First Post Of 2015, Woo Hoo!

On Halloween night last year, I was bored and looking online for something to make and found a tutorial for making a felt sugar skull sachet at Adventures in Making.  So I made one but without the sachet part.  [Link via Craft Gossip]

I was happy with it until I stitched the teeth.  I tried to do them freehand at first and that did not turn out well so I traced the pattern on to some tissue paper and stitched right over the paper on the felt. This is the second time I've tried that method and once again I was disappointed in the final result. Maybe it's me but when I remove the little bits of tissue paper that get stuck under my stitching, I end up pulling on threads and then it looks like crap.  I'm also not thrilled with the blue whatever-they-are below the eyes.  The tutorial sample had three lines and I did four and I think it's too many.  But hey, at least I finished something.  Alert the media!

The other time I used the tissue paper trick, I made this strawberry scissors keep from Red Brolly last year.  This was another night where I just had this strong urge to make something. Red Brolly's scissors keep is made from fabric but I made mine with felt.  I used floss to make the strawberry's seeds, instead of pearl beads, and did not add a bow at the top because I forgot.  The green is regular felt but the red is super thick felt so the pointy end of my scissors does not poke through.  By the way, while I was making the sugar skull on Halloween, I realized I have the dullest scissors in the world.

I used tissue paper to stitch the embroidery design on the stem and then loosened the threads when I yanked out removed all the little bits of tissue paper.  I think I did a crappy job of removing the tissue paper and it messed up my stitches.  I hate this method.

My scissors keep in action:

After looking at the original, I think it needs that bow on top.  And speaking of cases for keeping your scissors, I love this one from Feeling Stitchy.  Maybe I will make that one the next time I need to make something.

You Can't Get Rid Of Me That Fast

So I posted four times in four days and then kind of forgot to come back.  Oops.  But I'm back now and I'm totally going to cheat by posting a link to a tutorial from 2009 and a pic of my version but it's for St Patrick's day and cute so it works.

Jenny made a felt shamrock pin a few years ago and shared how to make it on her blog Stitcher Scribbler.  Here's my shamrock pin with a felt guinea pig I made in 2009.

Nice blanket stitches!  Mine totally suck now.  I need more practice.

March 1 is a new moon so I'll be back soon with a TUSAL update.  (Details on the TUSAL are here.)

It's Drafty In Here

Why do I have a bunch of draft posts?  Oh yeah.  It's because I am really good at starting things and never finishing them. 

Let's see what links are hanging out in my draft posts . . .

From the Make-It-For-Christmas-2012 file: Gingerbread Cottage has a super cute embroidery pattern.  And here's a felt hedgehog ornament from Totally Stitchin' that I'm also going to add to my Hedgehogs-To-Make-Some-Day list.

Speaking of hedgehogs, this hedgehog cross stitch freebie from JB Cross Stitch is new-to-me thanks to the cross stitch blog at Craft Gossip.   By the way, JB Cross Stitch has some cute charts for sale, in addition to more freebies.

I love, love, love this embroidered needlecase from Goosie Girl's and I've had the pattern for awhile but I don't think I ever linked to it before.

Over at Leslie's Art and Sew, there's a sewing pattern and tutorial for a mystery critter.  You can sew one up and then make a face on it any way you want and add anything else too  [link via The Toy Society blog].

How about a felt pincushion from Jenny of Elefantz?  I like this one because it has appliqued fabric flowers on it.   And, it's all hand sewn.

There's an embroidery pattern for a cute mini-sampler (with birds, flowers, alphabet) that's finished in a hoop at Patchwork Posse [link via Denise at Craft Gossip].

Did you know there's an embroidery section on about.com with stitch diagrams, free patterns and lots of information on tools, supplies and techniques?  There is!

Major Cute Alert!  Look at this adorable mushroom needlebook that my friend Loralynn at My Art, My So Called Life just linked to.  She also had a link to the fun Random Tutorial Generator. 

And, if you're like me and like to see classic movie stars and their four-legged friends, here are a couple of fun posts from I Can Has Cheezburger: part 1 and part 2.

Pardon me while I go make something!

Some Links I Should Have Posted Awhile Ago

I guess I was saving these up for a rainy day.  Or something.

I love this felt dahlia brooch from Not Martha.  Not Martha was one of the first craft blogs I ever read.  I always wanted to make these marble magnets (from 2006).  Sad to say, they are still on my to-do list.

Another felt pin I really like is this felt poinsettia pin from Lil Fish Studios.

Every house I've lived in California except this one has had at least one bougainvillea so I was excited to see this tutorial for a felt bougainvillea garland from Art Threads.  I totally need to make that.

And, a few more before I go.

Tipnut's pincushion pattern list #1 and #2 (I need to go through these)

Grandfather mushroom embroidery pattern from Little Dear Tracks (I somehow missed this one last June)

Potholder eyeglass case from Zakka Life 

Vintage hankie pillow covers at Elsie Marley

A Post Every Hour

I feel bad about not blogging.  I miss it.  Sometimes I post links to crafty stuff on Facebook and think I should be doing that on my blog instead.  I have a bunch of links to share so I'm going to write some posts and then schedule them to publish tomorrow. 

Let's start with two for St. Patrick's Day.

Jenny has a tutorial for a cute felt shamrock pin.  I made one a couple of years ago.  And posed it with a felt guinea pig I made.




And, here's another cute felt pin from Paper Dali.

Wondering why I don't have a Holidays label.