In the mean time......

Exploring the Possibilities

Finished Stocking

 I've just finished a Christmas stocking for Primary Children's Medical Center. By altering the Doll Purse Pattern, I came up with this little girl to put on it. Emily had asked me if I'd like to make a stocking and fill it for a little cancer patient!
     
And........
I'm still working on the Apron Pattern. I've been making heads and the different hair styles and making sure they all fit together correctly. Checking through it all is perhaps the most tedious of the process but most important. I do end up with quite a few heads and hairpieces which I will use in later creations. The creative process is the really fun part of this endeavor!

A Bunch of New Doll Purses

I purchased a yard of fabric (the blue with the princess dresses) which was designed by Sandy Workman (owner of Pine Needles) and some pink fabric for the ruffles, some yellow dotted for the hair, and black for shoes. Emily helped me dye the fabric for the head, arms, and legs. By using other fabric which I had in stock, I was able to make four. They are partially finished here.

After I finished them, I sent the two with yellow ponytails (2nd and 4th ones) to the Happy Factory  in Cedar City for their fundraising event. (They make wooden toys to send all over the world to children who don't have much.) The other two ( yellow hair with bangs and blue ponytails) I took to Pine Needles in West Jordan and My Sister's Quilts (Carolyn and Linda own this shop) in Riverton for samples.

I'm sorry that I didn't take the time to take photos of them, but two of them are still around. It's weird that I feel connected to them. Maybe it's all the effort I put into making them.

I ended up with four samples that I am replacing. These two are going to The Festival of Trees! I have a desire to help children.

And these two I put on Etsy today.

They make me smile! :)

Lizzabell

Lizzabell

Partially finished wall hanging

Note to Tiara
 

My neighbor girl had a sheep named Lizzabell that she had raised from a lamb. Lizzabell suddenly passed away this summer. I decided to needlefelt a picture of her sheep for her so I started out with the background and the sheep and a few flowers. As you can see, corrections had to be made as her head is really black. As I finished it, I realized the little girl might not want my huge creation so I made her a smaller one. I  entered the felted wall hanging of Lizzabell in the Utah State Fair and it won a blue ribbon!

Lizzabell took first place!

Fran and Friends Apron Pattern (in progress)

While finishing up the Fran and Friends Doll Purse pattern, my sister Margaret had an idea of a new pattern using  some of the same elements, the heads, arms, and hair of the original. Here is her sketch.

So after about three months work, I've come up with Fran and Friends Apron Pattern. I've written the directions, created the pattern pieces, sewn four sample aprons, and enlisted my husband, Hunter again to take the photos of the step by step directions. But this is not all it takes. My daughter, Bethany will again make magic with her graphic design and photographic skills in creating a beautiful pattern!

  (Here are three of the aprons for the pattern in progress, but I have since finished them and made changes in hairstyles, hair color, and added trims.)

                                 More to come!

Crazy Patch Potholders

I love crazy patch! I don't know if it's because I can make something out of little bits of fabric pieced together or because my grandma did it or because it has a wonderful homespun look (probably all three)!

I pieced both blocks  a while back, but I sewed together the Mary Englebriet one today for a gift. It is made up of the crazy patch square, the back square, a Insul-Brite square, and a Warm and Natural square---each 7 1/2".

Make a sandwich putting wrong sides of fabric pieces together with the batting pieces on top. Oh, you'll need to make a tube for hanging it from a 1 1/2" x 6" rectangle of fabric sewn along the long side and then turned. Fold in half and pin to one corner of the crazy patch block with raw edges facing out. Sew around the block with a 1/4" seam leaving a 2 inch opening for turning.

 Turn right side out, slip stitch the opening closed, and press. (Something you could do that I didn't do is stitch in the ditch around each patchwork piece to give it definition and hold the layers together.) It's ready for giving!

Yearning for Spring and Summer!

Sunshine, sunflowers, daffodils, and buttercups, all bring a happy, yellow warmth to take off the chill of winter. How I long for them!

I started counting....

and I have sewn 25 Doll Purses! In the process of developing the pattern and finding what did and didn't work, I had pieces left over and I used them to sew 10 smaller versions (top two photos). I've also made a number of samples for shops (bottom photo--Quilts Etc). I have also sewn 3 for my grand daughters. Out of the 25 I've sewn, I have 6 left that haven't sold yet or are on display at shops.