Christmas Ornaments Made from Felt

Good morning! Whew, I have been busy.  My daughter and her husband have bought a house (only 1/2 block from me) and will be moving at the end of the month. So we are all caught up in boxing up and moving things around.  I have been stitching a little, but not as much as I hoped.  However, I did finish my Christmas giveaway that I will be posting about soon.

Today, I just wanted to share some sweet "free" Christmas felt/wool patterns  from Better Homes and Gardens that I came across. There are over twenty to choose from. Here are a few that caught my eye!

It's rainy here today and blustery. The perfect day to whip up some home-made chicken soup, corn bread, and to spend the evening stitching with a kitty curled in your lap.  Sending wishes for a peaceful Tuesday.

Herbs and Free Kitty Halloween Cross Stitch Pattern

I wanted to share with you all a really cute (free) cross stitch pattern I came across today from Silver Cute Dwarf which is called "Boo" and something I'll be stitching this week! I love it.

The other thing I'd like to share is a bit about herbs. I love herb lore! They have along history as a natural remedies—and many other more unusual uses, too (especially if you’re bothered by a pesky witch or two this Hallow’s Eve!). Here are a few!

Basil - A cup of basil tea after dinner helps digestion. Ease a headache by drinking tomato juice blended with fresh basil.

Chives - Bunches of chives hung in your home were used to drive away diseases and evil.

Dill - Romans made wreaths and garlands out of dill. Dill keeps witches away.

Fennel - Bunches of fennel were used to drive off witches. It was used in love potions and as an appetite suppressant (don’t you wish!).

Garlic - It was thought to give strength and courage. Aristotle noted garlic's use as a guard against the fear of water. It's also been widely used against evil powers.

Marjoram - The Greeks believed it could revive the spirits of anyone who inhaled it.

Mint - It was believed to cure hiccups and counteract sea-serpent stings (especially important to those of you living by water!).

Oregano - Also used for scorpion and spider bites.

Rosemary - Rosemary in your hair will improve your memory. It will protect you from evil spirits if you put a sprig under your pillow.

Sage - Thought to promote strength and longevity and believed to cure warts. American Indians used it as a toothbrush.

Thyme - Burning thyme gets rid of insects in your house. A bed of thyme was thought to be a home for fairies.

Folk lore aside some herbs do help fight winter colds and flu, especially herbs known for their strong scents—rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano, lavender, and others. They have high concentrations of volatile oils that have antiseptic and antibiotic properties that bolster the immune system. To ease sore throats, make your own gargle by adding a teaspoon or two of any of the following to warm water: cider vinegar, sage, chamomile, lemon juice, or raspberry leaves.

Have you ever heard of Cats Ear? It’s also known as False dandelion. Historically, dandelion was prized for a variety of medicinal properties, and it really does contain a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. Dandelion is used as folk remedies in North America, Mexico and China. Cats Ear and dandelions are completely edible and if you ever get a chance to visit The Amana Colonies in east, central Iowa, try their dandelion wine!

Need a Haystack or Two?

Just a short post today -- I wanted to share this little tutorial that I came across at Wee Folk Art for making burlap haystacks (perhaps your kitty won't want to chew on these!).  They can be made any size and the tutorial is very easy and step by step.  So if you don't feel like cleaning up pieces of hay all over your house, try out one or two of these haystacks.

Good morning all you crafty ladies! I hope you are having a wonderful, fall day.  It's been very foggy here this morning, but nice and cool and crisp.  I just wanted to remind you that my Scaredy Cat Pillow Giveaway ends 9/30 at midnite!

I also want to share with you a free pattern for a thanksgiving wool applique pillow.  Click here for instructions and the pattern.  I am thinking of stitching one up this weekend.

Kim also has compiled 101 Festive Fall Tutorials over at her blog. So, please take a minute and visit her at Everything Etsy

Some of you have asked about the wool kitties I used to make and sell and whether or not I will be making and selling them in the future and the answer is YES! So please stay tuned.  I may not get around to making my fall/Halloween kitties, but I most likely will be stitching up some of them for winter/Christmas.  Thanks for asking!

