Life in Stitches

A Skully Afternoon

2012-02-08T16:31:00.001-06:00

I've spent the afternoon drafting up cute little skullies for a project that I'm lining up to do. And by lining up I mean I have a project or two in front of it.

Coffee time!

2012-02-06T16:58:00.004-06:00

Yes, yes. I know, I love coffee WAY too much!

I can't help that it tastes so good with the right amount to cream and sugar.

A while ago The wonderful Wild Olive put up some freebies on her blog that I could not possible pass up.

Cute adorable guys like a grinder, a to go mug and a good ol' pot of java!

I drafted the coffee part.

After I finished off the back.

Teaser

2012-02-01T21:51:00.001-06:00

Thought I would post a teaser pic of what I'm currently working on. I can't show too much or really talk about what it is. It's for a very good friend of mine's baby.

It Came From the Floss Box!

2012-02-01T08:51:00.000-06:00

This post continues my floss storage stuff.

In the last post I mentioned that I keep all of my embroidering floss on bobbins.

I recently went through all of them and reorganized them, now I have two boxes! Oy!

I often have small projects so I don't want to lug around EVERY color I posses.

So one of to the newest thing that I like to use for my small projects that only require a couple of colors are these:

They are called Really Useful Boxes.

I got these for $1.00. They had a bin at Office Max for a whole bunch of sizes of these.

I just may have to get more, they stack really nice. And more importantly, they clamp closed so I can keep them on my desk and not worry about the cat getting into it.

I Little Birdie Told Me

2012-01-30T19:36:00.000-06:00

Pintrest is a HUGE time sink. But a fun one. I have made all sorts of craft projects from there.

And I've made a lot of gifts from there also. I usually pay close attention to what my friends are pinning. And if it's something that I know I can do, I'll do it. :)

These little birdies were super easy and fun to make.

Just felt and some yarn.

Took about a day, from sun up to sun down (hey, I like to take breaks).

I have a rather large collection of embroidery floss and I managed to match all the felt I used.

The Wonderful World of Floss!

2012-01-25T11:43:00.004-06:00

I love colors! Even though I'm a goth at heart, I do love me some pretty rainbows. Hey, I can't be gloomy 100% of the time. Well, maybe 80% of the time. :) er, I mean, :(

Speaking of colorful things, I love to sit and just look at my rainbow of embroidery floss. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a winner.

So here comes my question, How do you store your floss?

I have all of my cross stitch floss in a plastic bag and ring system.

And I have all my embroidery floss on bobbins.

I'm not entirely sure why I keep them seperate.

But I think it might be the fact that winding the thread is a pain in the ass.

And I have an unwanted helper. But I keep her cause she's cute :)

I have more to talk about regrading floss but I feel that that needs it's own post.

RAINBOW!

Lemon Lime Citrusy Goodness!

2012-01-22T14:53:00.001-06:00

I find it funny that while I'm blogging about one project, I working a different one.

I saw a cute tutorial on citrus coasters on The Purl Bee

I just had to make them.

They were super easy and made out of felt.
I made these a few months ago. But I had to wait to post them because they were a Christmas gift. She liked them.

Linky Linky! It's Link Day Today!

2012-01-17T09:25:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of blogs that I believe are noteworthy.

Miahb The hubby's art blog, he draws some beautiful ladies!

Tattered Rags This lady is amazing! Her dolls are super creepy and super awesome!

Feeling Stitchy This is a fun and cute Flickr group that also have a blog.

Lovely Little Deer I love blog! She makes the cutest things.

Check out these wonderfully talented people.

Busy busy busy!

2012-01-16T20:13:00.001-06:00

I've been working up a storm!

I'm swimming in felt right now, no joke.

Things are a Brewin'!

2012-01-15T18:40:00.000-06:00

New items are in the process of creation over at the Glitter and Gloom studios!

I've posted about these before, but now they will be available in our shop soon!

My chocolate chip cookie recipe card holder

Monsieur French toast recipe card holder

Here's a little sneak peek!

I'm so excited about these cute little guys!

Sorry about the poor photo quality, I used my phone for some quick pics.

Sketchbook Pocket

2012-01-04T20:55:00.004-06:00

I like to draw out a lot of my projects and I normal staple other paper involved to the page. That can get a bit annoying, with the pieces for paper flopping about.

So I thought that a piece of scrapbook paper. It's nice and thick.

I used scalloped scissors to give it a nice and pretty edge.

I folded the edges and glued it right on the back of the back flap of my sketchbook.

Boy let me tell ya, I hate waiting for glue to dry.

It holds papers nice and snug now. It does what I want it to. :)

Kitty Coin Purse

2011-12-07T14:20:00.001-06:00

I love making things that I know my nieces will love.

Thgis Christmas I made my other niece a coin purse.

It's a kitty!

I got the pattern from this book: Felt Friends from Japan.

This was a little confusing at first. But I figured out the directions and in no time I whipped it up.

It closes with a simple snap closure.

It has a small pouch inside. Now in my personal opinion, I wouldn't put a lot of coins in it. It is great for paper currency.

Pencil Pouch

2011-12-07T14:09:00.001-06:00

This year for Christmas, I made my oldest niece a cute and fun pencil pouch.

It's a cute little sausage dog! I got the pattern from Felt Friends from Japan. I love this book! Too many cute projects and felt friends!

The instructions are very easy to follow, loads of pictures and drawings.

I think that I just might have to make one for myself.

It was pretty easy to put together. I can fit about 6 pens in it. And when it's full, he can stand up. hehehe.

He is too cute!

The disadvantage of Using the Floor as a Work Area

2011-11-28T13:13:00.001-06:00

I thought I would share my newest adventure in sew.

I haven't had a cat in quite some time. So I didn't think about laying the pattern piece on the floor to cut them out.

Apparently she LOVES crinkly noises. So this type of paper is her FAVORITE! I had to push her away several times. She left a couple of small holes, but they were in empty spaces.

I think now I have to make her something that has crinkly plastic in it so she will play with that instead. But she would much rather sit on whatever I'm doing instead I bet.

Ghosts, Monsters and er, Clouds?

2011-11-27T10:08:00.001-06:00

These guys are screaming for new homes!
I know I would rather have a Drooly Ghoulie haunt my home then a real ghost.
Today is the last day for the Thanksgiving weekend prices, hurry now!

Gloomy Fall Days

2011-11-21T11:23:00.001-06:00

The days have been kinda gloomy and blah lately. But of course when I decided the night before that I was going to post this, it was gloomy.
But today is very sunny and so bright that I had to turn my monitor away just to see it.

