More Embroidery Transfers

All of the embroidery transfers that I've been posting are from Artex 2200 b. I had scanned these last year and forgot the cats, dogs and Poodles were all from the same pattern.

Kandra's Virtual Quilting Bee

Kandra of Sibling Craftery is holding a Sew Bee Wonky Virtual Quilting Bee on Flickr. I'm not joining because I don't quilt, although I bet I would fit in with the wonky part, but I'm looking forward to seeing the finished blocks that everyone makes. You can get all the details on Kandra's blog.

P.S. I just posted some more embroidery patterns so check out the last post for that.

Dog And Kitty With Yarn Embroidery Transfer

Time for another scanned pattern from my now-deleted other blog.

I had a little bit of trouble getting this one re-sized. Click the image for a larger version. Sorry about the crease down the middle.

Vintage Poodle Patterns

Enjoy the poodles!

Alert The Media

Don't have a heart attack but I actually finished a few cross stitch designs this weekend.

This is the hedgehog that's going to become an ornament as soon as I iron him & his little pal, find some fabric to add to the back and sew the pieces together.

And, this is the other hedgehog that will eventually become an ornament for my mom. When I told her I was stitching up some hedgehogs. she said she didn't like them because they reminded of her rats but then she claimed this one when I showed it to her. And, once she decided she wanted it, I didn't feel the need to stitch the entire design. (I still have to do the back stitching along the left edge.)

And, this is the hippo who will someday be a needlecase. That was my original plan for this hippo and I have an idea in my head how I'm going to do that but you never know what will happen once I start cutting fabric. I especially wanted to take a picture of this one in case there's a mishap during the needlecase making process.

Both charts are freebies from Olka's blog and you can find them here. She offers two different charts of each design and I did both versions of the hedgehog using her suggested floss colors. For the hippo, I didn't cross stitch the entire chart -- I just wanted the hippo part. I chose my own DMC colors (I wish now that I'd gone with a darker pink) and filled in the background because there seemed to be a lot of plain fabric surrounding the hippo.

All three are stitched on the same piece of 18 ct aida that was so blindingly white that I dunked it in a bowl of tea for a couple of minutes just to see what would happen. That left me with a slightly off-white aida with a few random tea splotches. Next time, I'll pay more attention to my "tea-dyeing."

I hope to totally finish these this week. On Wednesday, I'll post some more vintage patterns.

Sammy The Senior Shih Tzu Needs A Home ASAP

UPDATE: Sammy has been adopted. Yay!



Sammy is a 15 yr old Shih Tzu in Maumelle, Arkansas who needs a new home because his owners are moving to a place that does not allow pets.

My heart always goes out to senior dogs in shelters or with owners who can no longer keep them. It's not as if people are lining up to adopt the older ones. But I know there is that special person out there who can give Sammy a wonderful home for the rest of his years. We just have to let them know Sammy is out there.

For more information, please check Sammy's Petfinder page.

By the way, with a click of a button, you can post Sammy, or any animal from Petfinder, on to Facebook or Twitter. Spread the word! Thanks!

Embroidery Transfers

Remember when I started another blog so I could share scans of my embroidery transfers and I put a few of them up over there and then forgot all about it and the poor blog died a slow and painful death?

Actually, it's still clinging to life so I am going to go put it down and just add the patterns to this here blog and eventually I'll scan the rest of my transfers and post them too. And if I ever get a job and have an income again, I will get a pro Flickr account and add them to the Hoop Love group.

The end.

P.S. I found what could be a perfect job for me. It's working with toddlers and it's only a few minutes away by car and I could walk there if I was so inclined -- but I'm not -- so please think some happy thoughts for me. Thank you.

Enjoy these Artex kitty patterns! (I have no clue when it comes to scanning so I hope the size is ok.)

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!

More Freebie Links

Quite awhile ago, I found some free tea pot embroidery patterns on the Cathron Country Designs blog and printed them out but forgot to save a link to the blog or post it here, and I have been too lazy to actually pull out the patterns from the binders I keep them in -- hey, it's a huge accomplishment for me to go through the stacks of patterns on my bedroom floor and get them organized and filed away -- and check where they came from. Fortunately, I just found them linked on another blog, so here ya go:

tea pots & tea cups
baby animals
sewing items
ABC stitcheries
teddy bears

The blog I found the link on is The Best FREE Craft Articles which has a ton of interesting things that I'm still going through. For example, there are 53 links in the list for embroidery crewel cross stitch punch needle etc alone. If you have some free time, go see what all is there. And, please let me know if you find a pattern for a hedgehog, donkey or wombat of any kind. Not that I will actually ever make it but I still have some room in my pattern binders. :P By the way, I don't know if it's just me but each page takes forever to load.

