Stitch Swap Project

I participated in the Stitch Swap hosted by Mollie from Wild Olive.  The stitch swap works like this-- you sign up and are given a person's name and colors/themes they like.  Then you embroider a hoop and mail it to them.  Someone else gets your name and sends you a hoop.  The person I was making my hoop for likes pink and green and a "whimsical" theme.  I'm not going to lie-- I had no idea what constitutes as whimsical!  I interpreted it to be uneven letters.  :)  I really enjoyed making my hoop and I hope the recipient likes it too!  

I had never "finished" a hoop before-- meaning closing off the back so you can't see any threads.  I followed this tutorial and finished mine with pink felt in the back.  It looked great when I mailed it off to my new friend.

Do you embroider?  Post pictures of your work to Mister G's Facebook page!  Have a great day!

xo, Ashley

P.S. Mollie will be hosting another Stitch Swap this fall.  You should follow her blog and sign up when it the next round starts up again!

Lovely Birds Tutorial: DIY Cards, Hand Towels, Pillows, and More!

What do you do with all those fabric scraps that you just can't bring yourself to throw away? 

Make birds!  

You can sew these sweet birds on just about anything!  Cards, hand towels, baby onesies, children's clothing, pillows, the list goes on and on... 

You will need:

Fabric scraps

Scissors

Needle/Thread or Sewing Machine

Embroidery Floss

Object to sew birds on

I made this template for you to download and use as a pattern.  

Click here to download my free printable Google Docs bird template!

1. Print your template.

2. Cut out the bird body, the face, the wing, and the belly.  

If you want to save paper you could just print one copy and work strategically (whole bird first, then face, then wing, then belly).  If you have scrap paper, then print a few copies and you can cut your fabric at the same time.  

3. Cut out your bird parts from your fabric.  

4. Sew the face to the bird body.

5. For the chubby bird-- sew the belly now.

6. Sew the wing

7. Sew your bird onto whatever item you desire.  

8. Using brown embroidery floss, embroider a french knot for the birds eye.

Click here to learn how to make a french knot-- it's so easy!

9. Use a simple stitch and sew tiny legs.  And a beak for your chubby bird.  

Post links to pictures of your birds in the comments section!  Or tweet them (haha) @MisterGandMe

I got the idea for this pattern pretty closely from a dish towel from Anthropologie-- so I wouldn't sell anything using this pattern.  These birds probably should be for your personal and non-commercial enjoyment only!  

Baby Ivy and some of her handmade swag!

Baby Ivy Eleanor is here!  

Here is Megan and Ivy the day after she was born.  It was such a beautiful experience to witness another person coming into the world.  I was honored to be Meg's breathing coach during the delivery and be there to share the special day with her and Ivy.  I am so proud of her!!!

I knit this blanket for Ivy with the most luscious organic cotton.  It was an absolute treat to make!  The color is just perfect too!! Megan isn't into super pink things-- I was so thankful to find this dusty rose colored yarn that I knew she would LOVE.  

I embellished this onesie with handmade flowers using the DIY Flower Garland tutorial featured on craftgawker.  

I thought white flowers on a white onesie would be adorable!  I asked hubs for a clean t-shirt, put on some HGTV House Hunters, and got busy!  

3 Tips for this project:

1.  For small flowers, use a small spice bottle to trace your circles onto the t-shirt.

2.  Use a needle grip!  My fingers hurt something fierce by the time I was done.

3.  You can use a washable fabric pen if you have one.  If not, don't worry about cutting the circles perfectly to avoid the lines.  Use a pretty color marker to add a hint of contrasting color to your flowers.

As you may recall, I embroidered some French knot sheep on a onesie  for Ivy.  This was too cute to keep a surprise-- but still the in-person response was over the top.  My mom and sister are both pushing me to make and sell some more embroidered onesises.  The sheep take a while, but it could turn into a nice source of supplementary crafting income :)

Do you have any favorite baby crafts to share?  I would love to see them!!!

xoxo,

Auntie Ashley and Mister G 

Click here for Newborn Photography Tips

Fantastic Baby Gifts: Handmade with Love: Part One

I was waiting to give my sister Megan her baby gifts-- but I just can't wait any longer!  Today she is 40 weeks, 6 days pregnant.  I gave her my gifts for baby Ivy yesterday and she squealed with delight.  I will post all of them over the course of this week. 
Keep checking back for great ideas for baby gifts!

