Fans of Carolyn DeAngelis Felt Ornaments

Dawdling Duck

2012-02-08T16:42:00.002-05:00

Another one for me! When I saw Clif's version of this ornament, I thought it was so cute. I knew I wanted to make it for myself. I thought it would take a long time because it seemed like it had a lot of pieces with the little suitcase and all. It really wasn't that bad, though. I didn't make any changes other than choosing my own colors.

Marching Band Bear #3

2012-02-01T21:49:00.005-05:00

I said it was my turn to get an ornament, but we were ready to start a movie and I didn't have one cut out. I cut out all four of these when I started them two years ago so I could make sure all the colors matched. For convenience, I decided to go ahead and do this one.

Here's Bear #1

Here's Bear #2

So here is Kelly's third member of her personal marching band. His hat is missing its pom pom because those are at home in Ohio. I accidentally got my drum mallet a little long -- OOPS!

I've known Kelly since she was in kindergarten and I can't believe I've just completed the ornament for her junior year. Only one more to go!

Hitch Hiker

2012-01-26T11:10:00.004-05:00

This is part of my mouse collection that I do for my mom each year. I liked that mouse on the moon that I did for Allyson so much that I decided to do this one. You might think that it's laborious because the pieces are so tiny. It's really not. Both of these little mouse ornaments went together very quickly. It's true -- that little hand and tail are no picnic, but the pieces are so tiny that they don't take long to stitch. I don't even bother trying to stuff that mouse tail. I either use a piece of craft wire, or I trim all the fuzziness off a pipe cleaner and use that.

(Incidentally . . . take the time to go to the tobacco shop to get real pipe cleaners. The wire is stiffer and they're not nearly as fuzzy.)

There's more glue holding this one together than anything else I've done. I couldn't figure out how to engineer it otherwise. Glue or not . . . look how cute he is!

And now that he's done, you know what that means: ONE FOR ME!

Knut the Viking

2012-01-22T11:29:00.004-05:00

Okay . . . . Carolyn DeAngelis didn't name her viking Knut. She named him Vic. But I strayed so liberally from her pattern that I felt dishonest calling him Vic. He looks like a Knut to me. Knut it is.

I liked the idea of her viking pattern. I liked the laces on the legs and the horns on the hat. He just looked too childish to me. And short. I wanted my viking to be a little more menacing. I Googled "viking cartoons" and found this image:

This gave me plenty of inspiration. I gravitated to the one on the bottom right. I liked the addition of the trim to the helmet and I liked the crisscross on the chest and the little skirt thing. Carolyn's pattern just had a shield. While that's a great defense, I felt like Knut was the kind of viking who would like to engage in a little marauding, so I wanted him to have a weapon. I liked the spears that these little guys were holding, so I went with that. I really liked the idea of a beard, but I just felt there wasn't room. A bear would've covered up the chest detailing and gotten in the way of the shield. I went with a big mustache instead.

I also had this really cool new felt that I got at JoAnn Fabrics and I was dying to use it:

Some of it is printed and some is embossed. I think the gray will make a really cool elephant and the zebra . . . . . well, duh! A zebra, of course! The black and brown were a relatively small emboss and looked like animal hide. Perfect for Knut's clothes.

While we're talking about felt, look what my husband got me for Christmas:

That's a 72-sheet sampler and every sheet is a different color. The blues and greens are particularly fantastic.

But I digress. I know your curiosity is killing you, so without further ado . . . . meet Knut!

The silver on the helmet, shield, and spear is the same fabric I used for the Wizard of Oz tin man that I made last year. It's not as thick and stiff as vinyl, but more plastic-like than regular fabric. It's perfect for ornaments. It's hard to see in the photo, but there are brown crisscross lace things on his legs. You can see them really well in person. I love him -- he's one of my favorites!

Lucky Larry & Blushing Belinda . . . . Sort Of

2012-01-17T23:02:00.010-05:00

Well, these will go down as two of my favorites ever. Our good friends, Dave and Naomi, were married in June in a fabulous barn wedding. You've met Dave & Naomi before . . . . but you know them as the Nurse and the Ninja. They're big ornament fans. In fact, my ornaments made an appearance at the wedding on the cupcake table in lieu of cake toppers.

I knew I wanted to make them a set of ornaments to commemorate their special day. I used Carolyn DeAngelis' bride & groom patterns as a starting point and then worked with actual pictures of the wedding.

Here's Dave.

Here's Dave's boutonniere.

Here's Naomi with her dress and flowers.

And here is my tribute to them in felt.

Naomi's dress isn't too exciting on the front of the ornament.
I put her detail on the back. Here is the back of her wedding dress.

And here is the back of the ornament. I don't know how well you can see it, but I made the corset-type lacing out of white embroidery floss.

I hope they like them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Foxy

2012-01-11T22:12:00.004-05:00

I was picking out new ornaments to make while I spend 6 weeks in Florida. I first picked out all the ones I need to make for the people I make an ornament for every year. Next, I chose ones I wanted to make for myself. I decided on a one-for-them, one-for-me routine. I've already completed a one-for-them, but I'm not posting it until I complete its partner.