And, if you have even more free time, Denise at CraftGossip has another great post chockfull of x-stitch freebies and one with free embroidery patterns too. I always check the sewing blog over there too. Lots of good links to tutorials and patterns there as well.

Happy Monday!

Matter Of Trust Needs Your Hair

An organization called Matter of Trust is collecting human hair and dog hair/fur to stuff into nylon booms that can be used to soak up oil from the spill in the gulf.

Seriously.

Watch this video:



Go to Matter of Trust for more information on getting your hair clippings and your dog's clippings to them.

They will also take wool from farmers.

I love this!

An Update On Things I Have Not Finished

I saw this finish of this little rabbit cross stitch on the Freebie Gallery blog and fell in love with it. I tracked down the site that had the chart and started stitching it a few days ago. And that's when I fell out of love with it. Only because my aida is too light and you can barely see the white floss. So I'm giving up on it. I might try it again if I get some darker fabric.

You can find the little rabbit chart here. Click the Free Chart link at the top and then click Petit Lapin at the top of the list in the left sidebar. (English translation)

I'm still working on the Victorine Sampler (Google's English translation). On the original, the needleworker stitched her name and hometown, so I'm going to have to chart my name and city in old-fashioned letters. Thanks to the internet, I know I can find a vintage French embroidery alphabet to use. I just haven't been in the mood to do that so who knows if I will ever finish the sampler. Like Scarlett O'Hara, I'll think about it tomorrow. Or next week.

Thanks to Denise at Needlework News at Craft Gossip for linking to the x-stitch freebies on Olka's blog. Her blog is in Russian but there's a Google translation widget in the left sidebar. To see all of the free charts in English, go here. She has some cute animal designs (I like the giraffe too). I finished stitching up the hedgehog a few days ago. I liked it so much, I'm now doing another one in different colors.

That's all for now. I've been doing a lot of reading lately and not so much crafting but hopefully I'll get something finished soon.

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!

And I Feel Fine

Gina Matarazzo has an Etsy shop where she sells her embroidery patterns and artwork. Check out her site for two adorable free patterns of kitties and hot dogs.

And Vicki over at Turkey Feathers is sharing patterns for a state flower quilt. I'm lazy tonight and don't feel like linking to the patterns she's posted so far, so here's a link to all the entries that are tagged with the State Flower Quilt label. I really would like to make this one.

Please get your affairs in order because if I actually make this quilt, it's the end of the world as we know it.

Haircuts

My check for jury duty just arrived. I got $105 for "criminal fees" and $61.88 for "criminal mileage."

Back when I knew I'd be going to report for jury service at the end of March, I thought about getting paid if I made it on a jury and how I could finally get a haircut and buy some highlighter for my hair.

Did I mention how the case was for vehicular manslaughter and DUI? One person was pronounced dead at the scene, one died of his injuries the next day, and one was seriously injured.

I look at that check now and think "People died and I'm getting a haircut."

I've tried to write about the whole experience a few times. I think I'm going to save the draft post and leave it be for now. Maybe I'll finish it later on. I'll just stick to sharing links to free patterns and the occasional whine.

By the way, we couldn't reach a unanimous decision so the judge declared a mistrial. You can read about the case here but please remember that some details have been left out and everything is not always as black and white as it seems.

Rest in peace Catherine Malloy and Frank Howd.

Time For A Few Links, Miri Finally Included!

Time for a few free cross stitch and embroidery links.

I think this cross stitched heart is so pretty. It calls for Anchor floss so you would have to figure out which DMC colors to use instead, but there aren't that many so that shouldn't be too difficult. For me, I mean. I'm sure some of you have no problems choosing your own colors. :)

I found that link on a blog called le blog friendstitch. Go visit when you have some time for lots of links to cross stitch and embroidery freebies plus sewing tutorials.

Have you been to the Liberty Primitives Needlework blog yet? Lots of really nice x-stitch free charts there.

Check out the Saints 'N Stitches post at Waltzing Matilda for patterns to make embroidered Catholic saints dolls. Right now, the patterns are on Scribd and set to Private so you can't print them but Charlotte of Waltzing Matilda is working on fixing that. I have a thing for patron saints and would love to stitch up a few of these, especially St. Clare since she's the patron saint of needle workers and embroiderers. And television.

There's a copy of a 13 page embroidery design catalog over at Maureen's Vintage Acquisitions Blog.

Over at No Pattern Required are vintage embroidery patterns for a lamb. a bunny and an owl, two Scottie dogs, another bunny and another lamb and a kitten softie. I love that blog. So much vintage goodness.

