Autism Awareness Cellphone Pouch

As I mentioned earlier this week, I decided to do a few cellphone pouches to benefit charities. I've already completed the stitching on the Breast Cancer Awareness pouch so the next on my list is the Autism Awareness pouch. This is what the pieced block looked like before I started stitching on it:



My very dear friend Kim was kind enough to stitch the puzzle piece for me which I designed specifically for this project. The puzzle piece is the Autism symbol.

I had this idea in my head that I wanted this to be very symbolic of Autism. That's the approach I took with my charted Autism Floral Design:



The Spring flowers represent innocence. I used 2 red tulips and 1 yellow daffodil to represent the fact that autism occurs in boys more often than in girls. The puzzle piece ribbon is of course the "official ribbon" of Autism Awareness.

I realized that the approach I used for the cross stitch design wouldn't work with the crazyquilt piece. Instead, I decided that I would treat the design the same as I would any other crazyquilt design and simply stitch it using color for balance. I did however decide that daisies remind me of innocence so I am planning to use some red SRE daisies on the vine at the top.

Upon it's completion, I will be donating $25.00 from the sale of this pouch to Our Children's Circle Autism Awareness Group.

Our Children's Circle is a support group comprised of parents, educators and community leaders who strive to provide resources for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in order that these children may lead individual, productive, and fulfilling lives.

Here is a brief description of Autism according to the Autism Society of America:

"Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during
the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder
that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in
the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and
adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal
communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities.  A
recent study states that autism now occurs in 1 in 150 individuals; up from
1 in 166 just a few years ago.  Autism is growing at a startling rate of
10-17 percent per year. At this rate, ASA estimates that the prevalence of
autism could reach 4 million Americans in the next decade"

Here's the link to the Autism Society of America's website.

This is what the Autism pouch looks like at the moment:



It's quite colorful, isn't it?

If anyone is interested in it, the Autism Floral Cross Stitch design is available with a donation of $5.00 or more.  You can find it on my main Kitty & Me Designs website along with a charted version of the Autism Ribbon which is also available with a donation of $5.00 or more.  I donate the entire amount to Our Children's Circle.  I will pay the PayPal fees myself.  I do accept PayPal although it's not mentioned on my website at the moment.  Simply email your order to me with the amount that you would like to donate and I will send you a PayPal invoice.  The charts are delivered electronically via PDF file email attachment.  You will need an email address that accepts attachments.

I expect to complete the Autism pouch today so I should have an update again for you tomorrow.

Comfort Food

Can you tell by my post yesterday that I desperately need some sunshine? I can't remember the last time we had a sunny day.

I did manage to get to the grocery store and WalMart for supplies yesterday. Which was good because I needed some "comfort food". Now, I don't actually comfort myself with anything edible. Instead, I add to my "already more than I need" stash!

While wandering around the craft department in WalMart, I found these beautiful Brocades and Satins:



I was good, I only bought 1/4 yard pieces! And now, I can't wait to sew up some new blocks with them!

While walking past the jewelry department, I noticed a rack with some "sale" items on it so I went over to look at that and found these earrings:



These were only $3.00! I didn't buy them to wear them. They're a bit longer than what I like in earrings but they were purple and kind of look Victorian so I thought I could use them on a crazyquilt. And the cool thing is, there's 2 of them!

I then remembered that the new Quilting Arts magazine usually comes out on March 1st so I hopped in my Hotrod Lincoln (that's the term that Scott uses to refer to my car.) and headed over to Borders bookstore where I found not only the new Quilting Arts magazine but also the new Bead & Button magazine:



The bracelets on the cover of the Bead & Button magazine are gorgeous! I wish I could figure out how to make one. But I have a terrible time trying to comprehend beading without a foundation to sew them onto! I do however think, that those bracelet designs would make for some interesting crazyquilt seam treatments! Hmmmmmm......

Cellphone Pouches

I thought I'd go ahead and post now since I'm waiting for the slop outside to dry up a bit. In the past 12 hours, we've had snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, iceballs....I have so had my fill of having to rearrange my schedule due to weather conditions! I need to get groceries and I'm hoping to go do that soon!

