Last Christmas I was running behind . . . it happens . . . almost every year occasionally. My intentions had been to complete a handmade gift for each of my daughters.  Since that was going to be a sure fire recipe for a super stressed-out holiday, instead I bought each of my girls an embroidery project with a note attached that *I* was going to do the work later on.

For my cat loving girl . . . you know the one . . . I bought a set of pillowcases stamped with a winking cat snuggling under a quilt.



For anybody out there that feels compelled to follow packaged directions explicitly, (I know you're out there because I used to be one of you), break the bonds and be free. Change the colors to suit yourself. Change the pattern if you want.  The blue stamped ink will wash out, and the new embroidery design will be left behind.

That's what I did on this project.  I changed several of the colors and tweaked a couple of design instructions.  Once I wash it, no one will ever know that I broke the rules.


Sweet and colorful. It matches Bridget's sunny disposition!

~ Jodi

No I'm not traveling the world trying to grandma-ify places I visit!

Two things my parents always asked us on our way out the door . . .
1. Did you bring something to do?
2. Do you have a sweater? (I grew up in Florida; it would take a whole post to explain this one!)

Habits formed in our childhood die hard!

At 50, I still hate getting stuck somewhere with nothing to do. I like to keep a little handiwork in my purse to fill those gaps.  It makes me feel productive which is especially nice when other things feel like they are out of my control.  



So I've been carrying around this doily for a while. It's slow going because I do it in dibs and dabs of time.  But all those little bits add up to one finished doily and one 3/4 done. 


I wasn't sure of the color combination at first, but I have fallen in love with the chocolate and mint; it makes me think of Andes Candies.  I'm using bamboo crochet thread, and it is lusciously soft!

So . . .

1. Did you bring something to do?
2.  Do you have a sweater? :)

~ Jodi

I indicated in my last Small Bear post that I was constructing a home for Small Bear . . . on paper, of course. Before I reveal my sketch of his kitchen, I thought I'd share the story behind the why of his house.

My first paintings of Small Bear were in a very minimalist style; think lots of white space. If you're familiar with the British cartoon Kipper, you'll know what I'm talking about.

As his personality developed I began to paint more detailed pictures, but sometimes my finished product felt like something was missing.


 This is the picture that sparked the idea for Small Bear's house.

Notice anything? Yeah, me neither . . . and that's the point.

The problem was that I didn't have an established setting. This left the pictures short on detail and looking bland.

So I decided to create a home-sweet-home for Small Bear. The purpose of his drafted home is to provide a framework for the background in my finished artwork.



Last time Small Bear invited you into his Living Room. Today he wants to show you his kitchen. Please keep in mind that he hasn't painted yet.


See Small Bear up there on the left? He's still reaching for his honey pot.I think Small Bear might need a stool!

This drawing shows three different walls in the kitchen. There's a little diagram in the top right corner that displays the layout. Small Bear's kitchen has an old-fashioned charm.  He has an antique oven at one end of the kitchen, large pine tables for rolling pie crusts, lots of shelving to hold his favorites sweets, and quaint wallpaper in a soft green.

I'm afraid we'll have to conclude this behind the scene tour now because Small Bear needs my help getting his scones out of the oven!

~ Brittany

I wanted to share another peak into my sketchbook with you.  I drew this tiger and cub from a picture I found.  My focus on this was to create a border around the picture.  I looked up flowers found in India and used those as my inspiration.

This pincushion started with the rose fabric.  Once I chose that fabric, I cut out a 9-inch circle and then matched my embroidery floss to the fabric. I used the following:

 

I cut a 9-inch circle out of coordinating felt and also two 9-inch circles of interfacing.




With one circle of interfacing on the back of the cream felt, I embroidered eight rambling roses evenly spaced around the circle. I used the rosy pink floss, #961.

The interfacing is optional, but I do find that it helps keep the back threads hidden from showing on the front.  It also helps stabilize the knots, so they don't pull through.



Here's what it looks like with the roses all completed and evenly spaced.



To add the greenery, I started with the light green, #3052.  I made a small straight stitch, angled upward, about half way down on the left side of each rose  I then made three lazy daisy stitches, one on each side of the stem and one at the tip of the stem.



Using the dark green, #3051, I repeated the exact same steps on the right side of each rose.  Then I added two lazy daisy stitches (with no stem), peeping out from under the rose, each at a slight angle.



To round out the design, I added French knots scattered about (not always the exact same number, but about seven or eight).  I used the dark wine color, #221.

I start a new hoop art design by tracing the outside edge of my inside hoop.  Then I lay out my design lightly in pencil.  When I'm happy with it, I color it in so I can tweak my color choices before I start embroidering.  I sometimes use lined paper because it helps me to center my design.

The embroidery on this project is actually completed; I'll share that tomorrow ...

~ Jodi