The first one-for-me is this guy. I have no real reason for wanting to make this particular ornament, other than I could just tell from the pattern that he'd be really cute. He didn't disappoint!

I can't wait to see his bright red coat on my Christmas tree next year!

Moonbeam

2011-12-12T20:55:00.002-05:00

I've been making angel ornaments each year for Audrey, my girlfriend's daughter. In October, the stork brought Audrey a little sister -- Allyson Quinn. Rachel & I decided that Allyson's ornaments would be a collection of mice. I decided to start with Moonbeam, this adorable baby mouse sleeping on the moon.

It's absolutely one of my favorites so far! It went together super quick in just two nights. I'm going to have to make one for myself in some red pajamas. I'm going to search for a better yellow for the moon, though. This one's a little harsh.

Bandito

2011-10-28T09:19:00.003-04:00

And here's the final ornament in the special request collection: "a raccoon in a trash can." Yes, I am related to this boy and no, I don't have any explanation for his weirdness. But weird or not, the ornament did turn out pretty cute. I used Carolyn DeAngelis' raccoon pattern and just cut him off at the waist and stuck him in a trash can. The big green can was looking a little bare, so I threw on a recycling symbol which helped break it up.

I'm guessing my nephews thought they were being clever and thought they were picking difficult things I wouldn't be able to make. Clearly, they have no idea who they're dealing with.

King Cobra

2011-10-13T16:38:00.007-04:00

Here is item #2 in the "Retarded Boys of 2011" collection. The specific request was "venomous snake," courtesy of my 11 year-old nephew, Zach. Because I can't draw at all, I have to rely on Google images that I think will convert well to an ornament. This is the one I landed on:

And here he is in his felted glory:

I named him "King Cobra." His coiled tail was not so fun. It's primarily stuffed with pipe cleaners. Ouida & her mother are pros at using actual stuffing on those skinny ornament parts. I go the cheater's route and use pipe cleaners instead.

Maybe next year, I'll do the rattlesnake as a companion piece. Or maybe Zach will request something else spectacular . . . . like "rabid dog."

Hop-a-Bit

2011-10-05T12:50:00.004-04:00

I've learned a very important lesson this year: don't ask pre-adolescent boys which ornament they'd like you to make them. This is the first in a 3-part series I'm calling "The Retarded Boys of 2011." And now, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you A SQUIRREL WEARING AVIATOR SUNGLASSES . . . . aka Carolyn DeAngelis' squirrel named Hop-a-Bit.

I did take a little poetic license with this one. I gave him a tan patch on his tail and on his belly because I thought he was a little monotone otherwise. I also gave him two nuts instead of one. There's an off-color explanation for this. The boy who requested this is our best friends' son and he attended the sex-ed class we taught in August for middle schoolers at our church. Where kids are concerned, I like the ornaments to reflect something that happened in their lives that year. Hence, the nuts. (Get it?) HE'LL get it, I can promise you that, and he'll laugh and laugh.

Missus Mouse

2011-10-05T12:47:00.003-04:00

This one is for my mother. Our family has a long-standing love for handmade Christmas ornaments and I've made my mother a felt one each year since I've started making them. I added a few doodads to this one, which isn't something I normally do. I gave her a plaid bow in her hair and I thought her hands looked like they needed something, so I gave her a package.

Eagle

2011-09-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

We have a young friend who began attending Ashland University here in Ohio this fall. Ashland's mascot is an eagle and their colors are purple and gold. I knew right away that I wanted to make him the eagle ornament for Christmas, but my creativity stopped there. On a campus visit, I spied a banner with an eagle whose body was purple. A-HA! I usually don't think up the ideas on my own, but I'm a masterful copier! I used Print Shop to make a varsity "A" to put on his chest. He turned out fantastic and I have no doubt that Caleb will be very happy at Christmas.

And now you know my big photography secret. I lay my ornaments on a yellow mailing envelope to take their pictures. I'm too lazy to crop the flap off of this one. And if you look at Star's picture, you can see the return address in the corner. Sorry to blow my cover!

Marching Band Bear #2

2011-09-06T14:57:00.004-04:00

Kelly is now a sophomore, so this is bear #2 to add to her marching band. She's still honking away on her clarinet and is still loving band! Nothing exotic here. Stuck straight to the pattern.

Star

2011-09-06T14:52:00.002-04:00

This is my third ornament for my friend Rachel's daughter, Audrey. Rachel is currently expecting her 2nd child on October 21st, so I'll be rapidly stitching another ornament for their tree this year as soon as I know whether the baby is a boy or a girl. This is not my favorite of the three angels I've made for Audrey, but amongst a collection, little Star will be just fine.

Wizard of Oz

2011-05-21T13:28:00.006-04:00

When my sister and I were little, my grandmother bought us a Christmas ornament at a church bazaar. It was a little felt Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and was covered with beads and sequins. My sister still has the original ornament in her collection. It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned the ornament had been made from a Bucilla kit that included the other 3 main characters.

