The Stitch Up

Christmas Craft-A-Rama

I did my yearly Christmas craft exchange with my friend Teresa this year and the them this year was: garlands!

What I love about this exchange is seeing how we each interpret the assignment. My friend Teresa is so creative and she will often incorporate vintage items into her projects and they end up having a quirky and cool vibe - very much like my friend herself - that I love.

My friend Teresa used a garland she found on Etsy as the base for her design. 

She then modified a Danish pattern for the little trees as the trees were very tiny in the original pattern. She made the trees bigger and then used some of the vintage items she’s collected over the years to ornament them.

My cat is already a big fan.

I wanted to go with a forest friends theme for my garland project and realized that the patterns I have from Alicia Paulson for felt ornaments would work great for this. I made a few changes in order to give everything a cohesive "woodsy Christmas" feel and I also created a fox pattern to add another cute animal to the mix.

I also created a "snowy mountain" pattern, although that is pretty much just a couple of triangles put together!

Once again I love how different our projects are: what inspires us, how we put our own spin on the assignment and how it reflects our personalities. If you’re interested in our past projects you can take a look here, here, and here!

This year, Teresa and I were not the only ones getting crafty. Each year my husband and I trade off on who will decorate the fireplace mantle. I tend to be a little one note: I have a collection of Christmas deer and I usually make them the focus of my display.  Last year I had the deer having an "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party":

My husband on the other hand gets VERY creative. His last installation two years ago was an ode to the Christmas Truce in the Hurtgen Forest during WW2.

This year he completely outdid himself.  He created a full replica of Martinis restaurant from the movie "It’s a Wonderful Life".

This is our favorite Christmas movie to watch and Martinis is the location of some of the major moments in the movie. My husband made the restaurant replica from scratch, adding indoor and outdoor lighting and even a light up "Martini's" neon sign.

The special touches include the “Ask Dad – He’ll Know” sign, which graced the soda shop where a young George worked.

I expect this to be a treasured part of our Christmas decorations for years to come.

We're now in that final few days ahead of Christmas where the gifts have been bought, crafts have been completed, treats have been baked and we are ready to just relax and soak up the season.  Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to all and hoping your holiday crafting has been fun!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

My last Christmas craft for the season.  I finally managed to put the finishing work on some fabric I bought in Paris years ago to use it as a tablecloth.

This is one of those projects that I pull out around the holidays but have never finished.  I actually thought I'd bought more fabric and would need to cut it down to an appropriate tablecloth size, but ultimately it was a bit short of standard tablecloth length.  These are maybe the risks of purchasing fabric in a country where you don't speak the language AND don't use the same system of measurement.  BUT - for my small kitchen table, the size ultimately worked just fine.

Because the fabric was essentially pre-cut this ended up being a VERY quick project.  I used a wide size quilt binding tape to finish the tablecloth and I think it came out really nice.

I like the way this came out.  It is a Christmas pattern but I think I can get away with it for Valentines Day as well?  I like the pattern so much I hate to pack it away for just once a year.  

After all the crafting, baking, shopping and wrapping, we're having a very quiet Christmas and it's a perfect way to start winding down the year.  I hope everyone is finding peace, calm and having a Merry Christmas.

Angels We Have Heard On High!

My friend and I were finally able to do our Christmas craft exchange.  I always love seeing our different takes on the craft for the year.  This time we chose Christmas Angel tree toppers and as always it was a super fun project and really put me in the Christmas mood.

There are a number of different ways to do this.  I used a few different tutorials to get me started and give me some ideas.  If you're interested in this project some good places to start are with a few youtube videos that walk you through the process.  I liked this one from Carly Sunshine Crafts and this one from Mi Cottage Crafts.  You can find the porcelain angel faces and hands on Etsy.  The cone I used is available on Amazon.  My friend actually found a pre-lit plastic cone that she was able to use for the base.

I started with decoupaging a little message onto the cone for my friend.  

I'll say that if you use the paper mâché cone, it might be a good idea to paint it white as it does show through a bit through a white satin or other fabric.  As I ended up layering my fabrics it wasn't too much of a problem.

