heartfelt tutorial

So today I am going to take you step-by-step through making a felt heart pouch. Brace yourself, there are many photos and directions. I hope you like it!You will need some wool felt and embroidery floss in any colors that please you or your Valentine(s), scissors, a hand-sewing needle, and a heart-shaped pattern.The pattern I use is 2" wide and just shy of 2" tall. I cut it in the good ol' fold-a-piece-of-paper-in-half-and-cut-half-a-heart-shape way. Once I came up with a heart that was just right, I transferred it onto a piece of cardstock (aka magazine subsciption insert), cut it out, and use it repeatedly.Using a ball-point pen, trace around the pattern onto the felt twice. Cut out the two felt hearts.I'm going to show you how my mother taught me to thread a needle a looooong time ago. (If you click on that crazy collage, it will get bigger and be easier to see). Separate out three strands of embroidery floss. Fold the floss over the needle and pinch the floss and needle so you can barely see the folded floss. Slide out the needle. Now slip the eye of the needle over the barely visible fold of floss, and the fold should slide through the eye! Maybe you knew how to do that. That's a bit of Mom Magic that I have never forgotten. A while back, I came across Heather Bailey's brilliant knot technique (scroll down through her sidebar for a tutorial). I had a way I made knots forever before, but now I can't remember it because Heather's way is so great!Now you can stitch a design on one of the felt hearts, or both if your heart desires. ;) I've done monograms in back-stitch or split-stitch, French-knot sprinkles, sashiko type stitches, chain-stitch flowers.... It is really up to you!Here's how I make a French knot. Send the threaded needle through the felt where you want a little 3-D dot. Lay the needle flat against the felt and wrap the floss around the needle. In this case, I went around three times, but two or four could also work. Then carefully point the needle back into the felt very close to where the needle came out in the first place. Tug the floss to snug the wraps around the needle close to the felt. Draw your thread through, keeping an eye on the wraps, maybe use your thumbnail to keep them from going astray. Ta-da!!! A sweet little French knot! Sprinkle them around as you like.

Once you've got the embellishments in a way that makes your heart sing (!), it's time to sew the front and back together. I use blanket-stitch because I like the way it looks and how it finishes the opening.

Let me qualify this back-stitch lesson with "this is how I rigged up starting a back-stitch" because there is probably a slicker way that doesn't leave a double thickness of floss on the first stitch. If you know another way, do tell!

Start stitching at the top of the left "hump" (as you look at it). To hide the knot, start on the inside and draw the needle through the back piece, around to the front, and through both.

So send the needle backwards under the floss of the first stitch.Then come to the front and stitch from front to back.

Before you pull the stitch snug, send the needle through the loop the forms. Pull until the loop lays down over the gap between the front and back. Continue in this manner around the heart until you get to the top of the other "hump".

At this point, blanket-stitch only the edge of the front piece.When you get to the other "hump", send the needle under the very first stich to create the horizontal "laying down" part of the stitch. Now continue with the blanket-stitching on the back piece.When you come to the other "hump" again, send the needle under the last stitch that joined the front and back.To secure the end, send the needle under that same stitch once more, but before pulling it snug, put the needle through the loop twice, then tug slowly. A knot will form; again, you may need to guide the knot with your fingernail to keep it from travelling up your thread away from the stitch. Now, slide the needle through a nearby edge of the felt, keeping the needle within the thickness of the felt (not sandwiched between the two pieces), poke the needle out again, and snip the floss close to the felt. This will bury the floss within the felt. Finally, tuck a token of your affection inside, and you are done! I find these wee dark chocolates at our local food co-op. I vaguely recall finding some milk chocolate pieces too. An old key would be sweet. Or those pewter tokens. A little love note...

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments, and I'll answer there, it'll serve as a reference spot. If you make some pouches, I hope you have fun. Maybe send me a picture. I'd love that!

glad tidings + trimmings

I must be improving my perspective on what it means to be me, because today this mass of "raw materials" might seem like a headache to some, but it really makes me happy. I took this photo this morning before Hana and I started our wrapping fest. It will stand as testament to my commitment to spreading some handmade cheer for the holidays. There are some gingerbread felt ornaments, a top secret red gift (if you're Si, do not click link), a soon-to-be-felted and embroidered bowl, an embroidered snowflake pendant, a beaded necklace, some pom-pons, gift boxes of recycled catalog covers, and a few other last-minute goodies. It's like an I Spy puzzle! My own workshop at my spot at our table; I love it!