I began looking on Ebay for an old kit. I could find them, but they were ridiculously expensive, typically going for around $75. One day last fall, I took a quick gander on Ebay and found that mere moments earlier, someone had listed a kit with a "buy it now" price of $35. I pounced immediately!

Before I cut anything out, I made copies of all the pieces so I could make a set for Jenny and a set for myself. Then I measured all the sequins and got online to order extras. I'd never done one of these bead-and-sequin ornaments before. Yikes -- I about went cross-eyed! There were a million tiny little pieces to keep up with. The kit called for the faces to be embroidered and satin-stitched, which I did. On the copies, I cut out little pieces of felt for the noses and cheeks and stitched them on. They were a labor of love, but it was all worth it. They turned out beautiful!

Here's Dorothy from the kit. I only had to make one since Jenny has one. I don't know why she's wearing red instead of the standard pale blue. Her beading was the most tedious since the beads and sequins made a plaid pattern on her dress. That hair wasn't much fun, either!

This is the tin man. That's the kit on the left and the copy on the right. The one from the kit was more difficult because the shiny metal vinyl was very difficult to sew through. The stuff I used for the 2nd one was from the fabric store and was softer.

This is the kit on the right and the copy on the left. The scarecrow presented its own challenges because I did him a little different than the directions. I like to sew everything front-to-back and then stuff it. The pattern had some kooky directions for putting the yarn on first, stitching and stuffing the head, and then slipping it over the body piece like a helmet. Yuck. I like my way better, though working around that yarn wasn't much fun.

That's the kit on the left and the copy on the right. I think you can clearly see why the lion was a nightmare! I didn't glue the mane, because I thought hot glue would be too stiff. Instead, I made a loop of yarn, then tacked it. And just went around the whole head like that. And because I wanted the mane very full, it literally took hours. But I'm so glad I did! I know he looks good in the picture, but he's amazing in person!

I doubt my sister has any idea that three other ornaments exist. I've never mentioned it to her. She will be SHOCKED when I give these to her and I can't wait!!

Pep

2010-09-27T12:44:00.004-04:00

I always thought Jeffrey Jump-Up (the basketball player) was the most time-consuming ornament. Now, I'm not so sure. Pep could give Jeffrey a run for his money! Because I stitch everything, the soccer ball alone took over an hour. Between the black patches and the changing colors of thread as I stitched around the outside, it was a pain. I needed this to be a girl, so I stole this hair from one of the angel patterns. This was one of those tricky patterns that totally changed shape once it was stuffed. If I ever make another one, I'll be adjusting that hair to eliminate that whispy thing that winds up looking like a sideburn.

This is for Cally -- the girlfriend of our friends' son, John. She got the Leiloni hula girl last year. She doesn't have ornament-related hobbies and I was about to cut out Betsy Bubbles for her because I know she likes to go to the spa . . . . but then John told me she plays soccer recreationally and suggested that might be a better fit. (That just means she's getting Betsy next year!)

Hiccups

2010-09-20T11:29:00.003-04:00

This is the ornament my older nephew, Alex, picked. He also chose every single color. You can't really tell in the picture, but the tie is purple -- it looks like it's the same color as the suit. This is another one I might have to make for myself now that I see the finished product. He's really cute!

Hobo Hurry-Up

2010-09-12T14:05:00.003-04:00

My nephews were here for a week in August and I decided to let them each pick an ornament pattern for me to make them this year. They're 10 and 12 and all boy and I had visions of the astronaut and the viking. As we were wading through the animal designs, Zach (10) became enthralled with Hobo Hurry-Up . . . or "Hobo Turtle" as he called him. From then on, no matter what Zach saw, it was all about Hobo Turtle.

"Look at this lumberjack!"
"HOBO TURTLE."
"What do you think of this astronaut?"
"HOBO TURTLE."
"Don't you think this antique car is cool?
"STILL HOLDING OUT FOR HOBO TURTLE!"

Hobo Turtle it is.

I have to say, though, that Hobo Turtle turned out to be really cute in person. Thanks, in no small part, to Zach's design choices. Hobo Turtle was to have not one, but two, blue patches on his hat -- different shades, of course. His red pack with white polka dots had to be carried on a golden stick. A golden stick! Scott is perplexed by this. His thought is that if Hobo Turtle can afford a golden stick, then he has the financial means to choose a non-hobo lifestyle. LOL!

Mr. Squealers

2010-09-06T09:12:00.006-04:00

This is another original design and another ornament with a story. Taylor is one of my church kids and piano students. Her mother is one of my best friends and her family goes on the VBS mission trip with us in July. They also happen to be one of the five families of the local 4-H mafia. (Ha ha -- that's how I like to joke because they're all so serious about it!)

Her grandparents own a hog farm and sell a large number of the hogs that wind up in in the county fair. Taylor's father, Matt, was very involved in 4-H as a kid and was even the fair king when he was in high school. There was no doubt that Taylor would be the heir apparent. This was her first year to show a hog and what a way to start. Mr. Squealers wound up being crowned the Grand Champion! Her family was beyond ecstatic, needless to say.

