I think the world of my mom.  I thought it only fitting that I surround her in rainbows for this challenge because she's a source of light and happiness for me.  This is a photo of her from the 6th grade taken in 1966.  I printed it on inkjet printable fabric and stitched the inner details using cotton and metallic floss.  I cut the fabric photo to size and then stitched it to a larger piece of unbleached muslin using the satin stitch border.



Here is a link to the photo in Flickr, too, where the detail is a little easier to see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xperimentl/8520839687/in/photostream

Thanks for hosting this challenge, kittykill.  I can't wait to see the other entries.  This was my first stitched photo, but definitely won't be my last!

I stitched this up for a New Year's Resolution vintage pattern stitchalong on Flickr.  I had a pretty good garden last year, but I think I can have a great one in 2012!    The pattern is an illustration from a vintage children's painting book provided by Q is for Quilter (she has a great collection and shares just about everything!).  I fused some reproduction fabrics onto my background for the girls dress and kerchief and stitched around it.  I tinted her skin, hair, and little bird friend with chalk.  This is an 8" hoop.







Questions and comments welcome!  Thanks for looking.

I may have bought a few too many cute vintage ornaments and decorations at the thrift stores these past few years.  My house has reached its limit for kitschy goodness, but I still have room on my coats and sweaters!  These poor little souls were doomed to be stuck in a box for the season until I made some festive fabric flower brooches for them to live on.  Now they get to venture out into the world and spread a little holiday cheer. 

This one has a really roly poly tummy.


I wish I had eyelashes like this!


A punky flannel flower to go with my hot pink angel with new coordinating glittered wings.


I made the flower bases using the templates and instructions provided at the wisecraft blog:
http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2006/03/fabric_flowers.html

Thanks for looking!

My SIL has a late December birthday and decorates her apartment in silver and pastels for the holidays.  I got a move on doing this table runner so that I could give it to her on Thanksgiving to enjoy for the season. 









The embroidery pattern is "Nutcracker Sweets" by Mollie Johanson aka Wild Olive.  I hand stitched the designs on some white Kona cotton and raw-edge appliqued them onto a quilt-sandwich of pink fabric from JoAnn and some Warm & White batting.  I added the blue binding and hand stitched it to the back (my first time!)  Some free motion quilting would probably have been nice for the background, but doing it with my current skills would have made this one sad table runner.  The finished size is 36" x 13."  For more detailed photos, you can view these in my Flickr photostream (linked below).

Comments and suggestions are much appreciated.  Thanks for looking!

I was excited to go to the mailbox today because I was expecting some fabric from eBay, no such luck, but I received my prize!  Sorry ladies, cross off that beautiful snake bracelet off of your lists...it's mine, all mine! 

I can't believe the work that coocoosnest must have put into it, it is absolutely gorgeous in person and has wonderful detail that doesn't show in photos.  She has cute little flowers along her back and the colors are iridescent.  The beads are so tiny!  It looks really pretty and delicate on and it looked great with the lavender cardigan that I was wearing today.  This little snake is definitely going to get worn. 

Thanks a million, coocoosnest.  Your beading is brilliant!

My daughter is in her panda phase, so when I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween this year I could already predict what her answer was going to be.  I made this vest using the "Warm Hoodie Vest Pattern" from Dear My Kids Easy Wear on Etsy.  The pattern was very easy to follow.  All I had to do to change it into a panda was fashion a couple of ears out of black fleece and fiberfill, applique the eyes and nose, and add a few buttons.  The pattern includes a cute gathered pocket pattern, but I struggled with doing it in fleece, so I created the heart shaped pocket instead, I thought it kind of tied in with the nose.  The white and black fabrics are polar fleece and it is lined with a punky pink flannel that I found at Joann, super toasty!




Flashing that snazzy flannel lining.



Thanks for looking!

She can't wait until her school's fall festival so she can wear it.  I have a feeling we'll be seeing the panda vest all winter long.

Such great ideas and offerings so far, what a wonderful variety for a swap!   I kept my idea on the downlow and didn't get feedback on it before I made it, so I'm hoping it will go over well.  I figured I'm known here on Craftster most for my embroidery and since we're all Friends of Craftster I went for a Craftster theme when I created my prize...

The retro graphics on Craftster are from a book that I've had since I was a child, The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls: Things to Make and Things to Do.  I was able to use the original illustration for my pattern and stuck with the original blue from the book.  I painted the blue areas and stitched the black with one or two strands of floss.  The Craftster letters are easier to read in person, some shadows showed up in the photos.

I hope the winner has a little place in their crafting corner for it! Finished size is about 5 1/2" x 9 1/2".

I am in the cute-not-scary camp when it comes to Halloween.  When I saw this pattern by Badbird/Andrea Zuill I couldn't wait to stitch it up.  I usually post in Needlework, but I thought I'd share the love with the Halloween peeps this time!  

Bats are one of my favorite motifs for the season, I really dug this little geeky looking guy.  I used colors that go with my vintage style Halloween decorations and framed him in something kind of dark and ornate.





Happy Halloween!
Thanks for looking.

Craft Hope has partnered with Christmas in Dixie for Tornado Survivors to collect handmade Christmas stockings for survivors of the tornadoes that hit the southern United States earlier this year.  You still have time to participate if you are interested.
http://crafthope.com/2011/08/project-14-christmas-in-dixie/

I haven't learned to crochet or knit yet, so here are some that I stitched up on my sewing machine.  I used the stocking tutorial from the FabricWorm blog to create these.  They sew up quickly, are a good size, sturdy, nicely lined, and easy for the families to personalize on the cuffs if they so choose. 

My brother-in-law always greets my kids with open arms saying "hugs for thugs" and picks them up, squeezes them and twirls them around...it's a special Uncle Matt thing.  I'm always happy when I can come up with something manly enough to stitch for a dude and this was it.  Used a gangstery (is that a word?) Old English font, made all of the letters a uniform height, and satin stitched my little heart out.  I planned on spelling "Hugz4Thugz" with "z"s, but the "s" was much more elaborate so I went with those.  I used a variegated DMC floss, 3 strands at a time, it took me approximately an hour per letter.  My first Christmas gift complete!



The full framed effect:


Comments and suggestions always welcome.  Thanks for looking!