My friend is Italian so my "vision" was to come up with a design that celebrated some Italian aspects of Christmas.  I came up with a nod to the feast of the seven fishes and a ribbon banner reading "Buon Natale".

I didn't do much sewing.  It was mainly draping and then hot gluing fabric in place.  The only sewing I really did was to embroider the banner and then some fish designs on the back of one of the fabrics.

I loved this angel porcelain doll head I found - she looks like a botticelli angel!  

I layered a green silk on top of the white that I had embroidered with fish.  I'll have to upload my sketch as I included some italian words in the design, but it doesn't show up too well.

I added some additional gold silk over all of it and hope it looks very angelic!

My friend is an avid thrift store aficionado and estate sale pro.  Her take on the tree top angel utilized tons of vintage costume jewelry that she's collected over the years.  The angel she made sparkles and shines even without being lit up.

But when she does light up - she is the perfect Christmas tree topper!

I am fully in the Christmas spirit - I hope you've all had time to enjoy the season and are getting ready to snuggle in for a wonderful holiday!

 

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

I've been busy with Christmas crafts already.  The main project I've been working is a tree topper angel which I'll brag all about once I know my friend has received it in the mail. Just in case my friend stops by the blog ahead of its arrival I don't want the surprise to be spoiled!

In the mean time, I worked on a side craft to compliment the tree top angel to share with our friends that don't get involved in the yearly Christmas craft exchange.  

Angel Wing ornaments!  I thought of this after researching some ideas for the wings of my Christmas tree topper.  I ended up finding a few tutorials on Pinterest, but primarily used this tutorial from Whitewood and Linen.  I also used this wing template from Shop Island Greetings on Etsy.  The author of Whitewood and Linen very optimistically recommended that you could just draw your own wings, but after a few attempts just did not come out the way I wanted, I went with the very nicely drawn template from Shop Island Greetings.

I searched out a quote on friendship and wings, printed it on fabric and attached to the wings.  This was a nice project to use some of the Christmas fabric scraps and fat quarters I have around.  

I packaged them all up with some Christmas treats and sent off to my friends with lots of love.  This year has been long and a bit tough for everyone, especially for two of my friends who are teachers and have been working through all the extra demands this last year has brought.  I hope this small package will bring a smile to their face and remind them how much they mean to me.

Hope everyone's Christmas crafting, planning, shopping and baking is going well!  Excited to share more holiday cheer in the next two weeks!

2020 End of Year Wrap Up

I didn't get as many Christmas crafts done as I had hoped this year however, my friend Teresa and I did do another Christmas themed craft exchange since last years Elf exchange went so well.  This year we decided on Christmas nesting dolls and we got crafty with it.

 

I decided to try making a set of dolls based on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cartoon.  I made Hervey the elf, Rudolph,  Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman and the Abominable Snowman.  I'm not a skilled or practiced painter so I sketched things out a bit before I picked up the paint brush which helped.  Overall this was a really fun project and I'm happy with how everything came out.

 

My friend made a more traditional matroyshka style set of nesting dolls with a Christmas spin and they are so cute!

 

Teresa is pretty amazing with a paint brush.  I don't think the photo captures how perfect the tiniest nesting doll is, but it's amazing.

 

As always I had a lot more crafting planned for the Christmas season.  I wanted to make more progress on the table runner I started last year, plus FINALLY complete the tablecloth I've been planning for years.  But despite the fact that COVID has made this a much quieter Christmas season without as many social obligations, work and trying to get gifts out to everyone in time for the holidays put me off my game a bit. 

 

In general, this year was a learning one for me.  I had what I thought was a great plan to pick out 3 or 4 WIPS to do each season so I could really move through my backlog of projects.  And initially I had some good momentum and thought I'd really cracked the code on working through my stash. That lasted about one season. 

 

The WIPs I chose for the Spring season took much longer than I'd thought they would and it threw off my plan for the rest of the year.  The needlepoint bag and the knitted shawl are both still in progress - although the shawl is much closer to completion then the bag .

