Christmas Rules Finished !

Hello!

Here in Southern California is sooo hot! Right now is 92 degrees.
School started for Brenda and things are getting back into the normal routine.
I tried hard to finish my Christmas Rules before school started, but it was not possible.  So, I finished it today!

I stitched it on 14 count aida with DMC. I made some changes on the colors and also changed the space between each design. I chose to stitch only the simple border that comes on the patterns to separate the designs, skipping the "box" that half of the charts had. I think it looks less crowded this way.

It was fun to stitch. I love all the little details.

I finished it as a wall hanging / bell pull. I have some hangers that I got years ago on e-bay.  Unfortunately I only had one part on the right size, but I love it!

To finish as a bell pull, I cut a pice of Christmas print fabric of the same size of the stitched piece.
After that, I ironed interfacing on the back of the stitched piece and on the back of  the Christmas  fabric.  The next step was to sew red Ric-rac on the stitched piece around three sides, leaving only the top one.

 Now, pin the two right sides together (the stitching and the Christmas print) e sew using the Ric-rac stitch as a guideline. Trim the seams, turn, iron, and fold the top inside about 1/2 inch. Now, fold the top to the back, about one inch, depending of the kind of hanger you are using, and stitch it by hand.

 

Now, just insert the hanger, and it is ready!

 

Since this is a long piece - mine is about 30x7 inches, I found this finishing style to be very affordable and easier to store, what for me are two very good reasons to do it.
If you find my instructions hard to understand, the Twisted Stitcher has a great tutorial on her finishing blog.

Have a great week, and Happy Stitching!

Ana Paula.

Cross Stitch Family Portrait and Summer.

Hello!

We are having a busy summer here, doing little activities and surviving the heat.
I have done some baking with Brenda, and crafts too. I need to catch up on reading blogs and posting. Just too much going on.

We had a little bit of everything here, even a kitchen flood.
I am still working on my Christmas Rules cross stitch, but took some time to make a smaller project.

 

I was inspired by the many  cross stitch family portraits I see online. Finally, I made mine.
You can find some ideas and free patterns here and here .
I did some sewing too, like this apron I made as a gift for a Bridal Shower.

 

And Brenda made this ornament using felt and  buttons that I got at Joann a while ago. A great way to teach sewing buttons and blanket stitch. She loved doing this. We are now planing an embroidery project using buttons.

Some weeks ago we went to the Orange County County Fair and had a very good time!

 

The flowers were beautiful! And I always love their beautiful displays.

 

 Some of  my favorite crafts at the fair.

 

This was amazing. An Eiffel Tower made of perfume bottles.

 

 A darling Victoria Sampler cross stitch.

 

I love this one too, but I don't know who is the designer. I would like to stitch one someday.

I love this doll and her clothes. Just beautiful!

And this quilt and Halloween dolls are so cute!

 

 
A beautiful quilted tree skirt.

 

I want to stitch this one. It's a Lizzie Kate pattern. I love the finish too.

 

At the garden competition they had this mini garden that is soooo adorable! I need to make one.

 

And this burlap and seed package bunting is so sweet! Cute idea for Spring!
  

This quilt was my favorite thing of all. What a beauty! The pattern is Snowman A to Z from Crabapple Hill. The embroidery and the quilting are perfect, and the colors beautiful.
I really like going to see the crafts at County Fairs, how about you?

 

Enjoy the rest of the Summer, and thanks for reading!

Ana Paula.

Handmade Gifts and a New Cross Stitch.

Hello!

Hope you are enjoying the nice weather!
Here in California is nice and today is the last day of school.
This month started sad with the passing of my husbands  grandmother. She was 93 years old. We are having a memorial for her next weekend.

With the end of the school year, Brenda wanted some gifts for her teachers, so I decided to do something different.
I wanted to make some embroidery framed on hoops, so I got the Book Club Stitchettes pattern set from Wee Wonderfuls.  Here how the little gifts turned out!

Miss Brenda loves them, hope the teachers like it too. I think now I need to make some for Brenda's room ... the designs are so cute!

Brenda just had her 10th birthday, and I made this reading pillow as a gift for her.
The pattern is from  Sew Liberated. 

We love this toadstool fabric! She will use this pillow  a lot this summer.
I also made this little owl bag set in crochet, as an early birthday gift. She wears it so proudly! I think it really turned out cute, besides my poor crochet skills.

I enjoy doing some gardening, even with a tiny space. It's good for the soul! Here are some of our flowers.

  

 

 

And finally, here is my new cross stitch i just started.  Chistmas Rules from Lizzie Kate. I love this pattern and wanted it badly, but it is an expensive one. Months ago, I was able to get a very good deal for the set of patterns on e-bay. I was going to try to stitch it on linen, but because I needed a big piece, I used some aida I already had. As you can see, I always need a magnifier to stitch now.

 

Hopefully, I will be able to finish it for Christmas.

I was able to get also the Halloween Rules set. I will make it next year.

Have a great weekend, and a wonderful Summer!

Ana Paula.

A Sewing Machine Cover, Mat, Pincushion, and Thread Catcher

Hello!
Here in Southern California is super hot...over a 100 degrees. We are trying to stay cool.
I hope everybody had a wonderful Mother's  Day. Mine certainly was.
I am  working  on my huge list of to do projects. Now I can check these ones out!!!
For a long time I wanted to make a sewing machine cover and accessories. I finally did!

I got the main fabric at Joann's. It's called "Sew Vintage". I love the pretty red and blue dresses.

 

I added  a  sweet redwork mannequin.

And used some red ric-rac and red polka-dot fabric . Everything is prettier with red polka-dot.

 

I made the mat with pockets and all trimmed in red.

 

The last item for the set is a  weighted pincushion with  a detachable thread catcher. There is a small bag of uncooked rice inside the pincushion, so it will stay put.

Detail of the top of the pincushion.

It was a lot of work to make the set, but I love it! The seams were thick, because I used cotton batting on everything. So...I broke some needles :)
I made a couple more things lately.

 

A new skirt and matching headband for Brenda.

And a cupcake apron for the Girl's camp auction tomorrow at church.

 

On Mother's day Brenda wore her new apron to help Daddy make breakfast.
I made this one for Easter. She picked the fabric, and asked for ruffles. It came out so cute!
Anyways, I am keeping myself busy here.
I wish you a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Ana Paula.