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 Keep Finding Cute Stuff To Make

Over at Imanufatti, there's a tutorial for a really cute Autumn wreath made of felt [link via Craft Gossip's Felting blog].  And, Manu also has a page with a list of all her tutorials.  I especially love the bunny brooch.

I have a cute sweater (it has a shaggy reindeer on it) that no longer fits that I really want to make into a pillow.  I've been thinking about doing it for years now and I think I found the tutorial from My So Called Crafty Life to get me motivated.  It's for turning your ugly Christmas sweater into a pillow and will work just fine for my reindeer sweater.  

I also love this wall art made of vintage Xmas fabric, embroidery hoops and cute ribbons. Hmm...I don't have any vintage Christmas fabric but I do have some cute holiday dog stuff (that I never wanted to cut up because I'm a dork) but I'm thinking I could put that in some small embroidery hoops.

Here's a huge list of DIY projects from My So Called Crafty Life.

I must make this Pretty Posy Pincushion at some point in my life. Lots of pretty stuff at Molly and Mama Makes.

So many projects . . .

A Couple Of Cute Freebies

Kel over at Kincavel Krosses is sharing a cross stitch design of two super cute foxes called Fergie and Fergus.  I REALLY have to stitch this one. 

And, check out Bunny and Clyde too (x-stitch bunnies)!

Thank you, Lady Kel, for all your great freebies!!

Easter Embroidery

I know it's June but I haven't been able to post pictures for awhile so I have some catching up to do.

There was a tutorial for an adorable fabric Easter basket posted on Red Brolly back in March.  I wanted to make it and only got as far as doing the embroidery, but hey, at least I did that.  Now that I can upload my pictures again. I'll take a better one as soon as I iron this.  And, thank you to Sarah and Mary for the floss.  Other than the brown for the bunny and the white for his tail, everything else is the variegated stuff you both sent me -- Cosmo Seasons from Sarah and Janlynn from Mary.  (Hard to see in the picture, I know.)

I have a bad relationship with French knots.  I hate them and always will.  My first one will turn out fine and sometimes the second one will be ok too, but then everything goes downhill and they end up deformed and I have to start over, which is frustrating.  I think some of these are alright but I can see which ones are too loose.  (Sorry for the lousy picture but I just cropped the one above.)

Stuffed Bunny

Here's a Funny Bunny Plush Doll from A Beautiful Mess.

Wee Bunny & Wee Eggs

Here are the bunny and eggs I finished yesterday. I wish I had a paler blue felt for the bunny. The colors of the eggs are off in this picture-- they're not as bright as in the photo. I had planned to embroider the eggs but that was tough to do after I cut them out. I should have stitched them first. I couldn't get the bottom seam on the bunny to look right, which is why the eggs are covering him up. I don't have enough felt for the handle of the basket I started last night so Mr. Bunny and his eggs will just sit on my dusty shelf for now.



I didn't add the pom-pom tail because I like having it sit on my night table. It makes me happy to see it and I could really use that right now. (Not having enough felt just led to a crying jag, which just made me realize (once again) how long I have been stuck in this house and how much longer I will be here, blah blah blah).

It looks nothing like the original but the bunny pattern is from Wee Wonderfuls and the egg patterns are from Wee Folk Art. And, I learned how to make the pom-pom from Bella Dia's tutorial. It took me three tries to get it right so keep at it if you give it a shot.

Wanna see my pom-pom again? I know you do.

Embroidery Links For October

I'm not sure why Sally and Barbara couldn't see the picture in Thursday's post. It worked fine for me but since I wouldn't want you to miss out on seeing my lovely self, I've deleted the original photo and uploaded it again.

And, if you can't see it now, well, maybe I was just too scary looking for Blogger.

I know Halloween is coming and the month of October will be over soon, and I wish I had should have linked to these freebies before now, but if you're a quick stitcher, you can probably have them finished in no time. And, if you're like me, you can start them first thing in tomorrow morning and have them wrapped up by next May!

Erika of CraftStylish teaches you how to embroider on a t-shirt anf offers a pattern in honor of their Make It Pink Challenge.

