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 was able to get a few projects done. I got some new colored pencils and wanted to try them out. I wanted to get the inktense, but they are expensive. I ended up getting Faber Castell's Goldfaber pencils. They are 1.49 a pencil, which is nice since you can choose the colors you want and not waste on colors like white or black. For black I prefer to use their ink markers.

The first piece I made was a design by Cheryl Seslar. I traced the design with a washable embroidery pen, then colored it in with the pencil. The material is a stiff white, that I got for punch needle, but it is too stiff and loosely woven. It was ok, but a bit scratchy for coloring on.

Once I finished that, I used fabric medium and a bristle brush to move the colors around. When wet, they do blend in, so nice for more detailed projects when you want to add shading and mix colors. This was a practice piece, so I kept it simple.

It was too white for my tastes, so I used antique medium afterwards and there was no bleeding of the colors.

The second piece is a free design by Lori Brechlin. I really loved this one, the fabric was darker and softer, so the pencils colored more smoothly. I will have to try different fabrics and techniques, in future projects.

Here are two pieces that I used to try their colorfastness on. The flower was done with a fabric medium, the heart was just colored, so medium used. Once dry, I washed them in dish soap and scrubbed a little, then let dry. As you can see, no color bled out, so either way will work.

This was done with the bad weavers cloth, so you don't get the nicer look that you do on cotton.

Since I love making things from freebies, I decided to make one of my own. I found this saying and it was perfect for Valentines day. I did use the cheap fabric on this too, a good way to use it up. For the stitching I used black #12 pearl cotton. It is a fun and simple project you can do over the weekend.

I hand wrote the saying, so you could do one of your own. It is not exactly like mine, I tend to change things as I go. With primitive stitchery, you want your letters to be a little wonky. I did forget when I was recopying the e's on the third line, so just remember to pull the end down more. You can stitch t he hearts, do appliqué or use buttons, as well. 

And as an added bonus, I found a template online and added the saying inside. You can change it around if you want or add something to the empty spaces, but I wanted to give you one with the shape, that you can use to print out and have fun one.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Day Late Finish!

This week I wanted to try something from a  free pattern by Lori Bechlin, on her Facebook group, The Punch Needle Guild. It seemed simple enough and I thought I could finish it over the weekend. I made it larger than i had planned and I didn't get any work done this weekend, so I got it done yesterday and the finishes today.

I made them to hang on my prim tree for Valentines. I also used what I had in my scrap box, so kept it simple and antiqued it to mottle the colors. I finished it by trimming the edge to 1/4 inch, then I folded that to the back and tacked it down with stick glue. Then I cut out a wool heart and stitched that onto the back of the heart. I made a twisted cord to add to the edge and left enough to use as a hanger. I still have to sew it into a loop and trim the pieces on the front, forgot to do that.

I tried some leaves on one, but I like the one with just hearts, better. I also did them in different sizes. the top one is done in 3 strands of floss and the bottom in 6. I found the 3 strands easier to work with and easier on my arm.

Today was actually warm enough to go outside without freezing. Bean was very happy, even though Dad takes it out during the day, he still wants to play with me.

His soccer ball is perfect to play in the snow with.

Soft enough for me to kick in the air and easy to catch for him.

And who needs a ball when we have all that snow on the ground to throw around.

And when you are stuck in the house, you find ways to entertain yourself. Izzy wasn't thrilled with being my photo model. I used my phone, will have to see what outfits I can get on her and use my good camera;)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

The Ugly Angel: Free Pattern!

I wanted to try an angel and I found a wonderful pattern by CatNap Primitives. She also has a free bunny and other wonderful patterns are reasonable prices. It is a freebie offered on her site, at Patternmart.  If you click on the main menu for patterns, click on free and you will find a lot of other free patterns. I like the idea of making my own but I wanted to try some simple dolls and techniques to get some practice in, it's been a while since I have made dolls.

