Give Thanks banner

This is where I first saw this banner - it was made by Celestial's Creations for her week of So You Think You Are Crafty.  It didn't win (I think it should have and I waited a little while for her to post the tutorial anyway, but in the end, I just tried to emulate her genius.  So this is what I came up with.

In my town there is NO GOOD FELT.  It's rather frustrating.  But I did the best I could with the stuff I could find.  I used two of my Fiestaware plates to make the circles and a spool of thread as a pattern for the scallops.  Then I just freehand embroider some stitch whose name I can't remember - is it daisy chain maybe? - the letters on with that crochet thread stuff.  My turkey has special needs, but not to worry, he'll be dead in a few weeks.

So, this was fun and sort of fast - a few hours - and it's one of the few things I've made that I actually liked when I made it.  Crazy. Right?

SOME HOOKING

Oh, but first, the baby - out of a sock.  I made her in a bunting for the cutest little girl ever.

Do you remember back in the day - the little crocheted purses that were also a bassinet?  My friend asked me to make one for her adorable granddaughter.  I think she was remembering several years ago when I made this.

Anyway, this time I made it a bassinet, not a mushroom.  I also couldn't find the fairy pattern, so I looked around and finally copied a doll I saw on Pinterest.  You pull the straps and the bassinet becomes a little purse to carry your baby around in.

Here she is all nestled snug in her bed.  I made her a little mattress to firm up the bottom of the bed but it was just ehhhh so no pics.

Once I was hooking again, it was a slippery slope to more projects.  Especially when my oldest texted me a picture of some hats that a lady sells at her work and asked me which one she should buy.  I said, "Neither!  I will make you one."  So I did:

I pretty much winged it and I am not loving it, but my daughter assures me it is fabulous.  At one time I bought a newsboy pattern on Etsy.  I just need to find where I saved it so I can make it again.

Then I saw a "new" pattern everyone is raving about called Alligator or Crocodile Scales.  I think I remember this from about 30 years ago, but I had to make an ear warmer right away.  I call it sunflower, because with the dark hair on top, it looks like a sunflower. Right?

And then ...

Last but not least, I got a free pattern from Maybe Matilda for participating in the Cowl Along and I got this one - a basketweave earwarmer with a cute huge flower.  The flash blanked out the white basketweave, but you can sort of see it on the side.  I put a huge orange button in the middle of the flower.  I pretty much love it.  

mugrug madness

I LOVE to make mug rugs and I've had a few on my list.  The other day I sat down with my scraps and went to town!  Here they are:

The hexagon mug rug tutorial I got here.  It's my first time doing hexagons and they were fast and fun!  I like my mug rugs to be 6x9 -ish so I did things a little different - not to mention I printed a bunch of hexagons off the computer, I can't find the precut hexies anywhere.  I'm going to have my hubby make some patterns for me on my Silhouette.  It won't be my last hexagon mug rug! I loved it!

The zig zag mug rug tutorial here.  It's the same girl as the hexagon mug rug and I have the fabric and everything ready to go to make the very zigzag quilt she refers to!  I really need to get started on that - it's been waiting for me for ... well, crikey ... three or four years!

The wonky starburtst mug rug tutorial here.  My daughter calls this one Farm in the Rising Sun because it looks like rows of farm food and a rising sun rays.  When she pointed that out I got all kinds of inspired about colors and where to place them.  This tutorial stressed me out.  I am pretty cerebral when it comes to making things look random.  When sponge painting was in my walls were a mess - I had to do them all right handed.  But in the end, the randomness worked out okay and I love this mug rug most of all.  It already has a home (with a polka dotted mug) for my friend who is having surgery.

Now if only it would get cool enough down here to use a mug rug for something warm instead of a smoothie or a slushie ... which just doesn't sound right - slushie mug?  Definitely not!

THE TIMEOUT COWL HOOK ALONG

I like to stalk the blog Maybe Matilda.  (I also want to get my hair all chopped again - like hers - when I have the time to get it trimmed every month, because seriously, the short hair requires CONSTANT upkeep!).  Anyway, she has cute stuff.