I bought some brightly colored felt the other day. I really love how the colors pop with they are together.
Usually when it's cold and dark and just plain blah out, I always break out the bright happy colors. I do that at work a lot. Someone will ask, "Why is there a brightly colored ice cream cone on this cake? It's November." And I'm like, "SO? Wouldn't you eat it?" The other person, "Yeah, you're right, I would."

Etsy shop is live!

2011-11-16T18:18:00.001-06:00

Party time!!
Finally posted items up on our shop.
Sorry it took so long.

www.glitterandgloom.com

Warning: Mason Jar Pin Cushion Tutorial

2011-11-14T11:36:00.001-06:00

And by warning, I mean I've never done a tutorial before. I've always been afraid that I'm not very good at them.

This one is simple enough that I think that I can handle it. Please feel free to ask questions if something doesn't make sense or have other questions.

With this I ask that you wish me luck and maybe if this one is good as it sounds in my head, I'll make more.

I made this cute little mason jar pin cushion in under an hour.

Materials:

thick paper

scissors

fabric

mason jar with a two part lid

hot glue gun

hot glue sticks

ribbons

fiber fill

1. Trace the flat inner circle of the lid. You can use a dressmakers pencil or marker.
Cut a 1/4 inch away from the inside of the circle (make it smaller) so it doesn't touch the sides of the lid.
(I had to eyeball it because I haven't had a compass since high school)
Then glue that paper to the bottom side of the flat lid. I used paper to help keep the fabric secured to the lid. Hot glue doesn't stay stuck to metal well.

2. Mark your fabric with the actual lid size and then a 1 inch larger circle around it. You can use a dressmakers pencil/chalk or marker. Cut your fabric 1 inch larger then the flat lid. Then cut notches all around the circle almost to the original size of the lid (I traced the lid on the fabric too for this). Don't cut the notches too close to the actual size of the lid, you will have fiber fill to bulk up the fabric.
The notches are for easy folding.

3. Take a nice big fluffy hand full of fiber fill. Make sure you have a full tight ball that feels almost too big for your hand. You don't want it too small or you will not have a tall enough mount to hold the needles.

4. Place the fiber fill in between the top part of the flat circle lid and the wrong side of the fabric. Have the fabric facing wrong side up, then the fill with the bottom side up lid on top (like a sandwich, a very dry and tough sandwich).

5. (This is the tricky part, but not too difficult) Start to hot glue one notch while holding the cotton fill sandwich steady. Glue one notch at a time, starting with one then the opposite notch to help keep the fill in.

*IMPORTANT*
Hot glue is well…HOT! Please be careful.

Pull snug but not too tight. Remember to have a tall enough mount on the top.
Continue to glue down the rest of the notches.

6. After all it said that done, you can flip it right side up and add the ring and screw it back on the jar. Super easy.

If you want more poof to the top, just make adjustment s to the fabric size and the amount fiber fill.

I added ribbon to the lid to dress it up a little.

Again, I hope this tutorial makes sense and easy to follow.

Monster Cupcakes! RawR!

2011-10-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

I made cupcakes for a Halloween party this year. I made cookies last year and wanted to do something different this year.

They are pretty simple. I just used a grass tip for the green fuzzballs. I decorate cakes for a living so I've got all the equipment. :)

I'm happy with how my Frankenstein's monsters turned out. I couldn't help but make at lest one bride of Frankenstein. I LOVE the noses!

These blue buddies are made with a star tip. But watch out, they will bite your fingers off!

Now these Draculas sport a nifty widow's peek. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the blood drips that I added to their fangs.

And last but not least. MUMMIES! The wrappings are made with the flat side of a ribbon tip. These three amigos are thick as thieves.

Now I think next year I will step up and make an awesome spooky tiered cake. I have an idea in mind...

Velcra - Quick and Dirty

2011-10-26T15:20:00.001-05:00

I saw this video a long time ago, and I fell in love with it.

Velcra is a Finnish industrial metal/electronica group.

Anyway, I love the part when she holds up the signs that say quick bomb and dirty bomb.

They were super easy, took no time at all. I think I want to make them into pillows.

As you can see I haven't do anything with them yet. I just finished them the other day.

Sadly no one will get the reference. They are not even on iTunes. :(

I love how inspiration can come out of nowhere.

Odds and Ends

2011-10-26T15:04:00.003-05:00

I finally made my corset embroidery into a pin chusion.

Here is that only mouse that I will EVER let in my kitchen.
He looks so happy on his little tower of tea cups.

I've been doing a lot of satin stitching lately and I was a little burned out, or rather my poor little hand!

But I couldn't resist! This really didn't take me that long to do.
I love how colorful it is.

My husband the artist

2011-10-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

My hubby posted on his blog finally! I have to give him a hard time (he doesn't post very much)
I've done a couple embroidery piece that featured on of his girls.

Like this one and this one too.

He has great potential. I can see him completing some of his bigger projects and putting them on our Etsy shop. I think that they would sell. I have faith in him, he would do so well. He, like I have a hard time convincing ourselves that our crafts and art are good enough that other people would enjoy it too.

Halloween kitchen collection

2011-10-17T13:14:00.001-05:00

This is my normal everyday kitchen decor.

I just happen to LOVE spooky stuff and well it's just to cool to display once a year.

Just some cool crap that I love. :)

Over at the Glitter and Gloom Blog...

2011-09-22T14:55:00.003-05:00

Currently taking inventory of all of our items, sifting through the plushie goodness!

Life got in the way of our shop's relaunch, but now I have time to focus on the shop and I'm in full swing of getting our items back up.

And if you look closely you'll see some new stuff too!

Coat Hanger Cover

2011-09-22T14:46:00.001-05:00

After years of thinking that coat hangers covers were silly. I saw somewhere a very pretty embroidered cover. And well, lets just say that I'm singing a different tune now.

I have wanted to use this Sublime Stitching design for some time now and thought that it would be prefect for this project!

The coat hanger cover it all it's glory

I've become enslaved in the need to fill in all the empty spaces.

I actually enjoy satin stitches, they aren't hard and they look pretty. They just take a lot of floss.

Even though you really can't see the hair, I was proud of myself, it was the first time that I really tried a satin stitch.

Kitchen wall

2011-09-19T10:17:00.001-05:00

I finally got my embroidery up on my new kitchen wall.

But as you can see I have plenty of space to fill :)

Time Sink

2011-09-14T14:20:00.001-05:00

Stitches, stitches and more stitches!

Shoes!

2011-09-09T08:23:00.001-05:00

I LOVE Iron Fist shoes but not the prices.

