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Following hard on the heels of my Dritz Doll Needle post earlier this week is this review and modification of Hilary Lang's Mermaiden Pattern from her Wee Wonderful's book. This is an excellent book and the patterns are so much fun. This is my first doll from this book but I have thoroughly read most of the patterns and find them to be well written and with very few errors. I had a lot of fun planning and making my mermaiden. The whole book is a huge source of interest and delight for my 3 yr. old daughter who doesn't acknowledge it to be a mommy book but a toddler book with fairies, trains and dinosaurs.

First off, I enlarged my pattern using my copy machine and increased the pattern pieces by 150% making this finished doll 10 in. instead of the 7 in. featured in the book. I wanted the mermaiden to be more squeezable and vie for a coveted spot in my daughter's bed and felt the larger size would give me that edge. I also used felt for the hair instead of corduroy because I find felt much easier and corduroy sheds a good bit and can fray easily. I only cut out one piece for each hair piece as well since it was felt and didn't need to be seamed together. A cotton flannel was used for the body and a very mermaid-y cotton print served as the tail. Luckily for all your readers I have also found a free version of the mermaiden pattern on Martha Stewart's website but I urge you to check out the book for more cute doll and toy patterns.

I really enjoyed exploring Hilary's different doll making techniques and want to stress that you should read this pattern before you even cut anything out. This doll will not go together exactly as you expect. Even cutting the patterns pieces out without reading will not be the short cut you expect. It may take longer than expected to sew up your first mermaiden but once you get one under your belt, you can fire them off for birthday parties in no time! Next time I am going to increase the enlargement to 250% in an attempt for a 14 in. sized doll. Wish me luck!

While you are waiting for your Mermaiden fabric order to arrive check out this great Wee Wonderful's Book Project page. It is full of project pictures made from the book!

One often over-looked but very useful tool every seamstress (or seamster-for the gentlemen) is a set of Dritz Doll Needles. These are extra long but not overly thick needles that can be used outside the realm of doll making. I have had the occasion to use mine often as: a turning tool for very small projects to get those pesky corners just right, jeans repair and decorative stitching on very thick items (like my Bike Bucket). Several of Heather Bailey's pincushions from her Fresh Picked Pattern call for a doll needle to thread embroidery floss for shaping the tomato or making the right tucks for the apple. While I did not use a doll needle in the same way in my enlarged Apple Pillow based on the Fresh Picked Pattern, I did use it to attach my stem. And we can't forget Shannon's amazing Organza Ornament showcased last October. She used her doll needles to attach the flowers to a foam ball. Lastly, I used doll needles to create my wonderful  Molly Monkey Doll (shown above). 

Dritz Doll Needles are perfectly designed for their name sake, allowing the user to attach or repair various parts of dolls. The extra length allows you to get through all the stuffing so you can perfectly place stuffed items, like arms and legs. It is easier to place doll parts after stuffing because placement is difficult to determine without plumping up the doll's body. You can attain a more perfect symmetry after stuffing. Dolls need to be as close to symmetric and perfectly aligned so any clothes or costumes will fit. The large eyes make it easy to thread anything from all-purpose thread to embroidery floss or even ribbon and yarn. Doll needles are not just used for body parts placement but also for faces and the all important hair.  This is a valuable tool that should not be overestimated and will earn its place in your sewing box. 

If your New Year's Resolution is to get better sleep or to create a more inviting guest room, this project is perfect for you. An Herb Pocket is a cute little pocket that you can add onto the back of any pillow to tuck in a sachet of herbs designed to promote better sleep, relaxation or well being. This is great for your bed, couch or guest suite. Different herbs offer different aromatherapy so find which combo works best for you or your guests. You can make several sachets with different dried herb combos and switch them out. The removable sachet can also be heated to amplify the relaxing scent. Each sachet is made from linen and embroidered with a small picture of the herb hidden inside. A decorative pocket is attached to the back of the pillow or pillowcase (you can even sew it to the inside of the pillowcase for added comfort) with a button flap to ensure the herb sachet stays secure inside. Here's how to make your own Herb Pocket:

Materials:

1/4 yd (makes 6-7 sachets) of 100% linen for sachets

1/4 yd (makes 6-7 pockets) of 100% linen or lightweight cotton for pockets

 1/2in. to 5/8 in. buttons

Dried herbs

Instructions:

Download and cut your Herb Pocket pattern piece. Cut 2 from linen for sachet, cut 1 from linen or cotton for pocket and cut 1 from cotton for pocket flap.

