I'm another year older

Happy Birthday to Me!

In honor of my birthday, I will gift myself the chance to finally post last month's wrap-up. How time flies when you're a music director and it's the winter holiday season!

So, November brought me:

This adorable bee cross-stitch picture, which will be a gift for my mother for Christmas.

This flower embroidery, which will also be a gift for my mother.

This crocheted Spiderman hat, which will be a Christmas gift for my nephew, Wyatt.

And this crocheted coffee cup cozy, which will be a Christmas gift for my father-in-law.

Can you tell November was all about gifts? This month has been so far, as well.

I am frantically trying to finish a crocheted yoga bag for a friend.

I am frantically trying to finish a series of embroidered "sayings" for my sweetie.

I also need to make an embroidery project for my brother and his wife and a sewed bag for a friend. 

I have too much to do and so little time! We'll see what gets accomplished, I guess. Stay tuned!

Looking forward to January, I am planning to spend the first couple months digging out my long-time WIPS (works-in-progress) and either finishing them or frogging (unraveling) them. It is time for a clean slate, craft-wise. I plan to finish crocheting a blanket and a shawl and finish knitting a bag for sure, plus I have a scarf and a curtain I want to frog, if I can find them. I would also like to finish a pair of socks (one down, one to go!) and a knitted scarf, plus I have a hand-quilting project and a machine quilting project to be working on. And let's not forget my nålbinding rug!

So yes, the new year will hopefully be a time of cleaning up and finishing things. Let's just see if I can make it to the new year, first. These last-minute presents might make me crazy!

October Wrap-Up

Happy November! T'is the season to start thinking about holiday gift-giving! I've got lists of plans for my loved ones, but we'll see if I get all the crafting done in time. I've pulled all-nights trying to finish Christmas presents in time before, and I certainly don't want to do it again.

Here are my completed October projects. Maybe they'll become gifts for one of you....

I made three baby hats for charity:

I made this pretty floral brooch from a kit, and I hope to make more:

I made this cute cherry brooch from a kit as well:

The rest of my time this month was spent working on my giant blue/white/gray afghan for Christmas. I really want to have it done by November 30, so I suspect I will spend A LOT of time on it this month. I'm a little less than 50% done, so, yeah. Much crocheting is in my future.

I also hope to do some embroidery, sewing, cross-stitching, quilting, and knitting. It's going to be a busy month. 

Happy crafting! Don't forget to check out our Etsy shop!

It's About Time for a Monthly Wrap-Up!

Real life is just getting me! Too much going on in too short an amount of time!

So, I'm sorry for the delay, but here, finally, is my monthly wrap-up for September, plus a preview of what's to come at the end of this month:

I made this cute little amigurumi (crochet or knit stuffed toy) cat for an online challenge:

My beautiful cat Gnat is modeling for me.

I finished this sun hat that I started back in June:

It's not as stiff as I had hoped for. I might try to starch it. If you have any experience with this, let me know in the comments, please!

I loom-knit these teeny baby socks for a co-worker's newborn:

I embroidered this cute little hamster in his hamster ball and then painted the craft-store frame a bright yellow to offset the design:

I used nålbinding to start this rag rug:

It's only about 30% done, but it's going to be great!

I also started this crochet afghan:

It's a Christmas present, so I hope to have it done by then. It's going to be enormous, so I hope I can pull it off!

I also spent time cutting out more pieces for our stitched boxes. 

This month so far I've made a hand-stitched flower brooch, a crocheted cherry brooch, I've cut the pieces for a bunch of stitched boxes, and I've cut the pieces for a sewn rooster pincushion. Stay tuned for pictures!

Do you have any ideas for cute things for our Etsy shop? Please let me know in the comments! I'd love to try something new and I'm always looking for suggestions. 

Our Shop is Open!

Our Etsy shop is open! Come check it out here.

I keep adding items whenever I get the chance, so check back often!

The monthly wrap-up is coming soon, so stay tuned for more crafty goodness.

