The Good, the bad and the ugly of it all

As a crafter, I've had a devistating loss.  Now, let me say that in the real-world scheme of things - this is nothing.  But, in my little world of crafting - it's a loss. 

12 years ago - I took a cotton duck stocking and cross-stitched a cute little scene on it for our oldest son - he was 2.  The next year (11 years ago) I did the same thing for our youngest son who was 3 months old.  I also made one for my hubby and myself at that time.  All just the plain cotton duck stockings I picked up for $5 at Wal-mart that I cross-stitched Christmas scenes or pictures on with our names.  They were great as far as I was concerned.  Something I pictured hanging in our home when our grandchildren visited!  Here those are:

Well, Christmas time is here again ... so we pulled down the decorations and began to "deck the halls".  When I got to the box that contained my stockings and dish cloths and bathroom towels - I was shocked to find there was a strange mold/mildew growing all over the fabric!  I tossed the towels and such.  They were just some decorations.  But, the stockings I put in the wash (they are washable) and washed them on delicate.  Apparently the mold/mildew had eaten the fabric!!!  They were RUINED!  I was just SICK about it.  Just to the point of tears for a couple of days.

I pulled myself together and decided that they were gone and there was nothing I could do to fix them.  So, I set about finding these cotton duck stockings to begin again.  NO ONE sells them.  Not wal-mart where I first got them, not any online retailers, not the crafters on etsy.  I could not find them.  So, I bought some cotton duck fabric and traced the outline of the stockings and begain to sew my new ones.

Now, I'm not a seamstress by any means.  I can hem - and sew curtains - but that's about it.  So, this was new territory for me.

I was scared that I would ruin this fabric.  But, I was really pleasently surprised at the outcome.  This is the first one sewn.  I've got 3 to go.  They'll all be blank this Christmas - because I just don't have time to get them all cross-stitched this year.  But, when the decorations go down - I'll begin these for next Christmas!

My first attempt at sewing stockings: 

Tidings of Joy

Another pattern from Bella Crochet that I fell in LOVE with. 
I just love holiday stuff.  If I had the time and the funds and the space, I would decorate for every single holiday!  I love them all.
I really love the way these wreaths turn out.  They work up so beautifully!

The Old Stand By

This is the baby blanket that I've worked up dozens of times.  And when I say dozens, I mean that literally!  I tend to get bored with a pattern if I make it too many times.  I've tried different ones to "shake it up a little"  But, this one always works up so beautifully.  So, I keep coming back to this pattern time and time again.  I've done just about any color combination you can imagine ... almost.  I've done white with white ribbon, blue with blue, pink with pink, yellow with yellow, purple with purple, white with pink ribbon, white with blue ribbon, white with yellow ribbon and white with chocolate brown ribbon.  I'm thinking I should try some whimsical colors next time.  Maybe a bright orange with polka-dot ribbon.  Or a white one with a funky ribbon.  :)

I just couldn't get the lighting to cooperate with me.  But, maybe you can get the idea!

Harvest Moon Wreath

I fell in love with this pattern from BellaCrochet about a month ago.  After going back and forth on it I finally decided to purchase the pattern and try it out!  It worked up really quickly and easily. 
The "hard" part was blocking and gluing.  I just love it!

Harvest Crinoline Lady

I have recently fallen in love with Crinoline Ladies. They are so elegant and hold such a connection to "days gone by". The name Crinoline Ladies comes from the petticoats worn by ladies to hold their dresses in shape. Wikipedia says: "Crinoline was originally a stiff fabric with a weft of horse-hair and a warp of cotton or linen thread. The fabric first appeared around 1830, but by 1850 the word had come to mean a stiffened petticoat or rigid skirt-shaped structure of steel designed to support the skirts of a woman’s dress into the required shape. In form and function it is very similar to the earlier farthingale." I'm pretty certain I wouldn't want to wear those things, but they make for beautiful intricate doily's.
These are suitable for framing or displaying on a table or dresser. This one is "Harvest". And I'm certain as soon as she's blocked and stiffened, I'll be adding her to my etsy shop for sale!
These beautiful ladies work up really quickly. I can make one in a day if I don't have any major interruptions.

Another new pattern

I'm still trying to find a new pattern for a baby blanket that I like as well as the first one that I've made dozens of. This one turned out really pretty, but, I still like the first one better. I might have to just go back to that old standby. I've got one more pattern I'm going to try. It won't be for anybody in particular. I'm setting up an online store at etsy.com to try and sell some of these projects that consume so much of my time and money. I figure if I'm going to spend money on the supplies to keep my hands busy, I should try to sell them. You'd be amazed at how much some of the blankets are going for on that site! So, I thought I'd give it a try...

This one is a gift for a baby due in September.

Key Fobs

These are "key fobs". I don't know why they are called that - but they are. I call them key chains.

Whatever they are ... these are some I made with some hardware and ribbon.

I sewed these by hand.

I think maybe I'll try the sewing machine next time.

Baby Dress Take 2

So, I tried the baby dress pattern a second time.

It turned out way better in a different color and I used different flower details.

This one turned out really cute, I think.
The flowers are crocheted with thread.

The dress is knitted with a soft, sweet yarn.

A New Blanket

I have been making baby blankets to give as gifts for a couple of years now. In fact, the little girl that I made the very first blanket for, will be 3 in October. I've been making this one pattern every time. It's a really pretty blanket with a lacy edge and a ribbon around the boarder. I've used every color yarn and every color ribbon to make it. I've made DOZENS (no exaggeration) of this same blanket in all kinds of color combinations. I've just grown tired of it. It's not as special to me anymore. So, when it came time to make another blanket, I decided to try a different pattern. This has a really lacy edge to it. I absolutely loved it. I made this one in pink. I started this blanket the first full week in May. After I finished the body of it and realized that I had missed something somewhere along the way... I had to frog the entire thing and start all over! And so, I finished the 2nd attempt the 3rd week in May. With just 2 days to spare until the baby shower I was taking it to! But, I think it turned out really pretty.

Baby Dress

This was my first attempt at this pattern. It turned out, basically, like I thought it would. I think next time, I'll choose a different color for the dress. I'll also probably change the button on the side to a big flower button. This was just what I had on hand.




This particular dress, I'll probably keep as a sample... but I definately plan on making another for a gift very soon.

This one was made as a size 0-3 months.

I began this project the first week in March 2009 and finished it the 2nd week of March 2009. It was a very simple pattern. I could have finished it sooner if I could have worked on it as much as I wanted to.

Spring flowers and snow?

I've been out with my camera some. I love winter time... but I love the flowers in the new spring. I got some shots of the new srping flowers and then a few days later of the snow on those new spring flowers.
Here's what happens when winter and spring collide!