Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse - Stitching Complete

I finished up the stitching on my Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse last night:

It's very glittery isn't it?  The leaf sequins to the left look a little orange in this photo but they're actually pearly white and sparkle in a pink tone.  And yes, I know that snowflakes and butterflies don't exactly work in the same scenario but hey, I call it art!

Here are some of the interesting seam treatments that I used on this block.  All are worked with my Waste Canvas technique:

These designs are available in my Elegant Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments Ebooks.  I've started a new page (found at the top of my blog) titled, Crazy Quilt Seam Treatment Inspiration.  I will keep an online photo gallery of my seam treatments there for your inspiration and eye candy enjoyment!

Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse Continued

Other than going into town for groceries and doing some laundry, I spent most of yesterday stitching on my Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse:

I'll be sitting here and doing some more beadwork on this before I head over to mom's for the day.

Also, I've decided to add a new feature to my blog.  As I stitch on my Crazy Quilt projects, I'll take close up photos of some of my seam treatments and post them on the page titled, "Crazy Quilt Seam Treatment Inspirations".  You can find it at the top of my blog.

Since I use my Waste Canvas technique for the majority of my embroidery on crazy quilts, I thought this would be a nice way to give my readers some ideas for seam embroidery and how to embellish them.  I'll start doing this when I complete this purse.

Finally for today, we're having a nice Christmas Sale at our Boutique:

Christmas Village Houses and Bottlebrush Trees are on sale.  We won't be doing anymore of these of so please, get them while you can!  The sale is only available at our Boutique.

Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse

After running up to WalMart for a few things yesterday and doing a little laundry, I spent a quiet afternoon with my cats, Food Network and my Winter Lady Crazy Quilt Purse:

I love the soft, feminine colors on this one.  Perfect for a Winter Bag!  And it'll go quite nicely with my faux fur coat!

I also sewed up my Snowman Dolls and I stuffed them.  Tomorrow, I'll make the little stocking caps so their heads stay warm!  ;)

White Snowman Doll and Crazy Quilt Winter Purse

First, I'd like to say thank you friends, for your kind words of encouragement.  I know at some point, I'll be off this medication and past the debilitating withdrawals.  I know the day will come when I feel human again.  Just don't know when that'll be and that's the hardest part of all this.  For now, it's a one day at a time thing.

I finished up on my white Crazy Quilt Snowman Doll:

One of these snowmen is already spoken for.  I don't know which one yet and I might keep one for myself because I just love them!  I'll get them sewn together in the next few days and then I'll post most more photos.

For now, I decided I needed a new purse.  This is a block that I sewed up earlier this Summer:

I loved the lady image.  I'm not even sure where I found it.  I think it's on one of my vintage image CD's.  Anyway, I sat on the floor in my little supply room yesterday playing with my laces and trims and decided that pink accents would work nicely with the background.  Are you surprised?  LOL!!!  I just love pink!

Anyway, I'm going to try to do this purse in a little different style.  I love Pat Winter's Boho Bags so I may do this as a flap with lots of lace and fringe around it.  First I have to get it stitched.  When I'm done with this one, I think I'll make a purse for my sister.

I was going to start on my Winter project, the Peacock Crazy Quilt that I posted last week.  At the moment, it seems a little overwhelming to me.  I'm sure it's just because I don't feel great right now.  I think a new purse will be nice.

Pink and Blue Crazy Quilt Snowman Doll

As many of my long time blog friends know, I'm in the process of trying to get off the Zoloft that I've been on for the past few years.  Although I don't care to talk about the horrible depression that I went  through 3 years ago too much anymore, I have to tell ya'll, these withdrawals are killing me.  I really don't know how much more of this I can take.

I'm down from the 100 milligrams that I was on in the beginning to about 18 milligrams a day.  The process is so slow and it has to be but I often wonder if I will ever feel good again.  After all these years, it's really hard to hang onto that hope.