She is having a Crochet Along and I haven't crocheted in forever so I thought I'd join.  I made the timeout cowl the next day.  It goes up very quickly and I love the tealishy-green color of it!  I twisted it into an infinity scarf.  All of the info is at her blog (along with a TON of other cute things) so go check it out!

I thought about sending it to my daughter who lives where it gets cold to use but my youngest son wears it as a turban-star-wars-weapon-holder, a splint for a faux broken arm, and as a restraint-like burrito wrap and so maybe I'll just keep it.

MY FARMER'S WIFE QUILT BLOCKS SO FAR

Well, I don't think I'm going to be a wife.  I'm definitely counted as a mistress, though!

Here's what I have in numerical order:

FWQA block #1 Attic Windows

FWQA block #2 Autumn Tints

FWQA block #4 Basket Weave

FWQA block #5 Bat Wing

FWQA block #6 Big Dipper

FWQA block #7 Birds in the Air

FWQA block #8 Bouquet

FWQA block #9 Box

FWQA block #10 Bowtie

FWQA block #11 Broken Dishes

FWQA Block #13 Buckwheat

FWQA block #14 Butterfly at the Crossroads

FWQA block #15 - Buzzard's  Roost.  This is a redo.  My first one was an EPIC FAIL:

Told you! Yuck!

FWQA block #16 Calico Puzzle

FWQA block #17 Cats and Mice EPIC FAIL - Clearly.  I spent about 17 hours and 4 days on this sucker.  I hate it too much to just destroy it.  I want it to suffer.

FWQA block #18 Century of Progress

FWQA block #19 Checkerboard

FWQA block #20 Churn Dash

FWQA block #21 Contrary Wife

FWQA block # 23 Country Farm

FWQA block #25 Cups and Saucers  EPIC FAIL.  Two days and a bottle of Tums later.  I need to remake this one for sure!

FWQA block #28 Duck and Ducklings

FWQA block #29 Economy.  I was so economic that I made two.  Duh!

FWQA block #29 Economy

FWQA block #30 End of Day

FWQA block #31 Evening Star

FWQA block # 33 Farmer's Puzzle

FWQA block #34 Flock

FWQA block #39 Friendship

FWQA block #40 Friendship Block

FWQA block #44 Gentleman's Fancy - and I completely fancied making this one.  It just sewed up all perfect the first time.  Took less than 20 minutes.

FWQA block #46 Hill and Valley

FWQA block #47 Homemaker - grief and I think it's ugly

FWQA block #49 Honeycomb

FWQA block #53 - Jackknife

FWQA block #54 Woodshed

FWQA block #54 Kitchen Woodbox

FWQA block #55 Linoleum

FWQA #56 Maple Leaf

FWQA block #58 Mother's Dream

FWQA #59 Night and Day

FWQA block # 60 Noon and Light

FWQA block #61 Northern Lights

FWQA block #63 Ozark Maple Leaf

FWQA block # 64 Peace and Plenty

FWQA block #66 Periwinkle

FWQA block #69 Practical Orchard

FWQA #71 Puss In the Corner

FWQA block #73 Rainbow Flowers (can you see the total screw up?  I built a bridge and am over it.)

FWQA block #74 Ribbons

FWQA block #76 Sawtooth

FWQA block #77 Seasons

FWQA block #78 Shooting Star

FWQA block #80 Single Wedding Star

FWQA block #81 Snowball

FWQA block # 83 Spider Web

FWQA block #84 Spool

FWQA block #90 Storm Signal

FWQA block #97 Waste Not

FWQA block #103 Whirlwind

FWQA block #108 Windmill

FWQA block #109 Windows

Basically, if I didn't want to do the block, I skipped it.  I won't do a block that has hand applique because I know I am TERRIBLE at that!  Really, really, REALLY bad and I don't want to suffer or waste fabric.

I have about 62, I think.  With a few repeats and a couple I need to remake.  I think that will make a nice size lap quilt and I can be done with it.