Friday Finish and Freebies!

It seems I have more energy to make things at Christmas, even though it is too late to make gifts, some I can hand out to people and others I can save for next year. I actually have a stitchery and punch needle, waiting to be started, so hopefully I can make at least one for next week.

This week I was in the mood to needle felt. The plan was to make a simple gnome santa, one for each of the boys, but I got carried away. He got bigger and then I went off on my own, as usual, so he is simple but more detail than the original which was just a blog with a beard, lol.

I was trying to make his cuff at the bottom, look like it draped over his boots, but didn't come out the way I planned. Some day I want to make a nicer old world santa.

I also made up some ornaments from a design by, Downeast Thunder Farm. She has a lot of nice felt designs that she offers for free and these were perfect for Christmas giveaways. I didn't have any white felt, so I used wool, which isn't as stiff, so I put a piece of felt for the back.

Another ornie I made was these fun stockings. I saw them on  pinterest and I saw that they are being sold from an import company, so I took the liberty to make my own version. I just traced out some mini stockings and added things by hand cutting, so no pattern. Simple enough to copy to make your own and put your own touches to. Mine are about 3" long. I may try some with carrot buttons, I do have a lot of chenille that was gifted to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I still need to come up with a good idea for the boys. I have bought them some things, but Nick wanted an electric guitar. I don't know if he will take it seriously, so I want to get him something with strings, but also fun buttons and I can get Alex a button one, but so far, they all have bad reviews. Not sure if it is worth it, so will see what the stores have, at least I can take it back if I have to.

It is also a time of remembering, not a day goes by that I don't think of my daughter and Christmas was always her favorite holiday. This guy is a frequent visitor when I sit on the porch.

Friday Finish and Freebie!

This week I made another stocking from the stocking design I found at Cheri's facebook group. I used designs from her old books and added my own touches. Now I have one on each side of the skinny walls, that are on the big, useless opening in our kitchen. The wall will be coming down and we plan on putting in an island.

For now it is a great place to hang things. I hung it on a knob with better lighting, but I can never get a good shot of wool items.

Tuesday was a beautiful day and I wanted to get out. No crowds and Bean got to enjoy getting out too. This is how Bill looks for glass, I was digging too, lots of rocks with glass, hiding underneath.

And we found some nice pieces this time. I really need to organize what I have found lately and start making things. Winter is a great time to create, so hopefully I can get more done this year.

And for this week's freebie, a fun little star that I saw online and no idea who made it, but it did have a pattern. I redid it a bit and made the hat simpler, as well as changing the face. I like things I can make up quickly, since these are things I give away. I think it will definitely bring a smile, to the recipients face. Something fun to make and you can change it to suit your needs and change the expressions. I may do some with button eyes.

And here is the pattern, simple to make with felt or wool. You could even sew some with lighter fabrics. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish!

I have decided it is time to get going on Christmas, it comes so quick and I am always rushing, so I am starting early. A friend gifted me an older book, Kindred Spirits Christmas. I love the older books and designs, they are prim, easy to work up and can be modified, if I want.

This one was a large stitchery, so I reduced it for a smaller pillow. It is 9" x 7", just the right size to set in a grouping or on a cupboard. I really love the design and think it would be fun in bright colors or with applique figures, so I may do another for people who don't do prim. The material on this one is a medium brown, but it is hard to see that in the photo, this one I may keep for me.

I also want to do at least one new thing each week, something I can make to give or hide in stores during the holiday. I loved doing this, it worked up quick and you can use felt, which is easy to get. I happened to win a batch, years ago, so now I can use the green bolt for these trees. If you like the idea of giving gifts to others, just to bring a smile, you can check out my facebook group; DSmiles4miles.

I didn't add a hanger yet, but I will add a tag with a saying and the group name. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, we have one nice day and one rain day, so I plan on making the most of tomorrow and checking out areas, we missed last week.

The pattern for the trees and other free felt patterns can be found at Touch the Beauty.

Friday finishes!

This week I found a free pattern and of course I had to try it. It is a design by a site called Imanufatti. It is in a foreign language, but her instructions and pattern are easy to follow. She has a lot of other tutorials, I will have to check out the rest of her blog when I have a chance.

