Etsy store of the week - Quiltie

A new item here at Feeling Stitchy is the www.etsy.com shop of week. Each Monday I will feature an Etsy shop that sells items related to embroidery.

Our first featured shop is Quilties, Handmade little quilts and quilted things. Quilting and embroidery are 2 of my favorite things! And she's a fellow Iowan!

So just what is a quiltie? From Quilties' shop profile:

A Quiltie is...
A warm and wonderful little bit of a quilt to decorate your home.
A sweet little token of affection.
A soft piece of art.
A quilt + an embroidery.
An affectionate term my son coined for what mommy was making.


The owner of Quilties is a self-titled artist, graphic designer, illustrator, quilter and crafter of many things.

Make your own easter bunny

Want to make a cute craft in celebration of Easter? Try this sweet free pattern, shared generously by Revoluzza. Visit her blog for a full bunny tutorial and some beautiful pictures of her crafts.

Here's my Easter bunny:

Be sure to post your bunny (or other Easter crafts) in the pool if you make one. Happy Easter!

sweet tooth

sweet teeth by mooseandbear

Crafty Blog School: Getting Noticed

Welcome to the 7th Crafty Blog School post - Getting Noticed. This post has been requested for awhile, so here you go!!

You Built It, But No One Came...
We all have harrowing memories of grade school and the daily humiliation we endured from the popular kids (okay, maybe you don't, but let's just play along here...) So maybe we feel the same "this crap ain't fair" sentiment when nobody visits our blog. All of a sudden we feel fat, awkward, pimply-faced and convinced we'll never make it in life. Whoa - slow down! Here's a few simple ways to get noticed:

Make Connections with Other Bloggers

• Comment, Comment, Comment!
  Use Bloglines to subscribe to all the blogs you love.
  Comb through their links to find more blogs you love and subscribe to those, too.
  Every day, visit those blogs and leave comments when you see a project that knocks your socks off.
• Say It With a Nice Email
  Did you find a blog that inspired you to re-paper all your walls, take up clog dancing, or re-arrange your sock drawers? Email this person, and tell them how much their blog means to you. Don't be afraid to gush and get all corny and sentimental. We love that. I'm not guaranteeing they'll become your blogging bud for life, but this is how blogging friendships start. Don't be afraid to make the first move!
• Link to Blogs You Love
  Use your sidebar to link to blogs you love, and add a meaningful title like "blogs that inspire me" or "my favorite blogs". Just about everyone has site stats software that lets them find pages linking to their blogs. They'll see your kind words, and they'll remember you.

Connect with Your Readers

• Ask Questions!
  Do you wonder why nobody leaves comments on your blog? Could it be because you don't ask for feedback? Always remember to ask a question in your post that invites feedback. For example, the next time you show off your new stash, why don't you ask your readers what they like to craft with?
• Have a poll!
  If you have a Blogger blog, use the poll widget to ask any old question you want. Apples vs. Oranges. Scrunchies vs. Headbands. Obama vs. Clinton. You'll be amazed at how much feedback that produces and better yet, it lets your readers know you're interested in their opinions!
• Do a giveaway!
  It it your 100th post? Your first smoke-free month? Celebrating the anniversary of de-clawing your cat? Celebrate with a giveaway! Give away something you've made or thrifted. It doesn't have to be big, it's the thought that counts.

Find Out Who's Visiting Your Blog
Are you sure no one visits your blog? Use Site stats and tools like Technorati to see who is reading and linking to your blog:

• Site stats
  I've had good results with these two free site stats programs:
  Sitemeter
  StatCounter
• Technorati
  This is a great tool that takes a minimum of effort. Just sign up for a free account, embed a tiny bit of code on your blog and voila - you can see who's linking to you!

The Great Comment Expedition
Want some comments on your blog? Just leave a comment here!

1. I will leave a comment on the blog of everyone who comments on this post (preferably a crafty blog)
   
2. You will look at the person who commented above you and leave a comment on their blog.

So every person who leaves a comment here will get 2 new comments on their blog. Be sure to include your blog address in your comment to "play". Let's do it!

Update: 3/11/08 - I just closed the comments because I'm going out of town this weekend and won't be able to keep up. 68 comments so far! Thanks everybody for playing! :)



All The Crafty Blog School Posts:
week 1: Where Do I Blog?
week 2: Choosing a Template
week 3: Name Your Blog & Create a Header
week 4: Blogging Photos from Flickr
week 5: How to Put that Darned Thimble Guy in Your Sidebar
week 6: How to Take Better Pictures of Your Crafts
week 7: Getting Noticed

a preponderance of gnomes

from Sewsew-a-Gogo

free gnome pattern by Andrea Zuill available here


Do you ever wonder what starts a worldwide cultural trend? I do, and often - for instance, what's up with all the adorable gnomes?

Was it Amelie's charming gnome that started this whole deal? (Although I could have sworn I'd seen a travelling garden gnome before that....) Or was it the cute, perky, and occasionally annoying Travelocity gnome? I just need to know, do you guys know?

Inspiration notwithstanding, in the Flickr Embroidery pool, gnomes are here to stay:

Gnomes courtesy of merwing, my paper crane, oipom, and krakencrafts

Longing for a gnome of your own?