And I, of course, decided this momentous occasion needed to be commemorated in the form of a felt ornament. I wasn't crazy about any of the DeAngelis pig patterns and I wanted this one to really look like Mr. Squealers. Some online clipart and references to photos for correct placement of spots led to my miniature version of the prize-winning pig.

Here is Taylor at the big moment -- parading Mr. Squealers before the judge:

And here they are after they received their big prize:

And here is Mr. Squealers in his new permanent form -- all ready to hang on the Christmas tree for years to come.

Sofia

2010-09-05T17:31:00.003-04:00

Here is Al Pine's significant other, Sofia. Either they are twins whose mother likes to dress them alike, or their one of those couples who've reached the age where they've started wearing matching outfits. Whatever the case, I really like her and her ensemble.

Al Pine

2010-09-05T16:54:00.007-04:00

After seeing Clif's version of Al Pine, I immediately knew I wanted to make one of my own. It's funny how seeing it finished makes it so much more appealing. I doubt I ever would've taken a second look at him. Now I want to make a pair of the international figures for myself every year!

I went with some traditional German colors for his lederhosen. (How DO you spell that word?) I also added an arm . . . though it seems to make him look as though someone needs to give him a stein of beer!

Big Brother

2010-08-10T11:20:00.002-04:00

This one has a little bit of a story behind it. Alex is a kid I've worked with at church for the past 10 years. He'll be a sophomore in college this fall. The short story is that due to some unfortunate circumstances in his home life, he has preferred to spend a lot more of his summer at our house than his own. He also went on the mission trip to southern Ohio with us. There were adult men, little boys . . . . and Alex. He sort of became the unofficial "big brother" to all the younger kids. He spent the majority of the week toting someone around on his shoulders or his back.

Here he is with Ethan, one of our church's kids, as we walked down the local ice cream place one night.

And here he is with Donnie and Dalton, a pair of brothers who attend the VBS our church runs on the mission trip. They seemed incapable of being in Alex's presence without climbing on him.

Over the course of the summer, Alex has seen me working on various ornaments and I'd show them to him when they were finished. He never really said much about them. I'd shown him the golfer I'd made for John -- Alex knows John well because they grew up in church together. A few weeks ago, my box of patterns was out in my sewing area and Alex was leafing through them. I said, in a teasing manner, "Aww . . . Do you want me to make you an ornament, Alex?" He immediately turned and said, "YES!" in a toned that implied, "DUH!"

Since he was sitting with the patterns, I suggested he pick something out that he wanted. He refused. He informed me that I didn't ask John what he wanted, or anyone else what they wanted . . . . he just wanted me to pick something out specifically for him. Normally this isn't a problem. Unfortunately for me, though, Alex doesn't have any hobbies or interests that really relate to any of the ornament patterns I have. Carolyn DeAngelis failed to make one of a drunk college student passed out at a party. LOL!

I spent a week or two really thinking hard. And then it occurred to me exactly what I wanted to make:

It was really a pain in the butt. For starters, I don't draw whatsoever, so it's a little primitive. I should've made those shorts wider than the legs. I tried to copy the logo from our mission team shirts, but unless you know that it is -- you don't know what it is! The whole ornament is only about 6" tall, so you can see how tiny everything was. The faces were so small that I just had to make eyes from French knots.

All in all, though, I think it turned out pretty well. I named this one "Big Brother" because I couldn't think of anything more clever. I can't imagine ever needing/wanting to do this one again, so I think Alex'll be pleased that he got not only an original, but a one-of-a-kind!

Photos from Clif

2010-08-03T09:16:00.023-04:00

Clif sent me a bunch of pictures of his ornaments months ago, and I'm just now having time to load them all! Some are Carolyn DeAngelis patterns and some are Clif's original designs. Enjoy!

Little Leaguer

Touchdown Tommy

Blue Tooter

Tin Lizzy

Garden Guardian

MPV

Blonde Babe and Bear

Band Aide

Al Pine

Al Ahoy

Acco Lyte

Herald Angel

Angel in Blue

Tootsie

Tip Toe

Sunbonnet Sally

Penny

Night Night Katy

Hobo Belle

Betsy Bubbles

Elf Himself the XII

Raggie Maggie

Red Top Rob

Mama Claus

Yule Man for You All

Sweet Sioux Zee

Straighten Arrow

Carol Singer

Karl Singer

Candy

Kane

Della from Delft

Dutch Uncle

Round Clown

Sember Bloomer

Timothy

Roquefort

Pup Pet

Pony Rocker

Petunia

Pen Pal

Peekin'

Hop A Bit

Gogasset

Galloping Tortoise

Don Key Ota

Country Mouse

Colt 45

Chick En Little

Blonde Hare

Blarney

A Bearable Bear

Bandito

African Rubber Neck

Snoopy

Ice Skates

Rainy Days

Santa

Mrs. Claus

Jumping Jack

Humpty Dumpty

High Fashion

Smart Cookie

Touchdown Tommy

2010-07-21T15:17:00.003-04:00

I made this as a thank-you for a friend -- obviously a UK fan. I printed the letters out using the Varsity font and then cut them from felt. The stitching wasn't so bad . . . but they were a HUGE pain to cut out! I think the next time, I'll hot glue-baste the cleats in place before stitching. I didn't notice until I was done that they don't match. They're farther apart on one shoe than the other.