I had an ugly plain white ballet flats leftover from a wedding I was in and well, I hate flats. Plus these were BORING white. I was going to toss them but I ran across a tute on the CO&K site. Then I knew what I would do with them.

I found the shoes that I liked the best and used that for reference.

So pretty!

The teeth!

I'm not a painter in any way, just not my forte. But I bit the bullet and just did it.

It's a good thing that I have shaky hands.

WIP pics.

DONE!

They turned out just GREAT!! I was so impressed with myself for never have done anything like that before. I think that I'll buy some black flats instead of painting the whole shoe black. It was a lot easier then I thought.

My hubby likes them so much that he wants me to display them instead of wear them. lol!

This just in: "Massive move halts all crafts!"

2011-08-30T08:46:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the long pause here. I moved. As in "I have a lot of junk (a whole house worth) and had to move it all" move. :)

I love our new place. It's only a couple of years old and has so many modern features that our old house didn't. For example: A hell of a lot more windows. And some naked windows. I kinda have this thing about bare windows at night. I DO NOT want people to see in my house at night.

There are shades on the large windows just not on the front door ones. I've caught myself running past them at night. I'm such a wimp.

So I've started making curtains for the front door.

Nice and open. The side one you can see down the stairs into the craft room, not cool.
The top one you can see all the way into the kitchen which is in the very back of the house. Eep!

I made curtains for the side one that I put up with some adhesive Velcro. I didn't want to put holes in anything.
They turned out pretty good. I didn't want to block the great lighting we get from them so they are just sheer, but do the job at night.

I have made the top portion, but I don't have a solid way to set them up yet. The little pieces of Velcro worked for the small area on the side window but the top is a lot longer.
I also made those out of the sheer fabric.
And again I don't want to put holes in the wall. I've been thinking about something with a doll rod and Velcro. That should light enough to not weight it down too much.

DYN-O-MITE!

2011-07-14T08:44:00.002-05:00

These guy know how to go out with a bang!

They are just busting with devious intent.

Weather its just one of them or the whole group, they are exploding with cuteness!
Even though they are made of felt and stuffed with fluff, I wouldn't put it past them to try something. ;)

Cross posted on Glitter and Gloom blog

Twinkle twinkle little cookie?

2011-07-14T08:17:00.005-05:00

I made a star! I completely hand stitched this guy. I hate the way fleece stretches when I try to sew it with the machine. He's a little knobby in the tips but not too bad.

I made yet another cookie! I can't stop! They are so fun and easy to make let alone CUTE!

This time I'm making more to actually put up on my Etsy shop. We are in the process of production and picture taking. We want our shop to be nice and full before we put anything up.

I don't know about the star though. He needs a little more work. I guess I'll just machine sew him, it would look better.

Busy little bee...

2011-06-30T20:35:00.003-05:00

I've made more!

Some are for our trio packs (happy, sad and angry), and individuals.

I'm currently working on the large pillow sized angry cloud and I hope to have some stars, moons and suns in the near future also.

I don't feel that my day would have been good enough if I wasn't sewing something. Yea for productive days!

New Monsters!

2011-06-25T20:59:00.003-05:00

We're under attack!!

We have new monsters! AHHH! ::runs away screaming with arms wagging over head::

These apparitions will be appearing on our Etsy shop in the near future.
They are a continuation of our Monstrously Cute series.

What is not to love about these adorable drooly guys?

Cross posted from our new blog (The hubby and I's Etsy creations)

Tee shirt Recon!

2011-06-23T15:13:00.006-05:00

I've had this one shirt for quite a few years. I love this shirt.
Never wore it.
It was WAY too short! At least two inches above my naval, but way too cute to get rid of.

I made it longer by adding jersey knit ruffles to the bottom.

The ruffles are not level, but I thought that it would be perfect for the chaos that this little monster creates.

Now it has new meaning and is fun to wear!

I like this so much that I need to find other shirts to do this too. :)

Glitter and lace!

2011-06-08T15:26:00.007-05:00

I made a bustle! My very first one, and most certainly not my last!
I've very happy with this piece. Sometimes it feels like they are more art pieces rather then clothing because I make my own pattern and pretty much wing it.

I love the short skirt and bustle look, very burlesque but classy.

There are layers and layers of fabric. Hot pink cotton (use to be a bed sheet), black chiffon, black soft tulle with glitter bats on it, and stiff black tulle in between the layers to give that fluffy look.

My hubby said while I was making it that he didn't understand why I wanted a bigger butt.
I giggled and said that I didn't care, I wanted a bustle. It's all about the style. I LOVE it!

It was very easy to make. I wish that I was good at giving instructions, I would do tutorials all the time. But,it was that easy to make. Very simple sewing skills.

You can see a little sparkle from the glitter bats on the fabric, I layered the black chiffon under it to make it look darker over the pink.

I have some vintage hot lace from the 80's, so I sewed it on and cut it up to give it a ripple-y affect.
I also used two different kinds of black lace trim.

I'm going to make another all black and with fancier fabric and a little different style.

For the Young Flesh Eaters!

2011-05-30T21:35:00.004-05:00

Be glad that they don't have teeth!
I made it for a friend's nursery. She crazy and fun like that.

New addition to my craft corner

2011-05-26T13:34:00.005-05:00

Meet my newest addition to my craft corner (I have to share a room with the hubby). :)

This little guy makes me happy.

My sewing machine cover needed an update. So I simply added this fun felt guy.

Now it makes me want to clean up the rest of my corner. Oh boy that's a chore! :)

5 minute project!

2011-05-23T13:51:00.006-05:00

I whipped up a really simple and easy envelop pillowcase.

I've had this fabric for the sole purpose of making it into pillowcases for my couch.

I made the pillow a loooong time ago, and just found it this morning, and got super excited because I could make my pillowcase.

These are my new favorite case to make. SOOO easy!

Next I want to make a rolled pillow, where it's tied off at the ends.

Last week I made a pillowcase to give to my friend for her wedding.
When I drew up the sampler design, I realize that I LOVE making my own designs, they are a lot of fun.

I learned a lot from this project. My embroidery was WAY too small. But I learn from my mistakes. :) The next that I make (for my sister-in-law) it will be bolder and the names will be bigger.

A side note:
I had this pillow for a week that it was killing me not to post it. I didn't want my friend to stumble upon it before hand.

A quick wedding gift

2011-05-17T10:56:00.007-05:00

I whipped up a last minute wedding sampler for my cousin's wedding gift. I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it to the wedding.

The only thing that I didn't like (and didn't have the time to fix) is the date. It's April 30th 2011. Different color next time.
But I do learn from my mistakes.

