Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. It seems that no matter how far away Christmas may seem throughout the year, those last 4 weeks fly by. Although I’m sure all of you know that we keep a pictorial gallery of our past crafts, it can be accessed by hitting to Freebie button at the …
Several weeks ago a reader asked me for a applique block for a cardinal. I finally got it done 🙂 Although we have cardinals in our backyard year round, they look their loveliest in the winter world. Here, we have a male cardinal perched in a tree. I’m sure he has his eye on …
I do not normally post on the weekend, but this morning I came across this pattern for a beautiful pair of mittens (which can be found HERE): and was dying to find out if my local yarn shop carried this yarn/color. (It is Crystal Palace – Mini Mochi, #101 – Intense Rainbow.) …
Part 1 – Think Before You Stitch – can be found HERE Part 3 – Corners and Sewing 2 Pieces Together – can be found HERE I more or less taught myself to blanket stitch by looking and doing. It was after I had been using the blanket stitch for a while, that I went in search of “how …
Before we even pull out our needles and thread, let’s talk a little bit about the purpose and structure of a blanket stitch. Blanket stitches are often used to finish an edge. The stitch creates an interlocked thread that runs on the edge of the fabric. Think of a serger sewing machine. Sergers overcast a seam’s …
How would YOU like to become a Blanket Stitch Whiz? One of the most common questions I receive is, “How do you get your stitches so even?” Well, my normal reply is practice, practice, practice, and although that is true, over the years, I have developed some habits that have helped me improve my blanket …
The other night at the Pumpkin Carving Party, my SIL Jennifer, was telling me about these paper bag trees she made with her Brownies. I must have looked like I was lost in the muck and mire because she finally said, “Geeze… just get me a paper bag and I can show you …
A couple of weeks ago I got a request for a squirrel applique. I realized it has been a while since I added any new applique blocks. Yikes! I really can’t believe I haven’t included a squirrel sooner. Our backyard is teaming with wildlife… totally encouraged by us. We provide year round water and food …
You should NEVER let me set foot in a yarn shop when I have other things to do. A few days before Drew, Meghan and the Little Lady came for a visit, I stopped at the shop to pick up some yarn I needed for another project. I had actually paid my bill, was getting …
When I was working on the Paperclay Leaves last week, I was absent-mindedly rolling some of the cut-away clay in my hands. Before I knew it, the blob was shaped into a peg form. Well, it took me about 3 seconds to decide to make some gnomes. What a shocker, right? Anyway… I ran a …
Last week I shared Paperclay Leaves – Part 1. Today, we are going to finish the project by painting and sealing the leaves. After that, you’ll just have to decide where they should fall! I made 12 leaves, and put them on my Harvest Cupboard. They look so beautiful I want to make more for …
Surprise! I’m not a great secret keeper (understatement noted), so it’s been driving me crazy not to share the progress of our new web design with you guys. I must admit I had very little to do with the actual change… it was all Michelle’s design and Tim’s computer skills. My contribution? Michelle would hold 2 things …