Marching Band Bear

2010-07-21T14:54:00.002-04:00

Our friends' daughter, Kelly is starting high school this year and is in marching band. We decided to do a 4-piece band for her, adding one member each year. There are only 3 DeAngelis patterns, so I had to get creative since Kelly plays a clarinet. I made mine from felt with silver sequins on it. You could also paint a wooden golf tee black and put silver dots on it. It's the perfect size.

Surf Guard

2010-06-14T18:17:00.004-04:00

I am NOT a lighthouse person and the drawing didn't look very cute, so I was less than enthusiastic about this particular ornament. My aunt collects lighthouses and loves anything handmade, so I decided I need to make this for her. It's funny how sometimes the drawing looks cute and the finished ornament doesn't live up to, and vice versa. As I was cutting the pieces, I could tell this one would turn out nice -- and it did!

I freehand cut the little rocks and used both gray and white. Other than that, I followed the pattern.

Blessed Event

2010-05-29T16:45:00.002-04:00

I made this one for Nurse Naomi since she works in labor & delivery. I made a few changes. For starters, that bundle needed a baby! Secondly, I made felt legs and then stuffed them with pipe cleaners. I also stuffed the beak with a pipe cleaner. I took a long one, bent it in half, and shoved it in there. I figured it would give the beak more stability for toting that heavy baby! I also made the wings dimensional. I thought this one really turned out cute. This'll be my new standard baby gift!

Ninja

2010-05-21T14:10:00.003-04:00

This is an original design. Well . . . semi-original, anyway. I don't draw at all, so I found a clipart graphic online and used it. Our friend, Dave, is a black belt in karate and all-around martial arts guy. He was the inspiration for my Karate Kid ornament last year. Recently, he was in his back yard playing around with some very sharp swords and cut his finger, requiring 5 stitches. That's when we dubbed him "The Ninja." I was at a loss as to what ornament to make him this year, and that just sealed the deal.

The throwing star is just two layers of felt stitched together -- no stuffing. There's a silver sequin stitched to the front. The sword is stuffed with a pipe cleaner. It doesn't show up too well in the picture, but on the hand holding the star, I put some little black stitches. My little "gotcha" to Dave!

Holy Family

2010-05-17T16:50:00.001-04:00

Here are Mary, Jesus, and Joseph to accompany the kings I made for my friend, Lisa, last Christmas. Nothing too spectacular in the way of changes. I first stitched Joseph's moustache to his face, but you couldn't see it at all. I took it off, cut a second moustache from felt and stitched the two layers together. Then I glued it on. It looks much better.

The Graduate

2010-05-08T13:21:00.003-04:00

I made this graduate for one of my church kids, Lorraine. I didn't like the hair that was on the pattern, though, so I "stole" some hair from a different pattern. I went to the trouble of making the mortarboard really authentic-looking and 3-D, which was kind of a pain in the butt. But it looks good! I had a rolled up piece of paper tied with a ribbon for a diploma. At the last minute, I got the idea to make a miniature diploma with Lorraine's name on it. It really looks cute! I printed it on cardstock and glued it to a piece of posterboard. Happy graduation, Lorraine!

Clif's Tree

2010-04-22T14:26:00.003-04:00

Clif sent me this picture of his unbelievable Christmas tree that is covered with ornaments he made from Carolyn DeAngelis patterns. WOW!!! I can't stop looking at it!

Yule Mouse

2010-04-18T21:24:00.002-04:00

Didn't this little guy turn out cute? I made the Claudette mouse a couple of years ago (before I started taking pictures) for my mother. I made this little guy to go with her. I added a 2nd arm and stitched the bell. Business as usual other than that!

Holy Mackerel

2010-04-07T10:50:00.003-04:00

This is, hands down, one of my favorites that I've done so far. I don't even have a personal reason why I made this guy. I just thought he looked cute on the pattern . . . . and he is! I gave him 2 arms and did a felt-stitched fishing pole instead of just using a pipe cleaner. I did two fish instead of one and they're both stitched and stuffed. They're dangling a little strangely in this picture, so it's hard to see them.

A Pair of Pete Puritans

2010-04-07T10:43:00.004-04:00

Thanksgiving is a HUGE deal in our family . . . . and so are Christmas ornaments. Because of those two factors, I've decided to do the Thanksgiving patterns for my nephews over the next five years. We'll start this year with Pete Puritan, done with corresponding hair and eye colors, of course. That's actually Zach Puritan on the left and Alex Puritan on the right. I forced myself do work on them at the same time and I'm glad I did. This one was a little time-consuming and I get bored easily. It would've been hard to make myself do a 2nd one down the pike.

