New pincushion pattern for sale at Etsy!

Couldn't wait to get this new pattern up at etsy and let you know about it here. Cute little Violetta sits on a pin cushion decorated with felt flowers and leaves. As always there are full size patterns and step by step directions to make your own sweet bunny. Oh, and she doesn't have to sit on the garden pincushion. She's a nice size to tuck in wreathes and on shelves. If you make her as a gift for a small child remember to embroider the eyes and nose, and leave off the beads if the kid's a chewer :) 

Ideas for the 1st keep calm embroidery pattern -

I've been trying to decide what to do with this series of embroideries. I'm thinking of bordering them with dotted fabrics that match the colors in the embroidery. For this one I got out my collection of yellows, golds, and added a green.The reason I'm working with dots is because I'm thinking of sewing all the embroidery pieces to a white tote bag. Using dots for all the design gives it a matched look rather than scrappy even with the different colors and sizes of dots.

Other ideas I came up with was to put each one in an embroidery hoop, add some ribbon, beads and other things. Then I could hang them on the wall or give as gifts. I also thought of making pincushions or sachet bags with them. My last idea was to sew this sunflower design to a piece of sunflower fabric I have and turn it in to a small wallhanging.

This might be an option,too. I designed this 4 sided bag for my summer tatting pattern. You can find it at my etsy store.

Maybe after I finish the 4 I have designed I'll have a better idea of what to do with them. I'll be finishing design 2 this evening. 

Free embroidery pattern for a month

This pattern is no longer a freebie. Look for one every month around the 24th.When the new one goes up the old comes down so make sure to get it before it's gone ;)

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I'm taking a break on the sewing embroideries and doing some to remind us to keep calm. The cross stitch community is doing a series called #bewell so I thought I design something for people who prefer regular embroidery. I'm not sure how many there will be in this series. So far I have 2 done and have 2 more drawn but not stitched.

I chose to outline stitch most of the the design. The first version I did I fully embroidered each area. I'd show that one but I made a lot of changes to the design. I wanted something that could be done in a few evenings and the first version wasn't like that. I didn't add the lines on the sunflower leaves so you can stitch them like I did in the pic above or do them however you like.

I'm having trouble with my printer. It's smearing everything I print on fabric. This all-in-one is not as good as my old Canon that was just a printer. I don't know if it's the way the fabric/paper is pulled thru or if it's the ink I'm using but it's driving my crazy.

I traced this design using a Micron pen in sepia. When it came time to do the bee dashes, I just did dots. You may want to leave them off and free-style the dashes. The tiny dots on the edges of the heart are done with french knots but beads would be really good for them. Same for the pink clusters of french knots on the vine. For the center of the sunflower I did some tiny rice stitches. They are basically mini straight stitches. I surrounded them with 2 rows of french knots, one brown and one gold. Most everything is done in back stitch. I did the vine stems in stem stitch and the heart is very tiny chain stitch.

In case you missed my post on the drawing classes I've been taking I wanted to mention #johannabasford, Johanna's web site again. My design was inspired by her classes. She's doing a live class Monday thru Friday on her Facebook page. They are about 1/2 hour. Some are drawing and some are coloring. There are more free classes and printables on her site on the Happy Place page. The drawings she's sharing would be fun to do as embroideries if you wanted to work on something larger.

Sorry if you didn't get last month's pattern. Look for another next month and remember the patterns are only up for 1 month. This one will be up for free until May 24 and then it will be replaced with a new one.Click on the drawing then right click to save it to your hard drive.

©Billie Jo Heisler 2020

All rights reserved

 Disclaimer:

I drew this design by hand then used a software program to edit it.

Please consider the drawing copyrighted. You have my permission to print copies of the drawing in any size for your own use but not to share or sell. If you want to share the pattern please link to the blog pages.

The embroidery design is my own. I have not knowingly copied anyone else's work.

Had trouble with Etsy's web site and other news

Just a  note to say I was having trouble getting the etsy site to work. All I was getting was etsy's home page, not any of my links. I cleared my cache and cookies on Chrome but that didn't work so I opened the site in firefox and surprise it worked!