 

While I didn't get all the projects done that I'd hoped this year, I did learn quite a bit about pacing myself, setting realistic expectations and accepting that sometimes life will throw the occasional twists and turns that might change my plans.

 

I'm hoping to use all of those lessons in the New Year with my NEW PLANS to work through some WIPs. (Yes I am undaunted by last year!) I'm still focused on using the materials and projects that I currently have rather than buying new items - just another resolution to add to my list for 2021!

 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year that brings health and happiness to all!  See you next year!  (Sorry I can't help myself)

Crafty Christmas

It always seems like I don't completely catch up on Christmas crafting - and can't post about it - until Christmas day every year.  This year I'm even a few days later then that - I blame it on Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year.

Part of it is wanting to wait until the recipients of my crafting have actually received their gift - the other part is I'm usually stitching up until the last possible minute before slapping some gift wrap on whatever I've been making on Christmas Eve.  So - a bit late, but here are a few of the things I worked on for this Christmas:

First up, I did an elf exchange with my good friend Teresa:  We each got the basic face and form to make an elf on the shelf and then designed an outfit.  I decided mine should be "Elfis"

This is the way my friend displayed Elfis when he reached his new home at her house:

This is the elf that my friend made me - his little crocheted coat and shoes are so cute!

I also made ornaments for my nieces again this year.  I made a couple of very cute Christmas llamas from Maisie Moos shop on Etsy.

It was a great pattern and came together pretty quickly.  

My final project was a little something for my husband.  He is always jotting down notes or highlighting the books he is reading so I thought a "pen bandolier" would be a great gift.  I used this tutorial and this was also a pretty quick project to put together.  It makes a nice gift along with a new journal if you're looking for a quick hand made gift to give.

I felt pretty productive despite the fact that Christmas is always a hectic time.  I'm ready now to do a little slow stitching and enjoy huddling with some longer projects while I ease into the New Year - Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year all!

Summer WIPs

I've added a few progress bars to the blog in an effort to keep myself accountable.  I"m listing 3 of the DOZENS of projects that I've started but haven't gotten around to finishing yet.  These should change as I get through each project and move to the next.  I'm hoping to use that endorphin rush from crossing off "to dos"  to my WIP list and plow through some of these more quickly than I have been.

WIP #1 is my design for the Mountmellick Embroidery Competition - the finished project is due in Ireland on September 16th so I am cutting it a bit close.  However my design is on the smaller side, so I think I can get it done.

WIP #2 is a Christmas project.  My friend and I made a plan to each create a Christmas elf and exchange them.  We're using the same basic supplies and then adding our own little flair.

I have a plan and I've got a few patterns to use.  I'm going to try and give some updates on this project without doing a reveal until I can send the finished project to my girlfriend.  I've never made doll clothes or anything similar so this will be a something totally new for me.

WIP #3 is a sampler I've been working on here and there for over a year.  I'm a little more than half way done depending on whether I decide to leave the horse just outlined or fill it in.

The first two WIPS have definite due dates - this is just one I'd like to get complete before I move on to the next project.  

Let's see if the progress bars are as motivating as I hope!

 

Christmas Doings

We kicked off Christmas this year right after Thanksgiving with a trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the Christkindlemarkt.  It's a pretty impressive Christmas Market with a bunch of great vendors, local wineries and distilleries, and really good food.

The coolest thing about the market though is that it's located in the old steel works factory which was pretty amazing to see.

When we got back home we got to work on decorating.  The husband took over decorating the mantle this year.  In past years I have broken out my deer collection and gone deer crazy on the mantle.  For reference, my mantle from a couple years ago:

Peaceful and enchanting right?  This year the husband designed what he called "Christmas in Deadwood":

It's a little more violent than the deer display but it's pretty awesome.  There is, in addition to the culturally inappropriate shootout, an impending bear attack.  I'm choosing to believe that all participants stop fighting and sing Christmas carols before anything really dark happens. 

I also designed an ornament pattern this year!  It's a little rough and hand drawn, but it gets the job done.  I'm still working on my adobe skills so maybe next years version will be a bit more polished.  In the mean time, the pdf for this year is here Download Cactus Ornament.

