Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! My annual sale is now on!

Thanksgiving is a good time to count my blessings, and among the many other wonderful things in my life, I thank God that I have not only the opportunity to design and sell my detailed felt imaginings, but also that I have such a wonderful group of mmmakers who enjoy putting them together as much as I do, and who continue to support my designs. Thank you! 

If you've been waiting to snag that pattern you like from my Etsy shop during the annual sale, now's the time! Get 20% off your pattern purchase through Monday with no code necessary. Please note: the sale is keyed to my time zone, Eastern Standard, so please factor that in if you are in a different part of our lovely world.

Please accept my wish for you, wherever you are on this beautiful planet, that you have the best, chattiest, and most delicious day ever, whether you celebrate with an unlucky turkey or not. We can all pause to give thanks. May God richly bless you with happiness, health, and special times with those you love.

Update on Mr Christmas Present

UPDATE: For those of you waiting patiently on the Ghost of Christmas Present pattern, I thought I’d jump in here to say that despite having high hopes of adding it to the shop in time for my Thanksgiving sale, that just ain’t happening. I must accept. Hopes dashed. 

It’s just physically impossible with the samples I need to make and the photos which need to be taken. So I will let myself enjoy some turkey and my girls being home from college and I’ll shoot for releasing just as soon after Thanksgiving as I can possibly make it. That will hopefully be plenty of time for your Dickensian Christmas crafting.

In the meantime here are some supplies you might need to gather: 

All the usual items needed for my people ornaments (wool felts, wood beads, floss, cotton pipe cleaners, Sulky Stick N Stitch (2 sheets), fabric markers/pencils for faces, Tacky Glue, stuffing) but here are some others for this ornament:

1) One or two chenille stems for his twisted holly crown (I like two different colors or finishes, like one regular and one metallic)

2) Metallic or iridescent chenille stem scraps in one or two colors for the torch flame

3) Metallic wool felt for his belt and scabbard and possibly his torch

4) A tiny jingle bell (4-6 mm) as an optional decoration on the scabbard

5) A chenille stem for his beard in any shade of medium brown or red, plus a skein of matching DMC floss for his hair, plus a tiny tiny scrap of coordinating wool felt for the mustache. In the photo, you can see the reverse side of the bronze metallic felt does well for a mustache, but you can also source a brown felt from your felt stash. Another option is to cut his mustache from matching sturdy card stock if you don’t want to buy a sheet of felt just for that. In that case I recommend adding a coat of Mod Podge to make it more durable.

 
6) Metallic sewing thread for attaching sequins/beads, plus the usual seed beads and sequin array needed for the Ebenezer series. In this case you will need an 8 mm one for the belt buckle and it’s good to have both 4 and 5 mm to alternate for the holly berries if you like. Using one or the other is also an option if you don’t have both.

7) Metallic DMC Diamant is such a nice option for some of the embroidery — it just adds Victorian glam.

 
Alright! I hope that is helpful for your planning. 

(Shown above: Ghost of Christmas Present redhead in progress featuring a side part and an unfiled thumbnail in serious need of a manicure)

a host of ghosts smiling at me

I'm certainly in cheerful company over here as I work to get this Ghost of Christmas Present ornament pattern in the shop in time for Christmas makings. Besides the smiling host of ghosts, a lot of espresso, chai tea, and old episodes of NewsRadio are helping me along. I'm still deep in edits and sample makin'.

More info on the Ebenezer series and where to buy

the scammiest time of the year

Oh dear. It's that time of year, unfortunately. Please be aware of spoof sites which use my images and even steal the reviews from my Etsy site to fool potential victims. This screen captured sample was sent to me by a concerned customer on IG after they saw a reel ad featuring my images but linked to another website. You can click on my image above to zoom. 

The only place to purchase my patterns online is my Etsy shop. That's it. To avoid being scammed, always go to my Etsy shop directly at mmmcrafts.etsy.com

Or if you want to be super safe, go to Etsy.com and then search for my shop, mmmcrafts

Thanks, y'all!

what's your favorite color?

One of the best things about making your own wool felt ornaments? Choosing your very favorite colors. Apparently, I like pink. What's your favorite color?

Now's the perfect time for cozy handmade Christmas gift making, and heirloom ornaments are always treasured! I offer hand sewn step-by-step PDF patterns for confident beginners as well as intermediate challenge seekers. 

Have a look round my blog for lots of ornament info:
https://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/p/ornament-series.html

and my Etsy shop to purchase the patterns:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/mmmcrafts

Happy to answer questions! Contact me via my shop for a speedy answer.

Maybe choosing your own colors is not your thing? No worries, I also have curated color guides on my blog with materials kits available from Benzie Design and Felt On the Fly.

Pictured above: Hand embroidered wool felt ornaments made from my patterns: Twelve Days Ornament Series, 'Twas the Night Ornament Series, Ebenezer Ornament Series, and also Snow Bird.

details, details...