The original pattern is for a tree top angel, but I wanted to make it for spring, so I changed it up a bit. Then I decided to make a satchel bag to hold flowers, but I made a mess of that. I plan on making a calico one to replace it. It was fun to make, but I definitely need practice on my stitched mouths. I think it would be fun to make them as gifts and customize them, to fit the personality and tastes of the person who receives them, so I will have to work on some of my own ideas. I do have doll patterns and a doll clothing book so I can do different styles.

Another mistake I made is, I forgot, if you wet the piece first, do not saturate it with stain, it tends to pull up in blobs. I was able to tone it down a bit by rinsing it back out.

Tomorrow we are getting a storm. It was a blizzard, then a storm, then it went from 15" down to 6" in our area, so I am not complaining. But, we all know weather has a mind of it's own, so we shall see how bad it gets. Of course I had to get out for supplies, crafting ones, lol. Today we got food items so we are all set. I hope everyone stays safe and warm if you are in the storm's path.

Friday Stitcheries!

This week I worked on two stitcheries by Kathy Schmitz. One will be a gift and one is for me.

The stitch piece is from Kathy's One Stitch at a Time Club. You can still sign up and for 2.00 a month, you get a stitchery each month. A fun project to look forward to each month. It is a needle case. The birdhouse is a hanger which I will use as a welcome on the peg rack and leave open so I can fill it with scented berries. The stitchery can be found on Kathy's Blog as a freebie, make one for yourself and it would make a wonderful gift for friends.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Monday Finish!

I decided not to post on Friday since I didn't have anything to show. I seem to have over did it and all my joints from my hip to my neck are out of alignment and so painful, I have been laying on the couch since then. It is frustrating for me since I hate laying around and if I have to, I need something to keep my hands busy but I was flat out, most of the time.

Yesterday I was able to move more so I got my snowmen ready to finish and was able to finish the rest today. It is for my sister so I kept it fun and brighter. I like how it has a prim feeling but also fun and a pop of color with the off white stitching. The one problem I had was, getting the blue ink off, it went through 4 rinses and it is still there so I may have to add a bit of stain to see if that will tone it down. I used a fabric that may not have been all cotton, so that could be it.

The designs can be found at Christmas Coloring Pages. They have a lot of different designs and lots of similar ones that can be used to make a mini quilt or a larger one. It is a bit wonky from shrinking up, but I will be rewashing it and then I can block it better.

I also got a new photo of my sweet grandsons, I sure miss Nick and I can't wait to meet Alex, but they are not due home until September. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and hopefully I can get out more next weekend, I do miss paddling and was hoping to get out more this year.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on a rabbit quilt from a free design by Cheri Saffioti. She is offering her old designs and free ones on her Facebook page, Quilts by Cheri.  She gave us the bunny with basket and then I change it up a bit, and added the saying and extras. The chicks I added when I saw another guest who did hers with two chicks and loved that idea.

The saying is something I came up with when I saw a quote by Martin Luther King, I took the first line and added the rest to fit my piece. This is the finished quilt, walnut stained after I finished it.

Here is what the piece looked like, before I stained it. It is easier to see the details and colors in this one. I always prefer the stained piece, that is more my style. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, looks like we may get snow again.

Monday Finishes!

This weekend didn't go as planned, both Bill and I woke up sick, so we spent the weekend at home. The good thing was, free HBO this weekend so we watched movies and I worked on some stitching.

I am having fun making stitcheries from the kindred Spirit's books, and made two more pieces, this time I made them into pillows. I think they would be great bowl fillers or a shelf sitter, great to tuck into those primitive gatherings and nice for gifts.

I added the X's and 1,2,3; I have an obsession with filling in empty space;)

Also, if you like free patterns. Theodora Cleave has the last of her free patterns. They are additions to the original ones that she offered. The designs can be done in a quilt or as small quilts since the designs stand on their own.

Weekend Wonderings!

Well, I am in a cynical mood tonight, I had fun plans with Nick for the weekend, and on Friday night I got hit with The flu that is going around. I was ok on Saturday, I was sick and weak but used my energy for Nick and Bean and I even fell asleep with Nick when he took a nap.

