Jack and Mrs. Sprat

I love the various storybook/nursery rhyme characters that Carolyn DeAngelis designed and I try my best to do one each year for my tree.  This year, I chose Jack Sprat and his wife.  I love the vintage feel they have and I chose bright colors.  I love how they turned out! 

The Mandalorian

We're big Star Wars nerds, so we were excited when the new TV show, The Mandalorian, came out.  Caleb's boyfriend, Alex, is also a big Star Wars and Mandalorian fan.  I couldn't find a pattern, so I went in search of clipart.  I wanted to provide a link, but it looks like the shop isn't on Etsy anymore.  😟  You'll just have to trust me that that's what I did.  The clipart set also included Baby Yoda, so of course I did that, too.  These were not for the faint of heart.  Lots of details means lots of pieces.  LOTS.  OF.  PIECES.  But they both turned out great and Alex was thrilled.  

Bernie Sanders

Sometimes I peruse felt ornament patterns on Etsy just for fun.  (Mainly when I'm procrastinating about doing something else.)  That's what I was doing when I ran across this pattern for Bernie Sanders.  Regardless of how you voted, this shot of Bernie at the inauguration is forever frozen in history and I thought this pattern perfectly captured it with the right amount of detail and humor.  I wound up making three of them this year for gifts and all the recipients loved it!  The first thing everyone said was, "THE MITTENS!"  

Disclaimer:  I'm just sharing resources here . . . . I don't receive any sort of kickbacks for recommending a pattern.  If I like it, I think one of you might like it, too.  

Flamingo

Caleb loves all things tropical.  Pineapples, flamingos, watermelon, hula girls . . . . and the tackier, the better.  His classroom decor is even tropical-themed this year.  I thought he definitely needed a festive flamingo on his tree, so I went in search of a pattern and found this one.  It turned out great and Caleb loved it.  

You'll notice that the top wing is a little sparkly.  A couple felt pattern designers I follow are starting to use this new glitter felt that's on the market.  I have glitter felt from Joann, but it's like regular felt with some glitter sprinkled on it.  This is felt backed and has a very thorough coating of fine glitter on the front.  It's beautiful  It's stiffer than regular felt and a little more challenging to get a needle through, but not impossible.  I would never do an entire ornament from it.  It would take forever and would be too stiff, not to mention the expense!  But it adds a really nice bit of sparkle. 

It's heinously expensive and not for the casual crafter.  I asked for a sample pack for my birthday and got the 6"x 9" sheets.  That should keep me in business for a while.  I got it from an Etsy shop called Benzie because that's the shop recommended by the designers I follow.  Click here if you're interested.  

Disclaimer:  I don't get any kickbacks for providing links to either the pattern or the glitter felt.  I'm just sharing resources with you for things I've purchased and liked.  

    

Alligator

Caleb and I went to New Orleans for a few days over his spring break last year.  For reasons I don't understand, doing a gator tour was on his bucket list.  We managed to fit one in between all the eating we did.  It wasn't the worst thing I've ever done, but I feel no need to repeat it.  We did indeed see some gators up close:

I definitely felt like this would be a good souvenir ornament.  I wasn't crazy about the DeAngelis alligator pattern (sorry, Carolyn), so I went in search of one.  I found this one I liked and he turned out great!  

Disclaimer:  I don't receive free patterns or money or anything else in exchange for sharing a link to a pattern or vendor.  I use a pattern I like, I'll tell you.  And if I use one I don't like, I'll tell you that, too.  

The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls is another of Caleb's favorite TV shows.  I find it dated and not that funny anymore.  (Don't shoot the messenger.)  He loves it, though, and I thought it would be fun to make him a set of ornaments.  I don't know how many different drawings and illustrations I looked at before purchasing these two pieces of clipart on which to base my designs.

Of course, I wanted to add a little bling to each one, so I added a few beads and sequins.  I think they turned out great and Caleb was thrilled.  

I had a piece of zebra print felt that I picked up at Joann years ago.  It's an acrylic square, so it's not the best, but I took stitches a little bigger and did more of them to make sure none pop out.  I think Dorothy looks the most like the actress, but I think Sophia is the funniest with her little purse and her glasses chain.  And, of course, the Rose ornament makes me sniffle a little since Betty White just passed.  

Reminder to clipart designers:  I do not sell the ornaments or the patterns.  I purchase the clipart and use it to make felt patterns.  I profit in no way from anyone else's work.    