You can find free designs called Trick or Treat Tots at Sentimental Stitches, with a new one posted every day. These patterns would be good for embroidery, redwork or applique. They'll be posted until November 1, and then available for purchase so remind yourself to keep checking for the new ones. Then please remind me. Thank you.

And, at Craft Blog, there's a Creepy Critters needlework pattern (cute bunnies in costumes). [Links via Denise at Craft Gossip]

I finished my candy corn cards but now my camera is dead so I couldn't take any pictures. which means I missed Finished For Friday at Lit and Laundry. Next week, I swear!

One More Giveaway

How many times have I posted today? This is the last one of the day and it's about another giveaway. Heather over at Heather Hales Designs is giving away an uncut rooster embroidery transfer. (It's Vogart No 646, in case you've been searching high & low for it.) For all the information on entering, go here.) There are some free patterns on that post too. And, be sure to take a look at the adorable tote bag she made, and the cute pattern she created from it and is now sharing with us. Thanks, Heather!

Another Apron Giveaway

Calling all apron lovers who love to embroider and embroiderers who love aprons! There's a giveaway over at Oodles and oodles, for a bunch of "vintage ready-to-embroider" clothespin aprons! [link via tie one on]

Oodles and oodles is a fabulous blog. It's my new favorite. Look at these freaking adorable bunny bags. And, the dresser makeover. And, an interesting fact about rick rack.

Dang. Just go read all of it.

Why I'm Always Up Until 3 AM

I know a lot of people read Primrose Design but in case you missed it, Janet has posted a cross stitch chart of some pretty strawberries that she created from a design on some tea towels. The link to the pdf is in this post. And, check out the neat stitching on the raspberries on another towel.

Apron porn alert! As of two minutes ago, Confessions of an Apron Queen is my new favorite blog. As soon as I read the first line "If you love vintage aprons..." I was hooked. It's loaded with fantastic apron photos (and all kinds of other great stuff). There are a zillion things there that I will have to go back and read when I have more time tonight. And, the Girl Scout Cookie poll reminds me I can have Thin Mints for lunch today. (This was written earlier today and yes, I did eat a couple of Thin Mints at lunch, not for lunch.)

The Apronista is having yet another apron giveaway. This one is from marie-madeline studio, makers of some really pretty aprons. Go leave some comments on the post to enter.

And, speaking of aprons, today, my mom gave me two that she has had since she was a kid. She's pretty sure my grandmother made one of them, which gives it even more sentimental value. (It hit me again today that I'm really fortunate to have sister who has no interest in old aprons or old jewelry or old hankies because that means I can claim all that good stuff without having to fight with a relative for them.) I'm going to iron the aprons and then I'll take some pictures.

Check out RedWork Stitcher's photos of embroidery and redwork patterns on Webshots [link via Mrs. Stitchy Britches].

On Echevette, there are several free Easter cross stitch charts: Joyeuses Paques (bunny with basket), Petit lapin de Paques (rabbit on an egg), and Easter sampler (rabbit, eggs, flowers in pink & green).

I just read on my calendar that March is Adopt A Rescued Guinea Pig month. If you're considering doing that, check out Petfinder. (The widget below shows all the small & furry animals, not just guinea pigs, listed on Petfinder at the time. You can go the site and do a search for adoptable animals in your area.)

I Heart The Internet

The other night, I was looking for some Valentine images and I clicked on Meggiecat, thinking I'd check her archives and was very happy to see Kathy aka Meggiecat began blogging again last month. If you've never been to Meggiecat before, you really should go. There is SO MUCH good stuff there. And, even though it hasn't been updated for awhile, be sure to check The Frankie Files too. There, Kathy posts images from the US Patent Office. The last entry has two fabric swatches from Pat Prichard and one is of some bunnies. Over at knitting-and.com, you can find the same bunnies resized to be used as embroidery patterns. I'm pretty sure I have linked to knitting-and.com before but in case you missed it, the embroidery patterns are here.

And, I forget how it happened but I also ended up at KidPix, a Russian community on LiveJournal, to see illustrations from a book called "Hedgehog in the Fog." There's also an animated film which I found thanks to Bibi's Box.

Free Rabbit Charts

Since I can't buy any new charts right now (it sucks to be unemployed) , I've been trying to stitch what I have in my stash, plus anything new and free I can find.