My friend Debra sent me a link to the freebie page at The Noble Wife. There are patterns for a quilt, an apron. a tote bag and cute embroidery designs.

I've been meaning to link to the Sleeping Bunnies embroidery pattern for awhile (or maybe I did) and now I see that there a bunch of other cute free patterns on the Sew Charitable blog. Go see! They're all listed in the right sidebar.

Back in September of last year, (Yes! September!), Miri of Milk And Honey Quilts shared her Bonnet Girl With Umbrella pattern and I have been meaning to link to it ever since. (I always have great intentions. Just not the best follow through.) She had traced the pattern from a vintage quilt that she found on eBay and then used it to make blocks for her own quilt. How cool is that? And, in December, Miri finished her yo-yo quilt, which, I swear, I would go steal if I knew exactly where she lived.

That's all for now. Have a great Thursday!

My Latest WIPs

Remember the cross stitch from the French blog that I've been working on? This is it, so far:


After the row of numbers, there's room for a name and hometown.

And that stuffed little Dachshund? It still needs to be finished.

For the past few weeks, I was on jury duty and didn't get to work on anything. I thought I could take one of these projects with me but the court house has "airport style weapons screening" and things like scissors or knitting needles are not allowed inside. I was doing to ask one of the deputies if sewing needles were ok and then I forgot all about it. We spent a lot of time just waiting around and I would read or people watch or chat with some of the other jurors so I had something to do and didn't even think about what I could be stitching. Well, that's not totally true. I actually wished I had experience altering clothes after I saw a TON of lawyers wearing really ill-fitting suits.

I'm sorry. Did I say "airport style weapons screening"? Oh, that must explain why one of my fellow jurors walked in with a knife one day. Or maybe it was a box cutter. She had to stop off at some place before she headed to court to set up her daughter's science project, which had been entered in some kind of competition, so she had duct tape and something to cut it with in her purse when she walked through security at the court house entrance and didn't set off any alarms.

Jury duty. Good times.

(Actually, it was very interesting. More on this later.)

P.S. I'll post links to these patterns as soon as I track them down.

P.P.S. I posted a bunch of embroidery links yesterday (Yes! I blogged two days in a row! Alert the media!) so be sure to check them out if you like that kind of thing.

Egads! 1200 Emails!

Right now, I have 1200 emails in my mailbox. This is what happens when you completely abandon reading your email and spend hours on Facebook instead. At least 800 of them are new and have not been opened yet. I would love to just delete them all and start from scratch but I can never do that. So my goal for this weekend is to open, answer and clear out as many as I can.

Before I go on a deleting spree though, I want to blog since it's been awhile, so here are a bunch of links from some draft posts that I never finished. Did I mention I've been spending hours on Facebook?

There's a French blog called Broderie d'Antan, which is loaded with a bunch of old embroidery patterns (monograms, alphabets, flowers). You can probably figure out the categories listed on the right by looking at the illustrations, but if you want an English translation, use the Yahoo Babelfish widget in the left sidebar. By the way, the blogger writes that Canalblog will sometimes automatically reduce image size so you should enlarge the patterns on a copy machine. [Link via Needlework News.]

Denise at Needlework News also linked to the Alice in Wonderland embroidery patterns from Anne over at Green Jello and some pretty flower patterns from Willowberry Designs. Don't forget there's a free BOM called Under the Sea going on at Willowberry Designs too.

Speaking of things called Under the Sea, I forget how I found them now, but Tigerpup Embroidery has some cute embroidery patterns for sale, including one called Under the Sea with a cute squid. Now, there's something you don't hear everyday: a cute squid. You can also find some freebies (including a kitty) at Tigerpup Embroidery.

Stitchy Britches is sharing an owl pattern originally from the late 1960's for crewel work. It's nice to see her blogging again over there.

And, here's one I discovered a little while ago on a new-to-me blog (which is what prompted me to post something today): a vintage embroidery transfer of some children and toys at Just-a-mere. And a second one with animals that might have something to do with nursery rhymes. Or not. (Drunk clown alert!) And, if you have some time, check out Jan's blog. She quilts, embroiders and buys vintage fabric. I love her already.

Ok, I am tired of linking so this is it for now. Why can't Blogger give us the option of allowing all links to open in a new window so I don't have to add the code in every time. It's such a pain.

Postcards For Satori

There's a little girl named Satori who's having surgery at UC Davis on March 31st, 2010. Everything is taken care of and nothing is needed but her mom wants to make Satori's hospital stay a little more fun so she's requested we send her daughter a postcard. All the details are on Mom's blog.