Bill had to work the weekend so no help there. Today he took the day off, no help there, haha. He did take Bean out for me, that I could  not do, too weak and woozy. And he cooked french fries and hamburgers, not what I really wanted, but I ate it anyways;)

So, Saturday had it's up and downs and fun memories with Nick, Sunday my son pulled a muscle so told me he wasn't dropping him off, even though the fact that I was sicker from pushing it on Saturday, that wasn't part of the equation;)

I am on meds and vitamins and my body is on overload and I cannot stand sitting still all day, so hopefully I can get my energy back tomorrow and work on some new projects.

I was out of apples and I knew I needed them now, so we took Nick to the local orchard. The apples are not that great, a bit small and not as fresh, but still better than the store's.

Nick loved it, he loves apples and walked around saying apple, apple, apple. Grandpa helped him pick his own apple.

He had his own two apples, he was not letting them go. This is a place that you pay by the bag, so we had a full bag and Nick's two, just try and stop us, haha.

Just walking and kicking the leaves, being a boy.

I am not sure if he has ever seen a chicken, but he was laughing and loving their antics. We also spent the day playing with Bean and they are becoming best friends, Bean even put some of his balls in Nick's wagon and he never shares.

Do you like free patterns and looking for a fun gift to make for your dog loving friends? Check out Connecting Threads and sign up for their newsletter. They are offering a free pattern each week and this week, they have a scottie dog placemat. Once you sign up, you can also look through their pattern archive.

Not Much Monday Giveaway!

I didn't get much done this week, though I am working on a pillow piece for a gift. I had to redo the lettering since it was small and two strands was too much for the closer letters.

I was going through some old photos and found one from a trip to New Hampshire. We took our nephews, Phillip and Dave to Lost River Campground and my parents stayed at another campground. This would have been in the late 70's and we slept in tents.

I have no idea what we had done that day or why everyone looks like they lost their best friend, but it is fun to remember the early camping days.

For this giveaway, I will give away an Epattern or booklet from my Ecrater site. For fun, try and write a caption for this photo. The funniest caption will win a free pattern and I will draw a name from all the entries for a free pattern, so there will be two winners! I will draw a name on friday night and announce it, that night.

Friday Freebie!

This week I hit 500 followers and I wanted to thank all of you who visit my blog with a little gift to make for Easter. I found the design in an old book that I found in a thrift. It is called A Treasury of Needlework Designs by Martha Zimiles.

I took a flower design and remade it to fit the egg shape and a few vines. I got the idea last minute, so I just made it up today and I think it would be fun to do it in different shades and edgings. The wool for the egg is a loose weave, white with flecks of easter colors but the flash washed them out. I didn't think it would sew well on the machine so I hand stitched it with a blanket stitch.

A trick I learned, when trying to trace a design onto light wools or felts, draw your design in a thick sharpie, it will show through on a light box. I like to trace the design with a blue washable marker, so I can place the pieces as I got and not have to worry about placement.

When I use a blanket stitch, I use a few pieces of batting and add stuffing between that so I don't have to worry about the stuffing coming through the spaces.

Here is the design I made up for the appliqué egg, you may use it in other mediums, as well. I am thinking it would be fun to needle felt one and use some of my variegated roving.

I also finished my BOM by Stacy of Buttermilk Basin. I really like how it came out and can't wait to see what next month's block will be.

The puppy magnet is a free pattern that can be found at Apine Industriose. I used two in mine, one in front and one in the back, so it can hold up heavier pieces like this.

Monday Freebie: Easter Bunny Punchneedle Egg

I was going through my old files and found a bunny that I had made for a group booklet, that we did years ago. We each did a pattern and everyone that made a pattern, got a booklet with all of the patterns in it.

The bunny has two flowers in the original and I wanted it to fit an egg shape, so I redesigned it a bit to fit. I started it yesterday and finished it today, and I used what i had in my scrap box. I finished it off with a twisted cord of green and yellow.

The background was done is varying shades of pale yellows, then I stained it with walnut, and the flash lightened it back up. The finished egg is about 6" x 4 1/2".

You are welcome to use the design for your own use or sell the finished product. Please do not share or pass around in groups or make multiple items for sale at shows. I would love to see your finished pieces, mine is a bit of a mess since I rushed it and didn't think it out;) You can use it for appliqué or hooking, as well as stitchery.