I really want to take better photos too, I just can't do it. My hubby is pretty good, but not me. :(

I have been busy

2011-05-16T20:43:00.004-05:00

I have a Twitter now.

I've been posting WIPs and random craftiness. I have been a little too busy to make full blown posts on some of my stuff, and well most of them are gifts so I can't post just yet. I have to wait until this weekend before I can.

Love takes flight...at night!

2011-04-14T12:16:00.004-05:00

My heart with bat wings has become a reality!
Yay! This plushie is roughly 29x12.
He really took no time at all to put together.

It's made out of fleece. I used some wire to hold the wings up and out.

I'm VERY happy with how the wings turned out. I'm proud of this guy!

Oh My! I think I Just Quilted Something!

2011-04-12T08:41:00.004-05:00

It's not a quilt, but it's like a made a few tiny quilts, well in a way I did...

I got this idea from one of the free leaflets that you get at a craft store. I thought it was prefect for my kitchen theme.
I have always loved the raw edge look, that shabby chic look.

They are all made from my fabric stash, frankly it was starting to become quite the monster and had to be dealt with.

It is the first time that the applique was completely machine sewn! It was tricky for me but I did it!! Yay!

This was pretty easy. It took no time at all. I did all the cutting and placing in one evening. Then the next evening I sewed it all up!

I think my Granny will be very proud that I made something quilted.

Yet Another Coffee Fix

2011-04-05T08:49:00.003-05:00

Sadly I have finally ran out of what a good friend calls "Tracy fabric". It's the fabric that I have use for all of my other coffee themed embroideries. So I picked a fabric that is similar to it.

My fill stitches (like the satin stitch) is getting better every time I do them. I like to set little challenges for myself. Hey, how else am I going to get better?

I haven't a frame large enough for this one (it's only 5 x 5), all I have right now is 4 x 6 frames.
I particularly like this one because I grind my own coffee beans, so it makes perfect sense.

2011-02-23T18:36:00.005-06:00

Yet another embroidered coffee themed wall art to hang in my kitchen.

I have a nice overhang space above my cabinets that have just been screaming to be covered with something. My collection of coffee themed stuff is slowly growing. But I think that I'm only going to make a couple of more things, I don't want to clutter up my walls too much.

I kinda like the "bulkiness" of the stitches, it looks more handmade.

My Neighbor Totoro

2011-02-19T22:38:00.005-06:00

YAY! I've been wanting to stitch him up for quite some time. I just don't know why I waited so long.

It's stitch on vintage fabric, I couldn't wait for it to dry before I took pictures. But the wet spot dried and disappeared. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.

Pot holder

2011-01-19T15:02:00.004-06:00

I made a pot holder!
I was bored today and I really wanted to sew something, but nothing too complex and large. Then I remembered I have a fairly large project folder on my compy, so I looked through and found an easy pattern for a finger pot holder.

I used some leftover christmas fabric for this. And now I'm pretty sure this is what I will be making for gifts next christmas.

I have to find some fabric with coffee or cupcakes on it so I can make one for myself.
Now I just need to work on my blind stitching.

It looks very odd just sitting there. lol

Sushi!

2011-01-12T12:23:00.005-06:00

I made wallets for my sisters-in-law.
For the oldest I made one with an oriental theme.
I stitched up this cute piece of sushi. I LOVE it.

And I'm very happy that she loves it too.
I tried using a snap that you clamp on but I never can get them to stay one or look alright, so I used the kind you sew on. I also sewed on a plain black "fake" button to cover up the stitching from the snaps and it looks pretty good (too bad you can't really see it in the photo).

2011-01-06T21:16:00.006-06:00

This is a cute wall hanging that I made for my tea loving friend.

The best part about this teapot is that I did a kick ass job on the satin stitching on the eyes. I didn't get a close up pic because I didn't think to at the time. :(

I'm still trying to decide if that is a doughnut in it's mouth...

That's the most quilting that I do. Very simple. I don't think that I would have the patience to sit there and finish a very large project like that.

Hard Work Pays Off

2011-01-05T16:38:00.003-06:00

French knots.
Are the devil.

But if you practice long enough and hard enough, they become your bitch.

I stitches up another Jenny Hart design for one of my friends for christmas.
It's one of those doorknob hanger thingy that I like making so much. I mean, come on, it's a tiny pillow on some string.

After a while the french knots became so freaking easy that I didn't even think about them anymore. They no longer have any control over me!
I added a couple sequins to the tear drops to make it sparkle.

After I took the photos I realized that I had a big old string sitting on it. lol

A Very Busy End of the Year

2011-01-01T18:03:00.004-06:00

I made a bunch of embroidered goodies for my friends this year.

A lot of them were my our design and some were from various designers.
One of them, I made a doorknob hanger.

I saw a similar design on a little kids shirt and I thought that it would look very pretty embroidered.

I used a variegated yellow, you can't see it too well. But it's light enough to have a soft effect.

Then, I made a pillow for one of my other friends.

I really wanted to use the cherry print fabric. She LOVES cherries. And Jenny Hart's fan girl reminds of her for some reason.
She was very happy to receive it. :)

Still Around!

2010-12-22T10:47:00.007-06:00

I'm still here!
I've been sooooo freaking busy over the past two months that I haven't gotten time to post any of the stuff I have been working on. Plus, a lot of it are christmas gifts that I can't post yet.
But I can post in progress pics of some of the random things that I have been working on.

First off, I have been working with my sister to make curtains for my parents camper. And boy does it have A LOT of windows.
10!

My sister purchased the fabric online. We (I should say she) did the math and drafted up the measurements. We had to bring my dad in on it, he measured the windows for us.

It was A LOT of sewing too! lol
I finished the curtains, and my sister finished up the gift with sewing up some tie backs and curtain rods. I can't wait to see my mom's reaction! I know she'll love them!

Next is my french toast recipe card holder. I made a lot of fun stitching this cute little guy.
He's complete with a beret (with a french knot!), and pencil thin 'stach! He has a magnet on his back so I can keep him om the fridge.

Speaking of recipe card holders! I made a small army of my chocolate chip guys!
I bake every year for the holidays for my family and I make about 5 different trays for all the people my hubby and go and see. I made chocolate chip cookies this year, so I just had to make some of these cuties for the trays.

I had a strange feeling that I was being watched.

All of the piece cut up and ready to be sewn.

Magenta Girl

2010-11-21T19:59:00.003-06:00

I embroidered another one of my husband's drawing.

I have been waiting to post this for a couple of weeks now. I'm VERY pleased with how this turned out.
I colored it using crayons. But I had a hard time with the skin tone to make it match.

