Now that November is here, the gift making season has begun.
Well, okay,
for me,
the gift making
has already started.
I’ve been having
a lovely time
working on
Sunbonnet Sue Needlebooks.
I just love making them, and I hope that the friends and family that are receiving them will love them, too!
Here’s the link: Sunbonnet Sue
If  needle books
aren’t your cup of tea,
maybe making
a bracelet or two
might appeal?
Here’s a tutorial
for how to spool
knit with wire.
Spool knitted wire bracelet
Spool knitting wire
is a great way to
showcase a favorite bead,
button, stone or found object and turn it into a one of a kind bracelet.
One of my favorite
tiny gifts to make
and to receive
is …read more

About 5 years ago, my sister-in-law bought a blue polka dot teddy bear at at garage sale when she was visiting us.
She gave it to me, and I had an idea….
For years,
my sisters in law
had been giving each
other the same
cardboard box
back and forth
back and forth
at Christmas time.
That little box
held many gifts
and many memories.
It got shabbier and shabbier as the years went by, but, it became more precious even, than the gifts it contained.
We all would look for ‘the box’ to see how it was holding up.
Well, when the polka dot bear came in the door, I thought… ‘Hmmmm, what if …read more

A few years ago, I learned about Dios de la Muertos – the Mexican Day of the Dead, which is November 1, All Souls Day.
I saw a  fantastic
film that was a real
eye opener for me.
The film was an explanation
of how the Day of the Dead
is a celebration of love and life and connection.
We went through a rough passage a few years ago,
when we had many deaths of family and friends,
and we were worn out by grief.
The documentary said that Mexicans
feel that the ones we love
are still present in their own way
and that the veil of separation lifts
between Halloween and …read more

It’s pumpkin time! If you can’t grow the real thing in your garden, you can make tiny pumpkins that are wonderful little pincushions!
I’ve been making all kinds of pumpkin-ie things in the studio,
and over the next
few days,
you’ll be seeing
more about
that!
Today, I’ll
show you how
I made the tiny cauldron
pumpkin pincushions.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you
how to make the
Jack O’Lantern
pumpkin pincushion.
 
A couple of weeks ago
I found a bag full of
cute miniatures at a
garage sale.
There were 2 little
cauldrons in the bag,
that were perfect for
a photo shoot for some
of my designs. (You’ll be
seeing them soon)
When I was working on  the Goddess of Upcycling Doll, I stuffed …read more

A couple of days ago, I posted a tutorial on how to upcycle  tissue paper by spinning it into handmade yarn.
BIG tip: To set the spin on the paper yarn, squeeze the copp (the ball of yarn on the spindle)  hard with your hands while it is still on the  spindle. Voila! the twist is set.
As well as knitting
and crocheting
handspun upcycled paper yarn,
you can use flower looms
to make wonderful
flowers.
I recently broke and
then repaired my
vintage flower loom,
so am rather careful with it
nowadays.
I wasn’t sure
about how much
stress the paper yarn
would put on the flower
loom, so I made
myself a wooden one.
That’s it on …read more

My husband’s sisters are visiting us and it’s great! Last night, Sis said that she wanted to make a God’s Eye ornament but couldn’t remember how to do it.
Of course, I immediately thought…. ooooooooooooh! You could make such a neat doll using the God’s Eye wrapping technique.
Sis wanted
to make
hers with
toothpicks
and size 10
crochet cotton
from Coats.
To get started,
glue 2 toothpicks
together and
tie on the cotton.
Wrap the thread in an ‘X’
around the center.
To make a larger
scale God’s Eye,
tie 2 twigs together.
The thread
(in this case, hemp cord
from Jolly Store)
is wrapped
around one arm,
taken to the back,
and wrapped around the next arm.  Keep turning the God’s Eye, …read more

Yarn can be very good medicine.
We use yarn as a blessing.
Is there a baby on the way?
Get out the knitting needles
and crochet hooks to
celebrate!
Is someone ill?
Knit or crochet or weave
them a prayer or blessing
shawl.
Is there a rite of passage or significant spiritual event? Chances are good that textiles will enter into it, somehow, somewhere.
We swaddle our babies and wrap them in soft cloths. And, when the time comes, and we leave this life and are born into the next, someone will wrap our bodies in cloth again.
Cloth, and the ways we create it, whether we knit, crochet, weave or make …read more

Have you started working on making your Christmas presents yet?
I have 
A few weeks ago,
I posted about
finding a delightful
Sunbonnet Sue
Needle book in
a thrift store
while we were on holidays.
That’s her on the far left
in the photo.
I posted the link for the pattern  for my version of an updated Sunbonnet Sue Needle book  (the one in the center) at:
sunbonnet-sue-needlebook
Why would you want to use a needle book instead of a pin cushion? Needles don’t have the head on them that pins do, so when they are
stuck into pincushions, then can work themselves right into the pin cushion and get lost forever.
(And …read more

My husband and I love checking out thrift stores, second hand stores, garage sales and other places in quest of old tools and things that can be turned into tools (and now in quest of kewl toys for the grandbaby that is currently under production)     
On my ’search list’:
wooden rulers.
Why?
Because I like to measure stuff?
Nope…..
Shuttle love.
I blogged about how to make a shuttle from a wooden ruler.  I just love this upcycled wooden ruler shuttle.  I have gotten totally hooked on this  shuttle.
I just love it, and am constantly winding, unwinding and re-winding it, so have decided that I …read more

When I was a little girl, I had a tiny suitcase that I used to carry my favorite dollclothes in when I went to my friend’s house to play dolls.
This has left me with a life long fondness for little suitcases.
So, when my husband popped into a garage sale last week,
and saw this tiny toolbox/suitcase,
he knew I’d love it.
As soon as I saw it,
I knew that it would
be perfect for
organizing patterns
and templates
and small bits of
this and that
for the Flat dolls.
But…
When I opened it up…. ugh…. the inside was really ugly….
So, with a lot of tugging, the suitcase was eviscerated.
I used …read more