Embroidered teatowel

I've been on a bit of a craft book buying splurge, of late. It started just before my birthday. What kicked it off was actually a sudden desire I developed, to own Aimee Ray's Doodle-stitching, which I'd seen for months in the shops (but was now not to be found Anywhere. I looked! Bah.)



I finally caved and bought the book on Fishpond. It came with me to Queensland, at the beginning of the month, and I finished a few small embroideries, including this bird on a branch. Once home I paired it with some glorious quilting fabric and this amazing royal blue tea-towel, to produce what I hope will be a very nice small gift for a friend's X-Mas.

Dear Internets

My name's Aphie and I have a problem. It's been two days since my last Spotlight visit. I said I was going for pinking shears, and I came back with a bag of stickers and stamps for card-making as well. The time before, I was going for a metre of black chiffon and found myself leaving with a bag of miscellaneous cotton prints and some knit polyester that was only $3 a metre so really I couldn't pass up such a good bargain, could I?
My fabric stash is taller than I am, and three or four times as wide. I don't have space left for all my cardmaking supplies in my cardmaking drawers.

I need help. I need an intervention.
Or maybe I just need... to craft more?

O Yes, My Pretty!

Way back when I last saw my grandmother (in May) she brought me a bunch of stuff she thought I could use; a Christmas tree, some of my old toys from when I lived with her, and her old overlocker.

I have never owned (nor personally used) an overlocker before in my life, and I am both squeeing and terrified of this baby. So, she has been sitting in her lovely case, with her box of tools and threads beside her, for month now. Last week I pulled her out and edged some wipes for the baby.



I'm starting to feel braver. I think I need a proper project to try her out on.
I also think I'll call her Brunhilda.

Softies

This unnamed hippo is the second I've made from this Two Little Banshees pattern. Her sister's name is Bubbles, and she is a lot wonkier. Luckily, I was always the sort of kid who appreciated the 'imperfect' stuffed toys in shops more than their perfectly balanced siblings!

Unnamed Hippo is not going to be staying with me, though. I'm hoping that she, and a few friends, will be headed off to Melbourne come early November, for the Softies for Mirabel charity collection this year.
I've never actually completed a softie before and once I've mastered this pattern, I'm hoping to try my hand at a few more, so I've been scouring the internet for ideas and tutes. There are so many out there!

This little girl with beret and capelet is super sweet, for instance. But there's also this little felt dolly or their weird contemporary if I'm not in a "sweet" mood.

If I wanted to stick with the animal theme, there's also heaps of options, like a Pointy Kitty, Blinking Flights Bug (designed by a local from my city!) or some of these Beautiful birds. I think I want to have a go at that last one for myself, to put on a twig to decorate my house. But that will come later.