I redrew the design and my hand was not connecting with my brain, so it is a bit off in shape.

Friday Freebies!

This week I got several free patterns and made them into punch needle pieces. I was hoping to finish these but as usual, time slipped by and they will have to wait for the weekend. I think a good goal for me this weekend, is to finish all of the pieces I have made this month.

The first is a free design by Kelley of With Hook & Needle. If you haven't checked out the new groups on Facebook lately, there are several groups for all types of textiles arts. This freebie was offered on the group, The Out of Hand Rug Hooker's Group.

I kept my simple and will make it into a hanging pillow. I will also antique it a bit and add yarn cording.
It is a bit bright since I used flash, but I like using brighter colors when I know I am going to age it. Then again, I may keep him as is, it all depends on who I give him to and if they like prim or fun colors.

The next pieces are designs by Ginger of Primitives By The Light Of The Moon. She offered 4 free snowman designs that you can use for the holidays and I did two of them. My plan is to stuff them lightly and make hangers so they can be used as ornaments or hung on pegs, if the recipient wants.

If you would like more fun things to make, visit Michelle from The Raspberry Rabbits. She is offering a free ornament tag each week, so be sure and sign up for her blog. My sister likes rabbits, so these will be fun to do and put in her Christmas card.

Another great gift idea or maybe for yourselves is a bowl holder. I love making soup and I do reheat it in the microwave, so the bowl gets hot. I like to eat while I watch tv, so this will be a nice way to hold the bowl without burning my hands and a great gift idea. You can find the tutorial at 2 Little Hooligans. We can thank Allie - Oops Sweet Happy Life for finding this wonderful tutorial.

Snowman Candle Mat Free Pattern!

Today Jenny of Jenny of Elefantz found the pattern for the snowman mat, that I stitched. She was wonderful enough to do a search and now everyone can use it to make their own mat. Be sure to visit Jenny and thank her for taking the time to help out and she also has a lot of wonderful patterns of her own and freebies that she shares with her visitors so be sure to sign up for her newsletter.

You can find the design for the mat, among others at: Daily Coloring Pages.

Friday Finishes ….. Almost

It as a slow week this week, but I did finish a new punch needle piece. My friend Kelley sent me a pattern, a few years ago and I decided it was time to finally do it. The design is by Brenda Gervais and she put hers on a hornbook. I am still deciding on how I want to finish mine, I need to go down to my supplies and see what fun things I have to mount it on or maybe make my own.

I still need to age it a bit, I don't want to darken it too much but I want it to look old. I used different heights on this one, so the letters stick out a little more and the light background is at the shortest height.

Today I sat around waiting to feel better so I could clean the house, that never  happened. I gave up and started a new punch needle. This is a freebie from Robin of Bird In The Hand Primitives. She has put up two freebies, so check them out, both are fun to do in any medium.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Make it Monday: Bunnies!

I have been wanting to make some little bunnies to add in my baskets and bowls, so today I tried a couple. The pattern I got the idea from is from a russian site, but it does have a translator on it. The site is called Full Moon: The Edge of the Soul and she shows you the ones she made and a little tutorial, but it is easy enough to figure out and I just drew up my own template and used that. I think it is a great design to have fun with and make with different fabrics and change it to make it your own or custom make it for others.

Another idea that I got from Urban Threads is to make little bunnies and give them as gifts. She makes up little bunnies and leaves them in places like a library shelve, for someone to find. She adds with a tag  on hers with a name and information on the bunny, sounds like fun.

You can find her bunny design and idea under freebies at Urban Threads.

Here are my two bunnies. I had to put the faces on after I made them, so next time I have to remember to do that first, then I can use buttons or beads for eyes. The bunny on the left was made from my old pant material and the one on the right is a felted wool that I found in a thrift store, so great for scrap fabrics too. I couldn't tell how much walnut stain I had on them so the one bunny came out with dark spots.

Free Valentine Cross Stitch Pattern!