Weekend Wanderings

Hello! I hope your weekend was wonderful.  I was able to get some things done even though I an limping around. I fell a few days ago ... I am really such a klutz ... and hurt my left ankle and foot. I am now wearing a boot and am not supposed to put weight on that foot ... we'll see how that goes.  A few weeks ago I dropped a large rock on my other foot and broke two toes.  I'm thinking that these are signs from God telling me I must spend more time sitting and stitching! :)

I had a wonderful time on Saturday with Henry as he visited his first pumpkin patch. Doesn't he look like he is having the time of his little life?

I have to laugh at the first picture in this post (scroll back to it). I'm wondering about the meaning and purpose of the "pumpkin" catapult in the right hand corner of the photo? LOL!!!

I am also thrilled and humbled that I now have more than 100 followers! To celebrate, I will be having another giveaway in October.  And I will be tallying up my questionnaire about eBay vs. Esty vs. a Selling Blog as soon as the give away is over.  But I can probably say that I will not be going back to selling on eBay.  Here are a few items that I've finished, need to be stitched into pillows or mini-quilts, or stuffed that you might find on my selling blog one of these days.  The first photo is a little mini-quilt/wall hanging that I made up from a free design offered recently by Shirley Hudson over at Hudson's Holidays;

This little saying makes me smile every time I see it.  I am also making a little pillow from the pattern on muslin, too.  Here are a few of my items.  When/if I sell them, I will let you know who is the pattern designer, but right now I can't find the original patterns in amongst all my patterns (thanks for not asking me to get up and look, the foot you know! :) )

All in all, it has been a wonderful weekend ... the corn is looking good, spent time with my grandson, my daughter and I spent some good quality time together and she made a DELICIOUS bacon/spinach/broccoli quiche for supper for us all!  Well, the work week starts early tomorrow so I'm off to get into my PJ's and enjoy a cup of chamomile/lavender tea!  Hope you all have sweet dreams tonight.

Advent Poinsettia from Wee Folk

Good Morning, All!!! It is a very, very cold morning here in Eastern Iowa ... only 9 degrees with a wind chill of 1 degree. A good day for thermal underwear! My kitties have decided its pointless to ask to go out on the porch as mom just isn't paying the heating bill out there and it is cold enough to freeze tails off!

This morning I wanted to share with you a lovely "FREE" wool applique poinsettia pattern from WEE FOLK! It is a lovely, bright and fun blog. There is even a large section of free patterns of things like gnome and dollhouse accessories, toys, kids crafts, apparel, household, and tutorials.  Whenever I need a smile, I browse around this blog. It is so bright and happy. If you have a spare moment today, take a break and head on over to this sweet blog!

FREE PENNY RUG PATTERN!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was very restful! But before I go any further with today's blog I have to share a picture of my kitty, Nicky.  Nicky loves wool, he loves balls of thread, he loves all my craft pens, he loves rolling in freezer paper, and most of all he loves yarn!  We came home to find him curled up in one of my daughter's knitting projects ... doesn't he look absolutely content!!! He is also a kitty who loves to sleep on his back with his feet in the air ... its hilarious!

I had a great surprise in the mail too! Valerie from the Wooden Acorn sent me, as a gift, a lovely feather tree.  I had admired the one on her blog that she had decorated! What a sweet lady to do this.  I hope you'll take a minute and visit her at her blog.  Anyway, I was inspired to design some ornaments for my new feather tree.  Of course, they had to be about cats!  I had some kitty buttons on hand and here is the first one I made.  I have another type of button that says "Meow."  I might make some of these to sell, too.!

And now for the free pattern I promised! This is my own little design I call "Snow Flurries" that I thought up this weekend.  I've listed my finished one on eBay.  All you need is some nice thick wool, some iridescent beads, and some snowflake buttons (I purchased mine on eBay and I'll list the store at the end of the tutorial) or you could stitch your own.

1.  First trace an 8" circle on freezer paper and iron it onto the wool you will use for your top layer and cut out.
2. Next trace an 8" circle on fusible web and iron it onto the wool you will use for your bottom layer and cut out.
3. Now for the penny circles ... trace eight 1 1/2" circles onto fusible web and iron onto your wool and cut out.
4. Remove fusible web from your penny circles, space evenly on your top wool layer and iron into place.
5. Sew penny circles to top layer using DMC perle cotton thread (No. 8) using a blanket stitch.
6. Sew snowflake buttons onto penny circles.
7. Sew beads onto buttons and around buttons.
8. Now its time to add the bottom layer of wool! CAREFULLY, iron the front and back pieces of wool together being very careful not to scorch or melt the beads or buttons.
9. Now, using a double thickness of DMC perle cotton thread (No. 8) finish your penny rug by sewing the front and back pieces of wool together using a blanket stitch!
10. Carefully, iron out any wrinkles and use a lint brush to pick up any strays threads or wool bunnies and you are finished and ready to display your penny rug.
11.  Please feel free to use this pattern for crafting and selling, but remember it is copyrighted by Cat Tales and please give me credit if you sell this product on line. You are not permitted to sell this pattern.
12.  If you would like to purchase the snowflake novelty buttons at the site I did, please contact me!