Yeti

I make ornaments for my friend's daughters each year.  They are 3-1/2 and 18 months.  This year the older one became fascinated with yetis.  Because toddlers are weird.  I didn't think I'd find a pattern, but lo and behold, I found this one.  Etsy really is a treasure trove of both patterns and adaptable clipart.  I think this ornament turned out really cute . . . given that it's a yeti!

Disclaimer:  I don't receive money or free patterns in exchange for providing a link or mentioning a vendor.  If I find a good pattern, I'll share the link with you.  

Thor

During the big quarantine/shut-down of 2020, Caleb came home for about six months.  He's a teacher and all his work was done remotely, so we decided to hunker down together.  We had a great time doing all the same things everyone else did, largely eating too much and binge-watching shows and movies.  We watched all of Schitt's Creek.  Then we made him watch all 11 of the Star Wars movies.  He, in turn, made us watch all 23 of the Marvel movies.  It was hardly a fair trade.  I can't believe I did it and really feel like I need some sort of medal . . . or at the very least a memorial service to mourn the loss of the hours of my life that died a slow, painful death.  

And because we feel the need to commemorate everything with an ornament, the search began for clipart.  Fortunately, I didn't have to work that hard because there were some awesome patterns available on Etsy from a shop called Mimi Boom.  They are done in the style of the Funko Pop figurines and I thought they were cute and had nice details.  And if there are patterns available, why reinvent the wheel?  This pattern was very nice with full color diagrams and clear instructions.  

I started with Thor because he was Caleb's favorite and I think he turned out great!  

DISCLAIMER:  I do not receive any sort of compensation for recommending a pattern:  neither money, nor free patterns.  I'm just sharing resources I've found.  If it's a good pattern, I'll tell you.  If it's not, I'll tell you that, too.  

Village People, Part II

I made the first half of the Village People in 2019 and I did manage to do the second half in 2020.  Take a minute to go back to that original post to refresh your memory.  The second half turned out just as great as the first half.

These are just so hilarious.  I think they should hook up with the Drag Queens and all go our for the night!  It would be really hard for me to pick a favorite because they all have such fun details.  But I think the motorcycle guy might just edge the others out for this:

Don't hate me because I'm secretly trashy.  It just had to be done.  

Here they are, ready to hit the floor at the disco!

(And, yes -- I did take this before attaching

the construction worker's hammer!)

Reminder to clipart designers:  I do not sell the ornaments or the patterns.  I purchase the clipart and use it to make felt patterns.  I profit in no way from anyone else's work.    

Drag Queens

Our son, Caleb, counts Ru Paul's Drag Race as one of his guilty pleasure TV shows.  He's also a huge lover of my handmade ornaments, particularly if there are beads and sequins involved.  I was bored one night and wondered if there was any drag queen clipart that would possibly work for my purposes.  The ornament gods smiled on me when I found these:  

As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect!  It took a while to track down each individual piece on sites where I could purchase it.  It took some time to design them and some more time to pick out beads and sequins from Cartwright's.  On Amazon, I found tiny rainbow flags meant for cupcakes and they were perfect.  Once I had all the materials and patterns, these were like a good book I couldn't put down.  I decided to give each one a fun drag name and I even stitched those on the back because I like to over-achieve whenever possible.  

So please meet this year's contestants in the Drag Race!

Miss Cherry BonBon

Miss Honey B. Arthur

Miss Kiki Lime

Miss Peachy Keene

Miss Purple Reign

 Miss Sapphire Skye

Here they are, posing for a group shot

I won't lie, these aren't for for the novice stitcher.  They have eye shadow, lips and teeth -- all freehand cut from felt!  Honey B. Arthur and Purple Reign are my favorites.  I love their hair . . . . and, I'm not gonna lie, their cleavage.  I just think they're hilarious.  And Caleb did, too.  They're really some of my best design work.  Since one of our local small-town fairs requires a set of six ornaments for entry in the handmade ornament category, my family really thought these should be this year's entry.  Somehow, I think the humor may have been lost on the older ladies who judge.  

Here's a link to a video of Caleb opening them.  You might want to make him an ornament when you see how much he loves them.  You've been warned!  

Caleb's Ornaments

Reminder to clipart designers:  I do not sell the ornaments or the patterns.  I purchase the clipart and use it to make felt patterns.  I profit in no way from anyone else's work.    

  

Lion King Set

I needed a birthday gift for a young friend and she LOOOOVES The Lion King.  I went in search of clipart to design my own patterns, but actually found some ready-made patterns that worked great.  I did some Googling for clipart of the actual characters and that helped me with details.  I made some changes to the colors and the shape of the eyes to make them more authentic to the movie.  I think they turned out great and my little friend was thrilled with them!  

