Rhymes with Orange - make a Felt Orange Pomander

In honor of Christmas in July - if you celebrate early like I do - here's a tutorial for making felt orange pomanders. 

Ever stick whole cloves into an orange and then wonder if you'll ever get the feeling back in your fingertips ever again? Well, wonder no more. This pomander is easy to make and is also easy on the fingers.

Each one is about 3" (7-8cm) wide.

What you need:


orange wool (or wool blend) felt – one 9" x 12" (20x30cm) sheet makes 2 pomanders
stuffing
orange stranded cotton embroidery thread – 2 strand lengths
wool yarn in dark brown tweedy colour
ribbon – 23cm
sewing or embroidery needles
tapestry needle with large eye for the yarn
scissors
Orange Pomander template

I used a vintage Patons Lanbswool 80 yarn that has lovely orangey flecks. It has been discontinued but this Keld tweed wool from Rowan knits is a great alternative for that clove look: http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/rowan-tweed

You can machine or hand sew the wedges together, but stitches should be fairly close to the edges. Wool felt is strong enough to need very little seam allowance.

Download the template using the link in the materials list. To make one pomander ball, trace five of the wedge shapes onto felt and cut them out along the lines.

Stack two of the shapes, matching up the edges and points nicely. Stitch along one curved edge. Make another set of two stitched together. Leave the fifth wedge aside.

Now using a two-strand length of matching embroidery floss, stitch the two sets of two together to make a sewn set of four.

Pin the last wedge to an unsewn edge of the 'almost' ball shape and sew along the edge to attach. There should now be a sphere with an opening.

Fold the ribbon in half and insert the folded end into one end of the ball where the points meet. The ribbon raw ends should stick out of the ball by about 7mm or half an inch. Sew the ribbon into the ball by stitching down the last seam about an inch. Tie the thread off.

Sew the opening from the other end where the points meet again about an inch and tie off. This leaves a hole for turning and stuffing.

Turn the ball right sides out and stuff firmly.

Sew the opening closed using a ladder stitch.

Now we have to stick the cloves in the orange. The cloves are simply yarn french knots around the ball. The french knots can cover the ball or be arranged in patterns just like a real orange pomander. You can do this freehand or make little pen dots in the patterns you want.

At Christmas, hang them around the tree or on doorknobs. Leave out the ribbon and display them in a bowl with evergreen cuttings.

This pattern was originally in Handmade magazine, issue 35-6. It even made the cover along with my little star gnome and swedish heart ornaments.

 

So proud! Like little candies all boxed up!

Stitch Cafe is Open and Ready to Serve!

It's here! STITCH CAFE digital magazine is now available!

After 5 years of designing patterns for print magazines and my online shop, I realized it's time create a way to offer you the best and newest creations in one easy (and cost-effective) download.

Every month a new STITCH CAFE magazine will be released. The magazine has at least 4 original patterns, a few articles, a recipe or two, sometimes a little focus on prairie life, links to some awesome crafters and their blogs, and more.

See, this is how it's going to work.

Now that I'm putting out a monthly magazine, I get to play with projects for the month and put them in there along with my patterns published in national print magazines that are now available for me to publish again.

A couple of those patterns will also make it into the shop separately. If you like my patterns AND wouldn't mind getting some bonus patterns, then the magazine is the perfect way to stay current with all my projects.

Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-SCORE!
 
Eye-Candy for Crafters

Another magazine?

Maybe you're feeling a little guilty because you don't make ALL the projects you already see on Pinterest and craft blogs.

Not enough time for all of it?
Love it but don't know if I'd use it or give it?

Confession: I just ENJOY looking at all those projects, and they make me feel inspired. I stopped feeling guilty that I wasn't going to make all 2 billion projects I drool over. Now I love to look and I think of it as a sort of art gallery of sewing and stitchery.

This is (mostly) women's art, home art, family art. I love words like homespun and handmade.

In a world full of mass-produced goods without any heart or personal touch, another handmade magazine is definitely a little piece of humanity heaven.

