Book Review: Embroidery for Little Miss Crafty

Helen Dardik has added some of her super cute designs to very simple projects for beginners in Embroidery for Little Miss Crafty. The book begins with a primer of basic embroidery stitches and a list of tools. The patterns are simple line drawings in the back of the book for you to reduce or enlarge as needed.

I don't think I'll ever make any of these and I'm not sure why I even bought the book. I must have read a misleading review. It's really targeted to crafty girls or teens; it's a little too old for my toddler and a little young for my tastes. But the illustrations, as you should expect, are delightful. I will definitely be stitching up some of these little designs. I especially love the cloud and the sweet little flower.

In summary, if you have a kid who's just getting into sewing, this would make an excellent gift or just something fun to pick up for the two of you to share. It's really well priced. I'll be holding on to mine for a few years.

Project: Stitchery

Last weekend Mr. Lemon and I went to a cool little thrift store in another town and I found this fabulous little stitchery. I can't believe someone let it go -- and it was only $3!

It appears to be mounted to the backing but I don't want to tear it out of the frame just yet. Should I use it for the fabric or paint the frame and hang it on the wall? It's really lovely.

For more on Project: Project, read this post.

Pillows, pillows, pillows!

I have been stitching my little creatures for weeks now and it has been a blast. I love watching the new friends come to life. I didn't think it could get any better...

...And then I started my pillow fronts. The squares I'm working on are just over 8" so it's a bigger canvas than the onesies and the sweatshirts. It's really satisfying to pick the background fabrics then work on the little guy who'll be featured. One of my favorite parts of the process is choosing the patterns. When I work on the pillows, I get to combine and juxtapose patterns a lot more than on the clothes. I don't have any finished yet because I'm waiting on my labels but you'll get a sneak peak this weekend.

I'm super excited about the labels. I can't wait until they get here!

The image above is my newest onesie. I'm calling it a meerkat and it'll be up on my etsy shop by the end of the week.

When I get some more time, I'll move my old posts from typepad over here to blogsopt where it's so much easier (and free).