Details, details...
Trying out the best way to include the pitiable little figures of Ignorance and Want while still keeping the outward cheerful Christmas Present aesthetic. I confess I had ruled out including these two hidden children for simplicity's sake, but a comment from a follower on Facebook sent me down this irresistible rabbit hole. (You know who you are, Ursula. :-) Thanks.)

It is an interesting challenge to hide them well underneath the robe, and they will make a lovely little Easter egg for any Dickens fan who peeks inside the robe just in case. 

I'm rolling my chair across the carpet from my work table back to the Mac now, armed with a new round of adjustments for the next version. It should go much smoother adding these details as I sew instead of after the fact, like here. Better finishing.

I'm also still working out the details of the magical torch (mostly happy with it) and the best method to hang the empty scabbard from his belt. I'm leaning toward something allowing a little free swing action and maybe a tiny bell somewhere. Because bells are fun.

Simplicity. *snorts* Bah! 

handy tips to troubleshoot your Etsy downloads

Having a bit of trouble? Here are a few tips which will make your Etsy purchasing and downloading experience go smoothly!

1) Avoid signing in to Etsy with other apps, like Facebook or "Sign In With Apple"
Instead, log in using your actual email address and password. 90% of the troubleshooting messages I get are due to these two issues:

a) A shopper has purchased via a second Etsy account which they created accidentally by signing in with a different app like Facebook or Google, or because they forgot their password.

b) A shopper used Apple's secure sign-in feature, which substitutes a temporary relay email for their real email address and thereby jams a wrench in the download verification spokes. (You can manage which of your apps use this feature to avoid this going forward.)

2) Use a current, valid email address.
Etsy downloads are keyed to the email address on your account or the one used for your guest purchase. If there's an old email address on your account, it will cause weeping and gnashing of teeth. Please note: I do not email patterns as they are generally too large to attach to an email. Downloading them from Etsy is the fastest and best way to receive them. Here's how to update your Etsy email.

3) Forgot your password?
No worries, happens to us all. Try this. 

4) To download, use Etsy.com (not the mobile Etsy app).
The Etsy mobile app and the Etsy website are two different ways to access your account. The Etsy app is great to make and manage purchases on your mobile, but alas, the Etsy app cannot download your digital files. To download from either a mobile device or computer use a browser (like Safari or Chrome) and go to Etsy.com*.
 
*Your phone may try to 'help' by automatically opening the Etsy app if you go to Etsy.com. Be sure to dismiss the app if that happens. If it's causing confusion, try closing the app or using a desktop or laptop to download.

5) If you get a permissions error when trying to access your downloads, chances are it's because of a third party login or a second Etsy account (see no. 1). Contact me via Etsy with your name and/or order number and I will happily check on it for you.

6) Need to re-download? No problem.
Access your patterns anytime in your purchase history at Etsy.com. For a guest purchase, you must download via the links in your Etsy email receipt.

7) Back up your Etsy guest purchase in your account.
If you purchased as a guest (without logging in to your Etsy account) the only way to download your patterns is via the Etsy email receipt. It's easy to connect your guest purchase to your Etsy account so that you may access it later.

8) If possible, print via a desktop or laptop computer as opposed to a mobile device. You'll find the print menu has more options which allow you to override presets and print the pattern pages at the correct size.

STILL STUCK? No worries, please contact me via Etsy and I'm happy to help you! I can check on your order and try to help you troubleshoot.

Things I can't do:

- Resend your Etsy email receipt. Those are generated magically by wizards at Etsy. Or possibly by other means. If it's missing, check your spam/junk folders.

- Refund orders which have already been downloaded. Unless it is a duplicate pattern order. Those I'm happy to refund! Just contact me via my Etsy shop.

- Look up your felt/floss/materials kit orders. Those are not purchased from my shop and you should contact the vendor directly with any questions.

- Solve your general internet, computer, or printer issues. Keep in mind I'm an art major. I do try, but there is only so much I can do remotely, and I'm 100% not an IT expert. If you are having technical difficulties, it's better to ask a savvy someone close by who can look over your shoulder.

- Email all your patterns to you. Typically they are too large to attach to emails and it is not a reliable way to send them. If you accidentally made a purchase using an inaccessible email, I'm happy to cancel and refund any order you did not download so you can try again with a valid email address.

- Send printed patterns via snail mail. Even if you kindly offer to pay shipping, I do not have the capacity or time to ship printed patterns to either hither or yon. 

Thanks, y'all! :-)

sneak peek of next Ebenezer ornament

Guess who? Here is a sneak peek of the next ornament pattern in my Ebenezer ornament series, straight from my work table. This prototype ornament is fairly close to final, but he’s missing his magical torch and empty scabbard. 

He's been living on paper and in my head for a long while so he leapt out fully formed and didn't give me much trouble design wise. A refreshing change! I'm hoping to have this finalized and in the shop in plenty of time before Christmas -- wish me luck.