I spend quite a lot of time each week on digitizing or tinkering with the website, but I also like to work on other crafts and projects. This page showcases mostly things I've been working on, though I do sometimes feature items made by my sisters. Most are embroidery-related, but some show other crafts and activities as well. Many of the items, though not all, are gift items for friends and siblings, mainly for Christmas, the biggest gift-giving time of the year in my family.
If any of these project ideas interest you, please let me know and I'll post some detailed instructions.
Posted 2025 February 14
A box of chocolates is always fun for Valentine's Day, and for Christmas too,but what's up with this tattered vintage box? Well, just wait til you see what I did with it, and what's inside. Click this link to find out!
Posted 2025 February 7
Oh my, Joseph has lost his head!
I was pretty upset when my beautiful statue of the Holy Family and the Magi took a tumble down the basement stairs and broke into pieces. But: I was cautiously optimistic that I could effect a decent repair.
To see the devastation for yourself, and learn how I fared with my repair efforts, check out my PDF discussion.
Posted 2025 January 31
What to do with this vintage panel that I got for Christmas? I'll never sew it as intended, and I don't want to just tuck it away among my fabric stash.
How about some more Christmas-themed gift bags? We never seem to have too many of those . . . .
Actually, the panel yielded 8 bags in various sizes. To see the results, check out this PDF.
Posted 2025 January 24
After I showed off Grinchy the Elf to my friend last October (see my post for 1 November), I knew I'd have to make another one. I didn't have any green fleece left to dress him in, so I ended up reaching for this red houndstooth printed fleece. To my surprise, he looks great in red, and my friend loved him.
To see the latest in Grinchy style, click here for my PDF project sheet.
Posted 17 January 2025
These adorable ornaments are among our favourites to put up at Christmas. They're not Hallmarks, but they're just as nice, and they have a personal touch that ordinary commercial ornaments lack.
To see more of the collection, and find out what makes them special, take a look at my PDF details.
Posted 11 January 2025
My little elf seems to have broken his ski pole. How's he going to make any headway on his cross-country trek?
Fortunately for him, I have a solution. Find my PDF discussion at this link.
Posted 3 January 2025
My sister -- Juanita Banana to her younger sibs -has lots of banana-themed paraphernalia, but she didn't have a stuffie of her personal banana logo . . . until Christmas 2024.
To learn how I made it, and see the result, click here for the PDF.