These would be fun to make up for bowl fillers, to give away or the kids. I made a couple up in a day. I also took the pattern and made it into one shape, instead of separate ears and tail. I was thinking of doing a few more for the boys with a little heart, instead of flowers.

I used a piece of old felt that I had over dyed with yellow. It has a nice mottled and fluffy feel, since I washed it a few times.

I also finished 8 more blocks for my Christmas stocking quilt. If I add three more to the side, it measures 35" x 54". I will pick three new colors for variety and then sew them together. That way I can see how the size fits and how much more I need to add. I don't plan on making a border, just a regular binding on this one. I want it to hang over a rail or couch and still be used, so big enough to be a large lap quilt.

This is such a fun quilt to do, great way to use up scraps and it works up quickly. I am still debating on wether to machine or hand quilt it. Something simple and maybe a good project to take camping, I find hand quilting, very relaxing.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Bill has to work again and it is going to be cold, so I am hoping my crackle comes in tomorrow and I can finish my angel painting.

Friday Finishes!

This week seemed to go by quickly, and the weekend is here again and I am ready for some adventures, lol. We are going to explore a new area in Connecticut and see how the foliage is, then we can decide if we need to go up or down from there.

Of course I always have to have something to keep my hands busy during the week so I decided to try some bookmarks. And of course, I cannot follow directions, to save my life, so mine are a bit simpler.

I wanted to try them first to see how it worked and they were fun and quick to make. I may try the next with machine sewing on the edge, so I can put in a nicer ribbon. I used fabric from my scrap box and felt that I had won, lots of it to use up and it is perfect for bookmarks. They also have a stiffer felt at the craft store which would work nicely for this. I did a stiff kitty with it and use wool appliqué on top of that and it sews nicely.

The pattern is free at Craftsy, and it would be nice in appliqué too. This would be fun to leave in libraries and a tag can be easily attached with floss. If you are good at machine embroidery, you could  make a tag for the back. I do need to learn how to use my machine, I love the idea of making my own tags.

The bookmark is 7" long. Two pieces of wool are attached with a blanket stitch.
I would like to try some of my own designs that the girls can use to make for others and if you are interested, you can join in at DSmiles4Miles on Facebook. If you are interested, please fill out the questions, that lets me know you are a real person. Someone has made a request, but when I click on her Facebook page and there is nothing there, so it makes me suspicious.

Another item I finished was another block from Suzy's Sitcom, called Words of Wisdom. I skipped last months but I did like this one, so I will see when it is done, I like having an odd block so I can add my own saying and name for the recipient.

I am also working on another large stitchery and started a project from Cheri's Facebook group. She is so wonderful with sharing her patterns and making new ones for us to have for free, even though she is going through her own struggles right now.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, filled with adventures, and creating.

Friday Finish, Finds and Friends!

I have been wanting to try a card holder with needle felting and I finally took the plunge. I found an angel picture that I liked and it was good for a practice piece. There are some parts I like, and others I don't, but I am learning and maybe someday I can make something that looks more like a watercolor picture with roving. A friend sent me yellow locks, so it was perfect for the angel's hair and fun to use.
I also used a wool yarn for some detail and some fell out, so I added stitching, next time I will use roving for shadowing. I used felt for the backing, next time I will go with wool and hopefully get a better wet felting technique.

The inside has two sleeves that are the perfect size for the memorial cards. Maybe I will try a case for sunglasses or a cell phone. The photo makes things brighter and stand out more, it is more blended in person.

Two of Danielle's friends had a friend make me a gift and one of the girls lives down the road, so she came over and gave it to me this week. She lost her dad recently and has been going through a lot herself, so it was nice to have someone who understands and someone I can help too.  It really brings me comfort and a special gift from her friends. I think I will do up the poem with a stairway to heaven, in script, to hang along side.

I also went shopping this week, I love thrift stores. I found two block pattern kits, with the material still in them, so those will be fun to try and practice fusible machine quilting on. I also like to look at the skirts, and found two nice ones. one I can over dye and the other has beautiful shades in it, so I can use it as is.

I appreciate all of the good wishes and prayers. I can't always reply to all of them and some are no reply, and I wish I could answer those too. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

I had a slow start to the week but I finally got some time yesterday to make a few things. I have been collecting needle felting supplies since a friend sent me some and yesterday I made a bunny for Easter.

