Pretties

Lucky girl, I am today. Look at this beautiful fabric from Lakehouse Drygoods, by Holly Holderman. Yikes! It is the most beautiful fabric I've seen recently. The 100% cotton has the most wonderful "hand". It is lovely, soft and scrumptious.

Both prints come from Holly's Doll Dresses line, one is called Posy Pretties-Robin and the other Cherry Toss-Pearl.

I found the fabric at BessieMary and it came all packaged up so sweetly, with a checked ribbon and a fabric swatch packet. In the swatch packet there was even a little bundle of hot pink baby ric-rac. Woo-hoo!

Elvish

Cold one day, warm the next, it is making me feel positively mean! The tricksters are at it again, making me believe that spring is coming early. That sly February elf is playing tricks. Em was out biking a week ago and now it is back to pulling out the snow pants and boots.

I hope every one else is "weathering" the month better than I.

I feel impatient for crocus, daffodils, and grape hyacinth.

Happy Hearts

We are all happy hearts this weekend. A fun little trip to add buoyancy to our step.
Enjoy your weekend and Happy Valentine's Day! :-)

Vintage Valentines

This Scottish fellow's arm moves, which makes his eyes roll in his head. Funny!I like this one because it looks like a brownie/elf mix. His heart-shaped blushing cheeks and big ears are adorable.

Little ringlets, mary jane shoes and knobby knees......need I say anything else.

Here are the five vintage valentines that I have collected. This last one is my favorite. I love the cherry-cheeked girl in the window and the boy in his blue-checked suit and straw boater.

Seeing Red.....and Brown

Loving all the red and brown surrounding me. I made some pretzel button cookies on Monday after reviewing all the Crafty Crow posts that I have missed recently and finding lots of valentine projects, including the pretzel buttons. Check out the recipe here.

Following the button theme, I finished the felt heart covered in white pearly buttons (middle row) that I had started last year.

What colors are all around you right now?

Babushka Sisters

My matryoshka wallhanging quilt is done! And it only took me a year....... ;-)
I am planning to attach the "story" of the quilt, what I was thinking of when I made it to the back of the quilt, after I write it down on a piece of cloth with permanent ink.
I wish more quilts had this "backstory". Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear what the quilter thought about her quilt. Are the fabrics scraps from another project, maybe children's clothes, or other work? Was it made for a special purpose, or person?

I just went through some of my grandmother's memorabilia the other day. In a description of her wedding for the newspaper it mentioned an heirloom bridal veil. I have never heard of this veil, let alone seen it. I wish I had asked about the old lace-covered clothing and scrap bag fabrics that were passed down from my grandmother.

One little blue silk dress has a note pinned to the bottom. The note, handwritten by my great-grandmother, says the dress belonged to my grandmother when she was a girl. Sentimental old me just loves this kind of stuff. :-)

The original idea for this quilt came from my love of the matryoshka, babushka form and a storybook of Em's "The Littlest Matryoshka" about matryoshka sisters. I have two sisters, so it seemed natural to work with three dolls, all lined up.

Some of the fabrics are from my "old" scrap bag. The large polka dot fabric used for the "shelf" that the dolls sit on, is from some fabric toadstool seats that I made for my older daughter out of milk crates and plywood when she was 2. The tan fabric of the sister's faces scraps from a stuffed rabbit.

So, here are the sisters, similar to each other in lots of ways, yet each with their own pattern, their own tilt of the head, their own smile.

Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sits on her tuffet. Meg, my charming daughter, crocheted this wee Miss Muffet pin cushion to sit atop my felt pin cushion to hold my needles. She found that our yarn needles with their dull points have trouble going into the felt top, yet easily slide into the stuffed top of this crocheted cupcake. When she stuffed little Miss Muffet she placed a smooth pebble in the bottom part so the whole thing doesn't roll over.

Dolly Knits

This is the third knit doll that I've made. I like the tubular shape--kinda reminds me of babushka dolls--of course. The first of these dolls (several posts ago) was knit using an old McCall's pattern, but this one I made up on my own to get a smaller doll and the added pieces, like her hair, skirt and mary janes.

I have almost finished my small quilt--3 sisters. I have been adding the borders which need a little quilting and a rod case on the back so I can hang it. Maybe by the weekend I will be able to share. :-) The rest of this week we are supposed to be having a warm-up outside and sun, so it is off for a walk and some of that cleaning up the spring-like temps always inspire.

Enjoy!!

Gnome Couple

Fooling around with a little canvas and markers can be a dangerous thing.

Spring Green

I looked around my den of crafts and spotted lots of green--makes me dream of spring.
I love the word den by the way--definition below:

1: the lair of a wild usually predatory animal (I don't know about the predatory part but wild sometimes! :-)
2 a (1): a hollow or cavern used especially as a hideout (2): a center of secret activity
3: a comfortable usually secluded room

An early spring is not in the forecast but a person can wish can't they?

Happy Groundhog's Day to all.

May the spring come pleasantly tripping along soon, green and fresh with warmth.