I didn't do anything really special or different. The shoe buckles are separate and glued on. Next year, Pete will get his wife . . . . Polly? Priscilla? I can't remember. Then we'll move on to the Indian man and woman and round out the series with the turkey -- which will NOT be wearing the Santa hat shown in the pattern!

New pictures from Clif

2010-04-02T16:26:00.005-04:00

I love, love, LOVE getting a Clif email with new ornament pictures. Sometimes, a design that never appealed to me on paper becomes a "must do" when I see someone else's made up. These are some Clif made at Christmas for him and his sisters. Here's Woody:

I love the color combination Clif chose. He's really cute! Here's Woodland Lass. I'm not even sure I have this pattern . . . I'll have to check. Look at the weaving he did on the basket!

I thought Mogul Mike looked cute just from the pattern, but he far exceeds my expecations in 3D form. Boy . . . . I can tell he's a real pain in the patootey, though!

Here's Clif's version of Kane. I love the blue and red combo.

I'm not typically a clown person, but this version of Hiccups is SO cute and colorful that it's going on my short list.

Here's Friday Panda with fresh catch for lunch:

I don't know if you can see it or not here in this picture of Doczee . . . . but Clif's stitches are just perfect!

And, last but not least, here's Dawdling Duck. This makes me want to do a bunch of the bunny and chick patterns for an Easter tree!

Duffy

2010-02-20T16:49:00.004-05:00

You know what they say about the last little pig . . . . something about "wee wee wee, all the way home!" The 3rd and final installment in my "3 little pigs" series. I love these guys. Scott does, too! He's actually requested that these stay on our tree and not be given away. They are cute!

Again, I added the hooves to the hands and feet. I also cut the hoe handle from felt and stuffed it with a pipe cleaner. I worked the tail into the stitching of the overalls so it's visible.

More of Ouida's Ornaments

2010-02-07T18:27:00.002-05:00

Ouida sent me some pics of ornaments from her personal collection. Some were made by her, and some by her mother. I don't know all the names, but you'll probably recognize them from the patterns.

Tuffy

2010-02-07T18:13:00.002-05:00

I really didn't deviate from the original other than adding the hooves.

Here's his little curly tail.

Buffy

2010-02-07T17:30:00.006-05:00

I've got 2 of the 3 little pigs finished and they are adorable! I gave mine some little black hooves, which I like a lot. For the broom handle, I cut long, skinny pieces of felt, stitched them together, and stuffed it with a pipe cleaner.

Wild Willy

2010-02-07T17:19:00.002-05:00

After I saw Clif's Wild Willy, I just HAD to make him. And after Ouida saw mine, she wanted to go home and make him! I used brown hemp cord for his rope.

Kane

2010-02-07T16:17:00.004-05:00

I'd just bought this pretty pinkish/plum wool felt and wanted to use it right away. What little girl doesn't love a pink coat? I used a 1/8" hole punch to make the buttons on her coat. The candy cane is made from white & pink pipe cleaners twisted together.

Claude

2010-02-07T16:10:00.002-05:00

I can't help but think of Tom & Jerry every time I look at this little guy! Glitter felt again on the clothes -- I was on a roll. His tail is stuffed with a pipe cleaner. I made the effort to get real pipe cleaners from a tobacco store. Ouida had told me they were better the craft ones and they are. The wire is stiffer and they're not as fuzzy. The little tree is decorated with tiny glass beads that I stitched on.

Karl Singer

2010-02-07T15:37:00.003-05:00

I used glitter felt on Karl's hat and, like Carol, I added a white page to his book. 3-dimensional arms again, too.

Carol Singer

2010-02-07T15:28:00.004-05:00

For Carol, I used glitter felt on the coat and hat. I added the holly leaves and berry to the hat and put a white page in the book. I made 3-dimensional arms like I always do when the pattern arms are flat. (I hate that.)

Herald Angel

2010-02-07T15:20:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted, but I've been busy with ornaments! The first one I did in 2010 was the Herald Angel.

This will be the 2nd ornament for my friend's daughter, Audrey. This past Christmas, I gave her the Sweet Dreams angel sleeping on the cloud. I stitched down all the little flowers. I added a pipe cleaner halo and also used a pipe clean for the star wand. The pattern didn't show a foot and I thought that looked weird, so I took one from another pattern and used it here.

Leiloni

2009-12-28T15:24:00.003-05:00

I know I made her . . . . but isn't she the cutest thing?

Her body shape was a little strange. She's noticeably shorter than most of the other DeAngelis ornaments and she's almost proportioned like a little person. I think if I did her again, I'd have to get rid of the bouffant hairdo and maybe search through patterns for another hairstyle that could be swapped. But, bad hair or not, she is adorable!

Karate Kid

2009-12-28T15:15:00.003-05:00

This is another original design from me – the non-drawer. I had to “interpret” a piece of clipart I found. I was pretty pleased with how he turned out.

