Crafty DOA Version 2.0

 Here's the new Crafty DOA Logo.  I've changed a few of the elements.  There was this wierd thing going on with the previous post about the logo where (for me) droves of people were looking at the dang thing.  Since we all know nobody read this S*&^, if there's some older post picking up speed, something is amiss.

Hmmm the Crafty DOA is hard to see.  Will fix on the next version.

 I've been actively crafting!  I'm doing a pink blanket with the squares bordered in pastel. Pink is my favorite, plus I have, no lie, an entire closet of pink yarn.  I placed them on an old hairpin lace blanket I made years ago for added charm.

 

Also on the hook is more yarn I'm trying to use up, that features a few varieties of Caron Baby Cakes Yarn.  I've got them set so you see how the colors unspool as you go, and I'm using a sea green for the join and borders.

 

 

I've been itching to do some embroidery for awhile, and this is the project I chose to come back to.  I got frustrated because the thread kept getting knotted up and I couldn't work on it at all.  The material is very thin, which doesn't help.  I think they are supposed to be tea towels, but I can't imagine they would dry a thing.  Still, the stitches are simple and I have a love of Mason Jars.  I tried working the letters this morning (b and e) with a short length of thread, pulling carefully, and I think it will be fine.  At least it is a start on the craft.

Five Things Friday January 3, 2025

 Moving right along with the New Year, Five Things Friday continues. It’s Mr. DOA’s favorite post of the week, and he goes all sad panda if it isn’t there on Friday mornings. We don’t want that, no we do not.

One: Everyone collects something different.

Two: I’m not a fan of bucket lists anymore, but maybe some ideas for perking frozen January up.

Remember Dick Clark being called America’s oldest teenager?  Guy can’t catch a break, he’s been gone for awhile but it’s still Dick Clarke’s New Year’s Eve at midnight every year.

Four: I was too small to go to the movies when Sleeping Beauty came out, though I did get to wear a Sleeping Beauty costume and plastic mask for Halloween one year.

Five:  Here’ a charming and intricate piece of embroidery. It just paints a pretty little picture.

Vintage Stitching Treasury by Suzanne McNeill

 When I think of embroidery, I think of the kinds of sweet, charming, old fashioned embroidery contained in Vintage Stitching Treasury.

 

I've seen much fantastic embroidery in recent years, as the craft has come back into it's own in the United States.  

For my self, I want to do the colorfully stitched outlines of traditional home embroidery.

Vintage stitching is mostly patterns, all the ones you'd want to try!  The beginning is a nice history of embroidery trends.

See how sweet those are?  Intrigued by the background color of the cloth, and some of the areas which are filled with color that isn't stitched, I looked up Background Tinting.  You can apparently use crayons (of which I happen to have a ton), or colored pencils to add color.  There's a bit on it in the book.

I also found a really nice article on The Spruce that gives detailed directions.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/embroidery-tinting-with-crayons-colored-pencils-and-paint-4051977

 

Just for myself, I'm adding links to a couple of other embroidery articles I'm intrigued by:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/top-free-embroidery-designs-4157614 

https://wildolive.blogspot.com/2012/09/tinting-embroidery-with-watercolor.html 

http://www.mscleaver.com/chronicles/2018/5/9/embroidery201-coloringyourembroidery

 

 

Tiny Magic

 It seems to me just a few years ago Embroidery was almost a lost art. It is now very popular and astonishing and wondrous imaginings abound.

Penguin & Fish: Kitties "Your Name Here" Hand Embroidery Kit

Why do I periodically haunt the Embroidery Kit section at Joann's?  Because they have the best kits, that I might make someday.   Someday has come for this adorable kit, which comes with a really nicely made wooden hoop, ribbon and thread, iron on or traceable patterns, and instructions even I can follow.

I have to note that most Embroidery Kits give little to no instruction.  They tell you the colors used, and provide a chart with colors and stitches illustrated.   They don't tell you where to start in the picture.   They don't talk about moving row to row.  They could do better.