Whispered by the Wind has several free cross stitch charts, including a few with rabbits, two patriotic designs (I like that flag), a cat with a quilt, a Halloween one, and a snowflake one. I think I'll be doing the bunny & basket one first. Mari from Whispered by the Wind has a cat named Lucy. Doesn't Lucy look so soft?

Vermillion Stitchery also has a cute bunny with a basket chart available for free. And some other nice freebies too. I really want to do those strawberries.

March/April Tie One On: Rick-Rack

The March/April gallery for Tie One On is up. The theme this time was rick-rack. I love rick-rack. My mom always put it on the clothes she made my sister and me when we were kids. This apron with the bunny is my favorite. I love the fabric on this one and I love this one too. And these are just adorable with that ruffle on the bottom. And this one is neat. (I know what you're thinking: is she going to link to every apron? I just might!)

The Tie One On theme for May/June is The Pocket.

Freebies From Bunny Hill

Bunny Hill Designs has two new freebie patterns up. One is for a baby blanket and the other is for a cute little stuffed bear. I love the fabric that was used to make both of them.

Also, the pattern for the Bitty Bunny Pincushion is available now. I just love her.

What Makes Me Click

I always check the lists of links on other blogs and I've noticed how certain words will get me to click on them, like cottage or vintage or zombie or apron or thrift (or both!) or anything dog-related like woof. I just ended up at the Bunny Tales blog because I'm a sucker for the word "bunny." I love the banner at the top and the colors of the blog. Same with Anne the blogger's website, Bunny Hill Designs. Dang, I wish I was a quilter. I might attempt (FREE PATTERN ALERT!) the very cute Valentine Needlecase though.

This bunny pincushion is freaking adorable too (scroll down a little to see it).

I did make an Easter banner today. I printed out these letters at Martha Stewart's site on colored paper (yellow, purple blue) and then glued them to heavier paper that I cut into circles (I didn't have enough cardstock to print the letters on). Then I stuck them on some ribbon so they hang vertically. I'd love to share what it looks like but my computer is dead so I don't have access to my camera's software.

The bad news is I can no longer use my PC. The good news is the hard drive is ok so I can move all my saved images to another computer if/when I get one.

So much cute, it put me into a coma

I always oooh and ahhh while I'm looking at cute stuffed animals on different blogs but nothing holds a candle to the real thing (in this case, it's a bunny).

Ansd, I know Kelly would disagree but Guido the Shih Tzu is the cutest dog ever.

New Cross Stitch Freebies

Tanya of The Sampler Girl has a new free chart up. It's called Garden Angel. I like this new Movie Night design of hers too (that one is not free).

Thanks to Tanya's blog, I see there's a new SAL chart for April and a cute Spring Cottage too over at Les Grilles de Maryse blog. And, a freebie of a bunny from Waxing Moon.

I have tons of links to designers' websites saved and it would take forever to go through them, so I like to sign up for their newsletters and get updates on their new stuff (and freebies too) when it comes out. You can sign up for one from The Sampler Girl here.

Using Cashmere Sweaters to Make Stuff

I was going through my closet yesterday, looking to see if I had any wool sweaters I was ready to give up. I found two, a red pullover and a brown wrap-around, and of course both are still in great condition. But I do have a blue cashmere hand-me-down sweater from my mom that has a stain on the front. I wondered if I could throw that in the washer and make felt, so off I went to google it.

Do you ever click a link and then let out a squeal of delight when you see what's on the webpage? Well, I did just that when I saw these bunnies. And, I let out another one when I saw the link for the tutorial.

I must make one of these.

Links

Some links that I've stumbled on while clicking different things:

Vintage postcard graphics of rabbits and chicks & eggs from the SilverCollect blog. And, for future reference: Valentine's Day and New Year's Day

An adorable Maltese named Diamond in the Ruff on Dogster

How to make a pillowcase tutorial (handy since I hope to make a pillow one of these years) (This is my new favorite blogger. She quotes Falco for the title of one of her entries. And John Mellencamp. And whoever wrote for Tommy James and the Shondells.)

A cute bunny pin from misseskwittys shop on Etsy

Bunny Pillow tutorial from Crafty Carnival