Crafty New Year!

It's hard to believe 2017 has come to an end. What a crafty year it's been! I shared a bunch of needlework projects here on the blog. (Here's a peek at some of my favorites--I hope you enjoyed them!) I continued to pursue my passion for cross-stitch and hand sewing, and was fortunate enough to have some of my designs published in Just CrossStitch, Quilts and More, Make It Yourself, and Craft Ideas magazines. Back in the summer I had a great time when the editors at American Patchwork and Quilting invited me to take over the APQ Instagram for a weekend. Probably the biggest thrill of the year was being interviewed by Pat Sloan on the APQ Quilting Podcast.

As a needlework designer, I'm always looking for something new to try. In 2017, I tried something old and rediscovered my love of crochet. One of my designs was featured in Crochet! Winter Warmers. Some of my other crochet creations are scheduled for 2018 issues of other magazines. I'll keep you posted.

I'm looking forward to see what the new year holds. I think my biggest challenge of 2018 will be finding the time to make all of the cross-stitch, crochet, and hand-sewn felt designs that are bouncing around in my brain. I hope you'll continue to follow my crafting adventures in 2018. Happy Crafty New Year, everyone! I appreciate your interest and support more than you'll ever know.

Mistletoe Garland Scarf

Is it a scarf? Is it garland? Yes! You can use this easy-to-crochet strand of mistletoe to deck the halls--or to deck yourself out for the holidays. It's worked entirely in chain stitch, slip stitch, and single crochet, so it's a super simple project for crocheters of all skill levels. The pom-poms are tied on when the stitching is finished. I used two skeins of Vanna's Choice yarn from Lion Brand in Kelly Green, one skein of Simply Soft Party yarn from Caron in Snow Sparkle, a size I/9 crochet hook, and a 1 3/8-inch pom-pom maker from Clover.

The extra-long scarf (mine has a length of about 80 inches) is constructed of chain-stitch loops worked on the top and bottom of a chain-stitch base. Follow the instructions below, or click here to download a printable pattern.

To begin, chain 250 with the green yarn.

Row 1: Single crochet in the 20th chain from hook, (chain 16, single crochet in the next stitch) across, ending with a single crochet in the last stitch.

Row 2: Turn work upside. Chain 20, single crochet in the base of first stitch, (chain 16, single crochet in the next stitch) across, ending with a slip stitch in the base of the last stitch. Fasten off.

For the "berries," make 18 pom-poms from the white yarn and tie them to the scarf in an arrangement you like. To finish, weave in any yarn ends.















Ta-da! Your mistletoe garland is ready to wear or display. If you'd prefer to make a holly garland, swap the Kelly green yarn for a darker shade and use bright red yarn instead of white. (I've really got to make one of those myself!)

I'll be taking a break from the blog next week to spend some quality Christmas time with my family. Hope you all are doing the same!

Festive Leaf and Berry Pillow

What's your favorite Christmas color scheme? I like so many, I can't settle on just one, so I use different combinations in different rooms. In the living room, where I display the tree, I go traditional with colors from the forest and nature. The kitchen, which has become the "Santa" room, is decked out in bright reds with pops of blue and other accent colors. In our very casual dining room, I decorate with cool grays, crisp white, silver, and sparkles.

This festive pillow puts a fun twist on the traditional red-and-green holiday combination. It was originally featured in a holiday issue of Craft Ideas magazine. Click here to visit the instructions page on their website. Here's a list of the materials I used: National Nonwovens WoolFelt in Magical Forest 0779, Chartreuse 0715, Spring Tickle 0728, and Red 0923; DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss in Bright Christmas Red 666, Bright Chartreuse 704, and Medium Parrot Green 906; green cotton print fabric; red baby rickrack; and a 14-inch pillow form.

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I love the bold contrast between the red and the light greens--it definitely makes this pillow merry and bright. If this palette doesn't suit your holiday style, switch up the colors to create a pillow that matches your own Christmas color scheme. Happy holiday stitching!

American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast Today

The big day is here! As I told you last week, Pat Sloan, host of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast, invited me to be a guest on her show! My interview will be available today, 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.

Click here to check it out. If you can't listen live, no problem! The podcasts are uploaded to the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast page, so you can listen any time.