I'm doing my best to focus on my stitching.  It's always been my #1 coping skill.  I finished up my Pink and Blue Snowman Doll yesterday afternoon and have started on my 5th and final Snowman Doll which is all worked in white.  Here's the pink & blue one:

I had planned to do some sewing today but I'm not sure I feel good enough to pull out my fabrics.  I guess I'll see what things are like later.  Honestly, I could lay on my bed all day and watch Food Channel.  That's so not me!  Where's that motor on my ADD butt?  I know it's there.  I can feel it in the background but the side effects and withdrawals are dominating.  Why is this stuff so addictive?  And why don't they make antidepressants that aren't addictive?  And why don't they make a pill to get off this stuff?  They have a pill for everything else!  Arggg.....

Ok, I think I just needed to vent for a few moments.  I keep looking at the clock thinking, ok, another hour and 1/2 and I can take that pill and then I'll feel better.  Yep, that's the medication talking.  Then I get these thoughts that go, "maybe I can't get off this stuff.  Maybe the depression isn't gone yet.  Maybe I still need this stuff."  Withdrawals will drive a person nuts!

I have my Dr.'s permission to drop the dosage again when I'm ready.  I'm just holding out until this trip to "withdrawal hell" passes.

Well, that's where I'm at at this moment.  I keep telling myself, I made it this far.  Like the song goes, "hold on for one more day."

Victorian Crazy Quilt Cat Dolls

I just finished photographing my latest litter of Crazy Quilt Cat Dolls!  Without further adieu, here they are:

 Enjoy the photos!  I'm going back to stitching on my Snowman Dolls now.

Blue Snowman Doll

I had a wonderful time with Linda, my student yesterday.  I taught her a variety of embroidery stitches including how to work with my Waste Canvas technique as well as basic Silk Ribbon Embroidery stitches.  For lunch,  I made homemade creamy Chicken & Rice soup, homemade rolls and Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies.  YUM!

I had some stitching time last night and finished up on my Blue Crazy Quilt Snowman Doll:

Is he too cute or what!!!  I have 2 more to stitch and then I'll be sewing them together.  Can't wait to see what they look like!

I'll be taking photos of my Christmas Cat Dolls this afternoon so be sure to stop back and see them!

Little Pink Snowman

Here's my little pink snowman doll:

This little one is complete.  As you can see, I added a lot more beadwork and lots of sparkly snowflakes.  My next snowman doll is blue! 

In other news, my Christmas cat dolls are complete!  I'll post photos of those in the next day or so.  And wait until you see what my mom is making!  Christmas Crazy Quilt Pillows!  Lots of crazy quilting to come!!!

For now, I can't wait to sew these snowmen dolls together and see what they look like!  I might crochet little scarves for them.  And I want to do little stocking caps for them if it works out.  Stay tuned!

Pink Crazy Quilt Snowman Doll

I didn't get him finished yesterday.  Was getting things ready for my class tomorrow but I did have some stitching time:

I am going to sit here and stitch for 1 hour before I do anything else today!  Don't you just love pink!  I may have a hard time parting with this one.  I want to get more pink into his little face but I think I can do that with some pink snowflakes.

Crazy Quilt Snowman Dolls

My cat dolls are all sewn up and ready to stuff.  I'll do the stuffing tomorrow and have photos of the finished dolls on Sunday.  I'm teaching a class on Saturday.

For now, I've starting stitching on my Snowman Dolls.  Here's the first:

Do you recognize the little face?  It's the same face I used to use on my snowman cross stitch designs!  These will get little stocking hats with pom pom's.  I think they'll be sweet!  My next one is white and pink!

And speaking of pink, I made a couple of Button Brooches:

The backgrounds are needle felted with a bit of crocheting for texture and added color.  I guess I'm already looking forward to Spring!

Pink Ribbon Cat Doll

Anyone else have issues with Firefox today?  I've been trying to blog since 5 this morning and it just won't go anywhere!  It's almost 9.  I finally gave up and am using Explorer but I hate it and all my passwords are stored in Firefox.

Anyway, I finished up my Pink Ribbon Cat Doll:

My plan for this afternoon, if I don't get ten tons of interuptions, is to sew my 6 new cat dolls together!  Wish me luck.  I feel like I can't get anything done these days!