I was playing around with my card design and thought it would be a nice cross stitch pattern. This is free to use and you can change it around if you would like for your own use. Nothing fancy, but I think this would look nice on a heart shape or a pillow to hang on a peg rack.

The design is done on 18 count, basic colors were used but you could use variegated colors to give it more movement. I hope you enjoy making the design and would love to see your finished pieces.

I also doodled on the drawing and colored it in for those of you who would like to make an appliqué or stitchery from the design.

Primitive Stitchery Tree and Giveaway Prize!

I wasn't too pleased with how my tree came out so I tried a new version and I like this one, much better.
This time I reduced the saying and stitched it onto a piece of tea stained muslin, then I sewed that onto a  green homespun ticking. I still could not find good stars at the store and remembered I had some rusty tin stars. I attached it with a glue gun, and I think it was the perfect touch for the tree.

You are welcome to use the design in the previous post and make this version, as well.

Last week I was one of the lucky winners of Ginger's giveaway. Ginger of Primitives by the Light of the Moon picked my name and I got the punch needle kit. It has the design and backing, plus all of the wool thread to make the dancing rabbits. The wool threads are gorgeous, Ginger does a beautiful job on her hand dyed threads, really nice variations and shades. This will be so fun to do over the holidays for a fun project that I can use in the spring. I think I will make mine into a little pillow.

Winner and Friday Freebie!

Someone mentioned that it looked like I was giving Nicholas away, lol. No, no way am I giving him up, he is my little sweet heart. He is over tonight so his parents can have a fun night at my Son's Christmas party for work. He got his flu shot today so he is spiking fevers and sleeping peacefully now.
Of course I check on him every 5 minutes to make sure he is breathing and not getting too hot;)

Now for the winner.... #3..... Sandie is the winner! Sandie, please email me with your choice of epattern or booklet and congratulations.

I wanted to make a little something to share with all of you and I just love this saying. I made it on a Christmas tree shape so I can sit it on a shelf or basket. Since Nicholas is sleeping, I cannot use my scanner without waking him up, so please forgive the sloppy graphic, but it will print out well enough to use as a guideline.

This is how mine came out. I rushed it to get it done, and my sewing is a bit off, but it gives me an idea of how it looks and ideas for new ones. I used green weavers cloth for mine. You can use muslin as well or you can use wool or darker fabrics and wash away embroidery papers. I did one snowflake and then decided I like the simpler ones, that is why one is different;) I also need to add a star, hopefully I can find some tomorrow, while I am out.

This is the template I used. I drew my lines on the fabric with a ruler, then rounded off the corners. After I traced the design onto the fabric, I put a thick piece of batting behind it for the stitching. I also added a thick piece for the backing to give it support and added more stuffing after I turned it inside out.  I left an opening on the base of the trunk and stitched that by hand when I was done stuffing it. I added watered down walnut ink to age it. You can also add mini buttons, or bird buttons, as well. Have fun and I hope you enjoy my pattern.  Baby is awake, so time for grandma to go, if I forgot anything, please fell free to email me.

After I finished the saying, I cut out the shape by using a ruler and cutting 1/2" from the line. That is why I had more room for my snowflakes, so you can add them where you want.

Blogaversary Winners!

I really enjoyed reading all of the misadventures of everyone's vacations, I think we all have those. I have been taking my meds and finally starting to feel human again, so hopefully it will stay that way. This weekend I got to see my sweet grandson twice, so that is always a mood booster. 

Since this is my five year anniversary of blogging, I wanted to have an extra prize for the person who brings the most traffic to my site. The winning website is Quilt Hollow, so Mary will be getting a little surprise package in the mail, as soon as I make another one;)

The winner of the prize package, which has a couple of extra goodies added to it is: Jean at Prim Crafts!

And for a third prize, the winner gets their choice of one of my epatterns or booklets. The winner is Cathy of Acorn Hollow!

Congratulations to the winners and thank you for all of your wonderful comments and support. I am hoping to get back into creating this year, so look for some new patterns and I will also try to do freebies when I can as my gift to all of you. 

Jean, please email me with your address so I can mail out your package and Cathy, email me with your choice of epattern.