To make this Embroidered Love Onesie you will need:
Onesie
Felt
Embroidery floss (2 colors)

Soft interfacing

Cut 4 hearts from your felt. I used homemade felt- but any felt will do!

Arrange them how you like. If you have a larger onesie your hearts may fit across the chest. I used a 0-3 months onesie so I needed to arrange the hearts as a diagonal sash across the body.

Using 3 strands of the first color floss, stitch each heart to the onesie. A running stitch looks great along the border of the heart.

Embroider the word "love" with 3 strands of the second color floss, placing one letter on each heart.

Cut a piece of the interfacing to cover the back of your work. This protects the baby's soft skin from the knots and ends of the thread.

Follow the directions for your interfacing and iron it to the back of your onesie.

Turn it right side out and marvel at your work!




Sadly, Mister G was not able to help with this project because he is chasing skinks and lizards in Florida.  I know he would have liked this because he is ALL love!

Sheep Embroidery

My sister is due in 2 days! I can't wait to be an aunt and have LOVED making things for my new niece.

The first project I have to share is this embroidered onesie.

I found this tutorial on craftgawker:

http://www.justcraftyenough.com/2011/07/how-to-embroider-french-knot-sheep/

I thought the design would be adorable on a onesie!

The sheep are easy to make- but time consuming. Each lamb took around 30-45 minutes and the fence/grass took a while too. I was patient and didn't mess up my stitches. The back of the fabric is clean- no bundles of messy, bunched floss! Once my engagement ring caught on the fence- but it was mended easily.

Overall, I am so happy with my finished project.

My computer is on the moving truck making its way to my new home - so for the next few weeks I will be using iPhone pictures on the blog.

Packing Up My Sewing Machine

Packing for a weekend trip is a big challenge for me. Packing a suitcase with everything I need for a month- and putting everything else into a box is indescribably hard!

As some of you may know, my husband recently started a new business in Florida with his friend and we are relocating there. My sister is 38 weeks pregnant- so I need to have my move in order before her little one makes her grand entrance into the world!

The movers are coming on Wednesday to put our things in storage. The following week is my sister's due date and the next week my husband and pup travel down to Florida. I will stay with my sister and niece for 2 weeks and then fly down to my new home- reuniting with my hubs and Mister G!

Not surprisingly, my craft supplies have been the hardest things to box up. I am sad to put away my sewing machine today. After my sewing things are all packed up, that will leave only 1 knitting project, my felt, embroidery supplies, and jewelry supplies.

I plan to make some jewelry over the next week-mainly because I keep all of my tools and jewels in a vintage tackle box that can be moved on its own without a box.

What kinds of crafts do you make with few small things? I'm excited to see what I can come up with with just a small basket of supplies!!

I also just got the book "The Knitting Sutra" from the library and the first few pages have been fantastic!!! I'm certain I will finish it before part one of the move begins next week!

Learning to Embroider

John bought me a great book for our anniversary- Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart.




I like this book because it has a fresh approach to a traditional craft. I have checked out many a musty book at the library about embroidery and it's a beautiful change of pace to read something published after I was born.

This book has wonderful step by step written and picture instructions for each type of stitch. Some stitches even offer a few different techniques which is helpful!

I have really enjoyed learning the stitches! Here is my second try at embroidery. I used French knots, running stitch, isolated chain stitch (lazy daisy), satin stitch, fern stitch, and cross stitch.



I saw this quote posted on twitter by @anthuria :

"In his own garden, every man may be his own artist without apology or explanation."

I live in an apartment and don't have a garden yet- but I sure love embroidering one!

John and I are trading services this weekend. In exchange for me tickling his back- he will accompany me to Michaels so I can use two 40% off coupons! He has previously accompanied me to the craft store and hooked me up with extra deals- but I guess it's how the saying goes... If you're good at something, never do it for free. :)


This is my first time blogging from my phone! Pictures and all! Apologies if this is posted 17 times...