August Wrap-Up

The crafting was very "varied" in August! I worked on so many different things. Here are my completed projects for August:


I finally finished this plastic canvas needlepoint coaster set after years of working on it off-and-on:

I distressed this frame and decorated it with some antique crocheted and tatted trims:

I loved the above project so much that I purchased a wooden letter, painted it multiple colors, and then distressed the wood to let the other colors peek through, then added crocheted/tatted trims:

I cross-stitched this whimsical sign:

And I made this woven basket out of yarn and cardboard:

I already have two crochet projects, a knitting project, and a nålbinding project in the works for this month! Plus I am busily photographing finished objects to put up on our Etsy site that will be live soon. I'll let you all know when we get it up and running. There will be a lot of handspun yarn, fabric boxes, quilting projects, and other fun items for purchase. There will even be fiber from our angora rabbits for sale! We're excited to finally get our products out there, so check back here soon for the announcement!!

Quilted Containers

After last week's craft "retreat" that Mom and I had, we had some great completed projects:

Our first project, a coaster that now lives on my sewing table.

Our second project, a butterfly coaster. We made twelve of them and Mom is sewing them together into a table centerpiece.

Our third project, a cute fabric box.

After diving into these we started thinking about the possibility of selling them. We really want to open an Etsy account and start selling some of our crafting wares, and these would be a great addition. We went out and bought a bunch of fat quarters and a bolt of the heavy duty stabilizer that goes between each piece and I started cutting and basting! Last week I cut out the fabric for nine different containers, including cubes like the one above, smaller cubes, and rectangle boxes. Today I basted them all to the stabilizer (using stitch witchery) and I now have them packed in a nice tin to go to Mom so she can sew them by hand (the technique is called English paper piecing). When we have more done, I'll be sure to show you pictures!

I've also completed a couple other crafting projects this month, but I'll save pictures for the monthly wrap-up. :-) Let's just say that I finished the plastic-canvas needlepoint, a woven basket, and I made a corkboard frame that I distressed and then glued on bits of crochet and tatting. It's very neat.

I've also purchased a couple of cross-stitch projects, a bunch of yarn for an afghan, and a book called Loom Knitting for Mommy and Me purely because it had a sock monkey pillow in it. Expect to see some lovely loom knitting projects in the future.

Oh my goodness!

I somehow convinced myself that I had updated this mid-month last month, and apparently I didn't! Here's what you missed:

Better pics of June's finished project:

And the monthly wrap-up of July:

I finished this neat crewel embroidery-

I finished this embroidered picture-

I made this fantastic card for a friend's wedding-

And I finished my cardigan!!-

I'm currently working on a plastic-canvas-needlepoint project that I've been working on off-and-on for years, the hand-quilting project that I've chronicled on here a bit in the past, and the machine-quilting project that I've mentioned before.

My mother is currently visiting, and today we went to JoAnn's and bought a bunch of materials for some sewing projects. I bought the batting and backing for my finished jelly roll quilt top (the green batik one in past posts), plus the materials to make three purses from a pattern I purchased last spring. My mother bought the materials to make a t-shirt quilt and to make some projects from the book Contain It!

When we returned from shopping this afternoon she and I went down to the craft room and set to work on the first project in Contain It!- hexagon coasters. We cranked out five of them, and we love it! Mom and I cut the pieces, she put in the stabilizer, and I did the stitching. So much fun! I'll share pics soon.

Yesterday she and I spent time looking at two new acquisitions of mine:

A friend picked these up FOR FREE!! The Louet S10 spinning wheel is in near-perfect condition, just needing a couple parts. The four-shaft table loom needed a bit of repair, but I think I fixed everything yesterday. Now to start exploring with it and trying some new projects!

I also purchased two new crafting books on Tuesday. Both of them have some projects I am absolutely dying to make! They are Woven Scarves and Stitched Gifts. Some of you are in for some great Christmas presents! :-)

So, it's been a busy crafting week, and hopefully it will continue to be. I'll take pictures of the fun things my mom and I are working on this week and get them up for your entertainment soon.

Happy crafting!

Still Traveling

We are still traveling for the next week or so, so please forgive me for being late on the monthly wrap-up.

I completed this wool felt applique candle mat:

And I worked away feverishly at several other projects.

This crochet coat (back and front done):

This sun hat (crown done):

And this crewel embroidered design (all done except edging):

Sorry for the awful pictures- I am limited to a webcam right now. When I complete all these projects you will have beautiful photos waiting for you!


Happy crafting!

Mid-month Update

We are traveling, so internet access is a bit spotty. Bear with me this month! :-) I do have some fun things to share, however.