Is this just a copy of my shop patterns?

The magazine does include some patterns that I sell in my online shop. But many are exclusive to the magazine and will never be available other than in the magazine.

AND the magazine containing 4 or more patterns costs less than 1 pattern in the shop!

So it's pretty much the thriftiest way to keep up with current pattern releases.

What's actually inside?

Well, I'm just starting out - by that I mean in digital format. The magazine has been printed locally and I'm working out the kinks of not being very techno-friendly. But the focus can now be more global rather than local.

That said, I am so far including:

• household tips
• links to other makers and their work
• 4+ sewing and embroidery patterns
• recipes
• articles about the crafting community

What kind of patterns are in that 4+?

Patterns are a mix of sewing and embroidery:

• softies

• hoop art
• home decor
• kitchen and laundry room linens
• fashion accessories
• patchwork projects
• plus step-by-step tutorials for cool household ideas

You don't have to subscribe! Buy one magazine or more. It's up to you.

Each magazine is sold separately in the shop. Buy the issues that interest you. In the future, I might offer a subscription payment, but for now, you get to try it out on your terms, when you want, based on your interests.

Pretty pictures? Thrifty? Sewing and embroidery patterns? Links and tutorials? Recipes?

Where do you get all this for $6 US?

Welcome to STITCH CAFE! Issue 1, July 2017 is now in the shop!

Mirror Mirror On the Floor

It's that time of the year again! Yard sales and thrift store glut. Everyone is cleaning out their stuff - and everyone else wants to buy it.

Saturday I happened to pass a yard sale that produced some mighty sweet finds. 

I have no idea where the mirror is going. It needs a good cleaning and has no hooks, but I love the art deco wheat border.

I also picked up a few bottles for photo shoots. There was a whole box of antique bottles. I'm not sure how old Nehi soda is but the smaller one on the right was from a grocery company in Kansas City that closed in 1910.

And then there was a thrift store run on senior citizen discount day! Lots of 100% linen shirts to be de-boned and turned into reusable fabric.

But that meant I had to clean up. I spent the afternoon sorting out my hutch and folding all the fabric. The before photo isn't necessary. Just take half that fabric and wad it up into a giant mess so that it's falling out onto the floor. Yeah. It was bad.

But this is what my sewing table looks like right now. It's a bit of a mess but if you only see the cleaned up versions of sewing rooms, it's kind of a cheat, don't you think? 

My thrifting hunting list:

anything linen
embroidery hoops 
tape measures (I have a growing collection now)
vintage 100% cotton bed linens
ric rac
wool fabrics
vintage craft magazines (especially 1920s - 40s)

What do you look for when you go thrifting?

Eat. Drink. Stitch. Repeat.

Recently I bought a brand of spaghetti sauce whose jar was a bit squarish. Hmmm.....under the label the glass is molded to say "Atlas Mason" to mimic an antique look. I soaked the label off to find a gluey mess. How did I get that stuff off? 

Okay, I've tricked you a bit here. I wrote about the quick and easy way to get that label glue off in my new digital magazine Stitch Cafe.

Stitch Cafe came about because I had been putting out a small print craft magazine locally and decided it was time to bring it to the online world. It's more fun to share with everyone, right?

What's in it?

There are 

• at least 4 sewing and embroidery projects and their templates, 
• a recipe or two, 
• articles and home life tips, 
• and favorite craft blog links.

Some of the patterns will also be released separately in my Etsy shop, but some will be exclusive to the magazine.

4+ patterns and more for the price of 1 pattern? It's a no-brainer!

Issue 1 of Stitch Cafe includes two patterns that are mason jar related: a sewing caddy jar cozy and a mason jar applique tea towel. There is also a hoop art project and a crochet hook clutch pattern and more. 

If you haven't signed up for the weekly newsletter, sign up at the top right. You get new product announcements, discounts and offers, plus a list of crazy cool links to other artists, authors, and stitchers.

