From the same Japanese book as the Horse comes this sheep. The fabrics are from a couple of shirts that the stupid washing machine wrecked recently. I only used one arm from each shirt, so I’m trying to think up other things to do with the rest. It’s the first time I’ve done a project with knit fabric, which was kind of a pain to work with. I also got the topology wrong a couple of times, getting the legs stuck inside the body. I dislike the sheep the more I look at him, so I’m going to let him hang out until Christmas in a drawer where El Chupacabra can’t get him. I think I will send him to my 2-year-old nephew.

Update: the sheep has grown on me. There’s something funny about the way I embroidered his eyes. One side of the sheep is angry, and the other is calm and placid. Much like my nephew, so I hope he liked it.

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I’ve been brainstorming for ages about how to make something even remotely similar to the wonders at Small Things Designs. Her description mentions a saw, so I doubt this is in my realm of possibilities. I suppose it may be possible to use a punch on some of the softer craft metals they’ve got these days. I was thinking of raiding my stock of beach glass for the back layer. Hmmm. (Note: Looks like the deer design is only at Motel Gallery.)

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These crochet earrings made by Purldrop are for sale at Cut+Paste. I think I’ll try to make something similar the next time the crochet bug hits.

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I was browsing Craftgrrl last night and saw this:

I immediately had to make one. I just happened to have 1. a piece of oilcloth I’ve been hoarding for months now 2. a piece of yellow bedsheet leftover from the duvet cover I made a while back 3. some yellow bias trim 4. a sewing machine with an ugly vinyl cover that’s starting to tear. So I measured the old vinyl cover, made panels of the oilcloth and sewed them together, and made a lining from the sheet. Then I trimmed the whole thing in bias tape. The handle comes through a slot in the top instead of a fancy handle flap like bertha79’s. But, I did add a slit along the bottom for the cord to stick out. I usually don’t bother unplugging it since it stows right under my craft desk. (My craft desk is supposed to be a computer desk, and the little shelf to hold the computer is the perfect size for the machine.) I’m so happy with it! Still not so good with the bias trim, though. I had to fix it by handstitching in a few places where I either couldn’t turn a tight corner or didn’t catch the lining layer.

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Cross-stitched needle book, using a monogram from a book I got from the library. I can’t seem to find the name of the book at the moment, unfortunately. It’s basically just Assisi with a multicolored instead of solid background. I grabbed all the blues and browns from my thread collection and just randomly stiched around the letter shape until it was full. Fold over the raw edges and glue a rectangle of felt inside the book as a liner. If you just glue around the edge, you can use the liner as extra needle space. I suppose you could stitch it on to make it more secure, but I’m going to wait and see how well the glue holds. Then I sewed felt pages to match. It’s got a little bead clasp to keep it closed.

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I updated my ever-growing linklist of crafty-type blogs. Some have a higher craft quotient than others. Enjoy.

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El Chupacabra (did I mention that we finally named the kitten?) completely destroyed his favorite toy, so I made him another one. The shape and color scheme are vaguely based on the applique on this bag by Cimba. He’s happily ripping it apart this very minute.

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The scarf I started a few days ago is done. You can tell my edges still leave something to be desired, though they’re getting better. It’s about 3.5-4 feet long, which is shorter than I thought it would be. I’m seriously considering getting another hank of the Manos to make it longer, and maybe for some fringe. I’m resisting, though, since the scarf is scratchier than I predicted. Disappointing. But pretty!

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I love Tiny Industries/Megan Whitmarsh’s tiny embroidery. I first came across her wallets at Plastica thanks to a blurb in Readymade.

She does art exhibits too. This piece is called King Kong in the Desert.

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I really like the papercut art of Nikki McClure. Buy Olympia has a really good selection of her work. Her 2004 calendar is tacked at my desk, and my currrent favorite bookmark is her work (and came free with my Sunny and Windy order!) I want her new calendar, too. And she’s got books! She must have an exacto-knife-finger-of-steel.

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