I got a book from the library called Little Needle Felt Animals, by Gretel Parker. It has a lot of cute animals, done is a cute artsy style so great for beginners. The rabbit in the book is called Moon Gazing Hare and was a basic rabbit with ears, short legs and a tail. Of course I had to completely change it and make mine with legs and arms, as well as floppy ears and more facial features. I also made a carrot for him.

I learned a few things while making him. Always felt your parts to completion before you attach them. Once they are on, it is hard to felt them into the shape you want. I also put the ears too low, but all in all, I think he is cute and it was fun to make.

The photo makes him look fuzzy, but I felted him into stiff parts, then added a little bit extra at the end to give him a more soft bunny look.

Here is a view with his tail. I went with the traditional puffy tail.

I also wanted to try a sock bunny that I found from a free pattern online. She used a baby sock but I couldn't even find a small colored sock, so I took one of my husband's single that I was saving to find the match. It was way too big and I used the inside of the sock for the fluffy head, but the body part is not as nice. It was fun to make though and would be fun to get some socks at the thrift to use for animals.

I stuck the homespun around his neck, still debating on how to finish the body. You can find the Tutorial Here!

Today I got my new stove, so nice to be able to bake again and of course make more cookies. I am so happy with how it cooks, so much better than my old stove and my cookies came out, just right. I also did Beans laundry, of course he had to help.

I was looking for an old basket that I had, for the sock bunny, thought I could put him in with status and some old looking eggs. I never found the basket, but found this old piece that I made in the 80's. It is when I first started doing appliqué and used what I had, and felt for the appliqué. I made up the design and I notice it is a bit crooked, lol. The background fabric is something I hand dyed. Hard to see the rich colors of the piece in the photo, the bunny is a rusty brown.

JOY!

With the recent tragedy is seems odd to title a posting with joy, but I feel that we all need to feel joy and bring joy to others. Joy is what fills our hearts with peace in a cruel world. One way to bring joy is to share it with others. I have been making small ornaments from a free pattern by Gail Pan. The original design has stars, but I decided to add the word Joy, to mine. I love how they came out and it is something I can hand out to patients in the nursing home who have no decorations or family to visit. A little something to hang on their door or bed, to remind them that someone does care. Another way to bring joy would be to donate to a giving tree or toys for tots.

Another way to bring joy is to send a friend an unexpected gift, like a sweet little snow bird. Paulette of Sweet P Quilting and Creations sent me this snowbird, I just love it and it brings a smile to my face. I think I want a whole flock of them.

And another friend, Carole of Quilting Adventures sent me this beautiful quilt. I was totally surprised by this gift, one that is beautifully made and that she spent so much time making something so special for me. It brings joy to be able to have something on my wall to remind me of such a wonderful friendship. I just hope that my small gifts to others can bring them as much joy as they have given me with their friendships even if we have never met.

I wish I had thought to get a better photo outside, before I hung it up, it is so beautiful and beautifully made with homespuns and printed fabrics. I had to crawl up a ladder since it is hanging above my entry door. I found these clip on rings at home depot, perfect for hanging a quilt on a rod.

A New Eyeglass Case!

Today I wanted to make an eyeglass case. I was thinking of punching one, but nothing was inspiring me. Then I thought about doing a fusible art piece, but couldn't come up with an idea that I liked or the gumption to think of something;) So, I decided to use fabric that I won from Barbara of Cat Patches. On fridays she has a giveaway and she sends a surprise fat quarter and I was the lucky recipient of this fun cat fabric. I used some to make an iPad case and today I decided it would be perfect for an eyeglass case.

The first attempt was a disaster. I was using free motion and got carried away and broke the needle, so started over. This time, I took it slower and outlined the blocks and the designs, not perfectly but it was good practice to try and follow them with free motion quilting. I realized after I did that, that I should have closed the top first and then realized I should have sewn the backing on first to get a nice finished edge and then used a blanket stitch to attach the wool back, like I did with the punch needle case. Not the best looking case, but it will suffice for now and it keeps my glasses safe from getting broken.

Here is an example of, what not to do;)