I also started on my snowman dolls!  Wait till you see!  I want some stitching time later too!

Win A Heart Shaped Crazy Quilt Keepsake Box

Kitty & Me Designs is proud to be the sponsor for today's Tuesday's Treasures at Shabby Lane Shops.

Stop by Shabby Lane Shops today and enter for a chance to win my Heart Shaped Crazy Quilt Keepsake Box.

Blue Christmas Cat Doll

I didn't have any stitching time yesterday.  I finished my blue Christmas cat doll on Saturday:

I can't wait to sew these cats together!  I don't think I've ever made Christmas cat dolls.  Anyway, my next one is Pink Ribbon Cat Doll.  I received my crystal Pink Ribbon charm on Saturday so I will be spending the next 45 minutes stitching and then hopefully, I'll have time to stitch some this evening!

Fabric Ornaments Handmade By Mom!

Just a quick post for now.  I've been trying all day to get to some stitching time but so far, no luck!  We went to a Flea Market this morning, I made some Chicken and Rice Soup, have been doing laundry and trying to finish burning up that pine tree that we had cut down 2 weeks ago.

Anyway, I have a few more new Fabric Ornaments by mom:

Aren't they cute?  Mom hand stamped the images on fabric and then hand colored them.  Lace, fancy yarn and snowflakes surround the images.  Available at Kitty And Me Designs and Kitty And Me On Etsy.

Handmade By Mom

Just a quick little update on a few new things made by mom.  First, this little Cross Stitch Door Hanging Pillow:

Mom must have stitched this piece a few years ago.  With the glaucoma that she has, she doesn't see well enough to do counted cross now.  At least not on 28 count fabric over 2 threads!

Mom also made these old fashioned Candy Cane ornaments:

Bubba has a bonfire going now so I'm going to go sit outside for a little while.  Then I'll take my shower and finish up on my little blue Christmas Cat Doll.

Christmas Cat Doll in White

It's a little hard to see the outline of the cat on this white crazy quilt cat doll but I finished the stitching on him last night:

I have one more Christmas Cat Doll to stitch up.  The next one will be light blue and I'm thinking of stitching and embellishing him in gold. 

I also have a Breast Cancer Awareness Cat Doll to stitch.  I ordered a Pink Ribbon Charm with crystals to use on him but it hasn't arrived yet.

If all goes as planned, I'll have my cat dolls all stitched up by the end of the weekend and then I'd like to sew them together next week.  Be sure to stop by again to see the Christmas Litter of Kitty Dolls!  Then I'll be making Snowman Dolls!

Traditional Christmas Cat Doll

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I would be making a Cat Doll in Traditional Christmas colors.  Here he is:

My next Crazy Quilt Cat Doll will be worked entirely in white and silver.  I hope to have time for that one today but I do have to get groceries and do the finishing on a few projects. 

Mint Green Christmas Cat Doll

It doesn't look like much but it'll be really pretty cat doll once I sew it together:

I wish I had some more interesting things to talk about but at the moment, I'm dealing with Zoloft withdrawals (what else is new) and I feel like I've been hit by a truck.  I spent most of the day yesterday laying on the bed and watching Food channel.  I have zip for energy and just folding laundry takes everything I have.  I finally had to make myself stitch so this cat is ready to sew together.

My next cat doll will be more traditional Christmas colors.  Be sure to stop back to see that one!

Crazy Quilt Cat Dolls for Christmas

I spent Saturday morning running my beloved treadle machine:

I sewed up 6 cat dolls and 5 snowman dolls.  When I finished sewing, I immediately started stitching!  This Christmas Cat doll is ready for sewing together:

And I started on this one yesterday:

They really don't look like much now but when finished, they'll look like this:

I have a project to sew together today and then I'll be back to stitching on my kitty dolls.

BTW - It's Tuesday so that means Tuesday's Treasures at Shabby Lane Shops!  My cat dolls are on sale today!  Offer only good at Kitty And Me Designs Website.

