30 in 30: Craft in Peace

Nothing gets me set up for a long afternoon of stitching like a steaming hot cup of tea.  Other than water, tea is the beverage I drink the most of.  Green Tea with lemon is my favorite but I am open to all kinds and I drink my black teas straight; no milk, no sugar.  Nothing makes me happier than having something to stitch on my lap with two hands wrapped around a nice big mug.  Since it’s my favorite I thought it should have a little spot of its own.

This project gave me a way to get rid of some scraps, work with my favorite materials and also gave me a quick hand stitching project. The design is based on others I have seen on lots of websites and in lots of vendor booths at quilt shows.

It was a super easy project I finished over 3 nights while watching TV.  All it took was black wool felt and some left over felted wool cut into two different sized circles. I went based on the smallest leftover piece I had that wasn’t ridiculously small and ended up with circles that were 1.5 and 2.25 inches in diameter.  I blanket stitched the small to the big, backed the big ones with more black and then attached the circles in a circular pattern to make my tea cup a nice new resting place.  My other coasters are jealous!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Leah

30 in 30: Early Inheritance

A lot of what I know how to do craft-wise I learned from my mother, she is a Jill-of-all-crafts.  I also have some very crafty aunts and a crafty grandmother so I get to spend a lot of time with women who love to make things with their hands.  My grandmother’s hands and eyes have unfortunately made it impossible for her to keep up what she used to love doing so much.  She is an extremely talented cross-stitcher who over the years amassed a collection of hoops, canvases, linens, threads, patterns, books and magazines as well as completed some incredibly beautiful work. Every Sunday I spend a few hours at my grandmothers house enjoying tea and snacks with her, my mom and two of my aunts (every now and again a cousin is there as well) and one of the last times I left there she handed me a shopping bag full of cross-stitch patters! 

She called it my inheritance ;)

A peek inside my bag of goodies!

The bag contained so much! Mainly issues of Leisure Arts (all from 1990, 91 and 92) which are hysterical to look at.  The fashion and the hair... wow... yeah I'm just going to leave it at wow.  Not all of the patterns are to my taste so I am going to have to do some careful sorting but my local library collects books and magazines all year long for their semi-annual fundraising book sale so whatever I don't keep I will donate (Nana gave me her blessing on that). 

One I know I won't be able to part with...

Pound Puppies! Squeal!
(check out the old school Leewards price tag - $1.00)

My wanna-make-it list just greatly expanded!!

Whats on your stitchy to-do list?

~Leah 

30 in 30: Just the Basics

Ok, I’ll admit it; I’m a craft supply hoarder.  

There I said it! 

One of the combinations that I hoard the most of is needles and threads.  Threads of all kinds and needles of all shapes and sizes are tucked into every corner of just about everywhere.  I am known at work as the lady with the sewing kits, yep that’s right I said kits.  Five to be exact, a little excessive yes, but I like to see them every time I open my desk drawer.   

Since I love to hand stitch more than machine my collection is heavily weighted towards embroidery/cross-stitch type stuff. Take for instance my floss, I just can't help myself when I see it on sale! Now believe it or not I actually went to stitch something the other day and didn't have the color the chart called for, I couldn't believe it.  I mean with 136 colors (not counting the variegated or metallic) in my stash how is it possible that I didn't have that one! 

Sometimes I find the number of colors and types of threads overwhelming so I have my favorites set aside as my go-to colors, makes life easier when all I want to do is whip something up quick.

These little guys are my newest, $0.50 on a clearance rack! Woo!

Now my fingers are itching to stitch!

~Leah

30 in 30: Presents in Progress

So back in July a friend of mine mentioned she had already started her count down to Christmas, at the time I couldn't believe it but now I find myself with several Christmas gifts already in the making.  I'm a little bit more than half way done with this one and I have been working on it for about 20 minutes a day during my lunch break.  Its a nice relaxing rest in the middle of my day, most days I get so involved I don't want to go back to my desk! I think to myself 'just one more row'!!

When all is said and done this will be a biscornu pin cushion for one of my aunts or maybe my mom, I haven't decided just yet.

A little more than 50% done and I love them already.  I snagged the pattern from the free gift pattern book that came with The World of Cross Stitching issue 189 but chose not to use the free pink and purple threads that came with it.  The ladies in my family aren't pink lovers so a change of colors was needed. 

The patterns work up so easily I may just have to stitch up a few more :)

~Leah 

30 in 30: Works Almost There!

My attention span with crafting is very similar to a cranky two year old’s.  I like to keep moving and get bored pretty quickly.  I always end up circling back around so I have been able to stockpile a little bit of everything for a lot of different disciplines.  No matter where my mind wanders off to, like say to a candle making fiasco, I always come back to working with felted wool and wool felt.  

This is the first of many projects I have planned for the holiday season.  It came from a kit with pre-cut pieces (I can't remember the maker but I know I bought it at a quilt show a few years back) and was super easy to stitch up.  All thats left to do is attach the backing (more fabulous blue felt) and blanket stitch all around the edges.  I love the little extra sparkle the beads give it!

With fall barely here I'm ready to decorate for winter!

Have any of you started on holiday projects yet?

~Leah 

30 in 30: Crafty Love

I love giving handmade items as gifts and I try to do so as often as I can. I know they are not everyone’s cup of tea but I like knowing that my friends and family have at least one thing that was made just for them.  I feel super honored when I am given a handmade gift and I treasure them.  One of my favorite items in my craft room is one of those gifts, given to me several years ago by one of my previously mentioned craft aunts. 

I opened her up and had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard, I love her to death and promptly named her Chikita Chicken! I still smile every time I see her!

I hope she made you smile!

~Leah 

30 in 30 - A Month in My Life of Crafts

I want to try something a little different with September.  My past posting consistency has left a little something to be desired so I am setting myself up with a goal of posting something every day during the month of September and I am giving myself a theme.  September will be all about the crafty side of me, what inspires me, what I’ve done, what makes me smile while crafting, what I love to work with most, the crafty love I’ve been given, where I craft and just some other random tidbits.  My little project falls right in line with the 30th observance of National Sewing Month. A whole month of national crafty goodness, I'm all over this! 

I am also trying hard to become a better photographer so I am hoping September will help me kill two birds with one stone! I guess we could call this my own version of a craft-a-thon as I am hoping that all of the postings will help me stay focused on the projects I have going on.  I have Christmas projects in the works, birthday presents, guilty little makes for myself and lots of pages marked in my favorite books for things I would love to have time for so I really want to make the most of this month.

Wish me luck!

~Leah