Stampin’ and Stitchin’: Elf Shoes

December 9, 2015 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

Hey Sewers!

there’s lots of Christmas preparation and decoration going on around here

these cute, cute elf shoes were stitched using my Bernina 750 embroidery module

the design is from Kimberbell

it is an in-the-hoop project

I used leftover fabric scraps from my stash

the base of the shoe is felt

the fabric is then appliqued onto the felt

all the embellishments (twine, button, etc.)

are Stampin’ Up products

a number of fun items will fit into the opening

I chose these yummy Reese’s peanut butter cup canes

I’m not in love with the look of the label, however,

so I chose some Stampin’ Up envelope paper (it is a little lighter weight than the DSP)

in cucumber crush to cover those tubes

plus, the stripe looks like elf socks, don’t you think?

I cut each piece 4 1/2 inches by 9 inches

added some tear and tape to the front and back of one side of the paper

and rolled it around the cane

there, that looks better

and here’s a decorating idea that I came across in my

Better Homes and Gardens Christmas from the Heart book (2015)

they used silver egg cups

I used my vintage silver bowl that I found last year at a local consignment shop

the greenery is from my shrubs that I finally got around to trimming

and I picked up the pine cones that dropped from the pine trees at the grade school across the street

are you preparing for the upcoming holidays, friends?

whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas

I would love to see your handmade goodness

Happy Decorating,

Snow People and Winter Birds

December 6, 2015 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

Hey Sewers!

Here we are in early December and

winter is quickly descending upon us

If you are in a climate such as we are here in Utah,

the snow has already started falling, but it is also quickly melting

These little guys however, won’t melt

I can’t help but smile whenever I look at them

Tami, Ashley, and Brittni are my lovely sewing friends who brought them to life

at my Santa’s Workshop sewing class last night at our local Bernina dealer

The pattern for these sweet little snow people heads is in Nancy Halversen’s book,

Table Please Part Two

Another winter-themed project in the same book is this

winter birds table topper,

which I’m actually using as a wall hanging

The tree trunks are strip pieced alternately with the white background

the tree branches and birds are applique

I used wool felt for the bird appliques,

which adds great dimension to those feathered beauties

Appleton wool yarn is a perfect pairing with the wool felt and hand stitching

Enjoy your winter, my friends, and take time to do some

bird watching

and snowball making

Fall Triangle Banner

September 30, 2015 ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

Hey sewers!

Here’s my non-traditional colored fall banner.

Using a triangle quilting ruler, I cut those triangles from solid and printed felt squares.

The felt has some kind of a finish to it that makes it have some body,

even a bit stiff, which is perfect for this banner.

The dark “blobs” on the solid triangles are embroidered lace leaves in a dark, Merlot color thread.

All the leaves fit in one hooping on my Bernina 750.

I used two layers of wash away stabilizer.

Large ric rac, is sewn across the top of the banner

and a beautiful, wide lace adorns the top of the printed triangles.

I stitched the leaves on with the button sew-on stitch on my sewing machine.

That way, I can simply clip the stitches to remove the leaves.

Since the colors of the banner are not necessarily fall oriented,

I will replace the leaves with snowflakes as winter arrives.

For the lettering, my sizzix dies and machine came in handy.

I planned to use white glitter felt for the lettering,

but the white felt blended in with the light color triangles.

Good thing I had a bunch of dark felt triangles left over.

I used the dark solid color for the letters and they stand out perfectly.

I didn’t even stitch each letter to the banner.

Since it is felt on felt, they stay up there nicely.

I will remove them when I replace the leaves with snowflakes

and the new word will be “snow”.

It’s officially “fall”, do you have your seasonal decorating started?

Happy sewing, friends.