A Cute Embroidery

I just saw this cute embroidery hoop art at Flamingo Toes via the Mother's Day embroidery round up at Swoodson Says via Craft Gossip.  

Some Links That May Have Been Posted Previously

These links may have been posted at some time in the past but it doesn't matter since I'm the only one who checks this blog anymore so it really doesn't matter if I repeat myself.

Here are two super cute felt cases you could use for pencils or eyeglasses from Gingermelon.

Check out this post on Anyone Can Quilt and see what her great-grandmother did with her costume jewelry.

I love vintage hankies and have a bunch of them.  Some I bought at flea markets and some I stole from my grandmother (with her permission).  I'm always looking for ideas for what to do with them. I love this hankie valance from Flamingo Toes. Someday in the year 2026, I will make this valance.

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This blog was started in 2007 (!!!) as a way for me to keep track of crafty stuff in my life, and I miss doing that.  I know I made an eyeglass case last year and I have no pics of it or a post about it here.  There's a cross stitch that I have been working on since 2010 and I should post an update on my progress on that too. Even though I have no life, I can still post about crafty stuff like I used to, whether it's my own, or links to free tutorials or patterns.  I miss that!  And, everytime I go looking for something on this blog, it makes me want to get back into it.

Trying to find a random photo to post here . . . here's my dog Pumpkin from September 2016.

Wreaths

I stumbled upon GeorgiaPeachez Wreaths the other day.  The wreaths are made from vintage Christmas ornaments (think the Shiny Brite kind) and I wish I could buy ten of them!

I was just on Facebook and a link to a Retro Renovation article from 2011 about Suzy, the woman behind GeorgiaPeachez, popped up.  That led me to her tutorial for making wreaths.  So, anybody have a bunch of vintage Christmas ornaments I can use?

Check out this other Retro Renovation article on making your own wreath from Suzy's tutorial with 30+ more tips.

And, this article from the same blog about making wreaths with new ornaments from places like Target and Big Lots.

And, be sure to visit the GeorgiaPeachez Facebook page where you will find my favorite wreath.  (So far!)

All of this really makes me want to make a wreath but I am not saying I will do it since we all know it would take years for it to actually happen.

Greetings From Waco Texas

At the end of September, my sister and I left California with our two dogs and drove to Waco, Texas.  This is where I live now.  (My mom & dad arrived by plane a couple days after we got there.)  More on this move later.

While unpacking boxes, I found my old TUSAL jar.  I don't think I added any threads to it since early 2016.  That's when I first packed up some stuff (including my TUSAL jar) that then went into storage and stayed there until it was finally moved to Texas in late September along with everything else I own. (More on this experience if I feel like venting later on.)

In between packing some stuff up in early 2016 and actually moving to a new house in TX, I lived in an apartment for awhile.  I had floss, needles and hoops with me, and did a little stitching.  I saved my thread ends in a little plastic bag.  Tonight I moved them to a new TUSAL jar.  (I love love love Oui yogurt jars!)

Wow.  That picture sucks.

If you want to know more about the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long, go to this post on It's Daffycat.  It's from 2016 but it will explain everything. 

I have to go to bed.  More later.

Frankie the Safety Pins Keeper

I recently moved and most of my stuff is in storage until I move again, (hopefully that will happen at the end of this month), but one thing I did not pack away is some safety pins because you never know when you will need one.  And, yes, I could go buy some if I needed any in the near future, but the point of this post is I found a neat way to store your safety pins.  Meet Frankie the Safety Pin Keeper.  I love him!  (I'm going to label him as a needlebook even though he technically isn't so I can find him when I'm ready to make one.)
I think he could double as a Halloween decoration too.  

P.S.   I just found this piggy bank on the onelmon blog (home of Frankie).  Must make this too!  

Katrina Memory

After Hurricane Katrina, I was in an online group that reunited animals with their owners.   I've been thinking a lot about that thanks to Harvey.  I wanted to save this post from my old blog.  The links no longer work. Posted on 11/1/05:

I forgot to call the cemetary about the gravedigger. Fortunately, Diane, a nice lady who volunteers at a San Diego-area animal shelter, did.