Having a few annoying days were I can't get things done due to all the interuptions. My brain feels like it's on overload. Having mild panic attacks but dealing with them. I feel like if I could just sit at the computer, not answer the phone, not have to make dinner, clean the house , and other chores just for 1 whole day I could de-stress and finish at least 1 project.

Here's some of what's been filling my time.Like many sewers I'm making masks for friends and family. This was the first batch and most are gone. I prefer the stretchy t-shirt yarn ties but I also tried some with the elastic over the ears. I can't breath with that style. They really close off the face. With my allergies I have trouble breathing thru my nose, it's alway stuffed. Breathing thru my mouth causes my glasses to steam up :-) so the ties work best since I can keep the bottom ties loose.

Here's where I'm sewing right now. That's a table top ironing board on the right with my mini iron. Below is a basket of supplies. I'm taking a break from masks till after Easter. You know, I didn't even realize this Sunday was Easter, I thought it was Palm Sunday.

TAST weeks 9 -12

These are the photos for my TAST results for weeks 9 - 12. I couldn't find time to take pics as I went so decided to just do a group photo. I may stop doing the small samples and just concentrate on the 2 crazy quilt wall hangings. That may mean not posting to the group facebook page. It seems posting the quilt, even with the text may be against the rules. Don't like that rule so will keep doing each week but not posting pics.

Another reminder about free patterns -

This is another reminder that the free patterns from the 2019-2020 stitch-a-long are all down. The links have been removed and the pdfs deleted. When I get the time I'll be updated the pdfs and putting the patterns up for sale at etsy.

You can still get this years free embroidery patterns from the 24th of the month to the next month on the 24th. I'm only listing them free for 1 month then they get removed. Look for the March/April pincushion pattern up till the 24 of this month. The April/May is all ready to be put up when the pincushion comes down. For once I'm ahead :)

Dillon and I were out walking since it's been so nice and sunny. Not something that seems to happen much here in western PA anymore. The dafs are coming out but not as many as previous years. Maybe all the rain is rotting the bulbs like it is tree roots.

The forsythia is really good this year even with all the rain beating it hard. We lose electric so often we're thinking about a generater of some kind. Yesterday it was nice and sunny again but the electric went off all afternoon. Hard to do the work I needed to do with no electric for the sewing machine and computer. :(

Clothespin dolls patterns now up at Etsy

I finally listed all 7 mini clothespin doll patterns at my etsy shop. They run $5.00 for a PDF but right now they are included in the 25% off sale I'm running.

Above is the angel pattern. The tall angel in the back is a tree topper.

Below is the topsy turvey pattern. One side has long braids and has more of country look while the second side has short curly hair and lace on her clothes.

There are also patterns for mermaids & fairy, Ann & Andy, Amish, pincushion girls, and little girls. These are some of the very first patterns I wrote so they don't have all the drawings and photos my new patterns have. Most aren't written book style either like I do all my patterns now. If I make time to update these patterns I will send the new version for free to buyers.

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BTW, I'm removing all of last year's free stitch-a-long pattern today. Look for updated versions for sale at Etsy when I get the chance to do them. My time is being taken up with so many other things.

Like this:

I'm trying to take at least one of Johanna Basford's classes, either at her web site or the daily ones at facebook every day. I bought a sketchbook and some new erasers, dug out my old cheapy compass and fav pencils, then decided to use this box (a Marjoin Bastin, who I love!) as my supply box. This is what I'm doing to "keep calm and carry on". Her doodle-like drawings are also helping with my pattern designing. No, really they are :)

Stuck inside since DH had trip to ER

Completed 1 week of the 14 days since Jack's visit to the ER but now have to start all over again since he has to go back in to have the stitches removed.

Oh well, I'm enjoying Johanna Basford's drawing videos. You can find them on her web site and Facebook page. I'm also making face masks. That and doing lots of embroidery in the evenings is keeping me busy.

Here's a pic of some of our "girls", we have 9 plus the 7 ducks. I have soooo many eggs since we can't see people to give them to. I'm going to have to make a few angelfood cakes. :)

If it ever stops raining I can take the last pics I need for my new pincushion pattern. I prefer to use natural light but the weather is not cooperating.