So that's the storm, here's the calm:

I love to sit on the sofa and gaze at our Christmas tree (cue the Charlie Brown Christmas music). There are a lot of sweet memories stitched, glued, and folded in our ornaments; the ones we made, the ones made for us, the ones we chose to add that represent a special time or sentiment.

Some of the handmade ornaments hold the memory of a fun crafting frenzy that swept over me and some friends any number of years ago (anyone remember felt gingerbread babies? or beaded snowflakes?). I haven't yet tired of making ornaments; each year I find inspiration for a different few that I must add to our collection and share. Thanks to many blog-friends, I've already got a list of projects to make for next year!

So, again, it seems that I'm recognizing the balance and the teetering involved; keeping my eyes open so I can see all the shades of light and dark, because it's all there. I believe.

snow

I love snow. We had some glitter snow earlier today. Hana and her friend immediately went outside to play. With the sparkly snow dancing around them, they looked like a scene from a snow globe. So sweet!


Here's some other snow that has developed around the house:

This snow was precipitated (!) by Margaret Oomen at Resurrection Fern; her endless blog wonderland of inspiration is one of my favorite places to escape to. A couple of weeks ago, she generously laid out the making of these snowflake pendants. It took me a little self-encouragement to free-stitch the snowflake, but once I just went for it, I really enjoyed the making. I love wearing the pendant too. When I was getting ready to take photos earlier, I threw myself into a panic because I couldn't find that last one, that's the one I'm keeping. Guess where I found it? Around my neck! Silly me. My pendants are about 2" in diameter and strung from a handspun merino crochet chain, but just imagine the possibilities! I've had to write down the list of ideas because they keep coming, and I worry that I'll forget before I get to stitching. I'm thinking of a holly sprig with berries, icicles, fir branches, pinecones, etc. Thank you, Margaret, for the inspiration and instructions, again!

Any snow in your neck of the woods?!

bag lady, me

Clearly, I've been working through some mental clutter! By that, I mean more of my things to make someday list! It started a couple of weeks ago with the maya*made buckets, which we are making good use of, thank you very much.

Next to be checked off the list was the blue zipper pouch. I finished it off finally, after it sat and sat on the project table, waiting for some hand sewing. The gorgeous print is from Echino, and it is full of paper-cut-esque silhouettes of woodland creatures+botany+nature. The navy portion is some linen left over from hemming off some pants. It's lined with part of an old chambray bedsheet that I've been slowly hacking away at (stay tuned). I embroidered a running stitch along the top edge, just for handwork's sake. I carry this pouch in my everyday bag to keep a bitty brush, hair things for Hana, lip stuff, arnica, etc. I love to use it and look at it.

Then another box bag. This time my favorite mushroomy fabric! It's lined with the chambray too. I think it's best for me to make several of these at once, because I forget from time to time all the parts to include: pull tabs + handle! I took this one apart twice before it was done... :( This one's a gift, but I'm not tellin'!

The bright blue one is a bag to house our RushHour puzzle/game. I never did like the box it came in but tolerated it all these years (we've had the game since Koji was little, a pillowcase, I think), always thinking that someday it would get its own special cloth bag... someday came last week! The fabric is from when Koji was little and in his vehicle love, the back is the chambray. I used french seams so the insides would be tidy and not fray. Hooray, I'm so glad I don't have to look at that box anymore!

The light blue bag is my new knitting project bag. The main fabric is from Aunty Cookie. It is every knitter/sewers dream because it's knitting-related phrases ("knit" "purl" "count" "recount") fabric! There's a drawing of two hands casting on too. I think I need to get more... Do you have trouble knowing when to stop; as in when is a project done, when does it need more detail or personalization? I always have. I felt I was teetering on the edge of "too much" when I embroidered some steam rising from the tea/coffee cup on the stamped patch, but now I like it. I probably could've left it off, but I was on a roll, I guess. The yarn ball stamp and the mug stamp are from Craft Pudding. We love them!

