Leo

This is another one of those patterns that's a little deceiving.  It is SUPER unappealing on paper.  I wanted to do a lion, the Alpha Delta Pi mascot, for Kelly's ornament this year.  Every time I went to cut out a new ornament, I'd look at this pattern and think, "Yuck.  I'll design something better than that."  Push came to shove time-wise and there just wasn't time to design something from scratch.  I decided to do my best to make this one look presentable.  

Here's the picture from the original pattern:

See what I mean?  Snoozefest.  The more I looked at it, the more I realized that what was bugging me was that the mane and body were one piece.  That just didn't even make sense to me.  I figured if I could make them separate pieces, that would probably help in terms of color.  Here is the Alpha Delta Pi lion logo:

I looked at several images and they were all the same: two-tone lions in light blue and a darker blue.  Easy peasy.  A simple drawn line, an additional piece and abra cadabra:

Doesn't he look great?  And don't let that stitching scare you away.  I was too lazy to walk downstairs to get embroidery floss, so that's just two strands of plain old thread.  He went together pretty quickly, so if you're in a pinch, stitch up this one!  I can't wait to give him to Kelly . . . she'll love him!

Beary Christmas Special . . . With a Twist

As you know, I make a different mouse for my mom every year.  I did this year what I did last year: modified a bear pattern.  This is actually one of the Beary Christmas Special patterns.  I borrowed a mouse head and tail from one of the mice patterns and it worked great!  The candy cane is super cute and this one looks great on the tree. 

Here is a REALLY lousy shot of my mom's Christmas tree with all her mouse ornaments.  She sent this photo in an email in such a way that I could not figure out how to download it or save it.  I finally gave up and just took a picture of my computer screen!

Snorkeling Brayden

We took a family vacation to Mexico in June and it was Brayden's first experience with snorkeling.  I didn't think we'd ever get him out of the water.  This was my view of him for pretty much the entire trip.

I made the Snorkeling Mariah ornament after her first trip to Mexico, so I thought Brayden needed one, too.  I went to Etsy in search of clipart and found the boys' version of the art I'd used for Mariah.  Since I knew what I was doing this time, I took pictures of how I did the mask.  I used clear vinyl tablecloth covering.  This is much thinner and easier to stitch through than actual clear vinyl.  

First, you cut a piece of vinyl bigger than the mask.

Sandwich it between the two pieces of felt and pin it.  

Stitch around the inside of the mask, going through the felt and the vinyl.

Trim away the vinyl inside the mask with a tiny pair of scissors.

 Then you have this.

Now comes the fun part.

Start stitching and stick in the pipe cleaner.

Keep stitching and bending as you go.  

When you get to about here, you have to measure and cut.

Bend it around, stick it down in there, and finish it up!

It's really not as hard or time-consuming as it looks.  The first couple of stitches are the worst and then it's smooth sailing from there.  He turned out great and I'm anxious to see them hanging side-by-side on the tree!  

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.  

Goldie

Our family really enjoyed watching the Olympics this summer.  Especially the women's gymnastics.  I thought an ornament would be a fun way to remember the nights we spent crowded together on the couch watching Team USA conquer the world.  Caleb and Mariah were particularly captivated, so I made one for each of them.  

Step one was to locate some clipart to adapt.  I always go straight to Etsy.  I can almost always find exactly what I'm looking for, it's always affordable, and you can download it instantly.  I found this really cute set for $3.  Step two was to decide on which of the various uniforms to use.  After looking through pictures on the web, I thought this one could be fun with sequins and red glitter felt.

Once I got the pattern drawn up, it was time to cut out and start stitching.  Here's a little lesson on perspective.  I got to this stage and just wasn't happy.  Something didn't look quite right.  I finally decided the facial features were too small and too close together.  I took out the stitches, moved the eyes farther apart, and made the smile bigger and that took care of things.  

I named her Goldie and she turned out great.  I always do my people ornaments with hair and eye color to match the recipient's.  Here are my two ornaments for Caleb and Mariah.  

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.  

Angela

It's time for another angel ornament for Audrey:  her 8th, in fact.  I can remember I was in kind of a blah mood the day I started her ornament.  None of the patterns were really appealing to me too much.  I just sort of randomly picked one and just started cutting.  Ouida and I have talked more than once about how some patterns look really good on paper and then aren't quite as exciting when they're done.  Other patterns look totally stupid on paper and you cringe when someone requests them and then they turn out great.  That was the case with Angela.  The pattern just didn't do anything for me at all, but I love the finished product.  Maybe it's the color choice.  Or the fact that I made the wings a little bigger.  Who knows?!  Whatever the case, I think Audrey will love her!

Fire Chief Freddy

Hello, friends!  Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I've actually been stitching and getting ornaments done, I just haven't taken the time to sit down and write a post.  In addition to ornaments, I've been busy with some other sewing projects including a Victorian dress and a wardrobe of American Girl doll clothes.  Another day, another stitch!

At any rate, here's a new ornament I did for my friend's little boy.  This is the third ornament I've made him and each year I do one of the boys for him.  This year I chose Fire Chief Freddy.  He really turned out great!  There are so many different things you could do with this one in terms of color choice.  I also think he'd be great paired with the fire truck pattern, Red Hot.  I might have to break down and do those for myself some time.

This little guy was relatively quick and easy.  The only thing that bugs me is that I think he needs something in his hand.  An axe, maybe?  Hmmmm . . . . we'll see if I have time to revisit that thought before Christmas.  What do YOU think?  

Frizbee

Since it's August and I have completed a whole TWO ornaments this year, I finally decided it was time to get down to serious business.  And by serious business, I mean it's time to see what patterns I can whip up the quickest for the people I make ornaments for every year.  First up:  my friend Rachel's three kids.  Angels for Audrey, mice for Allyson, and boys for Reid.  Nothing in the mouse department grabbed me right away when I looked through my patterns, so I defaulted to plan B:  look through the bear patterns.  Frizbee looked like a likely candidate!

I'll be the first to admit that this isn't the most exciting ornament I've ever made.  Sometimes the pattern looks a little boring, but the finished product surprises you.  No big surprises here!  But it was quick and that just had to be my focus for this year.  I added the little bow because it was pretty plain and I thought that might help a little.  I also used white glitter felt for the sheet, though you can't tell from my less-than-stellar photo.  If you need to whip one up quickly, give this pattern a try!