Thank You Gift

Thank you all so much for your sweet compliments on my Floral Fantasy tote, left here or on Flickr. That really means a lot to me. It makes me happy to know that my embroidery work inspires so many people.

My best friend Laura agreed to babysit for us sometime this weekend, so John and I can finally go watch the movie Star Trek. We haven't been to the theater together since Superbad! Good grief. I have been to the movies a few times since then, but it's been with Laura. In fact, just last weekend we went to the theater and watched The Hangover. Oh. Em. Gee. We both loved this movie so much! Seriously, the funniest movie I've seen in a long time.

Anywho, I decided to make a thank you gift for Laura for the upcoming adventures in babysitting.

It's a sweet little door hanger that reads "Do Not Disturb". I thought it would come in handy for her on a regular basis, not to mention when she goes home after babysitting, so she can get some rest and relaxation.

I just love the way this little project turned out, and I hope Laura loves it too.
(Oh, by the way, this design was generously gifted as a free pattern by Jenny Hart a couple of weeks ago. You can find the design here. )

I was thinking about making more door hangers for an upcoming craft show at the end of August. Do you think these would make a nice addition to my inventory? Perhaps in the style above as well as others?

xoxo,
Amy

Floral Fantasy

As many of you know, a couple of months ago Sublime Stitching started offering a ready-to-stitch eco tote. It's my understanding that there will be more ready-to-stitch totes available in the future, perhaps by other artists! The first edition is a beautiful design called "Floral Fantasy" by Jenny Hart. The first cycle of these totes sold out rather quickly, but now they're back in stock!

This tote was so much fun to stitch. If you've ever stitched on a stiff canvas before, you know sometimes your fingers can get sore from pushing the needle in and out with a little extra force. You don't have to worry about that happening with this tote bag!

It's a good quality canvas bag, and very spacious, measuring in at approximately 15" by 12". Oh, and the straps? The perfect length! (But if you find the straps to be a bother while you're stitching, I recommend using Amanda Panda Pants brilliant idea for clipping them out of the way.)

I will let you know that the stitch work involved is a labor of love, and for most stitchers, this will be a project that should last longer than a weekend. I think this is a great project to start for the summer, if you haven't already stitched one, or if you're ready for your first BIG embroidery piece.






Finishing this bag kind of felt like finishing a really good book. But just like a good summer book list, I have a good summer craft list, so I'm looking forward to carrying my new projects in this beautiful bag.

What are you reading or crafting this summer?

Happy Stitching,
Amy

Carson Ellis Patterns

Since the newest Sublime Stitching patterns have gone live, I wanted to share some close up shots of the beautiful bird I stitched for the new Carson Ellis patterns.

The banner has Russian lettering that reads, "Love".

xoxo,
Amy

Fawnly Finished

Ok, so I'm finished with the stitching portion of the Mommy & baby deer piece. I just need to wash it and stretch it either on canvas or in a hoop. But here are some pictures for you to enjoy!








If you're interested in knowing more about the stitches I used and how many strands of floss, be sure to check the photo descriptions on my Flickr stream.

I hope you all have a happy and long weekend!

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Mother Deer

I thought I'd take a time out from my busy schedule to post a couple of pictures of what I'm currently embroidering.

A while back, doe-c-doe uploaded a beautiful scan of a mother and baby deer embroidery pattern, but unfortunately I can't find that original photo to link to. But I did manage to find another scan of the same pattern in the Flickr vintage embroidery pool. You can find the deer pattern here.




I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture, but I am using two slightly different shades of golden brown. I used all 6 strands of floss for the outline of the mother's body, and 4 strands of floss for the line detailing. For the baby, I used 4 strands all over.

I'm on a bit of a woodland creature kick right now, so don't be surprised if you see more woodland themed embroideries pop up in the future.

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Sneak Peek: Mom's Day!

Maybe you remember last year around Mother's Day I wrote a post saying how I thought it was safe to post a picture of my Mom's gift, since she wasn't internet savvy, and she wouldn't read my blog and ruin her surprise.

Well she surprised me by quoting that one afternoon, proving to me that she is indeed internet savvy, and she is now a blog reader here at EBS.

So Mom, if you're reading this, LOOK AWAY NOW! I wouldn't want you to ruin your surprise, you computer geek, you.

Assuming it's safe to continue, and Mom's not looking, I'll share a sneak peek at one of her gifts with you.

I fell in love with this pattern the minute I saw it, and knew I had to make it for Mom.


She loves horses, and gray horses are her favorite. You can see I still need to finish the mane and the straps, but that won't take long.


You can tell I worked mostly in back stitch, because I am pressed for time, and back stitch moves along quickly. Also, it's classic, chunky, and pretty perfect for this design. I used stem stitch for the mane, and most of the flowers. (The smaller ones are worked in split stitch.)


Because I'm a one trick pony, this is on a tea towel. However, I'm planning on fancying it up a bit by adding a quilt style back and rick rack trim. I'll be sure to post pictures again when it's all finished.

I'm planning a Mother's Day brunch on Sunday, so I need to start thinking of menu ideas.

What are your plans for Mother's Day?

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Easter Bird

I was going through some old photos this morning, and found one of me from Easter 1983. I was just a couple of weeks shy of being 4 years old.


Unfortunately, no one dressed this fancy yesterday, and no eggs were hunted, because it was a cold and rainy Easter. But I did manage to make something special for Darcy, using Molly Chicken's Easter birdy tutorial.

Darcy's favorite part is the baby. I finished the baby first, and she played with him all day and all night long.


The bottom of the baby is left open, so she can use it as a finger puppet. As you can see, she's already wearing him out.


Seriously, I had no idea this little toy was going to be such a hit with her. I had a feeling she would like it, because of the pocket, and the Mommy / baby combo. She loves anything that comes in a big and little pair and calls it the Mommy & baby.

I'm sure she won't always be as excited about everything I make for her, but when she is, it's truly heartwarming and makes it all worth while.

xoxo
Amy