I was super excited to give this to my hubby, I couldn't wait until his birthday.
I snagged one of his drawing and embroidered it!
He had no clue that I was doing this.

I have linked his blog before, but he has some new stuff up if you want to check it out. I want to more!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T17:52:00.004-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Nevermore!
I was a raven!
I made my costume out of my wardrobe this year. Meaning that it cost me NOTHING! HAHA!
The embellished the mini top hat with stuff I had laying around.
The beak is from a sheet of stiff felt.
You can't see it very well but I have a bustle, and that was also made from stuff I had laying around.

My hubby was a garden gnome!
His costume turned out sooo freaking cute!!
I made his hat out of poster board and fleece.
What makes his costume so awesome is that his is 6 ft. 4. So, he is a very large gnome. <3

I love fall!

2010-10-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

I made some spats! These puppies are WARM!

I followed a tutorial from the Craftster forums, and I fell in love with them. They are VERY easy to make.

I love fall for the sheer fact that you can wear layers and not be hot and not be cold.
I like summer but it's too warm where I live and I hate winter because it gets too cold where I live and I don't like being cold in general.

I love the look of the unbuttoned style.

And don't you dare call these legwarmers! I HATE legwarms, I hated them when they were first in style, and I still hate them now.
These beauties really are legwarmers (reching noise) but they are different enough to be in their own category. :) Besides, spats is a really fun word to say.

This photo is a little grainy because I took that picture of them in an old mirror.

It's really not that easy to take good right side up photos of your feet. >.>

I can't wait to wear these out!! Yay!

A Kick Ass Birthday Cake for My Sister

2010-10-23T22:55:00.005-05:00

I love my sister. She is my bestest pal. I wanted to make her a cake for her birthday, and I knew that she would love this.
I love very bright colors so I made sure they were extra bright!

It's a Jenny Hart sugar skull. I stitched her a hand towel a while back and I wanted to match it.

My niece informed me this morning that she still hasn't eaten it. She has it in her pretty glass cake saver on her kitchen counter to look at all day. :)

Random!

2010-10-15T21:46:00.003-05:00

Here are a few random things that are too small to have posts of their own, or maybe I just wanted to jumble them all together to save time for myself. Who knows...

A while ago I started making wallets and I took some pictures when I added fake buttons since I used the type of snaps that you sew in. I have too much trouble with the ones you use a hammer with.

I'm continuously making things to hang in my kitchen that are cupcake and coffee themed.
I took a cupcake design that is on my hand towels and made it into an embroidery.
I added the "sparks" for added color because my towels are a bright blue.
I try to use the same fabric with all the embroidery to kinda have it all fit together.

This is an action shot for an apron that I made for my friend that got married two months ago.
She LOVED it!

Latest sewing project...

2010-10-14T20:08:00.006-05:00

...was a FAIL!

I did a very well on the sewing it's just that I goofed up on the measurements. :(

It's WAY too big in the ribs.

All the white stitches are hand stitched, so you can guess why I'm very upset that it's the wrong size. It took me a while to make this due to that part alone.

It is completely wearable, just not by me. :(
I haven't decided if I want to give it to someone that will fit into it, or sell it.

But I am proud of how far my sewing skills have come since the first one I made.

Two of my most favorites things!

2010-10-13T15:02:00.006-05:00

Today's post is brought to you by the word coffee and the tasty treat cupcake!

Aunt Martha has done it again!
They keep making things that I LOVE to stitch. I believe that I will be stitching the whole Java Break pack.

I played around with some stitches to make it pop (I can't believe I used that phrase). I used three different green hues for the cup border.

It is going on my kitchen wall with my ever growing coffee and cupcakes motif that I've started. Hey, who ever said that you can only pick one theme? I mean come on, can you blame me? They are both yummy!
Although, I don't like eating them together. I don't like to eat sweet things with my coffee, it tends to make my coffee taste overly bitter. :)

I love my job!

2010-09-09T08:11:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, a guy came wandering into my store and wanted a cake for his wife.
In my business you tend to feel out that guys general don't care about what cakes look like. They're just food.

After many questions (what's her favorite color, what does she like...).
I got out of him that she likes sewing.

So, I got to draw a sewing machine on a cake! Two of my most favorite things together!

The only color that I could get out of him was red. He said to do it all in red.
Ooook, whatever.

Finally I can post this!

2010-08-13T20:46:00.004-05:00

Owls!!
I had to wait to post this because I didn't want to risk the Bride to be (now bride) to find this and see.

I made her a cute apron with whimsical owls on it and I wanted to embroider something that matched.

I attached a little handle on it so it can hang easily.
I hope she loves it!

Simple drawstring bag for my new camera

2010-07-19T16:01:00.003-05:00

This is just a very simple drawstring bag that I made for my new camera.
It took me about 5 minutes to whip up.

I wanted to keep it covered so it doesn't get dusty, and a little protection for the screen.
Haven't decided if we will buy a nice bag for it or not. So this is it's home for now...

Magnetic Recipe Card Holder

2010-07-08T11:26:00.004-05:00

This little cutey is hand sewn and made of felt!
He was born out of my frustration in finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
He has a pocket to keep recipe card in him, and also has a magnet on his back so he can hang out on the frig, which is conveniently next to my oven.

I am currently in the process of making more to sell in my shop. I bought some lighter colored felt to give it the right color of a cookie (This little guy looks a bit burnt).
He was extremely easy and fun to make.

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T09:34:00.004-05:00

I would like to wish everyone a warm and happy Summer Solstice. Although it's storming here, it's still a beautiful day!

Stitched on a tea towel. I love this victorian-ish style.

I made this for my sister-in-law for her engagement party. She loved it!
I used the pattern from Urban Treads

Birthday gift of my mom!

2010-06-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

I picked up this cute vintage style design from Aunt Martha's iron-on transfers.
I turned out great! My mom loved it.

I'm still working on to improve my satin stitch. It didn't turn out as bad as I thought.
I posted the link to Aunt Martha's on my links spot. There are nice and simple and have a great nostalgic feel.

I love gnomes in a major way!

2010-05-07T16:39:00.001-05:00

Gnomes kick ass! I love them, not only for the yard, but I'm a gamer (pencil and paper), and love to play them in D&D.
When I saw this giveaway from Calamity Kim, I squeeeed!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this apron! It's soooo cute!

Ok, sorry I'm done now... :)

Awesome Embroidery Introduction

2010-05-07T16:19:00.004-05:00

I was surfing through the DMC usa site and came across an awesome introduction to embroidery video.