Stitch Cafe Issue 1 will be in my Etsy shop on July 3rd. 

OH! And don't forget to check the blog soon for an unveiling of my Christmas in July pattern sale (and a free tutorial or two on the blog).

The kid-safe lightening show

Woody Allen once said he was "at two" with nature. Though I have lived in a yurt in the desert and a quanset hut with outhouse in Alaska, people find it hard to believe that I'm more of an "indoorsy" gal.

Oh yes, you just give me central heat and air conditioning and I will never leave the house. 

Bugs have also never been big favorites of mine. But we've been discovering a load of interesting things that live on the property, bugs included.

The best part of the day has become dusk when the critters come out. We'll see opossums and woodchucks, bunnies and barn owls. But best of all are the fireflies.

The rise from the ground by the dozens and fly low to the ground signalling each other and rising slowly over the next hour or two until it is completely dark. It's magical.

And impossible to photograph. They blink by the dozens and the shot eludes me.

But the tiny flashes of light are indeed lightening bugs AKA fireflies. 

If you want to see an amazing show, check out this video of synchronous fireflies. 

These bugs don't bug me. They make me feel young.

The Best $4 Craft Supply I Ever Bought

Tracing craft and embroidery patterns isn't too challenging, and we all have our methods. 

Being a make-do sort of gal, I've just used the window to trace out embroidery patterns. But my arms get tired, it's not always sunny out, and there sometimes isn't enough light even on a sunny day because of the awnings outside the windows. 

I was looking at some light boxes but they can be quite pricey and I get migraines when I'm looking into light for too long.

Then I saw it at the store. A clear plastic clipboard.

You should be jumping up and down shouting "Brilliant, Allison!"

Honestly, I have used this thing nearly every day for the last couple of weeks. Embroidery patterns and fabric clip to it solidly. It easily props up against my sewing machine or in my lap, and there's enough light behind it to trace out the design to the fabric. 

It's also perfect for tracing template pieces when I don't want to cut up a pattern in a magazine or something belonging to a friend.

I also discovered, a clip-on reading light clipped so the light is underneath turns it into an instant lightbox.

It's super portable and totally clear so the light comes through very well. 

It cost less than $4 and can be found at any discount department store like Target, Walmart, Kmart, Big W (Australia)....those sorts of shops.

I stitch in two different rooms of the house, but I also take projects to my parents when I go help them for a couple of days a week. For me, it's a simple solution that really works. It's probably the best $4 I ever spent on a craft supply.

I've missed you, World Wide Web-sters

Yes! It HAS been a really, really long time since I've blogged and shared.

Last fall, I had the chance to come visit my folks and with my parents getting older, hubby and I decided it would be best if I could stay around and help out.So I'm settled in a little house on the prairie - no kidding - in Kansas. The four room house was built in 1891 and has had a couple of rooms added since. There's a small Amish settlement just outside of town and a farmer's market on weekends.

There's a woodchuck living under the shed, and I've seen wild turkeys, armadillos, red squirrels, cardinals, blue jays, orioles, red-headed woodpeckers, and a small barn owl on the land.

My favorite are the fireflies that rise from their underground homes at dusk. It looks like the ground is sending sparks up, there are so many.

There are wonders on this almost acre, like this Victorian tin ceiling tile tacked to the side of the old shed.

Family has kept me busy. My dad got sick shortly after I arrived and my mom is glad to have a daughter nearby for help.

I have managed to keep meeting magazine project deadlines. In May, I started to create new patterns and projects for my Etsy shop and am happy to share them with you. 

Some have been made for the shop and some I designed for craft magazines and the rights have reverted back to me.

If you subscribe to the newsletter, check your email. The weekly newsletter is being revived from hibernation. 

Please enjoy a stroll through the Etsy shop, the free tutorials on the blog, and Embroidery School. It's nice to be settled and have the opportunity to hand-make and share lovely things again. 

Best of all, it's nice to be home enjoying the simple joy of family time.