horse and foal dish towel

We took a short trip and are back now, so I'll be listing one-a-day all the stuff I meant to sell at the shabby chic show this autumn. They said I was too late to sign up. Even though it's still a month away? Oh well, all my stuff will end up on etsy instead! :D

My horse towel won a 2nd place ribbon at the fair. I had left a thread unclipped (I didn't even see it), so now that I clipped it, it would probably win a first place!

I listed it in my etsy shop just now....

I'm back

I'll be posting more regularly now, because I have a ton of things I've sewn that I intend to put on etsy, one day now through Christmas. The shabby chic show I was intending to set up at in person said I was too late to sign up, so, well, their loss. Etsy for me.

Today I will list my cute pig dish towel. I chose the pink fabric with apples because it complements the pig AND the wheelbarrow of produce.

He's so sweet, don't you think?

embroidered pig dish towel

I know, I haven't been posting so much. I've been working on projects, but half-finished projects aren't as exciting as finished things.  This dish towel was embroidered but missing the pink farbic and rick-rack, so I thought I would just spend 20 minutes completing it. Too cute?

happy embroidering

I picked up a new packet of embroidery patterns--they are sort of like fabric, in that there are so many mood choices that you can never have enough. Even if all the embroidery patterns are happy, well, there are different ways to say happy.

And personally, I love animated kitchenware.  I love animated fruit, but I still haven't found that pattern for sale. In the meantime, animated kitchenware makes me happy.

I'm pretty sure I will be making that teapot next. I wish I had more towel blanks to work with....

cheery cherry hand embroider dish towel

I love having these dish towels hanging in my kitchen. Maybe no one else notices, but I think they lend an air of dignity and cheeriness at the same time.

 When I spotted the printed cherry fabric on the flat fold table, of course I had to buy it! Remember not so long ago most fabrics were $6 a yard? Now only the flat fold table is $6. A yard of regular priced fabric costs and hour and a half of a minimum wage worker today. Wow.  Sort of puts the price of craftwork into perspective when you see it for sale.

I have listed this dish towel in my etsy shop. I do also have a matching potholder using the same cherry fabric and a single embroidered cherry. I have to dig it out of my bin of finished work to snap a photo, but if you want a set, just let me know in my etsy comments and I can do that.

cheery cherries potholder and dishtowel

I planned these two out as a matching pair. See? Always thinking <taps forehead>.

 The cherry fabric might not be exactly retro, but it has the feel going on. Close enough so I'm happy.

an embroidered horse dish towel

Can you see the cowboy fabric down at the bottom edge? I added that, and the orange rick rack, to a plain towel blank. The horse design is the only one small enough I have that really fits on a towel; it's a current Aunt Martha design. I don't know what they expect you to use the other designs for -- they're really big enough for shirts, I guess. But does anyone embroider t-shirts or sweatshirts any more? Anyway, this towel looks great, and I'm setting it aside for my Saturday market booth next summer. I think horse items should do well.

 I also embroidered this pear towel, but the blank I used was one from the dollar store (I wish they still sold these!) and not a high enough quality to resell. So I get to use it, yay!

embroidered squirrel towel

I'm slowly embroidering all seven days of the week for this squirrel towel set.

I'm disappointed that it appears to say "Manday" more than "Monday."

catching up on the blogging

Did I say my computer went kaput so I had to stop blogging? So, yeah, that's why. But I'm back in business now!

For Christmas dinner I made a cherry pie. I was so proud of myself I had to take a photo and share.

And a friend asked me to make a fabric bucket to store dog toys in. The challenge was the dog had to be able to fit her head in and pick out her own toy.  At first my friend wanted a drawstring bag, but I worried about the dog possibly strangling. This seemed much safer.

 I used the Solstice line of fabric by Kate Spain for Moda. I think it a very sophisticated winter feel.

And I embroidered over the holiday, too. I want to make a matching potholder for this pretty dish towel. I plan on sewing more horse-themed projects, because I intend to set up a stall in our Saturday market, and locally horses are very popular. Anything cowgirl themed ought to be a hit, fingers crossed!

I

squirrel tea towel

I think I find these vintage transfer images so charming that it's hard to stop embroidering them. Well, I always run out of towel blanks too soon. I guess that's why I stop and turn my attention to something else. After this one, I have one more to embroider--so I know what I will be doing this weekend. Bliss!

I have listed this pretty towel in my etsy shop!

hen going to market tea towel

These vintage transfers are so charming, it makes it fun to embroider them. Picking out vibrant colors and creating something with a little retro flair is always compelling.

 

I gave this pretty towel away for Christmas!

sweet dish towel with a charming dish scene

I was having a Malcolm in the Middle marathon this weekend--can you believe it's been off the air for eight years? The humor stands up pretty well, the jokes are still funny. I find I don't watch comedy programs anymore, the laugh tracks are aggravating and the jokes are too obvious. Malcolm still makes me laugh. And it's fascinating to see the family in trouble while driving, finding a road side call box (do those even exist now?) because cell phones were not yet ubiquitous. How long ago it seems!

While watching, I worked on embroidery.

 

I added the pretty fabric border and rick rack to a plain cotton towel, and then did the embroidery.

I've got a few more things to stock in my etsy shop this week! Please check them out! Having pretty things, even simple pretty things, adds so much pleasantness to life. I just don't understand people leaving things drab. I'm sure you're the same way, or you wouldn't be reading this!

I haven't forgotten the sewing part of life

Sometimes it seems like we're all so busy, doesn't it? I only find time to sew on the weekends. All of these are photos of projects in-progress. I have finished 3 new potholders, but wouldn't you know I didn't take photos of those?

I hope to have all of these finished this weekend, and some new listings up in my etsy shop before Christmas! I need to buy binding fabric for the potholders, nothing I have on hand matches exactly. So much fabric, and yet I always seem to need more.

How are your projects coming along? Check back in a couple days, and I'll show off 4 finished projects! Hopefully the sun will come out (from behind the snow filled clouds) and give me some good lighting. We'll all keep our fingers crossed, right?

dish towel embroidered with a basket of vegetables

I'm still embroidering one pattern here and one there, and not a whole set of images. I wish I had more blanks, because I've got lots of time to work on these. Why do I have time all the sudden? What did I used to do? Hmm. Anyway, lots being accomplished in the little bits of empty time here and there.

I have listed this towel in my etsy shop. It's priced a little higher than I intend to price most, because this one took twice as long as usual to embroider. All the color changes, and it really is pretty intricate.

This dish towel is listed now in my etsy shop!

three embroidered tea towels

When I was in town, I bought several towel blanks. Now I wish I had purchased more!

I started with a set of Mon/Tues/Weds, and mixed up the designs so they're not all from the same transfer package (as in, not all duckies). I figure I have so MANY transfers, why stick to one theme? That was for when you had only one package.

A charming cat. I loved making her ear under the plastic cap look like it was really under a transparent cap.

 

The ducky I thought needed just a little bit more, but I couldn't decide what.

 

And a cute little mouse. She seems so sweet.

 

I'm selling these all as a set, and no, I'm barely being paid for my time. I just love to make them. Great for a house warming gift or a practical wedding gift.  Available now in my etsy shop.