It showed my a better way way to do some stitches. And boy did I feel silly on how I was doing it wrong.
I thought that I would share this with all of you. Even if you already know how to embroider, it's still a nice video to watch.

The work of my great grandmother

2010-05-05T11:03:00.003-05:00

When my husband and I got married, my great grandmother embroidered a set of pillow cases for us.
We are not a religious couple so I put the pillow cases away in my hope chest, and then eventually forgotten.

She did beautiful work.
She past away a couple of years ago. And sadly I never got to talk to her about the beautiful needlework craft.

I believe that she was in her late eighties when she made this.
Her detail is very precise. Very nice.

I now have a greater love for these pillow cases not only because she was my great grandmother, but also the care and love that she put into this wonderful work.

Work space update!

2010-04-28T11:19:00.005-05:00

My, oh my, does one collect A LOT of stuff in such a short time!

I cleaned up my area today and noticed that I just might be running out of space to keep all my stuff! The horror!

Here are some updated photos of my work area. This is what it use to look like.

My little corner of the room.

My inspiration nook. My books, toys and my prised Dymo. Buttons and and a couple of painting from my hubby.

Yes, that is in fact a drum throne that I use as a seat. lol I use it when the boy isn't banging on his drum kit.

Look at all that stuff!!

I always love looking at other peoples work areas. I guess that I'm just a voyeur. :)

Sugar Skulls!

2010-03-27T21:59:00.004-05:00

Embroidered on a tea towel. A Jenny Hart design.

I stitched it for my sister. She LOVES it!

I am VERY pleased with my stitches. And look at those sexy french knots! I'm so super excited that I FINALLY mastered the bastards!

Wings!

2010-03-26T20:11:00.003-05:00

Heart with bats wings! One of my very first designs, ever.
I stitched it on a canvas messenger bag that I have.
Stitching on canvas sucks! Plain and simple.
I've had to start and stop several times but my poor index and thumb hurt, from all the yanking the needle through all that thick fabric.

I saw a cute little birdie in a coloring book and I knew that I had to stitch it up! I think he turned out pretty good.

Simple snap closure wallet

2010-03-22T10:12:00.004-05:00

I needed a new wallet for my new purse (sadly, I perchased it, didn't make it). So I surfed around Craftster and found an easy tutorial of one. :)

This is my first one. I have a feeling that I will make more. I think I'll add some thin cardboard to make it stiffer, next time.

It only took me about 20 minutes. Easy!

There is always room for improvement, but like I said, it's the first one.

Hand embroidered bag

2010-03-07T17:25:00.004-06:00

I have been wanting to stitch this one up for a while now. I just didn't have anything that it would look good on. But I did some digging in my craft closet and found a bag that it would look beautiful on.

My hubby had drawn this beauty a little while ago and I fell in love with it. In fact I love all the pretty girls that he draws. They seem to have personalities.

I'm very proud of my stitching on the hair. I've been having problems with the stem stitch. I know its one of the easier stitches, but my brain had a hard time grasping the concept.
I'm not sure if I want to add some embellishments around it or what not. I guess if I did, I can always add them later.

And I hope to stitch up more of his lovelies.

A link!

2010-02-28T20:18:00.004-06:00

It's not related to sewing or anything involving a needle and thread.
But if you like sketches of pretty girls please check it out.

Miahb

Enjoy!

Another Kitchen embroidery post!

2010-02-22T09:16:00.005-06:00

Here is my second hand embroidered flair for my kitchen. I have one more to go. But my walls still look very empty. But I also plan on painting cupcakes on 6x6 canvases and putting them up on the wall as well. And who knows how long "Project Kick Ass Kitchen" will take. But in the end I will post photos of my kitchen for all to see!

Just like the other one, its hand embroidered on an old pretty bed sheet that I had laying about.
I think that the pink leaves on it make a good background, it's something else to look at. My walls are plain white and boring.

Ha ha! Something new to post!

2010-02-21T20:49:00.004-06:00

I moment that I laid eyes on this design in Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart, I HAD to stitch it!

I had a pitifully plain v neck tee shirt that was screaming for embellishment. And the design was the perfect size that fit from the should to the *ahem* boob. (Yeah, I said it)

I used some white sequins as a finishing touch (I'm not a sequins kinda gal, but it worked).

hand stitched decorations

2010-02-02T11:47:00.004-06:00

I got some dish towels for christmas from my mom, that are coffee themed. My kitchen walls are kinda bare so I stitched up some decorations to kinda match the towels.
I just took some old fabric that I have laying about and some extra frames.

I have a coffee and cupcakes theme to my kitchen and I like natural wood (light) tones too. But just for the kitchen. But as for the rest of the house, it's dark dark brown to black finishes.

Anyway, this is one of three designs that I'm doing. I still have to make the other two but this was an awesome start.

Wedding fever, kinda

2010-01-20T19:57:00.006-06:00

I'm friends with a couple that are getting married in August.
Not only are my husband and I invited but they also asked me to make their cake!! I can't wait. I did a friend's wedding cake last year and it was an awesome yet stressful experience.

With that last wedding I also made my dress. So to keep up the tradition, I will make another dress!

I picked up this pattern at the only Walmart near me that still sells them and fabric.
Since it is in August and an outdoor wedding (not sure about the reception) it will be warm out.
I want to make the halter style (the white one, at the bottom). I like the kind of fabric that is white with a little black pattern to it. Now my hunt for this kind of fabric begins!

I'm also thinking of making a simple petticoat to wear under it to give it a little flare. I have a loads of light weight soft tulle. Or I could just a little tulte to the bottom of the dress. I've got a couple of options.

But I hope that finding the right shoes to match won't be to hard to find.

Kick Ass Book!

2010-01-16T21:44:00.007-06:00

I know the the seasoned hand embroiders think this book is a little too beginner. But that's perfect for me!! I AM a beginner! I LOVE this book. I saw it on Amazon and put it on my Wish List. And lucky for me, my sister saw it there and bought it for me for christmas. She rocks!

I've done a couple of little projects so far. I work with a lot of felt shapes, so I have loads of stencils that I have made over the years, and they are perfect for embroidery.

I had a lot of fun whipping this little puppy up. I currently working on more projects that I do want to put up on my Etsy shop along with this one.
Can't wait!

Happiness is... New stuff!!

2010-01-15T20:19:00.004-06:00

Embellishing is my middle name! Well not really, well ok not at all, but I do it often enough to have it mean something.

