Current Crafting Obsessions

Happy February, everyone!

Can you believe Spring is almost here?  Wasn't it just Christmas a few weeks ago?

Just thought I'd share with you a little bit of what I've been up to in the evenings and on weekends....

Last Fall, while we were waiting for her knee to heal and for her physical therapy to end, my mom taught me how to do embroidery by hand.  I learned how to cross stitch when I was but a wee child, but I never learned how to do anything that didn't require a grid--until now, that is.

Usually, when I learn something new, I go overboard.  (Those of you who received homemade gifts of jewelery from me in 2003-2004 may remember when I was obsessed with beads and sterling silver findings....)  Anywho, my current crafting obsessions are quilting (again) and embroidery.  Since the fall, I've made six quilts, two embroidered baby onesie & hat sets, four embroidered linen napkins, three embroidered dish towels, one embroidered apron, and scads of blocks of embroidered designs that I will turn in to something or another sometime soon.

[Yes, I just used the word scads.  Haven't thought of that word in years.]

So, here's what I made my mom for Christmas.  **If you are crafty or like vintage embroidery, you can find these holiday patterns (and many more) for FREE on this website that I found through Pinterest.

I started working on these fun little designs before I had an idea of what to do with them....By the time I had finished eight of them, I decided to put together a lap quilt for my mother who is a lover of all things Christmas and all things made by Marie. :) 

 

I only used the stem stitch and the outline/running stitch because, at the time, that's all I knew how to do.

 

I'm not showing you a close-up of the nutcracker block because frankly, he's scary.  The pattern is as cute as can be, but somehow my stitching made him more Halloween-like than "Christmas-y."

Don't y'all love my fancy photography?  :)

 

Besides this quilt for mom, I also made a quilt for my dad.  Phil LOVED dad's quilt so much because it's --as he put it-- a MAN'S blanket.  It's a perfect size and weight, and the soft, plaid flannel on the back is like icing on the (bottom of ) the cake.

(Poor Drew had a hard time holding this one up without swaying....)

 

 

Do any of you know of any other websites or Pinterest boards that feature free patterns for embroidery or quilting?  Please share if you do!