The Rancho Coastal Humane Society has a Lab Shepherd mix that was rescued from New Orleans. The address where the dog was found wasn't valid so Diane found a street name that was similar and then matched a name to that adddress: Roosevelt McGuire. When she told me his name, I immediately googled it. One of the hits was an article in The Times- Picayune about the city cemetary for the indigent in New Orleans from December 1993, and guess who was quoted? Mr. McGuire, the gravedigger.

Wrapped in body bags and placed in plywood coffins, the dead brought to Potter's Field are allotted one blessing. They are never buried in the rain."We can always wait for good weather 'cause there's never a funeral," said Roosevelt McGuire, a gravedigger at the city cemetery for the unclaimed, unwanted and those whose families are unable to pay for burial. "If it's raining, we just call and tell them at the coroner's office to wait till another day."

I decided to call the cemetary the next morning and ask if Mr. McGuire still worked there. The article nearly 12 years old but you never know.

I went back to my Google results and found a second article, dated 2003, about hogs running wild in the cemetary, and once again, Mr. McGuire was quoted:

But Resthaven caretaker Roosevelt McGuire thinks the hogs are not wild but are the property of someone who owns a business along Old Gentilly Road, a stretch of roadway spotted with car-crushing businesses and junkyards. McGuire said the hogs are more of a nuisance than a danger to bodies living or dead. The beasts are "looking for roots, not bodies," he said. "They couldn't dig up a grave," he said. "But they're messing up the graveyard. I run them out of here every time I see them. We've got to get rid of them."

Not only did he still work there, but he had been promoted.

The plan was to call Resthaven Memorial Cemetary and see if we could get a hold of Mr. McGuire and find out if he owned a dog or not.

Well, Diane called and was told that he had worked there until last December when he became ill. The lady she spoke to wasn't sure if he still lived in his house or had moved into a nursing home. I've looked on the evacuee and the patient locator lists and have not been able to find out any information about him. So, we're kind of at a dead end with this one. No pun intended.

Werewolves of Wild Olive

I was looking for something Halloween-y to make this weekend and found two good ones on Wild Olive.

One is a no-sew Werewolf Hoop Art project and the other is a trick-or-treating werewolf embroidery pattern. 

I can't wait to get started!

Soft Pretzel Pincushion

I love soft pretzels, especially the kind you buy from the guy on the street corner in Philadelphia.  I also love pincushions, especially ones made from felt. Here's a felt pretzel pincushion from A Beautiful Mess that you and I can make.  Woohoo! [Via Craft Gossip Sewing blog] 

The Bunny I Made in 2011

In January 2011, a tutorial for a Fluffy*Stuffy Bunny was posted on Allsorts.  I made one in April of that year and blogged about it months later.  I just found a May 2012 draft post with some photos of my bunny. I'm posting that now in case anyone wants to make one for Easter.  Thank you, Jenny, of Allsorts for keeping your blog up so the links still work!

I think my bunny looks more like a bear but I still love her.  Here's my dog, Pumpkin, with my bunnybear.

Number Two Post Of the Year

I posted three times in 2016 and I hope to beat that record this year. Welcome to the second post of 2017.  

While going through my email, I found three things I wanted to share.  I'm not sure how or when I discovered The Spruce but I'm now getting their newsletter.  Looking around their website led me to this cute bunny embroidery from Mollie Johanson of Wild Olive fame.

And, the Printable Hexagon Floss Minder is also from Mollie and on The Spruce.  When I have a lot of floss to use for a project, I make my own floss minders by punching holes in old scraps of cardboard. Mollie's minders are much nicer and neater.  

One more embroidery pattern from Mollie:  Funky Farm Friends

And, if you have some time. check out The Spruce.  There's some neat stuff over there. Not just crafts, but recipes, pet care, and home decor.

I Need Cake!

Hello, I'm Patty, and this is my blog.  Tonight, I'm checking out all the links I have bookmarked, trying to find a recipe for a fruit crisp cobbler.  (I don't know why I titled this post "I Need Cake" because it's a cobbler recipe I need.)  So far, the recipe has not turned up, but there are lots of saved links to stuff I planned to make some day (yeah, right) so I've decided to post them here.  I've also discovered I have about twenty draft posts and I want to clean them out too.