It's a pretty simple ornament - just two parts.  You can really just decorate it however you want.  I took a few pictures as I put it together:

Feel free to get someone to help you with this project -

In addition to my own creation I made ornaments for my nieces using the first of the 12 days of Christmas pattern from mmmcrafts.  This is the partridge and pear tree pattern set:

These were fun to make and the pattern was easy to follow.  I'm not sure I'll make it through all twelve of the  patterns but they are so cute I"m going to try!

I've packed in a bunch of crafts so far but I'm still hoping to knock out a table cloth this weekend.  I do tend to overload my craft schedule around Christmas but there are so many fun things to make I just want to do it all.  

Of course my Christmas preparations were not complete until I broke out all my Christmas salt and pepper shakers.  I did get a little crazy and decorate my little display case to give it some extra holiday pizazz.

Now I'm just down to sending out cards and doing some holiday baking.  Putting this all down in one spot makes me feel kind of productive - but I'm ready for a little relaxing by the tree.  

I hope everyone's holiday is wonderful and peaceful.  Merry Christmas!

 

 

Fall Wrap Up and Christmas Prep

We are firmly into Winter and I didn't post anything about Fall.  Some years are like that but this year in particular has seemed to fly by.  So a quick summary here of Fall and some of the stuff I made in preparation for Christmas.  This will make me feel like I'm starting the New Year all caught up and ready to start fresh - so bare with me!

I finished a few projects on my WIP list.  One was a cowl from a Wool And The Gang kit.  I love the color and it knit up really quick.

The other project was a wedding quilt I had hoped to finish BEFORE we went to the wedding in July, but at least I did finish it up and was able to send it just a couple months late.

I made a couple of trips.  One to central California where I did a short trip up to Sequoia National Park.  I am still awed by the size of the trees.  The whole forest at that elevation feels like something out of a German fairy tale.

We also made a trip to Ohio for Thanksgiving and hit the Kent State University Museum.  They have a really nice costume collection.  They are always rotating new exhibits so I look forward to going back soon.

I went a little crazy with pics there so head over to my Flickr feed if you love historical clothes.  I have you covered!

I made a few Christmas ornaments this year - I actually got them done before Thanksgiving so they kind of count as a Fall craft.

I had to modify a couple of patterns for the tiger and the hippo, but I also made on of Alicia Paulson's ornaments which are always a strong stand-by and require no changes!

I also tried my hand and making infused booze to give as Christmas gifts this year.  

It is...very strong.  I made pear liqueur using this recipe from Larder Love.  I actually like the recipe and her website in general, but I do think I need to play with the amount of pear etc. next time.  I'm kind of addicted to making flavored alcohol after this so I may try experimenting with a whole bunch of different fruits.  I'm still holding out hope that the blackberry bush goes nuts this coming summer and I have more fruit than I know what to do with.  For now, the pear liqueur is all bottled up and being given to unsuspecting friends and family.  

Whoo!  Which brings us to Christmas!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.  It finally feels like I have a chance to catch my breath and it has been a very nice peaceful day.  Looking forward to all that 2017 will bring!

 

Christmas Preparations and Wind Down

Despite not updating the blog about my Christmas preparations, I have in fact been keeping busy getting ready for the holiday season.  I made a couple of ornaments for my adorable nieces:

These are from the wonderful Alicia Paulson.  These are from the Snow Day and Ice Skating Afternoon patterns.  We also did some decorating and tree trimming:

The cat helped:

And I did a little baking for the neighbors:

I made white chocolate cranberry pecan fudge, peanut butter krispie balls, Nutella booze balls and the husband made an apple cider cake.  I saved all the recipes on my Christmas Inspiration Pinterest page if you want to take a look at any of them.

I also have a new favorite ornament.  The teacher from the tatting class I took back in October sent out ornaments to her students.  This arrived just in time to get on the tree for Christmas.

It's really cute and so thoughtful as I know she's a very busy woman.  And such a good thing to remember to stop and think of others even when things get hectic during the holidays.  I hope everyone has a great Christmas!