The sling bag is my new everyday bag. The fabric is an African batik that I ordered from Retrosaria. I first got hooked on Rosa's blog, then her ribbon, now it's just about anything she picks out for her on-line store! She has fabric, tools, books, yarn, haberdashery, and her own creations. It's worth checking out if you're into handwork like I guess you are. Guess what I lined it with?! Right. I used a pattern from Pippijoe but altered the strap to be one long piece instead of using the cute knot at the top (I thought it might bug me). The bag is functioning very well. Yahoo!

Clearly, I have a thing for bags. :)

Also becoming clear, I have a thing for Etsy. Oh, boy! Don't get me started. We'll talk of that another day, there is so much to say. Fun.

So, I'll leave you with this beauty. We're going on a family trip tomorrow, so I won't post until Friday or so. I'll miss the garden while we're gone. Take care!

ETA: There's a new bag that came off the sewing machine tonight, but I'll have to show you that one when we get back from our little family trip, ok? What is it about going out of town and needing a new bag?! It happens to me almost everytime we go away... it might be a packing procrastinating thing, I don't know. Just sayin'!

Ps - About the commenting, if you're still encountering trouble, please try the Anonymous option... I had my remote support guy test this method and it worked for him. ;)

pile up

Here are the complete potholders for the Swap!!! I am happy with the way they turned out and that they are done in time! I'm the type who will take full advantage of a deadline extention, a procrastinator of epic history. "Good under pressure" is what some folks call it. wink, wink! They'll start their journey to Swap headquarters later this morning. Thank you to Adrian + Maritza + all my fellow swappers for this challenging and fun opportunity!

Besides that happy pile, other things have been piling up around here - the number of days w/out a post to the blog for instance, sorry. But there's this pile:

and this pile:
and this one too:

A beautiful bundle of tatting thread which I will treat as teeny-tiny crochet cotton. I have been bitten by the crochet-bug big time, and want to make some small motifs for hair clips, key chains, necklaces, brooches, buttons (hey, there's another pile - of ideas!) Last year, for May Day, I crocheted some flower chains with sport weight cotton, and now I'm going to go even smaller! I've been known to dabble in minituae...

Of course, this time of year brings a pile of happy events for attending as well. Our son finishes grade eight in a few days, and there have been concerts, presentations, and field trips full of proud moments, laughs, and comraderie. Coming up: families celebrating together, a formal honors evening, and a lake party, all sure to hold even more proud moments, laughs (and tears), and a speech by me! (That there, is a pile of nerves!)

It is amazing to me that we have gotten to this place in our family life. It is astounding really; I look around and see it all happening, I try to witness each and every moment, and yet it is a blur. It is perpetual and halting all at once.

What kind of piles do you have going on? ("Laundry" is not the kind of answer I'm looking for!)

Today's going to be a busy one! I wanted to stop here before the day gets off on its way to give an update on what's happening in the porch:


and in the yard:

In the porch, early this morning, I began embroidering a motif on linen which will become the backing of the potholders/hotpads that I am contributing to the Swap. The photo is of a pile of snippets from crocheted part of the potholers. Happy colors! So I hemmed + hawed about the embroidery, but since the deadline for the swap is quickly approaching, a choice needed to be made! Now that I've decided to go ahead with an embroidered fabric backing instead of another crocheted layer, I'm really glad I did. I've been waiting for an opportunity to try out Sublime Stitching, and this is a perfect chance. I own a notebook of transferable patterns that are an off-shoot of the book. I borrowed the book itself from the library to get Jenny Hart's tips, and I think I will invest in the book now for future reference and for the ton of transferable patterns in there! It is simple and fun to do (once one decides to go for it!) It often takes a bit of a push, a sniffing out of the territory if you will, before I begin a handwork project that is not in my usual comfort zone (i.e. something other than knitting). But once I take the leap, I almost always love it. I am loving this embroidering!

In the yard, yesterday, Hana was picking a bouquet of dandelions, trilling about springtime and bumble bees while I watered the garden and seedlings. It was not an uncommon scene. By the time I was done watering, she had moved on to the swing, and I asked her if she wanted a jar of water for her flowers. She quickly put the brakes on the swing by disengaging her bottom from the sling of the swing and dragging her feet (I love the way kids figure that out) and made a bee-line to the picnic table, waved her arm, and shouted, "Tah-Dah!!!"

My little Andy Goldsworthy! Here are the words to the bumble bee song:

"busy buzzy bumble bee; buzzing by busily; busy buzzy bumble bee; flying by!"

That'll be our theme song today, I hope you have a great one!