I have this one and a Beagle, which I'd love to customize to look more like my own beagle, but I don't think I'm capable of that.   The kits are $19.99, given what's included, I think that's fine.

My first ever attempt to iron on a pattern.  Note to self:  Iron heat setting 6.

The letters I'll need to trace into the center with my cat's name.

Here's how it should look when complete.

Here's the thread in a nice tidy little pack, not the often-seen-in-kits tangle of colors.

A tad blurry picture of the instructions.  You get the idea of how nicely they're done though.

DOA's Monthly Wrapup

Gardening

It was mostly a gardening month.  I'm now looking at a big fall list that includes bringing in all my clay and ceramic pots for the winter, and tucking all of my garden shelves and plastic ornaments into the shed.

Also on the fall list is washing all of the windows and screens.  Someone nearby has a Cottonwood tree that floats little cottony bits out that my screens love to snare.  Also, in the dead of winter, there are those rare bright sunny days and you want every ray of the sun to sparkle it's way right into the house.  My houseplants will thank me.

State Fair

We visited the fair this year, and walked just about everywhere but in the Midway.  I used to like to stroll down through The Midway because there were exciting, thrilling new rides each season.  It was fun to watch them, and hear all the screams of delight.  It seems that the danger days are over.

Book Groups

I joined two book groups, both Mystery.  I really like them both.


Recipes

I only tried one new recipe this month.  It is Chocolate Chip Loaf from the Love From the Oven site.  It was simple, not too sweet, and surprisingly filling.   I need butter on top of any quick bread, and that made it extra lovely.   I made it yesterday morning, and it tasted just as good this morning, sipping some nice coffee alongside it.

https://www.lovefromtheoven.com/chocolate-chip-loaf/

Mine looked pretty much like this picture from the site, so ta da.

Speaking of recipes, I wrote up the new Baking Blogs I've found, but logged out of blogger without saving the configure blog list box.   Zzzzz don't mess with your blog at midnight.   I've fixed it and the links are now all there.

I'm hoping to once again to try one new recipe per week.   I've a nice little stack of printed and saved recipes from various sites.  If I could get myself to rough out a full month's menu, I could get the one per week.

Craft Ideas I Admired This Month

I wanted to note here a couple of neat blog posts from others on my blog list.

From Flamingo Toes, a set of embroidery hoops with a combination of painted/embroidered little houses.  It is so wonderful.  

https://flamingotoes.com/stenciled-neighborhood-embroidery-hoop-art-gallery/

 In My Own Style had a great post on tackling projects large and small.

https://inmyownstyle.com/free-printable-diy-decorating-project-planner.html

It is so hard to know where to start sometimes, and she gives good advice, plus has a project plan template you can use to organize and visualize how to get your project done.   I think it could be adapted to any type of household or craft project you'd like to work on.

This post puts the blog at 26 posts for the year.   As we know, the goal is 100.  I'm planning to make good progress towards my goal in September.

Lots of TV to talk about despite not a single new broadcast television show being of interest to me.

Embroidery Tuesday: Embroidering Rudolph

I can't find the post from my blogroll from last season which showed Rudolph as an embroidery design.

It's the figures from the Rankin-Bass TV show, so love at first sight!

These are from coloring-book.info

They have download instructions, but I always just copy and paste into Paint and print from there.

There are many pages to convert to embroidery patterns.  Nice for yourself or a gift, and doable by Christmas (if you're not me).

National Embroidery Month Stitch A Day Challenge

February is National Embroidery Month and though my post is coming in late, you could still try the challenge as an embroidery beginner or aficionado.  It's more fun than traditional "samplers", I think, because you can create anything you'd like with your practice stitches.

I saw this a few days later than it began, so I didn't try it, plus I've been working on my crochet and am not quite ready to move on to a different craft right now (though I've also been toying with my paper crafting supplies.)   I have saved it of course here and elsewhere, and I will give it a try soon.

http://commonthread.us/discover/community/dmc-gulush-threads-stitch-a-day-challenge-national/

Embroidering on Patterned Fabric: LadyLapsus

Via the Feeling Stitchy Blog,  a wonderful idea by LadyLapsus for adding to the design elements of an embroidery piece by using colored/patterned fabric as a background rather than the traditional white linen.   It just seems like brilliant idea.