At the beginning of the month my mother and I went on a massive quilt shop hop, hitting 25 shops in just three days, plus four more a week later! Check out my loot:

There is a large number of various fabrics, kits, notions, and books/magazines in that pile! I can't wait to get started on everything.

Then last weekend we were at a sheep and wool festival, and I took the takhli spinning class I mentioned in my last post. I had a great time and took to it quite well! I'll get pictures up when I get the chance.

I'm currently working on:

The crocheted coat I've mentioned in recent posts. (The back is almost done!)

A crocheted sun hat, all in cotton. (Not handspun cotton, unfortunately.)

An embroidered wool felt candle mat. I've stitched beautiful tulips and leaves onto the mat, now I'm chain-stitching the stems. When I have it stitched and backed I'll post a pic.

I'll be in a car for four hours today, so I should get some more crafting done, but I won't have internet access for at least a few days. Hopefully I'll have some things done the next time I have access and I'll be able to get some new pictures up for you.

Happy crafting!

June is Bustin' Out All Over

After a very crazy month and a packed first weekend of June, I'm back! Last month I was extremely busy with my job, having multiple music contests and performances and then wrapping up the school year. Last Friday was my first day of summer vacation, hooray!

Then last weekend I hosted some friends on Friday night and we all went to celebrate another friend's wedding on Saturday. Most of Sunday was spent cleaning up after having house guests and then yesterday evening we went to a nearby town to have dinner with family. It was a great weekend full of friends, family, fun, and laughter, but whew! I need some time to recuperate!

Anyway, during the month of May I was too busy to post crafting updates, but I was certainly still crafting! Here is the monthly wrap-up:

Completed Projects:

I crocheted a series of patriotic bracelets for various countries-

United States of America

Canada

and England (not Great Britain, but the English flag)

(The United States bracelet is all slip stitch, the Canadian bracelet is single crochet, and the English bracelet is double crochet. They are all my own design.)


I sewed a bag from the book One Yard Wonders, fabric purchased from a shop near my hometown:

I tatted a snowflake from the book Tatted Snowflakes:

(This was shuttle tatted.)

And I finished a weaving that was started a long time ago. This belt is woven using weaving sticks:

Not bad considering how busy I was this month! I also started a few different projects this month:

Loom-knit drop-stitch scarf

Crocheted socks (one sock done)

And a three-ply, multi-colored yarn (two singles done)

This month so far I have worked on my 3-ply yarn above, having almost finished the third singles at this point, and I have started the crocheted cardigan that I swatched for back in April. In a couple weeks I'll be taking a takhli spindle spinning class, so look forward to pictures from that in the near future!

As always, if you see something you like, let me know! I'd be happy to make another for you, or to make something similar just for you to see on the blog. :-) Happy crafting!

May Flowers

It's time for the monthly wrap-up!

Completed projects:

Paper-pieced pillow wrap-

 Felt-applique mug cozy-

Star quilt top-

Wee little cross-stitch hedgehog-

Plastic-canvas needlepoint rose coasters-

(I finished two of the six, the others were from last summer!)

Not bad! I also have a couple other things in the works currently. I sandwiched my quilt top with the back and batting, traced on the quilting lines, and have done a teeny bit of the quilting:

I also have a plan to make stitched angora scarves by sandwiching the angora between water-soluble stabilizer and stitching it all together, and I made a sample:

There are a lot of things I don't love about how it turned out, but it was just a sample, so I'll try again and see if I can work out the kinks in the plan.

I also have my jelly roll quilt top started:

I have many strips to sew on yet. I tend to sit down and sew a couple on and move on to something else, so this may take some time.

I also made a new swatch for the crocheted cardigan I'm starting this month because I wanted to see what the stitch pattern looked like with color:

It's going to be a great stash-buster. I'm literally using every bit of worsted weight yarn that I have in the house to make this cardigan. I'm not sure it will be pretty, but it will definitely be comfortable.

Life is really busy right now as the school year wraps up, but I'll pop in and give you an update on my current projects as soon as I can. I'm going to get back into knitting and crocheting almost full-time, so some of these WIPs will be put on the back burner, but they'll still be there waiting for me when I feel the need to sew. :-)

Happy crafting!