Irish Crochet Necklace

I especially love crocheted flowers. When I saw this necklace on Revelry, it became my challenge. After much trial and error, I was able to crochet this necklace. Now I'm making another one but this time the flowers are lavender.

A New Summer Bag

A few days ago, I decided that I needed a new bag for traveling that would hold my large sunglasses, keys, wallet, cell phone, and a few other things. Also, it had to be a shoulder bag and have a front pocket that would hold a train ticket as I frequently travel by train. Once I decided on the size, I gathered all of my supplies and found everything that I needed without having to go to Joann's, a real plus. I didn't use a pattern, I just cut the size rectangle that I thought would be correct and went from there. The pocket was made from a pattern that I drafted from a previous bag and the back pocket was added before I sewed the side seams. The shoulder strap was sewn to D-rings for stability.

Bettina Bear is Finished

Last night I finished Bettina Bear after working on her for probably three years. I started using a book and then took off on my own with different embroidery and beading. She was lots of fun to make. The most difficult part of sewing her together was making the head, especially sewing in the ears. Other than buying some rayon embroidery floss, I think that I already had everything that I needed to make her.

Emily's Pocketbook

I had enough scraps leftover from Emily's jacket to make her a matching pocketbook. I used the same pattern for this as I did for Adina and Eva's pocketbooks that I made for them for gift exchange. For the closure I used Velcro as I thought that would be easier for her than the snaps I used for the girls' bags. I wasn't able to turn the strap so I used some matching Shaker tape that I had from another project for the strap and added the yellow

trim.

A Knitted Cowl

Not too long ago I saw a picture of a knitted cowl that looked interesting. The name of the pattern is Hoarfrost by Anne Hanson. My daughter ordered the pattern for me and I knitted this using Malbrigio yarn that was leftover from my last shawl. I enjoyed knitted this and will knit more of Anne's designs in the future. After I finished this project, I immediately started knitting a vest.

A Princess Dress for Emily's Doll

My friend Mona gave me a bag of scraps containing fabric that got me thinking about a dress for Emily's doll. I haven't made her any doll clothes and decided while it was snowing that this would be a good project. I used fabric from Mona and fabric that I had. The trim was bought for Adina's and Eva's pocketbooks and wasn't used

. I put Velcro on the back of the dress because Bitty Baby doesn't have any hair.

I Love Scraps

My friend Ray gave me the scraps from what was left after she cut out a quilted jacket. At first I thought I'd make something for myself from this treasure but there wasn't enough fabric. Some time ago I bought a pattern for a child's jacket made from fat quarters and that is how this jacket came about. I used the pattern for the body and sleeves of the jacket and then used other pattern pieces for the hood. The ruffle is six inches wide and the pockets were made from four inch squares of fabric. I love rickrack and was able to find it in yellow. Finding a fourteen inch separating zipper was the most difficult task. I'm pleased with the jacket and hopefully Emily, our almost three year old granddaughter will like it as well since it is for her. It should be a good weight for a spring jacket.

Needlebook Kit

During the summer my husband and I went on a cruise. For the time we were cruising I ordered a Sue Spargo needlebook kit. I generally followed her directions, changed some things and added my own touches. The reason that I ordered the kit was to learn some of the stitches that she uses. Well, this kit contained only very basic stitches, a disappointment for me. I was very pleased with the wool in the kit, the colors were pretty and there was enough extra wool for me to add a scissors holder and a small pocket for thread cut-offs. I also used my own fabric for the lining and some spots on the front of the book, plus I added a tie to keep everything neatly together. I was pleased with the results and would probably order something else from Sue if I needed a small project.

Erlisa's Pocketbook

Whenever I see fabric that has either fruit or vegetables on it, I think of Erlisa as she loves that type of fabric. I bought both of these fabrics on a fabric buying trip to Lancaster, PA with my quilting group. Bus trips are always lots of fun with the Cinnaminson Quilters because everyone is friendly and buys lots of fabric. It is always fun to see what others have bought. The pocketbook that I made is from Lazy Girl and I've actually made it twice before. The button came from Joann's after I looked through all of my buttons and didn't find one that I liked. This bag was Erlisa's holiday gift.

Pocketbooks for Adina, Eva, and their dolls

Adina told me that for this year she and Eva wanted me to make them pocketbooks and matching bags for their American Girl Dolls. I was given lots of lace recently and decided to add that to the bags. Then I decided that the bags needed ribbon roses. I made the patterns myself cutting out the pieces from newspaper. The fabric for the outside of the bags was bought at Joann's, the lining I had, and the ribbon I also had. The bags were lots of fun to create because I had lots of lace and other materials to choose from. The girls seemed pleased with their bags which made me happy.