Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Stampin' and Stitchin': Elf Shoes

Hey Sewers!
there's lots of Christmas preparation and decoration going on around here
these cute, cute elf shoes were stitched using my Bernina 750 embroidery module









 the design is from Kimberbell
it is an in-the-hoop project
I used leftover fabric scraps from my stash
the base of the shoe is felt
the fabric is then appliqued onto the felt
all the embellishments (twine, button, etc.)
are Stampin' Up products

 








a number of fun items will fit into the opening
I chose these yummy Reese's peanut butter cup canes
I'm not in love with the look of the label, however,
so I chose some Stampin' Up envelope paper (it is a little lighter weight than the DSP)
in cucumber crush to cover those tubes
plus, the stripe looks like elf socks, don't you think?
I cut each piece 4 1/2 inches by 9 inches
added some tear and tape to the front and back of one side of the paper
and rolled it around the cane
there, that looks better

and here's a decorating idea that I came across in my 
Better Homes and Gardens Christmas from the Heart book (2015)
they used silver egg cups
I used my vintage silver bowl that I found last year at a local consignment shop
the greenery is from my shrubs that I finally got around to trimming
and I picked up the pine cones that dropped from the pine trees at the grade school across the street

are you preparing for the upcoming holidays, friends?
whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas
I would love to see your handmade goodness

Happy Decorating,


Saturday, December 5, 2015

Snow People and Winter Birds

Hey Sewers!
Here we are in early December and
winter is quickly descending upon us
If you are in a climate such as we are here in Utah,
the snow has already started falling, but it is also quickly melting
These little guys however, won't melt
I can't help but smile whenever I look at them

Tami, Ashley, and Brittni are my lovely sewing friends who brought them to life
at my Santa's Workshop sewing class last night at our local Bernina dealer
The pattern for these sweet little snow people heads is in Nancy Halversen's book,
Table Please Part Two
Another winter-themed project in the same book is this
winter birds table topper,
which I'm actually using as a wall hanging


The tree trunks are strip pieced alternately with the white background
the tree branches and birds are applique
I used wool felt for the bird appliques,
which adds great dimension to those feathered beauties


Appleton wool yarn is a perfect pairing with the wool felt and hand stitching
 



 

Enjoy your winter, my friends, and take time to do some
bird watching
and snowball making