Valentines Day!

Here is an easy, quick make to add to your Valentine gifting...

Felt Heart Tag

It's so easy!  Cut a heart shape from wool felt....I used pinking shears to give my heart a little more flair!

Decorate hearts with LOVE {of course}, or XO, or even little diamond shapes...

Make letter templates on freezer paper, cut out and press onto wool felt.  If your felt is 100% wool the freezer paper will stick (temporarily) and the felt won't melt.  If your felt is a blend be careful when adding heat.  We don't want any melted hearts!

After cutting out the letters...be careful, they are tiny!  Baste them with Glue Baste-It, or pin them in place and stitch using a matching thread.

     

 You need another heart for the back...it doesn't need to be cut with pinking shears.  A little piece of ribbon for the hang tag is pinned in place and stitch around the edge of the heart with perle cotton (Valdani!!!) Be sure to leave an opening for stuffing!

Stuff and close up!

 

And you have a very special tag to add to a plate of cookies or a bottle of wine!

  Happy Valentine's Day!

xo mary

The Big Clean Up!

The halls have been decked, taken down and put away for another year! It was a pretty simple Christmas this year...my extended family was dealing with flu and stomach virus!  Yikes!  So I stayed far away....

we had bigger fish to fry anyway....a dead car meant finding a replacement.  It's always a fun to find out a couple of days after Christmas that you will need to make a car purchase :( 

Oh, well, it had to be done.

I hope you have been able to avoid illness this Christmas and big unexpected purchases!

But Holiday Cheer did fall on my doorstep! I had a couple of wonderful packages from far away friends! Yay!  I love packages!

Sweet Clare surprised me with this fabulous stocking full of goodies and a lovely pair of socks (I love fun socks).  The stocking is fashioned from a vintage quilt top!  Clare stitched it so perfectly and filled it to the rim with goodies (most of which were eaten by the time I got a photo)!

And then, my dear friend, Susan, spoiled me with a super cute zippered pouch, a Liberty appliqued feather tea towel and sweet piece of gingham (which I already put to good use).  My daughter, Molly, and I could not get over the precision in this hand stitched applique!  The most delicate blanket stitch I have ever seen!  

I cherish these two friends....I am so lucky they spoil me so :)

I have been on a bit of a zippy pouch run lately.  I made several for friends and family for Christmas...and why stop now?  

If you recall I was stitching some clamshells out of wool felt...

      

I used Valdani perle cotton to outline each curve...bold and bright!

Then I used this piece to make a little zippy pouch!

         

A rainbow, clamshell, wool zippy pouch!

 

Add a pom-pom for a zipper pull...and a few gold chocolate coins....well, those might be a few of the goodies from Clare...

Hope you enjoyed your holidays!  Hope you stayed healthy (and didn't have to buy a new car)....

Here's to a quilty good 2015!

Cheers

mary 

Fabulous Felt!

Now that the handmade gifts are taken care of, I have been having some relaxing fun with wool felt.  

I love working with felt. No need to worry about finishing seams or leaving raw edges...

And the color is amazing!  Saturated color!

By far, my favorite felt is 100% wool!!!  Not a blend of wool and rayon.  The blend is much cheaper, but not as lovely in appearance or quality.

So, here is a last minute idea as you wrap up those last few presents or put together a plate of goodies.

Add a homemade tag/ornament! Easy to do with wool felt!

     

I simply drew a heart template on freezer paper.  Pressed my heart to felt and cut around with pinking shears!

I added a tree trunk with brown felt and stitched in place...then using perle cotton or embroidery floss stitch some branches!

Cut another heart for the back of the tag, and stitch the two together (wrong sides facing) with floss or perle cotton.  I caught the tails of my loop with my stitching.  Leave an opening and stuff with poly-fill or scraps of batting. 

Simple and quick!

Not only does it jazz up a package, but it is a great keepsake that can be hung on the tree!

We are on the homestretch!  Are you all ready?

ho ho ho

mary