So Much to Share - Part III - Cross Stitch

 Looks like Halloween is my second favorite holiday.

I am quickly getting a nice little collection of spooky decorations…and I have so many more planned!

I love specialty bags for my projects and recently a very fun Halloween fabric line was released called, “Mr. Bones Sews.” The line also included a canvas bag panel. I immediately thought about turning the bag panel into a cross stitch project bag…which would also work for Bucilla ornament kits. 

I started with a Thread Bed. Look at this super cute Halloween sewing notions fabric. 

The inside has a piece of black felt to store needles. Floss threads will cling to the white felt lining.

The thread bed will store inside the project folder. I made a velcro closure for it.

The project folder has two large vinyl pockets with zippers.

More very fun fabric…skeletons sewing…riding a seam ripper like a witch’s broom.

The lining is spiders with button bodies and stitched webs.

In the vinyl pocket is another pocket behind the gray fabric.

And yet another underneath the zipper pocket section. More cute fabric from the, “Mr. Bones Sew,” fabric line. There was a black with gray print that has skulls and sewing machines which is my binding fabric. there were two more purple fabrics in the line which I will probably make into a smaller project bag.

I am waiting for some black swivel hooks to attach the handles but the handles are ready for stitching into place. 

More difficult than making the huge project bag was making four stand-ups from Lizzie Kate cross stitch patterns. I love the end result and plan to make more…as soon as I get those pieces cross stitched. 

All of the stand-up patterns in this post are available at 123stitch.com and the patterns come with notions to finish the pieces. I changed out some of those notions for stuff in my stash that made me a little happier. 

Betty Broomstick came with the black tinsel to make her hair. I stitched it in place with smoke colored monofilament thread. Her broomstick, star buttons, black beads and bell for the cat collar were in the pattern. I made the bow of mixed threads and stuck it on with a bat pin from Just Another Button Company. There were jewels to glue in place for earrings but I used beads from my stash. I don’t like to glue anything in place if I can avoid it. There was also a silver ribbon in the kit for her cape but I had an orange Kreinik ribbon that looked better.

Vonnie Von Fang did come with the bat button from Just Another Button Company. I also swapped out his silver cape ribbon with a purple Kreinik ribbon. He came with google eyes to glue in place but I used a white sequin with black beads from Betty Broomstick’s kit. I also used beads in my stash for his cuff links instead of the jewels in the kit that would need to be glued in place.

The absolute most difficult part of making these stand-ups is getting the stuffing to look good.

I had some very fun batiks in my stash to back the stand-ups. I bought the cross stitch fabrics from 123stitch.com which were listed as an option with the pattern listings.

I made my own cording.

If you read my blog with some regularity…you know I get stuck on series. 

I must do all the stand up patterns!

Time to start a new decor theme…patriotic.

Liberty Sam.

He came with an American flag on a toothpick. I just couldn’t do the toothpick. So I added a pin in my stash from Just Another Button Company.

Lady Liberty.

She also came with a toothpick flag which I didn’t want to use. 

I also changed the pattern. The white sash was much bigger…I hate stitching with white…so hard to make those crossed stitches look good. So I made the white sash smaller and added a blue outline on the top and bottom edge with a glitter DMC floss.

I had the perfect fabric for backing the stand-ups.

I was greatly aided by videos from Vonna Pfeiffer on YouTube. 

I did everything just like she does.

And to go along with my new decor category is a cross stitch project bag I won from YouTubers, “Stitching with the Housewives.” I absolutely love their weekly videos. They are big gardeners and there are lots of dogs and kids in their talks about what’s happening in their world. 

The mother and daughter team of, Stitching with the Housewives, have several small patriotic charts I recently downloaded on their Etsy shop and I have them in my new bag. The bag was made by Kreative Carol on Etsy…also another favorite Etsy shop.

I finished stitching the first in a Christmas ornament series by Hands on Designs.

And I have another ornament series that has been in my stash for 20 years, “ Santa Gathering,” that got started this summer. 

Number One

Number Two

I forget how much I get done...writing a blog post makes me fell like I was very productive!

