Hats

 I discovered that making beanies is actually easier than making bags - and the group is needing hats for kids, too.  We have leopard print hats, brown fuzzy hats with or without sunflowers, and green hats also with or without sunflowers.  I might be a bit compulsive...  I can't work outside with the animals so instead I made almost 2 dozen hats.  At least someone is benefiting from my time off.

No Muppets Were Harmed

 Today Owen and I went into town to my favorite thrift store in old town.  I like that place because they will barter with you and are a lot cheaper than the goodwills in our area.  It's locally owned and the people are super nice.  I was needing more fabric for the bags and hats and decided it would be cheaper to buy stuff at the thrift store rather than new fabric at a fabric store.  I bought enough fabric to keep me busy for quite some time...  two large trash bags stuffed full, for $30. 

These are two of the bags, front and back sides.

No muppets were harmed in the creating of these bags, though a friend of mine is sure that I must have slaughtered a muppet for parts.  The purple ones are the same, I have one turned inside out so you can see the lining.

 Here is the Snoopy bag made from old pillowcases.  I had enough plaid leftover and found a zipper in the shopping bag so I made a little matching wallet.

 

My friend Kathy knit the blue hat, I figured out how to make bags with front pockets

More faux-muppet bags

Helping Kids with Cancer

Since I've been stuck in the house and now I know how to use the sewing machine, I found a group that I'm going to make things for.  Here is the group and their purpose:

"Time and again at Craft Hope we have learned that little things make a big difference. For the past few years we have collected handmade goods from around the world for people who need a little HOPE.
So are you ready?!? For Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors, we will be collecting handmade beanies and bags for kids just like Pierce who are fighting cancer. Pierce’s mom, Melanie, has graciously volunteered to collect and distribute the items to the kids who need them most.
Here are the details:
We need BEANIES (hats) for babies through teenagers. All noggin sizes. They can be knit, crochet, fabric. You name it. They can be embellished with flowers and bows. But don’t forget about the boys. They need hats too. It’s very difficult to find adorable hats and we think this community is the best place to get them. There are a hundred and one patterns online for beanies/hats. If you have one you’d like to share post it in the comments and I’ll put up a post to share with everyone.
And…
We need BAGS for the kids to take with them to the hospital. They can be simple tote bag style or whatever suits your fancy. And if you are so inclined fill them up with goodies for the kids. Some ideas are books, puzzles, crayons, coloring books. The opportunities are endless.
The deadline for Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors is Monday, March 12, 2012. Please mail the beanies and bags to:

Melanie Bimson

16026 Temple Drive

Minnetonka, MN 55345

My next step is to fill them with stuff from the dollar store - any kid would love a bag filled with stuff!

I was Framed!

 This is a cross-stitch I finished quite some time ago, I just got it framed.  I like it because it is kind of a vintage depiction of Thai (my old bay thoroughbred) with a border collie (the kind of dog I wanted for so many years and I now have 2!)  This is hanging in the living room.

This is the cross-stitch of Major framed.  It's hanging in my office above Pumpernickel so it's the first thing you see as you come in the door.  Both of these look better framed in real life rather than in pictures, but at least you can see how the matting/framing turned out. 

Time on my hands

 I made this quilt top out of scraps on Friday when it was way too windy to be walking around outside.  I added the horse cross-stitch at the top because I didn't know what else to do with that little horse. 

 I decided that since Prickly was just so cute I needed to make a few friends for him that will be adopted by Bethnie and Linda.  Linda has been teaching me how to do all this sewing so it is a thank you to her, and Bethnie is like me, using the little plastic box the pins came in.  She doesn't have a dog to knock it over like I do, but she could use a Prickly as well.

This is the cross-stitch that Alexis gave me as a pattern for Christmas.  It is me riding Cecil at a cross-country jumping clinic in Denver from last summer.  I'll do the background too (this is just the interesting part).

This is the photo that the cross-stitch pattern came from.

Winter Projects

This is Prickly the porcupine pin cushion.  I made him tonight because I recently discovered that it is easier to use something like Prickly rather than try not to spill the little plastic box the pins came in.

Prickly is posing in front of the case for the sewing machine.  I added stickers.

Bethnie's favorite color is hunter green, so I made her this bridle bag, and found black leather straps for the trim.  It's extra long and extra wide compared to regular bags, because one of my pet peeves is taking my tack out of the bag to discover the reins are all kinked.  This bag will easily hold 2 full sized bridles without folding anything.

This was my first try at a bridle bag - turned out great!  The front is the design, the back is grey, and the inside is this soft fuzzy fabric, as well as the straps for the inside.  That way they can be tied around the leather rather than having to use velcro. 

Back side of the bag