For those of you who have read all the other blog posts on here, you’ll be interested to know that Karate Kid is engaged to Nurse Naomi and they will be getting married next July. I’m sure you can guess which ornaments they’ll be receiving next year!

Jeffrey Jump-Up

2009-12-28T15:06:00.004-05:00

This is the second time I've stitched this ornament and it might be the last! He is really tedious, but the end product is worth the hassle. He just has a lot of little pieces and seems to take about 3 times as long as any other ornament.

This was made for our friends' son who plays basketball at Heidelberg College. Their home game jerseys are actually orange, but I didn't think the basketball would show up very well, so I did the away game colors. I backstitched orange and black around the edges of the uniform to get the school colors on there.

Some of Ouida's Ornaments

2009-12-28T14:58:00.006-05:00

Ouida sent me pictures of only some of her felt ornaments. These are ones she did just recently.

The 3 Little Pigs:

She used a pipecleaner for the broom handle and a real ribbon for the bow tie on the pig on the left. The middle pig has a felt hoe handle that's stuffed with a pipe cleaner. The pig on the right has real buttons on his vest and a pompom on his hat. She stitched all the tails and stuffed them with pipe cleaners so they'd be 3D. Ouida uses real pipecleaners made for pipes, and not craft store pipecleaners. The real ones aren't as fuzzy and the wire is stiffer. Gotta get some of those!

Bearry Special Christmas:

Again, this one has a real ribbon bow at the neck.

Mother Goose:

Those look like pipecleaner legs to me . . . . but knowing Ouida, they're probably stitched from felt and stuffed with a pipecleaner!

More Photos From Clif

2009-11-16T12:44:00.007-05:00

I had another email from Clif with some wonderful photos of ornaments he's completed. Here's Wild Willy, a DeAngelis ornament that's high on my list to try out.

And this next batch of photos really makes me excited because they're ones Clif designed himself based on the characters from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Here's Yukon Cornelius:

This is actually Carolyn DeAngelis' Rudolph pattern:

I have a HUGE elf collection that I get out at Christmas, so these next two really make me happy! Here's Herbie:

and the Choir Master:

This abominable snowman is FANTASTIC!

I've been busy working on Jeffrey Jump-Up, the DeAngelis basketball player. I'd forgotten how many pieces he has and I'm liking him less and less with every stitch! He does look great when he's finished though . . . . photo to come soon!

Fyfield

2009-11-13T19:26:00.003-05:00

This one is for my eleven year-old nephew, Alex, who started playing drums this fall in middle school . . . . much to his mother's chagrin!

I didn't do anything special other than add an arm holding a mallet to the back. The mallet heads are not stuffed. I glued them to the pipe cleaner with a dot of hot glue and then stitched around the edges to close them. I think he turned out really cute!

A Greeting from Clif

2009-11-06T11:29:00.004-05:00

Cass, the woman who sells DeAngelis patterns on Ebay, has included a link to this blog in her listings. What a treat to hear from Clif, a fellow felt ornie enthusiast. Here's his story:

Glad to see there are other Carolyn DeAngelis fans out there... I have about 150 different DeAngelis ornaments I have made and some I have designed myself... When I was growing up my mother knew someone who made the ornaments and bought about 50 over the years... I always thought the ornaments would be mine some day for my family, but my mother remarried and started a new family when I was in my 20's so if I wanted any ornaments I was going to have to make them myself... My mom had no idea where or how to find the patterns and the woman she bought them from had long since passed away... But she did have the "100 Little Things That Count" cross stitch patterns based on the Carolyn DeAngelis ornaments, so I started there... I converted the cross stitch patterns back into ornament patterns... The ornaments my mother had that were not in the cross stitch book I took to work and mashed flat in the photo copier so that I could make patterns for those too... So after that ordeal and ten years of making patterns as best I could, you can imagine my surprise at finding the patterns at That's Odd... I already had made patterns for many that Cass was offering, but I wanted the original patterns anyway so that I could pass them on someday...

Clif was kind enough to include pics of his ornaments. He does beautiful work! Here's his version of Katrina, the ice skating girl.

I thought this was a really great idea. He took the patterns for Karl and Carol Singer, enlarged them, and just did the heads.

And here's Clif's original interpreation of the Grinch. LOVE this one!

Can't wait to hear from him again . . . . and see more pictures of his work!

Flat Zach

2009-11-06T11:15:00.002-05:00

Now THIS was a fun ornament to make. My nephew recently sent me Flat Zach. For those of you who don't know, this is a common school project. Students read the story of Flat Stanley, who travels around the world in an envelope. The kids then make flat representations of themselves and send them to friends and family. Our job is to take the flat person with us and photograph him wherever we go.

I have 2 nephews: Alex and Zach. One of our big traditions is that I give them ornaments each Christmas. I make some, I buy some from places I travel, and I get some to go along with what's going on in their lives that year.

I scanned Flat Zach into my computer and shrunk the image. Then I printed him out and cut him apart to make pattern pieces. After that, it's business as usual! The only difference is that I didn't stuff him. He is FLAT Zach, after all!