Embroidered Spider Webs with Kreinik Metallics

Awhile back, I wrote a tutorial on how to create Embroidered Spider Webs on Crazy Quilts.  I also wrote a tutorial on how to make a Beaded Spider.  I love stitching spider webs on my crazy quilts so I thought for today, I would talk about making them with one of my favorite threads, Kreinik metallics.

Kreinik Mfg. Co. Inc. produces a variety of beautiful embroidery silk and metallic threads.  As you know,  all that glitters is gold to me so I naturally gravitate to anything that sparkles and Kreinik threads are at the top of my sparkly thread favorites!

Kreinik offers metallic threads in a variety of sizes including #4 and #8 Braids which are excellent for Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments however, for spider webs, my thread of choice is Blending Filament.

Blending Filaments are intended for blending with other threads such as 6 strand embroidery floss.  1 or 2 strands of Blending Filament added to a couple of strands of embroidery floss will certainly add glitter and sparkle to any cross stitch project!

A single strand of Blending Filament, used alone for a spider web on a crazy quilt will most definitely give the look of realism since the thread is so fine.

There are a few challenges to stitching with a single strand of Blending Filament.  Here are few tips:

• These are very delicate, thin threads so gentleness and patience is a must.

• Use a needle with a large enough eye.  Getting a strand of this thread through the eye of a tiny needle is impossible.

•  Use a length of only 12  - 15 inches and keep a long tail.  Without a long tail, it will keep sliding out of the needle.  You can also try a slip knot and tie it to the eye of the needle however, I don't care for this option.  Once that knot is on the needle, it's difficult to remove.  

• Be gentle with it.  Blending Filament breaks very easily so don't tug on it too much.

With a little patience, beautiful, natural looking spider webs can be created using these gorgeous glittery threads.  Take your time and you'll be thrilled with the results.

Kreinik Blending Filaments are very affordable and come in huge variety of colors.  Be sure to visit Kreinik's website to see what they offer!

Christmas At The Boutique

I think I'm finally caught up on everything!  I finished my custom order and just have to sew it together.  I have all of our new Christmas products listed, my email is all caught up and I'm ready to make some more cat dolls!  I'll be sewing this weekend and I can't wait.  It's been quite awhile since I've been able to run my sewing machine just for fun!

Here are mom's 2 new Christmas Door Pillows:

And Kathi made these gorgeous Needle Felted Holly Leaf Ornaments:

We can be found on Etsy as well!

Today, I'll be heading over to mom's house to work on Christmas cards for the Boutique Bags at Shabby Lane Shops.

If you're a crazy quilter, be sure to stop back over the weekend.  I'll be talking about making spider webs with beautiful Kreinik metallic threads!

Christmas Door Pillows from Vintage Hankies

Mom has quite a knack with door pillows!  Her latest creations are made with vintage handkerchiefs:

I'm looking forward to seeing what else mom comes up with.  I've recently given her a whole pile of vintage handkerchiefs from my collection so I'm sure they'll be more of these little Christmas Door Pillow Ornaments to come!

In other news, I'm still working on my custom order.  I'm almost done and then I can do some sewing.  I want to sew up some Christmas Cat Dolls and I'm planning on some Snowman Dolls!  Stay tuned!

Shabby Lane Shops Tuesdays Treasures

Every Tuesday, Shabby Lane Shops hosts a lovely day of shopping called, Tuesday's Treasures.  Many of the online shopping mall boutiques offer special discounts on select items for Tuesday's only.  Here are our Tuesday's Treasures specials for today.  These specials are available today only and only on our Kitty & Me Designs website:

Please see all of the beautiful Boutiques offering specials for Tuesday's Treasures.

Mini Embroidered Stocking Ornaments

It was a busy weekend here!  We had 2 trees taken down on Saturday and spent the entire weekend moving wood!  We have 2 more trees that have to go but we have to wait a few weeks to do that.

I did manage to list these beautiful Mini Embroidered Christmas Stocking Ornaments that my mom made:

I have a some pretty new Christmas Door Pillows by mom too.  I'll get them posted later this week.