I did not receive free patterns or anything else in exchange for this post.  I'm just sharing in case you'd like to make a set.  If you do, you can find the Etsy shop here.

Ebenezer Scrooge

Let me issue the disclaimer right up front:  I do not receive free patterns or anything else in exchange for promoting products on this blog.  Pretty sure these pattern designers don't know I exist.  If it's a good pattern, I'll tell you in case you want to make one, too.  And if I run into a bad one, I'll tell you that, too.

Larissa Holland at Mmmcrafts has quickly become my favorite felt ornament designer.  Her patterns definitely aren't for new stitchers, but really anyone who has patience and can follow directions can make her beautiful ornaments.  She designed the 12 Days of Christmas series I completed last year.  In 2020, she launched not one, but TWO new series.  The first one is based on the poem, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."  You saw me stitch the Santa and Mrs. Claus from that series earlier this year.  

She also started a series based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," and I had time to complete one of those.  She began with Ebenezer Scrooge and he is really a beauty.

  

Lots of embroidery, beads, and sequins, which have become a hallmark of Larissa's patterns.  She has the Jacob Marley pattern ready and I've been collecting my supplies.  I predict he'll be the first one completed in 2021!  Her patterns really are extremely thorough with fantastic diagrams and instructions.  If you want to give her a try, you can find her Etsy shop here.  

Storybook Mouse

Ouida was showing me one of the original Carolyn DeAngelis catalogs and we noticed there was a picture of a pattern we didn't have called Amanda:

I figured that would be easy enough to draw a pattern from, so I saved the image.  When it came time for my mom's annual mouse ornament, I remembered this drawing and knew it would be very easy to just stick a mouse head and tail on it.  It was!

Sven

I had three of the characters from Frozen that I designed in the past few years.  Click here if you need to refresh your memory.  I wanted to do a 4th because I thought that would make a nice set.  I had decided on Sven, the reindeer, and hadn't settled on exactly how I wanted to do it.  Then I remembered something Ouida gave me years ago that I'd stuck in a file somewhere.  I went digging and managed to find it!

She sent it because she thought I might like the elves, but it was the reindeer that caught my eye!  I've hung on to that for more than ten years, but look at the date.  1977!!!!  Ouida had hung onto it for longer.  And, fortunately, she also had the black and white drawings, so that made my life much easier.  

He turned out great! 

There are a lot of small pieces, but he went together much quicker than I thought.  And it's a good thing, because I need to do another one by Christmas!

I've done another Elsa and Olaf this year, so I had them handy for a group photo:

Since that initial magazine article included directions and drawings for enlargement, I am able to share the pattern with no problem:

Little Leaguer

I wanted to make ornaments for Linus/Daniel for his birthday and he's a HUGE Cleveland Indians fan.  That was a no-brainer:  Little Leaguer.  I love the Carolyn DeAngelis sports figures.  They have nice details that are well worth the effort.  I can't believe that I'd never made this one before now, but somehow it had escaped me.  I had Tyler/Schroeder do a little snooping to find out which variation of the uniform style was Daniel's favorite and this is the final result:

He turned out great and Daniel LOVED him!  And I didn't want him to feel left out after Tyler got two ornaments for his birthday, so he also got a Pete to remind him of our time in Charlie Brown.  His got chives AND a big pencil!

That's a cuticle stick that I cut and painted, in case you're wondering!  

Pete and Robin Hood

You're probably wondering what in the world these two ornaments could possibly have in common.  It's a Charlie Brown thing.  You might remember from an earlier post that I played Lucy last winter in a community theater production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.  It was pretty unanimous that our favorite song was The Book Report.  The kids have been tasked with writing a 100-word book report about Peter Rabbit and they're all toiling away in their own unique ways.  Charlie Brown can't think of anything to say . . . Lucy is counting words . . . Linus is too academic . . . and Schroeder likens Peter Rabbit to Robin Hood and gets lost in a fantasy.  It was the hardest song in the show and also the most fun to sing.  

At one point, Lucy is talking about Mr. MacGregor's garden and, in an effort to add as many words as possible, lists all the vegetables he grows.  I, in turn, had to sing that list every night.  I don't think I'll ever forget it:

carrots

spinach

onions

lettuce

turnips

parsley

okra

cabbage

string beans

parsnips

tomatoes

potatoes

asparagus

cauliflower

rhubarb

chives

And when I ended the list, "chives" was to be sung in a big, operatic way.  Spontaneously bursting into CHIIIIVES just became a running gag among the cast.  When it came time for Schroeder/Tyler's birthday, I knew just what to do:

If you have the DeAngelis patterns, that's Robin Hood and Pete.  I made a couple of changes to Robin Hood.  For starters, I gave him arms.  The original pattern has none.