This bag is a premade canvas bag that I added a pocket to and an extra long strap to. I have loads of remnants of cotton fabric. So I followed a tutorial in a book and made this! I'm a little annoyed that the fabric in the lower left corner puckered a little. But otherwise it looks good.
I was toying around with the idea of adding this type of bag (with the pockets) to my Etsy shop, but this isn't up to par for my taste, so I believe that I might give to a friend who LOVES cherries. :)

The pocket is lined and sewn on the front of the bag. Next time I will just hand sew it on, so there is a less chance of the puckering of the fabric. But I still like the look of it. I just used plain black cotton fabric for the longer handle so its easy to hang off the shoulder. And I added a snap closure.

This is the book that I got the project from. (A very awesome friend at work got it for me. <3)
I'm not a fan of the colors that are chosen in the book for the projects but otherwise it's not a bad book at all.

Happy new year!!

2010-01-01T16:37:00.004-06:00

Here is the "action shot" of my handmade corset. I wore it to a new year's eve party. Everyone loved it!
I was so excited to wear it, and it was comfortable too.

So now you all know who is behind all of this nerdy cross stitch and sewing!

I wish everyone a happy and safe new year!

Love, luck and lollipops!

Putting sewing skills to the test!

2009-12-28T14:31:00.004-06:00

Isn't she a beauty? My very first corset (waist cincher). I finally bought a grommet maker.
I got the pattern from tute on Craftster.
It was pretty easy to draft up and make. I upcycled some plastic laundry detergent bottles for the boning.

The back side. I wanted to use tow different ribbons to lace it up.
It's on a pillow so I could lace it up easily.

This is the front. I managed to line everything it up nicely. I'm proud!

It is a photo to show how nice and neat the eyelets are. :)

I'm going to make another one, a little larger. This one is petite, but it fits very nicely.

Last christmas gift done!

2009-12-22T11:09:00.005-06:00

This one is for my husband's stepmother. She really enjoys coffee to the point that she roasts her own beans. And on occasion we get the wonderful joyful bliss of home roasted beans too. Yum!

The cup, sugar bowl and coffee pot are stitched using browns and the 22 ct. aida is a soft pink.
It was a bitch to get the buggers nice and straight, so I ended up taping the fabric to the frame.

The windows are 3 inches by 3 inches. The frame itself is a matte black metal.
Now that I look at these photos again my fridge is a good reference for how tall the frame is. :)

Now I can go back to my regularly scheduled projects... yeah right, wishful thinking, HA!

Christmas Gifts Finished Part 1

2009-12-15T13:44:00.004-06:00

The Ewe are Special to Me doorknob hangy thingy!

And the back of it. A nice farm theme.

Flip flop doorknob hangy thingy!

And the back are some more sheep.

The Chocolate Makes My Day pillow! And the back is just some fabric that matches. I didn't realize how crappy this picture was until after I wrapped up the gifts. :(

I have one more gift that I'm working on I should have it done in a few days. It's turning out pretty cute so far.

Sheepies!

2009-12-11T20:29:00.004-06:00

I'm happy with this one! It's my first time using waste canvas. I was a little confused on how to remove it when I was done but I did it!!

The stitching turned out aright (a little too large for my tastes, but oh well, it's not for me) on it, then I pressed it which was a bad idea. But hey, I'm not crying over it.

I had some pink plaid fabric laying about and thought that it would be cute with the sheep on it. It is also a christmas gift for one of my sisters-in-law.

Now I have just one gift left to finish. Not sure if I want to make another pillow or frame it or make a table runner thingy. Not sure...

Another chistmas gift!

2009-12-09T21:12:00.003-06:00

This is another free design from the Jaylann website.

I changed a color on it because well, I didn't have the right color at the time. :( but it turned out ok.

Stitches 14ct aida. Took about 6 hours to complete. It was fun.

Chocolate!

2009-12-07T19:04:00.004-06:00

This is one of the christmas gifts that I am making this year. It is for one of my sisters-in-law.
I going to make it into a pillow.
I will post finished photos of all of the gifts together.

It is done on 14ct aida. I want to call the color of the fabric oatmeal or multi-grain, 'cause that's what it looks like to me. :) I hope she likes it.

I got this pattern off of the Janlynn website. Yay for freebies!

I can't resist a sale!

2009-11-18T14:55:00.005-06:00

Last week Jo Ann Fabrics had all Simplicity patterns for $1
So I ran over there and picked up the pattern that I have had my eye on for years! I could never really get myself to fork over $14 on a pattern, so when I saw the sale I HAD to buy it. I have been wanting to make a corset for a few years now.

Then this week I was wondering around in Hobby Lobby and saw that they had McCall's patterns on sale for 99 cents! So I thought that I would pick up a fun one that wasn't clothing. The cakes and cupcakes look so cute! I have a lot of fabric remnants laying about so that will take care of those. :)
And last night I was at Walmart with my hubby and I picked up another pattern for a cute summer dress. I've been obsessed with light flowy dresses lately, and been wanting them badly.

I have a sewing project that I have almost done with. All that I have left is the buttons holes!

But my machine started acting up on me before I could finish the first hole! Grrr...
I WILL NOT give up! No I won't. I just needed a break before I threw it out the window.

The thing that gets me about patterns are that they are not "regular" sizes that I'm use to. If I buy a shirt off the rack its a size 6 but these patterns run small so I'm like a size 8 or 10. It drives me nuts.

I'm coming along on all my christmas gifts that I'm working for everybody. I'm almost done with one. I will post it when it's completed.

Finally an update!

2009-11-05T15:50:00.003-06:00

I started working on christmas gifts for my family.
I finished my mother-in-law's first. It's just a little something that she can put anywhere.

I have untreated wooden frames laying about so I diluted some brown paint and made a paint wash to give the wood a darker and "older" look to it. I think it looks pretty good with it.
the cross stitch project took about a little over 4 hours to complete.

Now I'm working my oldest sister-in-law's gift.
I just hope that they like them.

quick update

2009-10-31T09:02:00.003-05:00

I'm still here!!
I've have some life issues come up and they took up a good chunk of my time. But now I'm stitching again and working on christmas gifts. I promise that I will start posting pictures soon of the finished products.

I hope everyone has a save and Happy Halloween!!!!

Hoot!

2009-09-10T20:07:00.005-05:00

I like owls, so I made some. I started out making a few tiny ones. I liked them so much that I made large ones. I am very happy with how these fellas turned out. I posted progress pics to share.

I love to make templates. It makes projects flow better for me, and I can use them over and over again.

I cut everything out first and place the piece where I want them to go. I used fleece and felt on these fair feathered friends. I have mixed feelings on working with fleece. It's too stretchy, and I had trouble lining up the front and back pieces.

I made a red and blue one. I stitched them like I stitch all my plushies. It gives them the handmade feel.