Embroider one piece of linen with the herb of your choice

Take 2 pieces of linen (one with embroidery) and with RS together sew 3 sides with 1/2 in. seam. Clip Corners, turn and press. Fill with dried herbs and stitch opening closed.

Take pocket flap and fold in half RS together. Stitch along 2 short sides with ¼ in. seam. Clip corners, turn and press.  Fold down top ¼ in. and press toward WS of flap. Mark center of flap for the buttonhole. Place buttonhole ¼ in. from bottom of flap. Set flap aside.

Fold ¼ in. on all sides of pocket and press toward WS. Pin on pillow or pillowcase and topstitch around 3 sides, leaving top open. Pin flap ¼ in. above the top of the pocket, sew in place along the fold line on the wrong side (when flap is closed stitch line will be hidden). Mark button placement by folding down flap and marking on the pocket. Sew button in place. Insert herb pocket and enjoy.

I love to place the herb pocket towards the front when I use them in the guest room so my guests can see it and I can tell them how to use. I sewed my husband's on the inside of his pillowcase because he sleeps with his hands under his pillow. I also placed one on the pillow on my little's one reading chair. 

Rarely have I had so much fun in my studio and the cause was the Molly Monkey Doll by mmmcrafts. My Molly Monkey came out just as cute as the original thanks to some very well written instructions and an excellently drafted pattern. I was able to place the eyes just so and get just the right angle of Molly's secret half smile. I loved picking out my fabrics: a combination of chocolate velvet and designer quilting cottons as well as felts in various colors. This project combines a variety of sewing skills from machine to hand sewing and embroidery. I loved each step.

The bonus is not only do you get a very large, 24'', super cute moneky doll but you also get some fashionable accessories to dress your Molly: a smart pair of Mary Janes, one sassy beret and a twirly skirt. The accessories are even easier to make up and simple enough to embellish (rick rack, more embroidery or appliqués) but you can also choose different fabrics for special outfits. I am dreaming of mary janes in faux leather, a plaid skirt and Santa hat for Christmas; black shoes, a lace overlay skirt and basket for Easter; a birthday candle skirt in bright colors and hot pink shoes for birthday parties.

I do have just one tip to make your Molly Monkey last through the years, interface the cotton pieces of your doll. If you use corduroy (as recommended) or velvet as I did, there is no need to interface these fabrics as they are thick, but the quilting cotton is thinner and interfacing it will make it more durable and help reduce a lumpy appearance when stuffing.

My Molly took about 2.5 naps to complete which translates to about 6 hours. This may seem like a lot but there is a good bit of hand sewing and embroidery. However, it is all worth it as you will be creating one of the cutest dolls ever. The hand sewing and embroidery can also be done with a nice cup of Hot Cocoa and a good movie nestled into the couch as I did. I cannot wait for Christmas morning for my little one to open her first Molly Monkey. Thank you Larissa for sharing this wonderful pattern!  

In my research for some pretty cool hostess gifts (we already know that chocolates, wine, and potholders are good standard gifts) I scoured the internet for ideas. Low and behold, apparently mustache appliqué and embossed gifts are very popular. On that note, I wanted to create a hostess gift that was tongue in cheek like the mustache but not beat a dead (or almost) horse. Behold the Necktie Napkins: now you can be fancy for dinner while showing up in t-shirt and jeans. You can wear that tacky Christmas tie that your dear great auntie Muriel gave you without going out of the house. Make your mother happy by both tucking in your napkin and wearing a nice tie to dinner. It is fun and easy to make a set of Necktie Napkins for your favorite hostess. You can choose between the Applique or Embroidery version. I prefer the Applique on our printed O'Tinsel Tree Cotton fabric but love the embroidery on a solid fabric like linen.

To get started you need a picture of a cool-looking tie, I used this one but tweaked it a bit. For the embroidery I traced the tie onto my napkin with a water soluble marker and then embroidered the outline with a back stitch and then added some stripes with a stem stitch in green to create the iconic tacky Christmas tie. For the appliqué, I cut out and traced the tie pieces onto a transfer agent like Heat n Bond. I then cut out the pieces from the Heat n Bond and applied them according to the instructions to the back of some natural colored linen and then affixed those pieces to another napkin. Using a zig zag stitch around the edges of the appliqué to secure it, I added a decorative stitch to some stripes on the tie. It is important that you place the tie about 3-4 in down from one corner of your napkin so when tucked into a shirt, it looks as though the napkin user is wearing the tie. Placement will vary according to the size of your tie and napkin.

To make your napkin you will need 1 yd for 2 napkins. I used O'Tinsel Tree Cotton and cut an 18 in. square for a 16 in. finished napkin.  Use a double folded hem one all sides and topstitch in place. 

