Floresita's 12 Months of Christmas - a Twelve Days Ornaments stitch-along on Feeling Stitchy

Interested in a Twelve Days Ornaments stitch-along? Lovely and talented Floresita is hosting one on Feeling Stitchy called Twelve Months of Christmas. Follow along to get inspiration and share your ornament progress too. Floresita is using alternate stitching (couching!) and adding sparkle with beads and metallic threads. Her ornaments are going to be beautiful!

New to the Twelve Days Ornament Series? This page is chock-full of tips and information to help you get started.

big plans and apathy do not mesh well

I fell victim to the absolute charm of this Miss Dandelion Doe from Alicia Paulson a few weeks ago and have been meaning to get started on the kit. Eeeee! So adorable.

Look and see the different animals she has. The mouse's moccasins! Aw. Since getting the kit in the mail I've been staring at the pretty pieces of felt and Liberty lawn bits and imagining how cute mine will turn out to be, but somehow I've never started it.

So I took the kit with me to Huntsville last week because we were there visiting my mom and I would have plenty of time to make make make. As I packed the kit I was so filled with pie-in-the-sky sewing ambition that I also bundled up my sewing machine and enough fabric and patterns and notions to also make three tops. Somehow after I got settled at my mom's all I did in my spare time was watch Roswell episodes and eat doughnuts. To be honest I felt a little lackluster and depressed. My girls did have an excellent week at Jordan Park VBS. After five mornings spent there, lunch dates with my sisters and round robin dinners from house to house all I wanted to do in my down time was veg. Not make. I did manage to cut out a few pieces of the felt and adjust the placement of the buttons on my Washi peplum top. And that was it. Oh, and I did work off the doughnuts. At the 5:30 class. Yes, that's A.M. I'm not sure what came over me. It was a weird week.

And now I have to unpack all the sewing stuff I didn't touch in Huntsville. I hate unpacking. I hope you are having a more productive week!

interview with Danielle at limefish studio

Danielle of Limefish Studio contacted me recently to do a quick email interview about my Etsy business and I was happy to oblige!

 

Danielle dabbles in just about anything creative including graphic design, painting, photography and handmade crafts. Her blog features an Etsy spotlight once a month and I was delighted to be asked for April. Thanks, Danielle! Follow this link to read the interview.

Wee Princess Pea pattern review by Wendi Gratz of Shiny Happy World

 Photo courtesy of Wendi Gratz

Do you know about Wendi Gratz? She's the creator and author of Shiny Happy World, a name which aptly describes her brightly colored and cheerful softie, quilt, and embroidery designs. Here are just a couple of things from her shop:

 

 

You can see she is quite a talented designer and maker with a lot of practical know-how and I am so delighted to share this pattern review she wrote recently for my Wee Princess Pea.

If you've been toying with the idea of making that project you'll find she's written a helpful and thorough review. I love how her Wee Princess turned out! That's a photo of her set at the top of the post. Look at the pretty contrast blanket stitching and happy colors. She made a few clever mods and gave it her own signature style. There are more great photos to see on her post.

After a look at the review, you'll thank yourself to have a look around the rest of her site for her free patterns and very helpful tips and lessons. Thank you, Wendi!

merci, merci, Juju

One of my most favorite things -- receiving paper parcels in the mail -- combined with one of the most delightful things in life -- a gift handmade for me Just Because. I've been admiring the beautiful handcarved stamps Juliette has been showing on her blog lately. Here, here, here, here and here!

And now I have my very own Lanvers Original. What a kind and generous thing! Thank you, Juju. I'm learning to stamp nicely. I've never done it much before. There's a definite knack to this. You make it look so easy. You can see my ink selection is limited to black and white, but now I need some other colors. Like gold!

 

I think I will need to look at this tin every day this holiday season.

my sister won a blue ribbon

I'm trying to gauge how upset my sister will be with me if I publish a photo of her with her awesome ribbon-winning stack-n-whack quilt from the recent quilt show in Huntsville. I wonder. Oh, hey, Leigh! There you are!

And here's her blue ribbon. Have you heard of stack-n-whack? I am a quilting goofus so I had never heard of it before she showed me, but the idea is that you fold fabric so that the repeat is lined up in a vertical stack, and then you cut the pieces for the quilt from that stack. So in the end the fabric you start with will be virtually unrecognizable and you will get this whole other animal. It creates a kaleidoscope effect of color and value.

Here are some closeups and you'll see what I mean. Of course, the lighting in the quilt show was dismal and fluorescent, so these photos don't really do the colors justice:

 Do you see the squares now?

 

Amazing, Leigh! Congratulations!

There were some pretty impressive quilts there. I was flabbergasted at the diamond pattern Amish hand quilting on this Baltimore Album quilt. The stitches were so tiny and regular I had a hard time believing it was done by hand. Do you see it? Click on the photo for an enlargement. Crazy tiny.

