I designed this myself the first year I was climbing. The basic snowman was from a book of cross stitch motifs. Then I added the harness, climbing shoes, rope and biner. I made one for myself and a couple for other climbing friends.
Sequin tree
This was done from a kit that contained three designs where you sewed sequins onto felt, covering the felt completely. The result is very rich and surprisingly heavy.
Thread crochet snowflake
This was crocheted from thread and then stiffened using a mixture of white glue and water from ‘Tis the Season for Thread Crochet. I made serveral but gave most away.
Penguin head ornament
This ornament was made from a sewing pattern and embellished with glue on trinkets. I also made a dog and an elf. There were patterns for a few other animals I haven’t tried yet but I have plenty of material still and I’ll probably make a few more of these this year.
Christening gown
These are photos from my nephew Noah’s christening. I made the gown and hat. There was also a long sleeved coat but I don’t seem to have a picture of it. It was made from Simplicity #7488.
Painted plaster ornaments
These were my salvation when I quit smoking. I’d already gotten into painting and decorating with glitter these plain white plaster ornaments that are sold in craft stores everywhere around Christmas-time. I realized that I could work on them for hours without hardly thinking about smoking, so when I quit I spent a lot of time on this project. I have dozens of them probably and even more that aren’t painted yet but are waiting for next year. I have pots and pots of paint and flourescent paint and metallic paint and pearlized paint and every kind of glitter. It’s like being a kid during crafts hour again.
This last snowman is from a kit. The kit was my first introduction to painting plaster ornaments and I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought dozens of others to paint.
Quilled snowflake ornaments
My first tries at quilling, done from a kit last Christmas. Quilling turned out to be something I really enjoy and now I have a drawer full of strips of paper in various widths and colors. There were eight designs altogether.
Doggy blankie
This was a Christmas present for Noah. It’s made from a pattern except the pattern called for the blanket part to be about as big as a handkerchief. That didn’t seem right to me so I made it larger. I think they probably want to keep the blanket small so that toddling children don’t trip over it, but Noah will have to learn to watch where he’s going because a handkerchief just doesn’t provide the emotional support that you’re supposed to get from your favorite blankie.
Shades of green afghan
This was my first attempt at a crocheted afghan. I selected a stitch I liked from 101 Stitches for Afghans and started crocheting. After a while I got bored and left it aside for months while I worked on other things. When I came back to it, I was a better crocheter. That wasn’t such a good thing. My tension had completely changed and the end result was a not-very-square afghan. I still like the colors and pattern but I keep it rolled up so you can’t see how wavy the sides are.
Needlepoint Frog
My frog is a whimsical frog stitched from a kit with backing and piping added to create a pillow. I can’t find the kit for sale through the usual suspects but it seems to come up on eBay fairly regulary. It’s called “Mr Frog Goes A Courting.” Kate Hodgson’s site has photos of some very real needlepoint frogs she’s working on.