I hope you will send me pictures of your finished penny rug!!!!  Happy crafting and give your kitties a treat for me today! :)

SHARING A KITTY COASTER PATTERN

Good Monday Morning All! Hope your Halloween was fun and very spooky! Ours was kind of quiet.  My mom and dad came up to visit and mom said "Don't buy any Halloween candy, I have tons, and I'll bring mine." So okay! Great plan. Mom and dad arrive late Sunday afternoon about 1 hour before trick or treat time begins. Mom says "I forgot the candy." Oh well, so we look around the house to see if there is anything we can give out as treats - granola bars, bananans, oranges .... nothing. So mom answers the door for the first little girl and says we don't have any candyand gives her a dollar. The little girl's eyes get big when she see the money and says "Gee, thanks, maam!!"  Since we didn't want to go broke we then turned off the porch light.  Thankfully no one came back and egged the house!

Kezzie report.  Kezzie did well over the weekend but it still exhibiting signs of a blockage so I am going to take him back to the vet after work today, so please keep your fingers crossed for him that it's just the effect of surgery and not something else.  Thanks bunches!!!

And now for the free pattern! This cute little "kitty coaster" pattern was in my free issue of Creative Times
Supplies:
• Cotton fabrics of your choice, 2 rectangles 8” x 6” for each Kitty Coaster
• Warm and Natural batting, 1 rectangle 8” x 6” for each Kitty Coaster
• Ruler, marker pen, scissors, needle and thread, tacky glue (optional)
• Thin Ribbon or Raffia or Perle Cotton and ¼” rusty bells (optional)
• Trace kitty pattern  onto card stock or cardboard.

Cut out your Kitty shape. You will make a “sandwich” layering warm and natural, with right sides together from 2 of the same rectangles of cotton fabrics. The wrong side of your cotton fabric should be facing you. Trace your Kitty pattern onto the wrong side of the top fabric. Your tracing line is your sewing line. Stitch, leaving opening at bottom of layers as indicated on your pattern. Trim seam, and carefully turn right side out. The warm and natural should now be in the middle of the two fabrics and inside the Kitty. You might need to use a chop stick or other small tool to turn the ears! Press. Whip stitch the opening at the bottom of the kitty closed. Top stitch ¼” from the edges all around the Kitty. Add bow or raffia (with tacky glue) or stitch a small rusty bell (optional) as indicated on Kitty pattern. Finished! These Kitty Coasters would make great teachers’ gifts, hostess gifts or make upa bunch using fabrics for each holiday or occasion throughout the year.

Take care and don't forget to hug your kitty today!

AUTUMN OAK LEAF WREATH

In these tough economic times, I know we all appreciate "freebies" ... for me I expecially love finding ones that are craft related. Today while just browsing I came across this free wreath pattern offered by RHYTHM of THE HOME who says the wreath, a symbol of eternity, reminds us of the circle of life; of how one season flows into another, only to return again and again. How beautiful! You really just need a wee bit of sewing and a simple stencil, to make this wreath. Also, stop by her blog for a visit at http://rhythmofthehome.wordpress.com/.

99 CENT DAYS at MY EBAY AUCTION SITE!

In celebration of spring and because I'm a just thrilled to have won a giveaway, I am starting all my eBay listings today at a low auction starting bid of 99 cents! (I've listed these four litte wool pillows.) Thanks for stopping by to look and remember to hug your cat today! (BTW, if you would like a hand-drawn pattern (emailed) of the cat or crow pillows I would be glad to send my bloggers one for their own use!).

A Freebie Online Magazine for All You Crafty Girls

The latest online issue of Creative Time Magazine is available. It's a neat little publication you can sign up for and receive free! Isn't that great in this economy!