I knew I wanted him to hold the notebook and you can't do that without any arms!  For this song, we all had giant composition notebooks and pencils:

  

I gave him a feather on his hat instead of an arrow and moved the arrow to his other hand.  I made a minor change to Pete, too.  I gave him overalls instead of a full jumper.  And instead of a carrot, I gave him CHIIIIIVES!!!!

Both these patterns worked up quickly and were simple to do.  And Schroeder wept when he got them.  Because he's a big sap.  

'Twas the Night: Santa and Mrs Claus

I hoarded my Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments for two years until I got them all done before I shared them with you.  That designer has started releasing a new set of patterns and I decided to share them as I go.  Mostly because this Santa and Mrs. Claus are so fantastic they make me want to weep and I wanted you to see them.  

I know some of you probably think they're too difficult.  I swear -- they're not.  Her directions are SO clear.  It's just like putting together a puzzle.  And she gives you sources for where to order various things if you want to . . . and shows several different color ideas.  She is just a fantastic designer.  There are even links on her website to people who sell the painted heads.  It's a little hard to tell in these pics, but I used glitter felt for the coats and the white trim.  They are so sparkly and amazing, I could just look at them all day long.  I am beside myself thinking about what other designs will be in this series.  Just think about it:

Not a creature was stirring, not even a MOUSE!
The CHILDREN were nestled all snug in their beds!
MAMA in her kerchief!

If there is anything remotely resembling a miniature sleigh with eight tiny reindeer, I will lose my mind.  

Her details take a little time.  Take a look:

That package is stiffened felt that's stitched, but she also includes directions for how to do that from cardstock.  That mistletoe ball is a wood bead covered in tiny glass beads and you can get those at Joann Fabrics.  The candy cane is a white pipe cleaner wrapped in red embroidery floss.  They require a little patience, but they're so worth the extra time.  

My biggest dilemma:  Which one to enter in the fair????



Links to purchase the patterns
Santa
Mrs. Claus



PLEASE NOTE:  I will admit to leaving fan-girl comments on the designer's Facebook page and she has acknowledged those.  That is the extent of my communication with her.  I didn't receive a free pattern for this post and I'm sure she doesn't even know this blog exists.  I saw these patterns when she posted them on Facebook and I followed the link.  

The Pet Set

I did ornaments for our dog and cat back in 2018.  At that time, we just had Violet and Joey.  I went back to look at that post and it made me laugh.  I said:  Last fall, we quite literally inherited another dog from a relative who passed away, so look for a new dog ornament some time this year.  And if Joey has his way, we'll be adding another cat.  He has a friend who comes around regularly to play.  We felt sorry for him, so we put out some food.  Then Mariah named him Whoopie.  It's only a matter of time.  But don't tell Scott I said that!  

Well, we did indeed take in Whoopie on a permanent basis.  It took a long time to win his trust, but he's a great little cat now.  About ten months later, Whoopie brought home a friend.  A really tiny orange kitten.  He was very screamy and very persistent and he eventually wore Scott down.  He darted all over the house like a chipmunk, so Mariah named him Chip.  So at a time in our lives when we should be scaling down on dependents, we find ourselves with five pets.  

The cats were easy, because I just used the pattern I already had and changed the colors.  Oreo required an original design.  She is a pomeranian/fox terrier mix and her coloring makes her look like a border collie.  People are always surprised when they see her in person because they expect a much bigger dog based on her pictures.  She's actually quite small:

And there's Violet -- just generally not caring about anything -- LOL!  I searched for some border collie clipart on Etsy and found something that worked.

Here are the cats:  Joey, Whoopie, and Chip

And here is the pet set!  

DISCLAIMERS:

In case anyone happens by and thinks I've stolen someone else's work or thinks I'm profiting from it:

• I purchased the clip-art.  I did not do a "right click/save as."
• I am not selling a pattern made from this clip-art.  I'm not even giving away a pattern made from this clip-art.  
• I am not selling ornaments made from this clip-art.  

Steppe Brother

I do love my international people and could probably add to that set indefinitely.  I'm always looking at cute clipart of kids from around the world and drooling at the thought of filling a whole tree with those.  I needed to cut out something quickly one day and went back to my Carolyn DeAngelis patterns.  I saw the pattern for Steppe Brother, a Russian Cossack, and decided to whip him up.  I looked at a few Google images for color inspiration and I'm really  happy with how he turned out.