Chunky Monkey Complete

I turned last years Birthday present into a hat and scarf set. I made them using Sam's knifty knitter loom that comes in a set of four different sizes. With close guidance from Sam (also modeling the hats and scarf) I quickly finished the brown hat, it went so well I made the white hat with plenty of wool left over to make a matching scarf.

All Used Up

I had a great time making projects out of the yarn my Auntie sent me. I knitted happily away while watching the winter Olympics...pushed through the challenge of crocheting the bobble stitch with poor lighting...and hoping the two balls of white yarn I had would make a shawl large enough to wrap around my extra large frame!

Plum

All this wool was added to the list of goodies I got for my Birthday...these are from my auntie Christine.

Chunky Monkey

My Birthday present from my brother Jonathan...I wanted a more interesting wool than my usual Red Heart Super Saver. I am looking forward to crocheting this thick wool into something for myself.

Cotton Candy

My Birthday present from my father...he picked them out himself! I want to make some child quilts so this is a great idea to get me started on my projects.

Looking For The Wrong Thing

I can't even remember why I was looking in my storage boxes last night but my hunt was a success...I found this silk ribbon embroidered heart that I thought appropriate for Valentines Day.

Willa's Winter Coat

Even though my little westie Willa has a double coat to keep her warm I thought a handmade fleece would help on the coldest of days. This red plaid fleece is over ten years old. I first tried to crochet a sweater type coat for her but my putting her front legs through the holes every time annoyed her (biting). So plan B, I bought some fleece at $15 a yard and got to work. Because the fleece does not unravel when you cut it, it was easy to measure the piece of fleece on her body and mark the shape I would cut. I hemmed the edges just to make it look neater and used two snaps for closer under the belly. I could have done the same for the neck area but instead I made it like a turtleneck. I completely forgot that Willa wears a harness so I made a hole where the ring is for the leash. When I bring it out for walks you can imagine the excitement, she hardly stands long enough for me to snap it on.

Custom Cat

My Auntie Kathleen asked me to make a sewing project of her cat Thomas. I combined parts from different cross stitch patterns to make this collage. The original color in the pattern for the cat was gray so I changed it to match his orange coat. I remember I enjoyed working on this project and I'm glad I took a photo of the pillow before sending it around the world to Scotland.

Silk Ribbon Embroidery...Easy Elegance

I fell in love with silk ribbon embroidery in 1997 after watching a sewing program. I didn't know how difficult it was going to be but I wanted to give it a try. At a quilt store I bought the book "Learn To Do Ribbon Embroidery In Just One Day" by De Selby and some beautiful silk ribbon. After intensely studying the book I began to stitch and found it surprisingly easy.

How It All Began

I recently heard that a families creative interests sometimes skip a generation like cooking, art or sewing. For me that thankfully was not the case. My mother Carole made this needlepoint collage.

Cost Effective

I always have enough in my sewing stash to put together a little present. Floss and aida cloth are very inexpensive considering how much use you can get out of them for small projects. I made these for my mother, I found frames at the "Dollar" store to give them a finishing touch.

Little Stockings

During my felt addiction years I made my family these little stockings. They are only six inches tall and meant to hold Christmas candy. The first one was made for my mother, the candy cane for my brother, the Christmas tree for my father and the last two with the hearts were for the pets who are family too.

My Pansy Patch

Craft and sewing shows are on every day but it seems not as many as in the 1990's where most of my learning and inspiration came from. One of which was stitching on felt, I fell in love fast and for a few years every gift I made was with felt. Bunnies for Easter, stockings for Christmas, hearts for Valentines and pillows for every day. I made this pillow inspired by the happy little pansy. You may not be able to wash this craft felt but it is very inexpensive and comes in a wide range of colors.

A Little Bit Of This A Little Bit Of That

My favorite cross stitching magazine is "Cross Country Stitching". I love it's art and style and the magazine is chock full of patterns. I also loved how the designs were made in a way that you could take parts from here or there that could stand alone. I did this many times for projects, I picked a garden theme for this little decorative pillow.

His Favorite Things

In 2002, when my little brother was 13, I wanted to make him a quilt made up of all his favorite things at the time. Dogs, cats, cars, boats, lighthouses, red and blue and the American flag. It went well for the largest quilt I've made so far. I had enough scraps to make three pillows, but I knew I wanted to be able to wash them so after watching a program on how to make pillow covers I gave it a try. I had just bought a $40 sewing machine which helped me a great deal. My brother loved his present and still uses the quilt and pillows today, they have stood up to multiple washings in hot water over the years. The first photo shows the front, I used tricks and tips I had learned from watching others like rounding the corners on the pillow cover, using quilt batting under the top layer for a quilted look, doing extra stitching on parts that would be stressed the most. The second photo shows the back with the overlapping opening of the pillow cover. They say quilts get better with age and yes the red and blue colors have faded a little but they are so cozy and soft.