Louisville Cardinal

2009-11-06T11:08:00.004-05:00

Here's another self-designed ornament. My husband is a University of Louisville alumni, so I designed this for him. What a pain in the butt it was! Those feet are really skinny and they're completely stuffed with pipe cleaners. He has a ton of pieces and was a true labor of love!

Nurse

2009-11-06T10:59:00.003-05:00

Does this pattern have a name other than "Nurse?" That's all I have on my sheet. I'm naming her Nurse Naomi, after the recipient. A friend's daughter graduated from nursing school this spring and I'll be giving her this at Christmas.

I made a couple of changes:

The pattern had a scalloped top on the nursing hat. It was too bonnet-like for my taste so I changed it. I added that red back-stitched line to give the hat some definition.
I thought the bouquet of flowers in her hand according to the pattern was a little sexist, so I created a stethoscope instead. That's a piece of black satin rattail cord around the neck. Hanging down from there is another piece of satin trim that's flat. The bottom is 2 black circles stitched together with a silver sequin stitched on top.

As always, the arms are 3-dimensional.

Monkey Shine

2009-03-03T16:35:00.002-05:00

Again, I wasn't about to stuff that tail! The pipe cleaner was uncooperative, so I used a thick piece of wire instead. I made the arms 3-dimensional and used a pom-pom on top of the hat instead of a felt circle.

Guitar Hero

2009-03-03T16:22:00.004-05:00

This is a pattern I created myself for my husband. I used the Jeffrey Jump-Up pattern and made some modifications to the body. I used a clip art graphic for the guitar. Unlike Ouida, I am not good at stuffing the long, narrow pieces. Instead of stuffing, I used a couple of pipe cleaners in the neck of the guitar.

If you would like this pattern, email me at thelovedays@sprintmail.com for mailing instructions.

Preacher Paul

2009-02-03T15:30:00.003-05:00

He may call himself Preacher Paul . . . but being a good Methodist girl, I'm calling him John Wesley, because that's exactly who he looks like. I didn't make any changes other than adding a real button to the coat in lieu of a felt circle.

Yule Man for You All

2009-01-28T17:41:00.005-05:00

This guy is really cute . . . until you make 5 of him in a row! He got a little old pretty quick since there was no real way to vary him. This was the Christmas gift for my choir and piano boys. I added a pompom for the nose and hat ball instead of stitching a felt circle.

Katrina

2009-01-28T17:04:00.004-05:00

Katrina was the Christmas gift for the girls who sing in my children's choir or take piano lessons from me. I made 5 of these in different colors. Pretty straightforward . . . I didn't make any changes other than stitching a dashed line across the bottom of the coat hem for a decorative accent.

Sweet Dreams

2009-01-28T13:56:00.004-05:00

Here's my first "Audrey Angel." Audrey is my friend Rachel's little girl. I'm going to make her a different angel each year for Christmas. Isn't this one sweet? She was really quick -- I made her start-to-finish last night while I was watching TV. Here's what I did:

I used plain white felt for the clouds and glitter felt for the wings.

I added a real button to the pajama flap.

I added a silver pipe cleaner halo because I thought it was hard to tell she was an angel, and not just a baby napping on a cloud.

I made her little hand three-dimensional by stitching almost all the way around and then putting in some stuffing.

Nighty-Night!

Brother Lee Love

2009-01-28T13:47:00.004-05:00

Isn't this little guy hilarious? He was fun to do, and pretty easy. I did learn one important thing I will remember if I make another one: I won't fringe the hair until after everything else is complete. I did it before I sewed it on and wound up losing two pieces before it was all said and done. I cut some tiny pieces and glued them in the bald spot and no one will ever know . . . except you!

Here are some changes I made and things I did:

As usual, I made the arms three-dimensional by cutting two pieces for each and stitching and stuffing them. I then attached them at the sides when I stitched the whole body together.
I put little sandals on the feet. I cut a tiny piece of dark brown felt to go across the bottom and then stitched some little straps.

How much do you love that little rosary? I found the cross charms and brown-tone beads at my local craft store and basically just strung a little necklace using some thick carpet thread. Then I wound it around his hands, tacked it on the back with a dot of glue, and glued the hands together.

Nativity Kings

2009-01-28T12:10:00.003-05:00

Here are my completed nativity kings. I love them! I made them for a Puerto Rican friend who celebrates Epiphany each January. Here are some changes I made to the patterns:

I used 3 different skin tones: brown, tan, and an Asian-sort of fleshy yellow.

I gave the "Asian" king some Asian-shaped eyes.

Obviously, I added some beads and sequins along the way!

I made the arms 3-D. Instead of cutting only one layer and stitching them down flat to the fronts of the bodies . . . I cut two layers, stuffed them, and sewed them onto the bodies when I stitched the bodies together. This meant stitching through 4 layers of felt along the outside edge of the arms, but the three 3-D effect is worth it!

I also made the gifts 3-D by cutting two layers and stitching & stuffing.

The gift in the hand of the Asian king is actually upside down. I just liked that shape better!