I really LOVED this Wedged string quilt pattern I saw at a vendor's booth. The dark blues and mustards are perfect together with the spiky shapes.

This wool applique quilt seems right up my alley too. Can you tell I'm attracted to brights on dark grounds? I love to applique, so this type seems more appealing to me than piecing.

Leigh has a lot of talented quilter friends and there were more quilts that really wowed me but unfortunately my camera battery died mid-show. 

It's a good thing my wallet doesn't have a battery. I went round the vendors and somehow ended up buying more fabric and buttons. I don't know how this happens.

Aren't they pretty? I thought they would make really cute doll or animal clothing.

As I visited each quilt show vendor I was given a piece of paper and after visiting them all I wound up with the complete instructions for a Mystery Quilt. So here is my stack of quilt instructions which I will never sew. It is fun to think I might though.

BTW, my Halloween follow up post is still coming. I decided to show you how to DIY the Cat Woman costume, so I'm working on the tutorial.

pattern testers extraordinaire, part 4

This brunette Wee Princess Pea, by wonderful pattern tester Kate of Popsicle Toes, is destined for her Future Grandchild Box. Look at the awesome castle backdrop and the Persian carpet she made for it. Kate, I love her sweet face and the rosy cheeks you added!

pattern testers extraordinaire, part 3

This blonde Wee Princess Pea was crafted by the talented Stephanie of Peas In a Pod, whose daughter is just the right age to enjoy this set. I love those millefiori buttons she used for the closet legs up there in the first photo.

I think a lot of the fun of making this pattern is in choosing the fabrics and colors. If you are a scrap hoarder like me you will have almost too many possibilities! Small prints look best for the mattresses and pillow because of the diminutive scale. I really love the idea of making a set that matches your daughter's hair and favorite colors.

Up next, pattern tester Kate!

pattern testers extraordinaire, part 2

This raven-haired Wee Princess Pea was was made by lovely pattern tester Skooks!

The above photo was titled 'Jiggawhat is this'. Hilarious, Skooks.

She chose this embellished felt crown option (there are two included in the pattern). I'm loving the sparkly bling!

Skooks is an all around swell person and talented crafter who blogs at SkooksPlayground.com. Check out the LouLouThi pillows she made recently. Really pretty!

Next week, pattern testers Kate and Stephanie!

pattern testers extraordinaire, part 1

This auburn haired Wee Princess Pea was made by lovely pattern tester Leigh!

Leigh is a talented quilt designer and maker, and also my awesome big sister! Her wee playset is for for her cute little granddaughter, Darcy, when she gets a little older.

Next up is the Wee Princess Pea made by pattern tester Skooks!

handmade gifts from my sister

My sister Leigh loves to make handmade gifts as much as I like receiving them. So we are a great combo.

She just gifted me with these little chalkboard labels she made with balsa wood and chalkboard paint. It's a clever idea. They have clothespins attached to the backs so they are great for clipping to dishes at potlucks. Now I can easily let folks know what they are dipping into with helpful labels like:

"Nut free"

"So not a low fat food"

"It tastes better than it looks"

"Eat this so I don't have to take it home."

And because she loves me, she also gave me this fabulous spa eye pillow she made from organic hemp silk, filled with organic golden flax seeds. Fancy! She made them to sell at a local shop. It feels so nicely weighty and cool on my eyes. You can chill the pillow in the fridge or freezer to help with puffy eyes (I call this Netflix Eye) or warmed up to help with sinus pressure. I also deal with constant eye irritation from blepharitis, so this is a nice thing to have handy!

Thank you, Leigh Ann! When are you starting your blog?

pattern review for the Flora Needle Book

Image courtesy of Stephanie, Peas in a Pod

Wondrous pattern tester and maker extraordinaire, Stephanie, has published a pattern review of my new Flora Needle Book pattern on her blog, Peas in a Pod. Isn't her needle book pretty? And she sewed it while sick with pneumonia, y'all. She can craft with one hand behind her back! More photos and a thorough rundown of the pattern are here.

just had to say thank you!

Look at these adorable crochet dolls made by the talented Kate Erbach, Nice Person Extra-Extraordinaire. We love their crazy hair and adorable expressions. My two have named them Kate (after you, of course) and Hazel, and they've made themselves at home here, diving right into the picture books after they came out of their boxes. Thanks so much, Kate!

Kathreen's Celebration Action Pack

 

 images via WhipUp.net

Kathreen Ricketson kindly gave me a link to a review copy of her latest 80-page Celebration Action Pack for kids. Which looks delightful. Unfortunately, my review copy was lost when my Mac Mini HD took a face plant two weeks ago. Sorry, Kathreen!

But! You can still check it out for yourselves right here, where there are plenty more tantalizing photos of projects your kids can entertain themselves (and you) with during their school break.