…and through the woods” is how the song goes.  But for us it was “Over the mid-west and through the air”, as we flew back to the east coast for a long overdue visit with family these last two weeks.

Josh and I and baby M spent almost two weeks visiting and socializing and going here and there in Pennsylvania and New York.  We were so busy – we could use a vacation!

The highlight of the trip for me was that, for the very first time, my little baby girl met my grandparents (her great-grandparents).  And that was one of the most wonderful, joyous times of my life.  They just couldn’t get enough of her.  They called her “Little Bits”.  I am weepy just thinking about it.  : )

We returned home with many treasured memories and lots of photos, as well as some unexpected gifts from family.

Here is one that I’d like to show you – I’ll have more to share as the days go by.

This is a crib quilt that either my grandmother or her sister hand made.

Grandma gave it to me, saying “Maybe you could teach Little Bits her animals?”

Dotty Kangaroo.

Plaid Puppy.

Dainty Donkey.

Gingham Elephant.

Flowery Kitten.

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And I did finish those iPhone Cozies from my last post.

They are in my shop!

Click *here* to see.

Cheers,

Jenn : )

Ah, took a little blog vacation there…

Thanks to Llum for stopping by!  I’m a big fan of your clothes.  Infact, we love *this outfit* so much, I’ll probably buy the next size up when baby M outgrows the one she has now.  : )

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We’re having nicer weather here in Seattle (though you wouldn’t know it this morning…), alot more sunshine – good weather for an impromptu stroll once or twice a day.

This is a funny time of year for my shop.  Things slow down as folks go outside and get away from their computers.  I use this time to make more things, in preparation for the fall and holidays.  And for some reason, I usually get a wave of custom order requests this time of year.  Right now I have requests for custom bookmarks, a needlebook and a project tote.

And as soon as the baby lays down for a nap, I’ve been picking up my embroidery and working on these critters:

Dog

Bunny

Mouse

Hedgie

Kitty and..

Bird.

These embroideries will be part of a new line of items for my shop: iPhone cases!

Now that the embroidery is finished, I’ll sew up the cases, photograph them and then add them to my shop.

Thank goodness babies take naps!  ; )

Jenn : )

One of the reasons I like embroidery

is that it’s like drawing, but with thread.

Friends of ours have a little girl who’ll be having her first birthday in February.  I’m feeling very party-ish these days, but alas, I’m in no position to throw a party myself (hm…there is the first episode of the new LOST season coming up…I may take that back.) I’ve volunteered to help plan and set up for Robyn’s special day.  I want to contribute something handmade, but with a little one to watch over, this project has to be something easy and interruptible. I decided to make a pennant banner.  It’s the perfect project for me right now: it uses fabric (I have a ton of that!) and it can easily be worked on in stages (good for those days when I have only 20 minutes here and there).

Pennant banners are all over the place – you can find loads of how-tos all over the internet.  I’ve been surprised at how easy this has been to work on so far.  It’s a great project for using small-ish pieces of fabric and even smaller bits for the letters.

I used Heat N Bond, an iron-on adhesive I bought at Joann’s, to affix the fabric letters to the pennant triangles.  Then I had to Jenn Maruska it up with embroidered outlines.  I used a simple back stitch.

I think that makes the letters stand out better.

Above: before

Below: after

(Hmmm.. whose little feet are casting a shadow on my work table?)

Isabella’s!

Now I’ve just got to hunt down the right ribbon or bias tape to string the pennants together.

I’ll post a photo when it’s finished.

Here’s an even simpler banner tutorial over at the Purl Bee.

Party on!

Jenn : )

From Cotton Time:

These photos are from the Nov. issue.

The Jan. issue is on its way!

Jenn : )

Hmm…

I thought the holidays were busy BEFORE I had a baby!

Good Lord – I still have Christmas presents to wrap!

But, I did manage to get one crafty Christmas project finished…

…finished at 11:59 pm Christmas night…

…but finished nonetheless.

I wish you all a wonderful 2010!

Jenn : )

(P.S. I got this stocking pattern from Martha Stewart.  I added the embroidered names and substituted French knots for sequins.  I am very happy with the results, but I found the sizing of this pattern was a bit wonky (how does Martha let that happen??) and cutting out the felt for the cuffs was a bit tedious… but, as most Martha projects come with some ultra time-consuming component, this wasn’t a surprise, and I think it was worth the effort in the end.)

I love to go to other people’s blogs and see what they are working on, right now, at the moment.  And since my blog has been sadly neglected lately, I thought I’d commit to sharing a full week of WIPs to show what I’ve got going on over here.

Notice that it’s Tuesday?  Yeah…. well, doing the WIP post turned into a wip yesterday – Ha!  So today I’ll post two wips to make up for Monday.

(That’s me for ya.)

So anyway, here are my wips for Monday and Tuesday:

A flurry of hand embroidered snowmen!

These will eventually become Christmas ornaments, that I will sell in my Etsy shop.

And here is a whole wardrobe full of little embroidered coats (or blouses if you like).  These will become needlebooks, also destined for my shop.  I hope to have alot of these done in time for the holiday shopping rush.

Wish me luck!

Fly busy little hands!

There’s still so much to finish!

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Also on the list:

Visiting and commenting on my fav blogs,

writing letters to family back home,

and returning long overdue emails.

Check back tomorrow to see my next WIP!

Best,

Jenn : )

Josh and I have been super busy over here.

We’ve got lots of projects going on these days.

The renovation of our upstairs is moving along quickly.

Here are a couple recent photos:

Our new railing!  There used to be a wall there.

This loft space will now be my new studio area,

instead of a cramped, neglected guest bedroom.

And we have new tile in the bathroom.

Josh has been working on several freelance design projects.

My latest custom order was for a large sized needlebook.

I tried something new with the cover and scalloped the edges of the embroidery. My customer was very pleased and so am I.  I think I’ll be doing more decorative edges on my needlebooks from now on.

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I was thrilled to learn recently that I’d been featured over at Evergreen Moms.

Evergreen Moms is a great blog that features items made by Northwest artisans and small businesses. You can sign up for their newsletter and receive a short message about their latest finds!

Thank you Heather, for including my items on your fun blog!

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And just this past Monday one of my taskets was featured in a Plaid Happy Collection over at Indie Icing!

Check out Indie Icing for gorgeous photos of cool handmade items!

Thanks to Jessica for including my tasket! : )

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I think the carpenters have left early today, so the cats and I are going to enjoy the quiet and the afternoon sunshine. Have a great day!

Jenn : )

I’ve been posting for some time about a custom order I’ve been working on.

My friends Philipp & Renata are going to be married later this month and asked me to make a ring pillow for their ceremony.

I am honored to have something that I made be a part of their special day. : )

Without further ado, here is the ring pillow that I made for them:

I’m very happy with how the finished pillow looks,

and I’m thrilled that they are pleased, too.

Congratulations, P & R!!!

Jenn : )

No longer a wip – these three hotpads/trivets are finished!

Machine quilted with hand sewn binding.

Washed and pressed.

With a twill tab on the back.

Now to get some really good photos,

and then they’ll be in the shop.

Jenn : )