knick knacks & ric rac

i just picked up my new postcards from the printers and i’m so excited about them!

i’ve been sending out the old gnome postcards with orders forever, and i will miss them since they’re almost all gone, but i figured it was about time for a new design. i use this picture on my facebook page and it’s my most fave’d photo on flickr so i thought it was a good choice for the new one.

then on the way home i stopped at the 99cent store to pick up a few things and was surprised and excited to find a forest of toadstools there!

i’ll admit, i may be a little captivated by hungarian honey cakes.  they’re just so dang festive-looking!

here’s another cute and easy felt project starring those lovely looking treats. i made them flat to use as a placemat or table accent, but it would also be really cute to add a back and stuff it to make a delightful pillow. i might try that next.

here is a template for the heart shape and flower petal and leaf shapes. they’re pretty big, almost 17″ across and about 13.5″ high. i drew in a guide for sewing on the ric rac in the middle so it comes out evenly (click on the picture to enlarge and download the actual size pattern)

all you need is some felt, ric rac and other trim, and some kind of silver metallic material for the mirror in the middle. i happened to have a piece of silver vinyl lying around but any kind of silver fabric would work. i cut 2 layers of felt for the heart to make it feel more substantial.

first i sewed the 2 heart layers together and the ric rac on the edge. then i marked the layout of the ric rac in the middle with the curlicues and sewed it on. then i sewed on the secondary inner row of trim.

next i stitched on the ‘mirror’ in the center and trimmed it with ric rac. the mirror can be any size you want, depending on how many flowers you want to sew on.

after that i randomly placed the flowers and leaves where i thought they looked good and pinned them in place. i stitched them down the center of each piece, leaving the edges free so they pop up a little.

they also look great with all white frosting!

i found this leather box at the thrift store yesterday while i was out running errands…

i don’t know where it’s from, but it reminded me of these croatian appliques i’ve been meaning to show you. i love them! (pictures are from the book ‘Yugoslavia/Croatian Folk Embroidery Designs and Techniques’)

i like this print so much i decided to put it on two styles…

cap sleeve tees, in ladies x-small through large

and heather ringer tees, in ladies and unisex sizes (the unisex sizes do not have the ringer on the sleeve)

the bad news is it looks like the red tee (which is my favorite!) may be discontinued soon, so i don’t know how long i will be able to offer it on this style. i might have to switch it onto plain tees later.

i love a nice warm pretzel with mustard. i printed out a pretzel recipe from the internet a long time ago and finally tried making some.

i think i was intimidated by the boiling but it really wasn’t hard. they came out pretty darn good! except i burned the second batch. oops!

it was hard to decide which recipe to try, they are all kind of the same but slightly different. i’m going to make them again. do you have a favorite pretzel recipe?

i got this idea way back when i pulled out this apron bonnet (which i did have on inside out, but since then i’ve finally figured out how to wear an apron bonnet).  i got to thinking about bonnets, and rain bonnets (remember those clear plastic ones you could buy in the gumball machines for a quarter?) and apron-bonnets, and wouldn’t a waterproof oilcloth apron bonnet be useful for working in the yard when it’s drizzling, or for collecting muddy stuff from the garden. then you can just hose it off!

we’ve been getting a ton of rain here this week, with more still on the way. i thought it would be a good time to make an oilcloth apron bonnet.

i was too wimpy to actually go outside to take the picture, it’s really pouring out! by the kitchen window was close enough for me!

i copied the pattern from the original apron bonnet. click on the picture to download the actual size pattern.

make sure to print it out actual size (100%) it should print out on multiple pieces of paper that you will need to tape together

i lined it with polkadot fabric because the back of the oilcloth was kind of scratchy and not very pretty, but the original cloth apron was only one layer plus the pocket.

you will need:

2 1/2 yards of 1/4″ double fold bias binding

1/2 yard of oilcloth

1/2 – 3/4 yard fabric for lining and ties-it depends on how wide your fabric is. if your fabric is over 44″ wide, 1/2 yard is enough

thread

2 buttons

i highly recommend using a teflon foot for sewing oilcloth, it’s a zillion times easier.

1)  cut pieces. place lining and apron together (wrong sides together) stitch around edge, 1/8″ from edge so stitching will be covered up by the binding.

2) sew bias binding to top edge of apron pocket. place pocket on top of apron and stitch around sides and bottom (1/8″ again) and stitch up the center to divide into 2 pockets. to find the center i folded the pocket in half and made a crease before stitching on to apron, then i stitched along the crease.

3) sew bias binding all the way around the apron.

4) hem ties (1/2″ seam allowance) turn edge under 1/4″, then 1/4″ again then stitch to make a nice clean hem. to make them triangular at the end like i did, fold one corner over to the edge and tack.

5) attach ties to sides of apron top.

6) sew on the buttons and make button holes.

to make it into a bonnet, slip the buttonhole over the button and fold the extra material up into the bonnet where your ear would be. use the pocket edge as a guide where to fold to make it nice and neat. the oilcloth holds the shape really well. see, i finally figured it out!

take a peek at the new goodies i just added to my shop…

kissin’ kritters skirt, corduroy skirt with smooching rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs and birds.

grandma’s parlor skirt, with a Grandma Moses barkcloth print applique

harvest bouquet skirt, mustard twill and vintage floral print

freaky folks skirt, featuring a crazy vintage south american style print front panel

and the pendulum necklace, to go with the pendulum skirt

my pal amy at artifaktori in somerville sent me a stack of grandma moses print barkcloth pieces, all cut out at the same spot. i read that people used to frame the barkcloth and hang as art, and that gave me the idea for the ‘grandma’s parlor skirt’

i framed the prints with a rustic woodgrain print applique and added a ric rac and button hanger. i was excited to find a roll of jacquard denim for the skirt that reminded me of wallpaper and coordinated with the print perfectly!

the skirt will be available on my website very soon, along with a few other new goodies!

yay! i’m so excited, these are the first things i made!

i’ve been wanting to learn how to crochet for a long time, then i was inspired by all the cuteness in linda’s new book, and this giant granny square. i was over at socorro’s house last weekend and she showed me a few crochet stitches, and i actually remembered them by the time i got home! then the next night i went to my friend jenny’s house and saw one of those little bunnies on her fridge that her grandma made, and knew i had to make one. i found the pattern for the bunny and squirrel here. the squirrel was a little tricky for me because i hadn’t learned how to decrease stitches yet but i figured it out with the help of the reader’s digest complete guide to needlework. and it actually came out squirrel-shaped so i’m pretty pleased with myself!

any suggestions for some cute and simple things for a beginner like me to practice making?

it’s finally chilly enough in the evening to pull out the sweaters! i love sweaters. here are some details from a few of my favorites…

pom pom fun! i love pom poms!

i love sweaters that tie at the waist. so cute!

embroidered alpine flowers. edelweiss!

i also love that lumpy stitch. what is that called? i need to learn how to knit.

i added the embroidered piece to this one earlier this year and now it’s one of my favorite sweaters. can’t wait to wear it again!