So Much to Share - Part II - Bucilla Felt Projects

 I tend to pick some big Bucilla kits to tackle at the start of a new year. This year I picked Advent Calendar kits since I have young grandchildren who are the right age for tracking the days until Christmas. I had at least three Advent Calendar kits in my stash. I finished the first one.

This kit is from 2001

I mentioned on Instagram and Facebook I paid $6.75 for this kit on eBay in 2007.

All the adorable ornaments. 

Just a quick tip for others.

 I use regular school board chalk to mark the blue felt that I added to back the entire piece.

 It hides all the stitching on the backside.

The chalk really works great

I also added a layer of quilt batting which I trimmed a quarter-inch smaller. 

I made a cording hangar that sets lower in a hidden postion. It hangs beautifully from a simple picture hanging hook. 

Between new projects I fixed an Advent Calendar I made many years ago. It is set of mini stockings with ornaments inside the stockings. I hang them on a small tabletop tree. I wanted the ornaments to be displayed…not hidden in the stocking. I made a little “tongue,” on the back of  each ornament that tucks into the stocking. 

I have two chenille sticks in the center of the white felt tab.

The tabs work great!

All 24 stockings ready to hang. 

I can't find any paperwork from this kit so it was made very early in my Bucilla journey...before it became an obsession.

I am making good progress on the second kit in my stash, Santa's Toy Shop.

I actually bought this kit recently from 123stitch.com and it was on sale for $22.89

Here's what's blooming in my garden now. 

Delphiniums

I really love the dark purple variety. The colors remind me of the huge Monet paintings of water lillies at Musee de l'Orangerie. The bits of deep gold in the center!

Which reminds me to get off the computer and get outside. 

Sew Much to Share - Part I - Quilting

 I have a quilt retreat on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I haven’t done any quilting since my last retreat in early June. I’m happy to be getting together with my friends for some intense sewing time. 

I am going to continue working on the UFO I worked on at the last retreat…the Alaska Shop Hop from 2010. Yipes…how can this project be 15-years-old????

Alaska Shop Hop 2010

What got me inspired to get to work on this project was the release of a new Shop Hop in Alaska for this summer. It’s a beautiful quilt but very expensive and pretty intense work. 

Alaska Shop Hop 2025

When I pulled out my project box in June I realized I actually had two quilts started.

Hmmm…why did I do that? 

I finally figured out it was because I liked the initial finishing kit with a multicolor scrappy border…then another quilt shop offered an alternate setting and border…and I really liked it!  

2010 Alternate Quilt Setting

And…at the time it was a pretty unique design. Since then Laser cut appliqués have become very popular. The design from 2010 required tracing everything on fusible appliqué sheets…so very tedious. 

I’ve done one of the hardest parts…all the tracing and fusing tiny pieces in place.

Now I am topstitching around all the appliqués. 

Here are some of the blocks I have finished topstitching on the appliqués.

I have the same blocks finished for other version. So…I’m halfway there!

Here is the Alaska Shop Hop quilt from 2009 that I finished in 2022.

I had Gigi duty on Saturday. The girls have American Girl dolls that are kept at my house and I had a box of new clothes for them to dress up the dolls. When we went for a walk outside they wanted to bring their dolls so of course that gave us some good photo opportunities.

No critters sited during their visit.

Busy…So Busy

I  just don’t have time for blogging. 

So much to do during our brief summer. 

My Blue Himalayan Poppies are always the star of my perennial beds.

 The orange flower is a Fire Storm Geum. 

My Creeping Thyme moves an inch or so up the rocks every year. 

I captured a photo of a Hummingbird Moth while weeding my Blue Moon Woodland Phlox.

I have several varieties of Columbine in my flower beds.

My main landscaping project is to finish this hill. 

Lots of bear sightings. 

Some from the safety of my car while driving in the neighborhood.

Some screen shots of bears from our neighborhood FaceBook page so they are not the best resolution but…we have a sow with three cubs! I don’t want to run into her anytime soon. Mama bears scare me the most.

I have gotten a lot of handwork projects done...not much quilting. 

The sun is shining so I must get outside!