Shhh, The Dogs Are Sleeping

I started on this last night and didn't get to finish because I had to put two dogs to bed. I swear, this is like having toddlers.

Happy New Year to my three faithful readers!! I hope your holidays were merry and bright, and your New Year's Eve hangover is gone by the time you read this. I figured I'd get in a little blogging while the dogs are napping at my feet. (Yes, Virginia, Ambien does work on dogs.)

Little Miss Shabby is doing a cute embroidery block-of-the-month called Birdie Stitches. You can see the layout for the quilt here and the supply list here. The first block is up on this post.
I love this embroidery freebie of Lulu and her dog, Bear, from Gina at Spot Colors.

That reminds me: I have one little dog who you take out and tell her to "go potty" and she does exactly that. I have another little dog who likes to poop on the pile of pattern printouts on my bedroom floor and then eat it. Lovely. Maybe she's telling me to put those patterns away. Actually, she has only done this once. The pooping on my papers part, not the eating part. She hasn't eaten her last two poops though so maybe she is getting over it.

I'd like to thank anyone who has continued to read this post up until this post.

Over at Tipnut, is a list of links to tutorials to make 24 softies. If I ever get a chance, I will actually go through that list. And, then pigs will fly.

Did anyone watch the Rose Parade? I had it on earlier and realized we (my sister, her friend and I) went to see it in person 31 years ago when I was 16. Frank Sinatra was the Grand Marshal. It amazes me how it never seems to rain during the parade. According to Bob Eubanks, it has rained twice for the parade (I honestly don't remember that) and both times they had a Supreme Court Justice as the Grand Marshal. Interesting.

Needlework Links

Jeez louise. For two hours now, I have been trying to put together a post full of links but my computer is sooooo slow. I have run countless scans and nothing is showing up so I don't know what is going on. I've reached the point of boredom. So here are some needlework links.
More to come later. Much later.

Over at Wooden Sails, there's a nice cross stitch freebie based on an antique fraktur . . . fraktur? Let me Google that. According to Wikipedia, a fraktur is "both a style of lettering and a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch (also known as Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German). Most Fraktur were created between 1740 and 1860." Interesting.

I love this free Fall pattern from Bird In The Hand. And, if you look in the right sidebar, you will see even more stitchery freebies.

Remember the Brutus and the Catalicious Quilt BOM over at Red Brolly? Well, the July block is out. (Can you tell I copy & pasted this bit from an entry that I forgot to post last month?) And, so is the block for August.

If I wasn't in the middle of this post, I'd go make this embroidered In Bloom pillow from Lark Crafts right now [link via One Pretty Thing]

You have to check out Funoldhag. Carol calls herself a quiltaholic and I know she's an embroiderer and gardener as well. Plus she is 81 yrs old. She recently shared some vintage transfer patterns of baskets.

Now I'm debating hitting the hay or embroidering something.

The Verandah Views BOM Is Back

If you missed the Verandah Views BOM the first time around, you're in luck because Cheryl of Willowberry Designs has posted them all on her blog once again. Yay! I think the only one pattern I saved from before is the The Buffet block where the bunny is surveying the vegetable garden. Because, you know, some day, I am going to stitch that up. (Yeah, right.) Go to this post for links to all the blocks and finishing instructions.

By the way, you'll find the Under the Sea BOM over there as well. Looks like Cheryl has shared four blocks so far.

Thanks, Denise!

Another Embroidery BOM

I keep posting links to embroidery freebies yet I haven't actually stitched anything since 1957.

Here's another free BOM for you. This one is from a blog called The Contented Quilter and it's called "Take time to..." The first block ("put your feet up") is linked here. You'll find the second one ("smell the roses") linked on this post. I really like the designs.

Thank you, Deepa, for mentioning this one on your blog.

Edited to add: Check out Deepa's finished bedspread embroidery project. (Click the photos to see a larger version.) It took her 7 1/2 months and more than 35 different stitches and techniques to complete and she did a beautiful job!

Holy Toledo, Another Post

I'm going through my 518 emails (seriously) and I was reminded of an embroidery freebie of a slice of chocolate cake I had wanted to link to back in September from Dawn Hay Designs.

Reading Dawn's blog just now led me to the Life's a Hoot BOM at Sew Much Time, Sew Little Fabric. It started a few months ago so the first two patterns have already been shared and are no longer available for free (but you can purchase them). I printed out #3 and will make sure I get #4 next month. I had wanted to link to Sew Much Time, Sew Little Fabric awhile ago because of the other freebies from Paula but I don't think I ever did.

There are scraps of paper all over my messy desk with notes about stuff I wanted to blog about and I promise I am going to get to all of it this week. And with tonight's post, I can cross off two of the items. That is, if I ever find the paper I wrote them down on. [sigh]

The second Quaker Motif embroidery pattern from Needle 'N Thread is now in my stash. Mary has "translated" two Quaker cross stitch designs into embroidery patterns. You can find the first pattern here.

I also wanted to link to this Heart Christmas Tree cross stitch pattern that I really liked from Matrioshka Biscornu. I see now that she's posted a second Heart Christmas Tree Chart. Instead of wasting hours on Facebook tomorrow, I should stitch up one of these.

I'm pretty sure, in one way or another, these links all came from Denise at Needlework News at Craft Gossip. Thanks, Denise!

I think one reason I haven't been blogging as much is it's a pain to add the code so all my links open in a new window. Why can't Blogger do that for us?

Some Links For Wednesday

Thanks for the nice comments about my Pekingese embroidery! :)

I have a few links I wanted to share:

Here's a super adorable fabric dollhouse tutorial from UK lass in the US. If I ever learn to sew, I will make one of these.

I found the dollhouse tutorial from this list on Blue Bird Studio and I just realized that I have been to Blue Bird Studio in the past because I remembered her embroidery patterns of dollies, eggs and bunnies & chicks, and the wall hanging she made with them. I even commented on that post. I swear there are just too many blogs and projects and free patterns to keep track of. (Hey, Patty, isn't that why you started a blog in the first place? To keep track of them all?) (Shut up, voice in my head.)

Heather of Blue Bird Studio also put together a nice list of free BOM patterns.

And, here's a tutorial for a super cute Little Letter Needlebook from Skebba.

Did you see the Apple Tree Applique block from Wee Folk Art? I really want to try that woven spider wheel stitch now.

There are two cute Vintage Pots embroidery transfers over at No Pattern Required. There's lots of other vintage stuff on the blog that's worth checking out. I especially love the posts in the Mid-Century Menu category. You have to read the one about the Welch's Grapelade Cake. Um, yeah.