I'm also seeing embroidery hoops in different shapes and colors, which adds another interesting element, particularly if you use the hoop as a frame for the work, as many do.

LadyLapsus has a site (In German) so you can see more of her work  http://www.meinhood.com/shop/

Embroidery Books: Charm and Inspiration

This year craft wise I'm all about embroidery.  Those tidy little stitches are such fun to work with and the results are so beautiful.   It is my habit to look at books for guidance while I'm learning anything new.

I've been gathering books on embroidery to inspire and help me along.


The book that started my current embroidery enthusiasm is Little Stitches: 100+ Sweet Embroidery Designs by Aneela Hoey   I love the whimsical little projects, which are very different from the samplers and other kits I was familiar with.

Another very inventive embroiderer is Delilah of What Delilah Did    

Her book What Delilah Did Presents: Storyland Cross Stitch  tells a story using a set of embroidered figures which she presents in various ways.

My favorite craft magazine right now is Mollie Makes.  It features many crafts from aspiring and talented young artists.  The two crafts that interest me most are crochet and embroidery.   It is almost impossible to find magazines covering hand embroidery, which seems to be having a resurgence in Europe that hasn't reached our shores.  Mollie Makes has compiled some of their articles in Mollie Makes Embroidery: Adorable Stitched Projects Plus Tips & Tricks.

I love the delicate little outlines of embroidery.  Perhaps the bright colors and sweet subjects remind me of old coloring books.   Floral Collection for Hand Embroidery: An Embroiderer's Garden by Maria Diaz  presents the loveliest flowers imaginable, which could be added to many projects.

Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching is filled with nature inspired embroidery applied to a wide variety of projects.

As a series, the Reader's Digest books on varying topics present wonderful clear how to illustrations.  The Reader's Digest Complete Book of Embroidery (Includes Crewelwork, Goldwork, Ribbon Embroidery and Embellishments) by Melinda Coss  shows how to stitch in embroidery, and is a great place to start.

Not strictly a book of embroidery, Sewn by Hand by Susan Wasinger  presents small projects that carry on the "slow crafts movement" and let you create with needle and thread in new ways.

I have always wanted to make a patchwork quilt, the old variety stitched together from your old clothes or blankets or fabric bits.  Unfortunately, most books, sites, and magazines use machine stitching for the quilt.   I have found directions for a handmade quilt (for a someday post).  Patchwork Loves Embroidery by Gail Pan isn't hand patchwork, but it does have many fun ideas for combining patchwork with embroidery.

Embroidery: Strawberry Mason Jar

I found some embroidery kits last month and they're more than just cross stitching.  After looking at a few tutorials, I've begun a set of mason jar towels for each day of the week.

Here are my first efforts with a stem stitch and a running stitch. Not too bad.

National Crafting Month

According to Craftsy it is National Crafting Month.

I thought I would work on ( but surely not complete --noooo that would be wrong) several of my works in long progress.  We shall see at months' end if I've advanced on any of them.

I only need 23 more squares for my Granny afghan.  It was my plan to make two squares per day but I keep messing up on the first two rows so pull pull pull out I go.

I need to rewrite and re-do some pages in my family history scrapbooks before I can advance given new information I have gained since beginning the project.

I have one for each of my siblings so each page is reproduced eight times.  The cover of each I personalized for everyone.   Mine has my two long time heroines and me as essentially the person I am inside.  Yes, I really am immature.  I like it.

There is something delicate and charming about Embroidery.  I love the little outlined drawings and the lovely colors.

I took an embroidery class and here are practice stitches which I will need to learn all over again.

Here is the project I will be working on this month, just barely begun so any progress will be welcome.

I used to go to a local ceramics place with mom and we had a great time picking out fun things to do.

I picked this bookend out as the ceramic project to work on because it hasn't much that needs to be done, plus, who needs bookends more than I do?

Tsk, shaky photos!