My favorite part of these plushies are their "eyebrows".
I plan on making more in various colors.
I'm thinking about putting them up on my Etsy shop.

No needle and thread today

2009-09-08T13:26:00.003-05:00

I haven't been able to do any cross stitching for the past two weeks. :(
But I had a really good reason, really I did!
I helped my sister make wedding gifts for a couple that we are friends with. And they asked me to make their cakes along with cupcakes and cookies.
So I was pretty busy.
I am a professional cake decorator by trade so I jumped at the chance to do something fun. If you are interested, feel free to check out my Flickr account, to see what all that I made.

I am very happy with how things turned out and everyone loved my cake, that I want share with you all here.

Now back to stitching up Christmas gifts!!

Questions

2009-08-13T10:39:00.007-05:00

I have a couple of questions for all those stitchers out there in stitchyland.

1. where do you get those fabulous frames?

I look at other peoples completed work and they have the coolest frames! Is it a second hand find or garage sale find? Or maybe a dollar store find? I hate to plop down a butt load of money for a frame. My project only cost me a dollar or two. I certainly don't want to spend too much more on a frame. Sadly most of my work isn't framed. They sit in a pile in a drawer, waiting for framing or pillow-ing. :)

2. where do you get your charts from?

Most of my charts and patterns come from the internets! Although I do have a large collection of books and magazines and such, but they are almost as old as me. But I do love to pick up a British magazine from time to time if it catches my eye. They seem to have more fun and whimsical content.

3. What does your significant other think of your hobby?

Mine likes it because it's sew (haha, get it? sew, so) cheap. And it produces cheap but handmade gifts for around the holidays. He wants me to make some sprites (old video game characters) for him.

And just so this post isn't just words. Face it, wordy blogs can be a bit boring looking. :)
Here is a photo of some hand bags that I have appliquéd.

It's only a few bags I have made more of time. They are fun and easy. My favorite is the heart and cross bones.
And since this my blog I will add that they can be purchased through my Etsy shop. :)

More on the shoe sign

2009-08-05T09:10:00.004-05:00

I showed my sister the finished cross stitch and she LOVED it! That was a load off of my shoulders!
Then we took it with us to a couple of different fabric stores and picked out some vintage-y looking material.
We are going to make it look quilted. It will have little "pinwheels" to look like flowers to kinda frame it. I can't wait to finish it. I will most definitely post pics of the final product.

New territory

2009-07-24T22:20:00.004-05:00

I have been stitching for about 17 years and I have never used even weave or a wooden hoop.

Today I can cross those items off my list of stuff I haven't worked with yet. In fact those two things are the only items on said list. (hehe)

I normally use metal tension hoops, and aida fabric.

This particular project I just finished is for a friend's wedding present. I can post it here because I don't think that she knows that this blog exists. It will be made into a wall hanging that my sister and I are working on together.

I use a free chart from DMC for the shoe, and my sister made up the little poem.
Our friend has a sign that hangs on the outside her door to her apartment that says something about no shoes allowed. It's just a piece of paper, and we thought that this looks way more classier.

I am very proud of how the lettering turned out. I really haven't done a project with words. And with this fabric was a bigger challenge, but a lot of fun.

Coin Purse

2009-07-17T08:38:00.005-05:00

I made a coin purse in the shape of one of my Monsterously Cute monsters!

He is made just like the real thing. Felt and thread, but instead of stuffing him I lined him with green cotton fabric.

I'm not sure if it's something that I want to make to seel or it's just a one time thing. Still thinking about that one...

Fiona

2009-07-14T13:57:00.008-05:00

I love stuffies!
I love making them and I think that I will never stop making them. They are just too much fun. And easy!
I made this cutie from a book that I bought a few years ago. And I lovingly named her Fiona. She really only took me a couple hours to make. I had found some argyle socks in a dollar bin at a store a few years back and just knew that they were destined for a greater purpose.
Her "ribbons" are made out of another mutilated sock. She took about roughly two socks to make her body.

She is completely hand stitched. I could have used a machine for most to the stitching but I felt that she needed to be all hand stitched. I think I wanted to torture myself or something like that.

This is a very good reason to keep all those socks that the sock monster eat the partners of.

I made another one of those cuties before a couple of years ago for one of my sister-in-laws.
His name is simply Argyle.

Perfectly mismatched socks need not go to waste any longer!

If you are interested in the book I used, it's called:
Stupid Sock Creatures, by John Murphy
There a lot of fun patterns and ideas, you could make thousands of them!

A fun gift!

2009-06-17T14:24:00.004-05:00

A friend recently gave me a mini cross stitch card as a gift. She brought it back from her visit to see her family in the UK.
It's only 3inches by 3 inches. I can't wait to whip this one up and display it in my living room!

Another dress!

2009-06-14T20:58:00.004-05:00

This is my second dress.

It is the same print (the fabric) but different color as the other one. And the top is a different style.

Unfortunately I do not have a zipper long enough for it yet to complete it. But I think I did a better job on this one because I lined up the seems better on it.

Now all I need is a cute pair of sandals to go with them.

A visit to another world...

2009-06-03T09:14:00.003-05:00

I've been busy with a big project so I haven't posted in a while. But it was worth it!

I have been sewing a dress!
Sorry no cross stitch this time, but it does involve a needle and thread.

I bought a butt load of fabric a couple of years ago for $1 a yard (how can you pass that up?!?).
I bought 4 yards of the green and 4 yards of the same design in pink. I'm currently working on the same dress but in a different variation with the pink fabric.
It's a McCall's pattern that I bought two years ago and forgot that I have all this stuff. I was bored and finally made it!
I was so happy with how it turned out that another is in the works.

It is a little tight in the ribcage area, but unfortunately I'm skin and bones there so I can't lose the weight there. But it's not too uncomfortable. And I need to adjust the straps so the chest area fits a little more snug.

In the back is a zipper and the top part ties. My hubby wasn't home to help with the photos so I can't get a pic of the back. :(
But after this project I feel more confident with my sewing skills to make more clothes.

Something different!

2009-04-28T11:17:00.006-05:00

This post is not a cross stitch project for once. But it does involve a needle (and pins)and thread!

I've wanted one of these for a long time. I just never wanted to buy one. I thought to myself a while that I would make one, and then I forgot all about it. Typical me.

I took me about 10 minutes tops to make it. I put a piece of cardboard in it so I wouldn't poke myself every time I would use it.

I used some stuff that I just had laying around. Scrape fabric, thin cardboard, and elastic.
It was very easy. I use my sewing machine, and just hand stitched the end. And Ta Da!

I want to make more now. Maybe I'll make one for my sister and my mom.