night Ornament Series. Shop all my patterns here!