First up, is a wreath made of hankies.  This is a great way to display your hankies if the idea of cutting up and/or sewing them freaks you out.  That would be me.  I think I might be able to cut the ones I've bought at flea markets and thrift stores, but no way could I do that to the ones I stole from my grandmother.  On the other hand, I would totally make a quilt out of my grandmom's hankies.

I really like this idea of a hankie bunting.  All you do is iron them and hang them up. So simple!  And, no cutting hankies!

Every Christmas, I try to make my mom some kind of ice skate ornament.  (When she was a kid, she was obsessed with Sonja Henie.)  Here's a tutorial for making a felt one.

I just like this bat coloring page.

Love this Christmas garland made from pipe cleaners and beads.  

Ok, I need a little break from clicking links.  This is Cha Cha, my last favorite dog at the shelter.  I love her and was ready to sneak her into my car and take her home with me the other day. She was available for adoption but was rescued the other day.  I heard she already has an interested adopter.  

Back to links:  this is a cute hedgehog pincushion.  My friend shares the cutest hedgehog videos and projects with me all the time.   If you love fashion blogs, check hers out at A.k.A. Ms. Smarty Pants. 

I love this little tote for carrying your stitching supplies.  You'll have to click the link for the Embroidery YOU Tote Time, right at the top of this page, to get to the pdf of the pattern. 

Could these felt stockings be any cuter?!  I seriously need to make them.

Here's a felt snowglobe from Bugs and Fishes.

And, one more:  an adorable mini card wallet via Craft Gossip  

I still haven't found the recipe I'm looking for and I have more links to share so I'll be back soon.  

Speaking of Needlebooks

I found another needlecase I'd like to make some day.

Felt Needle Case from Sum of their Stories 

Another Needlebook Pattern

Still going through email and checking links...

I really like this felt needlebook from Simply Vintage Girl.

There are links to that needlebook project and to some others on this Tipnut page.

It's Alive!

I haven't posted a thing since last November but I refuse to let this blog die.  I have so much info here that I won't remember if I do away with my blog.  Quick!  When did I break my knee the first time? How about the second time?  I couldn't tell you but I can find the answers on my blog.  I don't want to lose being able to do that.

I haven't touched a needle and floss in months.  Or a piece of felt.  I REALLY miss it.  And, I don't know if I will ever make this cute little felt pouch for holding an embroidery project but I'm still going to link to it.  Because I like it.  And, I'm an optimist.  I have hope I will make it some day.  And, then pigs will fly.  That project is called Keep Your Stitching in a Project Pouch and it's from Mollie Johanson of Wild Olive.  It was posted on the embroidery page on about.com.

Anyone remember how to create a link?  Hmm.  Guess I could click where it says "Link."

The Go Anywhere Case from  Clever Charlotte is cute too.  More felt.

One more thing:  do you live in Orange County CA and are looking to adopt an 8 year old Lhasa Apso mix with a super cute underbite?  Well, then Max is just what you're looking for.  He's available from OC Animal Care in Orange CA.  I had him out for a walk the other day.  He is a total sweetheart.

Max (ID A1379368 ) was adopted over a year ago and then he came in a couple of times after being picked up as a stray.  His owners always came to bail him out then but not this last time so he's looking for a new home.  He's friendly, happy, good on a leash, seems to get along with other dogs  and likes to be right by your side.  This shelter photo really shows off his underbite.

I'll be back again soon.

Make A Felt Turkey Times Two

Sew Mama Sew has a tutorial for a cute felt turkey.  

And, in 2009, I made this felt turkey from an applique pattern on Wee Folk Art.  Mine is 3D!

Gobble gobble!

And, Wee Folk Art, I'm glad six year old links to your site still work in 2015.  So many links here on Pip Stitch are to blogs that no longer exist.

From Old Television To New Dog Bed

This is such a great idea!  Take an old console TV and turn it into a cozy spot for your dog.  The tutorial is here at Craft Shack (must explore this blog more). 

Here's Pumpkin on her bed: