New Stuff

I've continued with my obsession with trying out new things.  In two days I made 3 rag quilts!  I had already had some of this fabric forever, with the intention of doing one for Olivia.  I loved it so much I had to make two more for a friend.  She just had a new baby and has a daughter as well, so I made one for both of them.  This first one is for Olivia, it's cotton fabric on the top and bottom with a flannel center.  I mistakenly bought regular cotton when I went to the store and just went with it.  I love how it came out and so does she! (Link to the tutorial I used)

This is shown pre-washed, as are the next two.  I have since washed Olivia's and it's frayed up nicely. These two I made a bit simpler.  Just a flannel top and bottom, and they also need to be washed. Joanns had a sale on flannel prints, half off per yard, so I picked up a few prints and threw these together pretty fast.

I can't wait to see how they wash up, but I need to get to the laundromat!  I should also mention that I used a half inch seam to sew everything b/c the tutorial didn't specify but other tutorials I found generally used that.  And I did not bind it, I just did a half inch seam all the way around and snipped it as well.

I started and finished my first "real" embroidery.  Cross stitch doesn't cout to me.  I found this pattern free here, and followed it.  I had a lot of fun with it, and love how it came out.  Of course this picture is not the finished one... I guess I forgot to take one lol.  I need to figure out what to do with it! (Oh the other picture is on my phone I guess! I wonder how to get those here...)

I bought more cheap glass pearls in the right sizes, to make another of those beaded cuffs.  Just for kicks.  

And I have two other cross stitch projects in the works right now.  Because I have project ADD like that... this one is the Sugar is Sweet Sampler:

And the autumn sampler, which I had to modify (I cut out a square) to fit the fabric I wanted to use up.  It's my last piece of aida, and I thought that the blue would look great as the sky on so many of the frames.

I am also desperately awaiting their Tea Time sampler that I think is coming out on April 1.  And I have one last treasure to share.  I keep seeing pictures on the Frosted Pumpkin FB group of everyone's wip's. And all these adorable needle minders!  I decided to make my own, but it came out pretty horrible, so after seeing a few members had shops, I looked around and bought two from Oh Needle Mind.  They were a good price, and she had two of my weaknesses, hummingbirds and matryoshka dolls.

I think they're perfect.  I looks like an image is glued to the back of some clear acrylic or stone and then the magnet is glued behind that.  It's very secure, and the magnets are SUPER strong.  They are also a silver color, I know most magnets are black.  I bought black ones from the craft store when I attempted my own, and they leave black smudges.  My magnets are also weaker even though they are probably twice as thick.  These are very low profile.  And they hold the needle very well.  Not so strong you're yanking the needle off it, but strong enough that I held my hoop upside down and it didn't come off, not even when I shook it really hard.  Either way I love them, and want more!

Alright, enough from me!  Until next time...