Going off to college is not just books and comforter sets, it is also doing a lot of grown up stuff that you previously shared responsibility with your whole family, but now doing it all on your own. This involves grocery shopping and general errands that can't be passed off to other family member that are in that neck of the woods. It is on you now. So you need a good bag that can keep up and be used for all your new trials and the Betty Shopper by Amy Butler is that bag. Available in 2 sizes with the smallest being pretty dang sizable, you can get all your groceries in one while saving plastic bags, or tote all your vintage scores from the local thrift stores or pack snacks for all your pals for the game or spirit rally. This bag can hold it all or can be modified for more specific needs. You can insulate it for cold foods or tailgating. You can make the handles longer or short to suit your size. Pockets can easily be added and it can be made from just about any material to fit your style. Try corduroy with bright piping for fall or a wool tweed with bold pattern handles. From quilting cotton to home dec to medium weight woven apparel, this bag is a must have for all semesters.

I made mine from 2 different prints, one a Free Spirit Print and the lining is Amy Butler. The Betty Shopper went together very easily and quickly for its size. My Betty is jazzed up a bit with some embroidery which you can customize for you or if giving a gift for your loved one. Try a monogram, favorite mascot or nickname. I am working on a second to give as a Christmas gift made from Dwell Studio and I will embroider it with a row of pies and cake along the top and fill it with a picnic blanket and linen napkins. This bag is great for any gift giver since it can be used for anything from yard sale booty to bake sale supplies. 

The last of the Stocking Challenge is Scandinavia- granted this is not one country but several; however the style is too similar to attribute it to one. My husband is half Scandinavian and my geographical choice was inspired by him. I also love the style, the natural details and motifs really speak to me and my love of the outdoors. Plus the Scandi style is so "in your face" homemade which I also find really attractive. It is not too difficult to recreate the Scandi style though I took come liberties with color to make it my own. The Scandi style, as I see it, is very natural, incorporating animals and plants that are very important to the Scandinavian people, such as birds, reindeer, trees, flowers (particularly tulips) and vines. Most of these elements have found a home on my Scandi Stocking. My bird is of unknown origin just something inspired by a Google search for "Scandinavian Embroidery" with daisies, a pine tree, and other embroidery flourishes added to fill in and make it beautiful in a cream thread. I found a reindeer shape from a coloring page search and traced him onto my Moda Bella Broadcloth stocking pattern and outlined him in some navy thread. I filled in my reindeer with some deep red thread in a vine and leaf pattern that I free handed. The leaf is embroidered very similarly to a daisy petal. Lastly is my snowflake appliqué which is featured here.

I am of 2 minds whether or not I am done. Part of me says that Scandi style is also a minimal style and that my big embroidered animals are a bold statement and I should stop while I am ahead. My other half says that I should fill in the blank areas with more natural elements, like tulips which I neglected to add. I also like the contrast of the linen appliqué and maybe some more would look even better. But I think that is my American brain wanting to fill in the blank space. Should I stay true to the minimal Scandi Style or take more inspiration from my husband's heritage and meld the American with the Scandinavian. Well, I have 6 months to mull it over but feel free to give your input. Oh, and Gledelig Jul (Merry Christmas)!

While Christmas is not around the corner for most of the Christmas shoppers, for those of us who love to give the gift of handmade, we need to get started soon. But it doesn't just stop with giving gifts; we also love to make everything Christmas-y, from tree skirts to garland. Sometimes I just get it into my head to make something for Christmas and while I may not complete the thought enough to see the end product, I know that I can get it out of my system by making appliqués. I make appliqués because they are small and fun plus I can add them wherever I want to sprinkle the Christmas spirit. Christmas Appliqués can be sewn onto long sleeved t-shirts, skirt hems, and jacket pockets. But appliqués can be more: by adding some Peltex to the back of an appliqué or sandwiching it between 2 appliqués, you can create ornament, garland and advent tokens. A simple Christmas appliqué doesn't have to be one thing. You only need to steal time here and there to create this fun, universal Christmas decoration.

To recreate my Christmas Appliqué, download the Linen Snowflake Christmas Applique pattern and cut it out. You can lay your fabric over the snowflake pattern to trace the embroidery design. You will need approx ¼ yd of hanky weight linen for 5 appliqués and ½ yd for 12. Trace your circles onto your linen and then embroider them before you cut them out. You can embroider the circle too and then trimming around it with pinking shears. Try off-traditional colors to give a vintage look. I used Copper for my snowflake which really blends well with the natural linen color. I recommend trying turquoise, navy, coral or silver. You can make a dozen and string them on a bias tape length for some garland or stitching some embroidery thread through the top for an ornament. You can also sew several onto your tree skirt or holiday banner.