• Try the Sublime Stitching Gnomes and Fairies patterns:
• Or, stitch up Hillary Lang's Mr and Mrs Gnome PDF pattern:
  
• Or, for zero moolah - embroider this cute gnome pattern, courtesy of Badbird (Andrea Zuill):
  

There was love in the pool

Valentine's Day was not overlooked in the Embroidery Pool. Here's some of the love that people shared.


Felt hearts by ChicaCraft


'Perfect pairs' cushion by myweddedbliss



Sweet Valentine tea towel by Sweet Jessie

Love to everyone in blogland - especially our embroidery friends!

pretend you didn't forget...

Are you like me and procrastinate, drag your feet and feel like holidays sneak up on you? This post is for you, my friends! Make these Valentine's Day crafts in a matter of minutes, and you too, can pretend you didn't forget... :)

Quick Valentine's Day Crafts

• easy handmade valentines from purl bee


• sweet valentine's cards to print and embellish with ribbon and embroidery


• fabric heart garland (that would look extra cute with some embroidery)

If You Sew Super-Fast (or if you have a sewing machine)

• make a sweetheart softie (make me one, too!) :)

Embroidery on knit

I've had a lot of success with this stuff:


I found it at Joann. About $11 for 20" x 3 yards. It's transparent, so you can trace your design. I like to use a ballpoint pen, as marker (even permanent) tends to smear.

I have found its best not to have any straight corners; cut your shape in more of a circle or shape with rounded corners and then iron using medium heat and no steam. Iron for about 5 seconds and check to see if the stabilizer and fabric are fused. If not iron a few more seconds until fused.

I don't usually use a hoop to stitch knit, because I feel like I have better control without one. Totally Stable isn't fool proof. If you pull too much it will release from the fabric. I learned simply by trial and error. Be sure to use a sharp needle and take your time.

To remove Totally Stable, peel it off. But be really careful around your stitching or you'll pull out the stitches. I think it works best to hold an area of stitches with my left thumb and forefinger and then carefully tear away the stabilizer. I use tweezers to remove any small pieces that stick under the stitches.

bottom dweller

How nice would it be to have this little creature living on your bottom?
Courtesy of the talented Dorathy - read more about her sweet project on her blog, Tumbling Blocks.

French knots make everything better!

French knots make your sheep extra sheepy:


French knots give added oomph to one's fro:



French knots! Use them today!
Need some French knot instruction? Try this French knot tutorial!

Today's stellar French knotters:
french knot sheep by incy♥wincy
60s Man by badecca

Embroidery blanks for baby

I've been on the hunt for infant-sized embroidery blanks. Have you tried to find plain onesies and t-shirts in stores? Most have already been embellished. I ordered from 2 sites last week and the service with both was excellent. I ordered Monday and had both orders by Friday.

I ordered shirts and diaper covers from Dharma Trading Co. The downside for me is that Dharma only sells white items. They sell dyes, but that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me. The shirts are Rabbit Skins and are very soft. Dharma's prices are very reasonable and they offer a discount if you order at least 12 items (any combination of 12).


I ordered rompers and dresses with panties from Embellishments. Again, great service and nice quality. A little pricier, but many colors to choose from.
Do you have a favorite source for embroidery blanks?

be a deer

Thank you for all your kind words for Feeling Stitchy and the Flickr Embroidery Group last year. I hope this is a wonderful year for all - and here's a few photos from you, our deer friends... :)

from woundupladybug


from doe-c-doe


from jrcraft


from Needlings

so this is Christmas

It's getting quite Christmassy in the Flickr Embroidery Pool.


Detail from a Christmas themed doiley stitched by Drewzel. The pattern was sourced from Floresita's embroidery transfers blog.


This gorgeous apron technically isn't a christmas apron, but coincidently the colours are just right! Krakencraft stitched this.


Christmas is so cold in some parts it's blue! This little felt tree has been embroidered by Sunny days here


Crafty Bean has been busy making these ornaments for a swap. Aren't they gorgeous!

Great inspiration - and there's still plenty of time to make things for Christmas!

things that make me happy...

I'm back from vacation, and all the gray, drippy, icy weather in the world can't distract me from the cuteness I found in the pool! So here, in no particular order, are things that make me feel happy when it's cold outside:

wearing fluffy red scarves:


that soon, it will be 2008:


vintage cards like this one:


mittens, especially, mini mittens:


Today's holiday happiness was made possible by the following Flickr embroiderers:
Merwing's scarf (be sure to visit her shop and read her book)
nanceejoo's tea towel
drewzel's card-inspired embroidery
sewcrewel's mittens

It's that time of year...

When all the cute squirrels come out of the woodwork, perching on branches...

some dreaming of parties, where every table holds a cornucopia of mixed nuts...

some viciously protecting their last acorn, with squirrel abandon...

because if the winter hits, and there's no nuts for them, then it's:


This squirrelly tale was made possible by the following crafters:
1. shroomy squirrel, by Cocoakoala
2. Cureuil sur un arbre, by MlleHyena
3. Sly Betty embroidery, on a birthday towel for iamsusie
4. Squirrel, by Frizz
5. Subversive Cross Stitch by melingo wagamama

Need more squirrels? Take a peep at:

• Hillary Lang's squirrel pals
• lil' girl blu's squirrel bag
• Anuskaa's squirrel and nuts
• Snickerpuss' squirrel crackin' nutz pattern