The robin birds are usually back here by now but I haven't seen or heard any yet. I wouldn't want to come back to this mess either!

Ok, onto stitching!

I completed the stitching last night on the Breast Cancer Awareness cellphone pouch:



It's much lighter than it looks here. I should have used the camera since I had it out rather than the scanner.

I added some Swarovski crystals to the SRE roses. The little hummingbird charm came from the bead store in Galena, Illinois. That's the only place I'm able to find those. I kind of ration them because they're expensive at $2.00 a piece. I usually don't use them on cellphone pouches but this one is special.

This pouch is already spoken for. I will be donating $25.00 from the sale of this pouch to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

I'll do the finishing next week so I'll post a final update for you then.

I also completed the finishing on these 2 pouches:





These are ready now for their new owners.

I was asked if anyone actually uses these mini works of art. Yes, I know for a fact that Scott's step-mom uses hers all the time. These are great because they're big enough for a cellphone, cash & credit card. I believe MP3 Players will fit in these too. They can be worn around the neck for hands free shopping, gardening (if Spring ever gets here) and other activities where you don't want to carry a purse!

Ok, I plan to start on the Autism Awareness pouch later today. I'll have photos of that for you tomorrow.

I'm off now for groceries, if I can get my car out of the driveway!

TAST - The Cross Stitch

Sharon, who's a bit under the weather at the moment, has chosen the Cross Stitch as this week's focus for TAST. As you know, the Cross Stitch is my specialty! I've worked it into my current project:



Now this certainly is not one of the defining patterns in my designing career but it sure makes for a pretty seam treatment!

Here's how it looks on the block:



As I mentioned yesterday, this is a Breast Cancer Awareness Charity design. I still have a few more do-dads to add but plan to complete this later today.

For now, I'll be finishing the Blue Butterfly pouch, the Teddy Bear pouch and then piecing the Autism Awareness Charity pouch. I should have loads to share with you tomorrow!

If you like my Cross Stitch seam treatment and would like to try it on your projects, here is the charted pattern:



Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the larger version of the pattern. I used 8.5 count Waste Canvas to for perfect spacing.

Red Hat Society Lady Purse Complete!

I have alot to share with you today! I thought I'd start my post today with some finishes. The Red Hat Society Lady purse is complete now:



I love this one so much! It came out so beautiful and perfect! I've added this to my Etsy shop. If you would like to see more photos of it, hop over there and take a peek.

My next finish is this little Spring Chick cellphone pouch:



The beaded crocheted edging at the bottom was made by my mom. I think it looks so pretty! She's made several of these edgings for me as a thankyou for selling some of her things for her.

I was asked what the size is of my cellphone pieces. The actual stitched area is 4 inches wide X 5 inches high. When finished, they measure 4 inches wide X 5 1/2 inches high. I allow an extra 1/2 inch at the bottom for trim.

If anyone wants the Spring pouch, please drop me an email. I'm planning on taking it up to my showcase in Richmond later this week.

Also completed, is the stitching on this pouch:



If you remember, I was asked to make a cellphone pouch without an image on it. I'll do the machine finishing on this tomorrow along with the finishing on the teddy bear pouch and should have a final update on those by the end of the week.

Many of my long time cross stitch followers know that I have several charity organizations that I support. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Our Children's Circle - Autism Awareness and Pet's In Need, my local no-kill animal shelter.

I've decided to do several charity pieces and donate a portion of the selling price to those charities. The first will be the Breast Cancer Awareness Pouch:



I have a vintage rhinestone pin in the shape of a ribbon. I'll be using that as a focal point on this piece. I plan to do the embroidery and embellishing with pinks & greens. I'll be starting the stitching later today.

Tomorrow, since I'll have my sewing machine out, I'll piece the Autism pouch. Kim, my long-time friend and model stitcher was kind enough to stitch up a cross stitch puzzle piece for me which I designed specifically for the Autism Pouch. The puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism.

My Pets In Need pouch is all sewn up but I'll share that when I get to it.

Once these are all complete, I'll get back to some more purses. And that embroidered peacock piece that I've been wanting to do!

I'm off to do some design work. Check back tomorrow for an update on the Breast Cancer Awareness Cellphone Pouch!