Mrs M this reminded me of you!

[Stella]

I was looking at embroidery patterns online and this one very much reminded me of you with the cute little clothesline and frugal saying.

Pattern (http://www.etsy.com/listing/75966953/embroidery-pattern-pdf-make-it-do)

How cute would that be on a tea towel?

[fidgiegirl]

Love!!

Cold weather is when I pull out the embroidery. It's getting to be time! I could have embroidered so much last night as I wasted two hours watching HGTV.

[Mrs-M]

Oh my!!! That's darling, Stella! It really would make for such a classic tea towel saying. I love embroidery, always have. Etsy has all the good stuff!

Stella and Fidgiegirl, how long have you guys been embroidering?

[Rosemary]

How cute!
DD and I started our annual winter craft project yesterday. It's some embroidered & appliqued felt snowman ornaments that she can give as gifts or keep, as she wishes. (It's a 'winter' project as it might not actually be done by Christmas.)

[Mrs-M]

That sounds like such a fun project, Rosemary. I love a few soft ornaments on a tree.

[bke]

That is the cutest ever!!

[Stella]

Rosemary that sounds cute! I have been thinking about doing felt ornaments too after seeing this. (http://rosylittlethings.com/walkwoodskit.html) Of course I would not actually pay $30 for felt, but they reminded me of ornaments my grandmother made. Those ornaments are among my favourites.

Kelli, winter is my time for embroidery too. Embroidery, sewing, knitting, crocheting. All of that is a winter thing for me for the most part.

Mrs. M I have been embroidering for about 6-7 years. Since the girls were babies. I love it. It's easy and adds such a nice touch to everyday stuff like tea towels and pillowcases.

[Rosemary]

Stella, those ornaments are beautiful! Wouldn't be difficult to create your own, similar design, although it's not that easy to find felt in nice earthy colors.

My aunt taught me to embroider when I was about 10, I think - maybe younger. She used one of those iron-on patterns and helped me embroider a cat on some lovely linen fabric that we turned into a small pillow that is now on my daughter's bed.

It's a winter project for me, too! Time to dig out all those projects that were started and are waiting to be finished... a nice time of year to have a wool knitting project covering my lap!

Here are a few projects I had bookmarked for inspiration:
http://blog.betzwhite.com/2011/03/announcing-felted-birdhouse-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BetzWhitesBlog+%28betz+white% 27s+blog%29
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinescreations/313224755/in/set-72157600024852343/
http://mysparkle.blogspot.com/2010/11/matryoshka-doll-ornament.html
http://makingitlovely.com/2008/09/03/wee-girl/
http://thatjoliegirl.blogs.com/that_jolie_girl/2008/01/christmas-pre-4.html

And since it's getting to be that time of year again, here are a few master lists for gift-giving...
http://handmadehomeschool.wordpress.com/handmade-gift-ideas/
http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2010/12/the-ultimate-handmade-holidays-master-list-2010/
...above blog hasn't started Handmade Holidays 2011 yet but check out this silhouette ornament: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/10/october-22-handmade-holidays-inspiration/

OK, enough. So many ideas, so little time!

[Mrs-M]

Stella. Such a great winter hobby. Embroidered pillow cases are one of my favourite things. I just love a little flower or leaf on the corner of a pillow.

Rosemary. OMG! I just fell in love with the felted bird houses! Amazing! One thing I've been wanting to get into is those soft (pantyhose) type dolls, the ones that look so realistic. Like this. (http://www.alleewillis.com/museumofkitsch/images/certifikitsch-winners/Jason-Mecier/pantyhosedolls-550x412.jpg)

[Stella]

Oooh Rosemary, I am excited to look at all of your links! I am totally getting into Winter crafty mode. Maybe it's a Minnesota thing, or at least a Northerner thing.

[domestic goddess]

Such a cute embroidery for a tea towel! I think I just might have to do this!
And very cute Christmas ornaments. I would probably spring for the kit, if it were available, just for the convenience of having everything ready to go, though I like to pick out my own beads. When I can get over to my house and bring my beading supplies over, I will "shop" my stash.
One thing I love about winter is the time I have to sit in the evenings and stitch or crochet. Well, I only get 3 evenings a week to do this, but I cherish it. I never get as much done as I would like to but, I figure, one day I will be retired and will find it hard to fill in all the time. Then I can crochet and bead and embroider as much as I want.

BTW, Mrs. M, this does remind me of you, too!

[Mrs-M]

Believe it or not, Domestic Goddess, it's actually inspired me to give embroidery a try this winter. I would love to doctor up a couple of plain white tea towels with a simple saying. What a novel idea for a home-based business idea, too! Imagine the popularity of such a thing.

[Stella]

Oh Mrs. M I think you will like it! It seems like it would be a good fit for your personality, both the process and the finished product.

Domestic Goddess, I think the same thing about the kids as you do about retirement. Someday they'll be grown and I'll have all the time I need for the hobbies. Until then I'm happy with the time I get.

[Stella]

Rosemary I got a chance to look at those links and wow are they cute! I want to make all of them! I think the bird ornament would be a good one for the girls to start with. They are beginning to learn embroidery and they would love to make some ornaments.

[Mrs-M]

Stella. Take a look at these (http://www.buttonedup.com/Catalogue/Needlework/Embroidery-Kits/Woodland-Threads.aspx) little darlings!

[Stella]

Those are absolutely adorable! I should make one of those for Bella. She is friends with a lot of little woodland animals. I think she's secretly part fairy.

[Mrs-M]

Stella. How sweet about your daughter. My problem is I love all things crafty. Just seeing those felt birdhouses made my heart skip a beat! Yet after spotting the embroidered mice I was like, "I love those too"! I think part of my problem in relation to settling down with just one thing (hobby/craft wise), is that my mind wants everything. It's as if I'm not content working on just one thing, and that's had a negative effect of keeping me away from getting started with something. I admire those who have several things on the go at once.

[Rosemary]

Those mice are adorable, Mrs. M!
I usually have several projects on the go at once, but that doesn't mean they get done. Last year I finished a project that I began in 1997.

[domestic goddess]

But you finished it, Rosemary! That is something that all of us with UFO's in the closet love to be able to say. As long as they get done sometime before I die,that is all I ask.

[domestic goddess]

Those little mice are so cute! They remind me of the house mouse rubber stamps, which I also love. Hmmm, I could stamp some of those on something and embroider them. Just what I need-another project!

[Stella]

I've always got several projects going at a time too. Today, for example, I am finishing the tea towel I am making for my mom's birthday and sewing skirts for both girls' costumes. Tomorrow I'll be working on a tea towel for my aunt and throw pillows for the living room.

One thing I like about embroidery is that it can be a pretty quick project if you pick something simple and it can still be cute. My aunt's tea towel is going to have a bunch of different coloured hearts on it. I'll have that finished before the end of the Father Brown mystery I am planning to watch tomorrow evening. I love how inexpensive it is too.

I have a couple of my mom's UFOs I am hoping to finish someday. There's a very pretty crewel bird piece that she started when she was pregnant with me. I think it would be fun to finish it. A 30+ year mom/daughter effort. :)

[Mrs-M]

Rosemary and Domestic Goddess, aren't they ever! If only the same could be said about the real version.

Stella. The unfinished project your mom started when she was pregnant with you is awesome! What a wonderful keepsake it will be.