Thursday, January 14, 2010

GNOME PARTY !

I have had such fun bringing to life the characters of my Gnome Party.

Crafting for me is the legacy given to me by my mother. What a magical place her studio was for a young girl. Shelves filled with every sort of interesting thing. Drawers to be opened, fingers marveling to sense what the imagination could bring to life.

Nothing was off limits in my mother's studio. Oils taken to paint rocks, background cloths to become doll clothes and hide away places. Brush strokes added after my mother's hand. Never once in my young life did my mother ever speak an unkind word to me.

A quiet girl always alone needed the safety of imagination to create a world for herself. The breath of creativity filling days with joy.

I love my craft room and it's shelves filled with treasures to eye spy. My mother is close to me in this place, and her praise is kind.


GNOME PARTY PATTERNS:




Thursday, January 7, 2010

Gnome Penny Rug


 

Traditional Penny Rugs are created from using a penny to draw a first circle followed by consecutively larger circles. Despite the name they are not used as rugs; so don't put your Gnome Penny Rug by your bedside!


Supplies: 3/4yd white felt fabric, 1/8yd red, 1/8yd blue, 1sq. flesh (squares can be used for everything but white) Floss: 5 white, 3 red, 2 blue, 1 black, 1 flesh. Button stitch and whip stitch. Flat scissors and Pinking scissors. Time on your hands!
GNOMES: Cut 15" white circle plain, one pinked. Cut 6 blue triangle bodies and arms, cut 6 hats, PINK 6 beards, cut 6 faces, free cut 6 hands and noses.


GNOMES: Stitch faces, button stitch to Gnome bodies, embroider skirt bottom and hat. Baste arms and Gnomes in correct position.Tack stitch beard in place.BS hat over beard.



MUSHROOMS: Cut 16 red caps, 29 white circles, 16 mushrooms plain, 13 pinked. BS white circles on red cap, red cap on plain mushroom, plain mushroom on pinked mushroom.


BS plain white circle to pinked outer circle. Matching stitches, catch top of mushroom, slide needle underneath red cap, matching stitches tack to next mushroom, slide needle again under red cap to match stitches at top of mushroom to circle again. Repeat this up and down method. Iron when finished.




Please do not pin patterns to Pinterest

Monday, January 4, 2010

Sparrows & Conversation Hearts


The cold of January brings the sparrows to the bird feeder outside my kitchen window. They never come alone!


Ones that can't feather their way in for seed, wait their turn on my railing.





A box of conversation hearts, what could be more sweet?