Please include the date of her operation if you post this on your blog or Facebook. Hopefully, that will keep most people from copying it to an email and forwarding it to all 719 of their closest friends for the next 27 years.

Thank you!

Once Upon A Time I Used To Blog

The other night I was sorting through a stack of free patterns that I had printed out because I was going to make them ASAP [insert hysterical laughter here], and decided to make a list of the patterns and the blogs & sites they were posted on so I could link to them here. The following day, I knocked a full plastic cup of iced tea over on my night table and the list got wet and the ink ran so my plan to post the links went out the window. The good news is I didn't file any of the patterns anywhere -- they are still in a pile on my bedroom floor -- so I'll just make another list and then post their links here. In 2012.

I also promise to take some pictures of what I'm working on just to prove I am actually doing something. One is a cross stitch design that I found on a French blog that actually came from the blogger's grandmother. Or maybe it was her great-aunt. I only read the English translation once and now I don't remember all the details. I also started making a stuffed Dachshund a few days ago. The original pattern was for a flat Doxie with a top body piece, a bottom piece and one ear. But I wanted to make him three dimensional so I added an under body piece and he will have ears on both sides of his head. Hopefully, he will stand up on his own. (I stole the idea of the under body from the Scotty dog at allsorts and used part of the Doxie pattern to make it. I have no idea how this will turn out but I know I'll learn from it no matter if it's good or bad.)

Have you ever been to Karens Variety? Karen sells new and vintage patterns, pattern books and pdf's for cross stitch, embroidery, crochet, knitting, dolls, toys and sewing. I haven't yet bought anything from her but I do get her monthly newsletter and have printed out some of the free patterns she's shared like this one for an adorable Bunny Bib. You can go here to subscribe to the newsletter. There's also a contest every month for a $50 gift certificate to her store. To see all of the free patterns so far, check out this page (many are for crochet and knitting).

Over at Red Brolly, you'll find an embroidery pattern for Brutus the Cat [via Freebies for Crafters], which is the first block of The Catalicious Quilt. Every month, another design will be posted. Block #2 is on this post.

Look at the cute Baby Bunka and her little dog at Fantastic Toys! How do I find out if I have an ink jet printer so I can make this? Looks like I have a laser jet. :( I also love the adorable Pom Pom Bunny and Mushrooms over there. Some day, I will make the Cupcake Softie from Fantastic Toys and shock and appall myself.

Ok, I'm going to work on that stuffed Dachshund. Happy Tuesday!

Score!

On Saturday, I sold some old and broken jewelry at one of those cash for gold places, and on my way home, I stopped at the local thrift store because I had 97 dollars burning a hole in my pocket. The store has some nice stuff -- pretty dishes and glassware -- but I never find any vintage treasures there like some of you do when you go thrifting. The last time I stopped in, they had some sewing patterns on the shelf, but other than a few books on sewing, there isn't a whole lot of craft-related stuff. But I like to go look anyway because you never know what you will find, right?

I headed for the shelf where the sewing patterns were the last time and guess what I found in a basket? Twelve or so Ziploc bags of embroidery floss!! SCORE!! It was all I could do not to jump up and down and make a scene. Some of it was wound on cardboard bobbins and some of it was still in skeins with DMC labels on them. I was sooo excited!

The large Ziploc was $1.00 and the smaller ones were 50 cents each, and I was so tempted to scoop them all up. I thought I should be nice and leave some of the floss for another stitcher, but I made sure grabbed the four bags with the skeins still wrapped in the DMC labels. I also took four of the Ziplocs with the cardboard bobbins. Most of the bobbins are hand-labeled with numbers and they appear to be DMC colors. (I compared some to floss I already have and they matched.) A few of them have Coates & Clark printed on them but I think it's still DMC floss.



This is not vintage floss. The DMC labels are very similar to the current one except they're using a different font now. Some of the skeins are only half full but a bunch look like haven't been used at all. I love how they grouped them by colors.



I've been wondering about the former owner of the floss and how her thread ended up in the thrift store. Did she have to give up embroidery or cross stitch due to arthritis or failing eyesight, or did she just lose interest in it and move on to some other craft? Or did she pass away? I know it doesn't matter but I think about stuff like that. And as thrilling as it was to discover these goodies, it was even better because somebody took the time to write the color number on those bobbins, and made sure the labels were still on the skeins she hadn't yet wound on bobbins. Obviously, a girl after my own heart because I would have done the same thing. And I do. I wish the rest of my life was as organized as my floss boxes.

It's crazy but I'm still so happy over this. I feel like I hit the embroidery floss jackpot and for only for $4.50. I keep taking the floss out of the bags and looking at it for awhile, and then putting it back inside. Some day I may actually use it.