American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast Dec. 4

I have big news! Pat Sloan, host of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast, invited me to be a guest on her show! My interview was recorded a few weeks ago, and it will be available on Monday, December 4 at 4 pm Eastern Time (3 pm Central, 2 pm Mountain, 1 pm Pacific).

I admit, I was mildly terrified, but Pat was super nice. We had a great chat about the WoolFelt projects I've designed for American Patchwork & Quilting and Quilts and More magazines--and other needlework topics. The show features interviews with three other designers too. I'll post a reminder next week with a link to the podcast, so please stop by again.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is less than a month away, so if you plan on making some of your gifts by hand, you better start crafting! To give you some inspiration, I've once again rounded up some of my favorite, gift-worthy projects from the blog. Some are simple; some require a bit more time and skill. Click on the link below to visit each project's original post.

1. Mini Felt Robots: Sew these tiny robotsfrom felt, buttons, and snaps, and give them to a robot-loving kid or a grownup sci-fi fan.

2. "Animal Crackers in My Soup" Pillow: A sweet appliqued pillow for a child's room, even if they're much too young to remember the song that inspired it.

3. Cross-Stitched Summer Cap: The weather may be frightful, but the gardeners on your list are already thinking about planting and weeding.

4. Appliqued Butterfly Picture: For someone special on your holiday list--pretty appliqued and embroidered butterflies that are worth the time and effort they require.

5. Jelly Jar Sewing Kit: This cute sewing kit comes together in minutes and makes a thoughtful stocking stuffer for an aspiring crafter.

6. Seashell Hoop Picture: Know a beach-lover or a fan of seashore decor? Stitch them a pretty appliqued seasell and frame it in a hoop.

7. Pink Retro Telephone Pillow: This fun pillow celebrates the bygone rotary phone--much more interesting than a cell phone, don't you think? Switch up the felt and fabric colors to match the recipient's favorites.

8, Groovy Goldfish Beanbag Bookend: This cross-stitched beanbag holds books in place and requires no feeding. A perfect gift for your pet-less friends.


If you're looking for more ideas, take a peek at gift roundups from previous years:

2016 Holiday Gift Guide

2015 Christmas Gift Roundup

"Give Thanks" Ribbon Banner

When it comes to gift boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon, I have to admit I'm a bit of a hoarder. When I received a gift last year tied with this burlap wire-edged ribbon, I knew I had to cross-stitch something on it. I stashed it away and waited for inspiration, which came to me this year as autumn approached. The result is this simple "Give Thanks" design, which can be used as a mini banner on a Thanksgiving table. 

The ribbon I used is 22 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide, and has about 14 strands to the inch. I used all six strands of embroidery floss and worked over two burlap strands, which suited the size and weave of my ribbon perfectly. The finished size of your cross-stitching will depend on the ribbon you use. Experiment with a small swatch until you get the look you want. If you want to create a more refined design, use fewer strands of floss or try working over a single fabric strand. If you're working with a wide ribbon, and you want your individual cross-stitches to be more prominent, try cross-stitching over four fabric strands.

Of course, you don't have to use a ribbon at all. You can use the chart below to stitch a simple Thanksgiving sentiment on any type of even-weave fabric, Aida, or linen. I used DMC embroidery floss in the following colors: #900 Dark Burnt Orange for the lettering, #3852 Very Dark Straw for the acorn bases, #780 Ultra Very Dark Topaz for the acorn caps, and #520 Dark Fern Green for the leaves. 

By the way--I'll be much too busy cooking, eating, and visiting to blog next week. I hope you will all be doing the same! I'd like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving--and to offer my sincere gratitude for your kind support of my little corner of the crafting world.

Please stop back on November 27th to check out my annual Holiday Gift Guide.

Embroidered Felt Pumpkin Leaves

Halloween may be over, but pumpkin season is still in full swing. Pumpkins make perfect Thanksgiving decor, but I wanted a way to dress mine up to make it centerpiece-worthy. Since the pumpkins I found at the store were stripped of their vines and leaves when they were harvested, I decided to make some leaves to give my pumpkin a fresh-from-the-field look. The front of the leaves are embroidered with veins stitched with DMC floss; the backs hide the ugly side of the embroidery and make the leaves extra sturdy. I used a length of chain-stitched green yarn to make the vine that connects the leaves, but you could also use ribbon or twine.

To make a pair of pumpkin leaves, you'll need felt (I used WoolFelt from National Nonwovens in Blue Spruce and Sandstone), gold embroidery floss, green yarn, a sewing needle, a crochet hook, and scissors of course. Print the pattern below to the size you like. The leaves shown in the photos are 4 1/2 inches high and 5 inches wide. Cut two from green felt for the leaf fronts, and two from beige for the leaf backs. 

Use the vein lines on the pattern as a guide for your embroidery. Here's the method I use: trace the lines onto tissue paper, pin the tissue paper pattern onto your leaf, and then embroider on the lines, sewing through the tissue paper and the felt. When your embroidery is finished, pull the paper away gently to reveal the stitches. You may need to use tweezers to remove any stray pieces of paper. I embroidered my leaves in two different ways. On one, I embroidered a single line of split stitch, which creates a delicate look. On the other, I began with a single line of split stitch, and then added lines of chain stitch around it for a more textured look. If you want to keep things simple, you could use backstitch or running stitch.

To assemble the leaves, pin the leaf fronts to the leaf backs. Tuck each end of your "vine" between the felt layers at the base of each leaf and pin them in place. Next, sew the pairs of leaves together with running stitch, sewing about 1/8 inch from the edge. Be sure to stitch the vine ends in place securely.

When it's time to dress your pumpkin up for Thanksgiving, wrap the vine around the stem like a scarf and let the leaves hang naturally to the sides.