Mine will be finding its final destination at the end of this month in a Special Holiday Poject. Stay tuned and follow me on Twitter (@tdangermiller) for sneak peeks!

One of the keys to making a house a home is dedication to details. Whether this is spray-painting a lamp the perfect shade of green to accent your dining room or picking out trim to really finish off your drapes in the bedroom, details can take a room from 'Blah' to 'WOW'. Adding details to unexpected places is also another way to make a room special. One of my favorite details in home decorating is embroidery. It is a simple, colorful and unexpected way to add an extraordinary touch to a home dec. project.

I have been really blown away by the pillows, lamp shades and throws in blogland, so I decided to try my own to spice my sort-of boring green couch. It came with some standard matchy-matchy pillows that are too contemporary for my taste. Deciding on some of the totally hip Dwell Studio Blossom fabric that I have previously used in my Amy Butler Style Stitches Post, I thought the colors would really work in my living room which is heavily blue. But I wanted to add some color accents to make the pillow pop but also to add some texture. Not wanting too much of a good thing I decided to embroider three accents in three different colors. Making the bird the center focus of the pillow as well as one of the blossoms and a small cluster of berries was my plan. Using simple stitches such as back stitch and French knot, I was able to fill in some color in little bits without overdoing it. I called on my knowledge from Sublime Stitching and my invisible zipper post.

Sometimes it was just an outline of the bird to make it stand out or adding french knots and fill stitches to the berries to fill in some color, the trick was not to overdo it and add color everywhere. The fabric was already amazing; I just want to make it special and mine. This is a great beginner's embroidery project since the overall pattern will distract from any mistakes and it is basically coloring in the lines. Even more the advanced will enjoy adding their gift all over the house.     

I have long been in love with Heather Bailey's Marlo Bloom Bag pattern and have been itching to make it for some time. However, I really had no excuse to make it for the blog since my 'thing' is to review patterns but also to make them in a slightly different way so as to give new ideas and inspiration. The Marlo Bag did not look like it could be modified at all so that left it out of contention. However, I soon discovered these awesome Turquoise Bag Handles and the light bulb went off. Not every bag shape can accommodate this pair of U shaped handles but the Marlo's wide body and delicate gathers look great with the rigid shape of the handles. The color is slightly variegated, like real turquoise and is a very soft color. The Turquoise Handles worked really well with my dark blue canvas and turquoise/aqua quilting cotton print. Let me get off my chest now before I continue my love tirade for this bag: This project was not the piece of cake I had envisioned.

I followed Heather's instructions and read the pattern before commencing. It looked pretty easy. I had a game plan. I would alter the pattern assembly just a little by leaving a turning gap in the bottom of the lining and then assemble the top as instructed but with wrong sides out. Then I would turn the bag right side out and hand sew up the lining. Next, I would simply rip 4 small holes in the top for the handle straps. Topstitching around the top would seal these holes closed and DONE!

I don't recommend this assembly. The gathers make it difficult to press seams open, turn and press again, and topstitch over these gathers, phew!   Ripping into the gathers also is not a good idea but I tried it anyway because at that point I was committed. I was able to save the gathers and keep them in place but it was all shooting from the hip and I don't think I could adequately put it into words. It just goes to show that you can read ahead, plan ahead but seeing all the contingencies ahead is another story. However, once finished the bag looked so good with the handles that I was determined to come up with a new idea. From where I sat the problems were 2: turning the gathers (it was just easier to leave the instructions as is, as though you were going to use the pattern handles) and ripping into the gathers. Bias tape is the solution. You can make it to match the exterior of your bag. Follow the pattern instructions as written but instead of sewing the pattern handles in place, sew bias tape on instead. Then you can slip the handle straps under the bias tape and DONE (but much easier).

To attach the handles I cut a 12 in. long by 3 in. wide piece from my dark blue Canvas. I then folded it in half and pressed. I opened the strap and then pressed the long sides over to meet at the center press line (this is a common Amy Butler technique). Then I folded the strap in half again and pressed a final time and stitched up the strap with 2 lines of stitching. I cut this piece into 4 pieces 3 in. long. I would recommend altering these instructions to cut a strap 16 in. long to give an extra 1 in. for each of the 4 pieces for tucking under the bias tape.

This is a great and fun modification for taking chic hand bag pattern to a stylish shoulder bag. The size of the bag lends it well to carrying knitting, crochet, embroidery, as well as a transitional diaper bag (when you don't need to haul the entire nursery just a diaper or 2).