Pretty Cellphone Pouches

I'm working on some pretty Crazy Quilt Cellphone Pouches for Christmas gifts.  I mean, who doesn't have a cellphone and who wouldn't like a pretty pouch to keep it in?  Mine is a IPhone and I like to keep mine in a pouch to protect the screen from getting all scratched up just in case my keys decide to have a party in my purse!

Anyway, I finished up my purple and green pouch yesterday:

I didn't want to do any Silk Ribbon Embroidery on these because that can also get caught on keys and other purse contents.  So I figured, buttons are a safe addition.  These are vintage Mother Of Pearl buttons accented with large seed beads.

And here is the seam embroidery up close:

All of these seam treatments, including the feather stitch, are worked with my Waste Canvas technique.  Click on each photo to see a larger version.

And here is my next little cellphone pouch:

I painted the appliques and sewed the lace and trim on last night so now it's ready for embroidery and beads.

Needful Things

My sweet friend Pat Winter always refers to crazy quilt supplies as "needful things".  Ok, so I stopped at my favorite stitching store yesterday afternoon, Welcome Stitchery in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  I needed waste canvas.  And I of course came out with more than just that!

My favorite threads to stitch with are the Watercolours by The Caron Collection.  These are a 3 ply thread and I use a single strand which is pretty equal to a #5 perle cotton.  I love the shaded threads and since I have a tendency to pile on the embellishments, I like a little bit heavier thread so my stitching shows up!  So, I needed 3 new colors of that.

My second favorite threads are the Kreinik metallics!  I needed (I really did) a gold #4 braid but I've also been collecting the Hologram Blending Filaments for my spider webs.  So I picked up the silver and the red Hologram Blending Filament and those are my needful things for the day!  It's my story and I'm sticking to it!

When I got home, I started stitching a little cellphone pouch:

I thought I'd make a few cellphone pouches for Christmas gifts.  And speaking of my sweet friend Pat, purples and greens always make me think of her!

Here's the news on my dad, so far, none of the test results found anything abnormal.  They're going to do one more test, and if that's normal, then it was most likely a small kidney stone.  Mom is already trying to get him to drink more water!

Thank you everyone for keeping him in your thoughts.

Snowman Dolls

My Crazy Quilt Snowman Dolls have arrived!  Here they are:

I also thought you'd enjoy seeing the latest additions to Kathi's Pretty Gemstone Jewelry line:

Snowman Purse Complete

When a person doesn't sleep well, they tend to have a lot of stitching time!  I finished up this Crazy Quilt Snowman Purse:

Talk about a Winter Wonderland!  Be sure to click on the image so you can see it up close.  I used tons and tons of sequins for sparkle and lots of snowflake buttons.

This purse is for my sister Kathi.  She gave me the cross stitch piece earlier this and asked if I would do a crazy quilt purse for her. 

Here are close ups of the seam embroidery:

Due to the size of the cross stitch piece, I didn't have a lot of room for elaborate seam embroidery.  These are examples of what can be done in small spaces.

In other news, I'll have a diagnosis on my dad later today.  I'm really trying to stay out of the "worst case scenario".  I'll know when I know.  I guess it's human to go to the worst and it's certainly how my crazy mind works.  For now, I'm really trying to stay in today.

Snowman Purse

Earlier this year, my sister Kathi gave me this little cross stitch snowman piece that she stitched and asked me if I would make it into a purse for her.  I sewed the block up earlier this Summer and decided, I'd better make it for her now so she can enjoy using it at Christmas:

This should be a fun project!  I've sewn all the lace and trim on and embroidered all the seams.  Now to get onto the beadwork!

Before I head offline, please keep my dad in your thoughts.  He may require surgery.  I'll know more on Tuesday.