Finishing "All Decked Out Pumpkin Man"

Lately, I've been on a pillow making craze. I'm not sure if this is the RIGHT way to finish a pillow, but this is what I do. I take my hooked piece and attach covered cording ala Wendy at the Red Saltbox. I don't tack down the unfinished piece of wool to the back of the hooked piece since this will be covered up by the pillow backing.

Below is a pillow in progress....the pillow backing is the plaid and the covered cording is the blue....the hooking is facing down.

I use upholstry thread or button and craft thread for sturdiness and I push my needle through between the hooked part and the cording.

As I push it through I catch the pillow backing on the other side and kind of tuck it under as I go...then I move over just a hair and bring it back through the backing and into that little groove where the cording is and out the other side and just go back and forth around the pillow until it is finished.

I'm by no means a seamstress and I don't measure the pillow backing....I just cut a piece of wool that is a little bit larger than what I need and tuck the excess under to the inside of the pillow.

Here is the finished pillow....the pattern is from one of my favorite designers....Maria Barton of http://www.starrugcompany.com/

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Kitchen dreams

Well, we're trying to head from dreaming to reality.....these are the cabinets that we love...light maple and stainless steel.

We're trying to take our kitchen from the 50's into now. Drawing up plans, knocking down walls, shopping for appliances, flooring, sinks, tile, etc.......a bit overwhelming, but we hope it will be totally worth it!

My big splurge is going to be a 6-burner range.....perhaps something like this....

Granite countertops....perhaps this.... ....maybe an apron sink in stainless....
New fridge in stainless steel as well.....we're still discussing the pros and cons of top freezer/bottom freezer/side-by-side....I want the bottom freezer but my husband thinks he'll be spending too much time bending over to get ice.......

Then there is my favorite part....the vent hood....so many cool ones out there to choose from. I really like the looks of this one.

So many things to consider......budget, trying to be green and energy efficient....and getting the look we want. We are getting bids from contractors this week and the plans will soon be finalized....wish us luck!

Sheep Dreams

Yay!

Another completed project. I saw this pattern on eBay and knew I just HAD to hook it!!! The pattern is from Angela of Breezy Ridge Rugs. I've turned mine into a pillow and I can TOTALLY see this hooked in baby blues, soft pinks or soft yellows. This would make a wonderful baby gift

....I can see me hooking more of these in my future. I loved it because I only had to use 4 colors and it was fun to hook....all those swirls!!!

Thanks Angela....I'll be back for more!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

A few new wools for fall!

I've spent my morning in the dye pots and my afternoon listing wools on eBay.

Marvelous fall colors with names like Bittersweet, Pumpkin, Clementine, Apples & Oak.

YAY! Just the names make me think of cooler weather....not this 80 degree weather that we are having now.

I'm way ready for things to cool off.

I'm so tired of making up ads for the wools and I have this one last wool to list, so instead I'm going to offer it here on my blog.

It's a yummy spot dyed wool called Chrysanthemum and it's from a recipe out of a great little dye book called "Dyeing From the Doo Dye Inn" by Dick LaBarge and Patti Varley. I haven't had this book for long, but so far everything I've dyed from it has been fabulous.

I have two 1/4 yard pieces of this spot dyed wool and I'm offering it here on my blog for $8 a piece....2 pieces available. They measure about 15" x 30". Shipping is $1 for each piece.

If you are interested drop me a line here, it's first come first serve.

Tonight I'm going to be finishing up a few more projects for the upcoming craft show.....I hope to have them finished to show you tomorrow.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Welcome Flower rug

Just popping in to share another rug that I've finished. This was my first time using my #8.5 blade....just a little chubbier than the #8. I used the #8.5 on the background on this rug. Now, I usually "plan" on how much wool I will need for a rug before I get too far....on this one I just jumped in and I only had 1 strip of wool left-over when I finished the background.....kinda sweated that one out!
Another new thing I tried on this rug was using a plaid for the covered cording binding and cutting it on the bias to take advantage of the plaid pattern. I love how it turned out! It gives the rug more of a braided look on the edge.
This was a super fun pattern from Bren at www.heydiddlewoolies.com

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Lazy sheep

I've had this "Lazy Sheep" done for about a week now, but I'm just now getting around to writing about it. I finished hooking it a while ago here and have since changed the face... so much sweeter now!
Then I went and finished it with covered cording and made it into a pillow complete with vintage buttons.

A big thanks to Maria Barton for this lovely design!!!! Not sure whether to keep or sell this one? Hubby says KEEP and he rarely says that. Hmmmmm, I may have to re-design my hooking room around it!!!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

A Couple of Artsy Sundays

For the past two Sundays I've been lucky enough to spend time going to art events.

Last Sunday I went to "Cider Days" in downtown Springfield with my husband and friends David and Patti. Usually we don't end up buying much, but it certainly is fun to see the sights....

.....people walking their miniature horses.....

......wild outfits.....

...dancing.....

.....face painting.....

.....historical homes.....

.......beautiful, old trees.......

......and our spirits weren't dampened....even in the rain!

Thankfully, the weather cooperated a little more nicely while I was in Kansas City this weekend with my aunt Jo an. We had such fun looking, eating, shopping and visiting with my cousin Katrina.

(me and aunt Jo an)

We saw beautiful works of art from the stunning jewelry of Robyn Nichols

Fiber art from Mary Beth Yates

Mixed-media from John Whipple.

We also took time to watch Haylee and her friend Callie get "eye" make-overs at MAC cosmetics.

Here are the before........and after pictures.....
BEAUTIMOUS!!!

We stayed in a revived little boutique hotel with the most fun color scheme!

We had brunch at a great spot in Kansas City called One80. I had the most wonderful Cajun Bloody Mary and an omlette with smoked salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and fontina cheese....YUM!

Then later I snacked on some Wedding Cake Gelato...OH MY GOSH!!!!

However, all good things must come to an end and we come back to our "real" lives of Mt. Saint Laundry!!!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

All about cats and dogs!

What makes a kitty cat get up on the top of your shed and hide behind the branches and leaves? Perhaps it's a big sad-eyed bassoon? I really think Truvy just wanted him to come down and play and she was puzzled at why the cat kept hiding.

The cat did eventually come down and when we called to him he would "meow" back at us. Must be one of the neighbor's cats....not sure. He sure was pretty hiding behind the leaves......wouldn't he be great in a rug?
Go forth and be creative,
Tammy