My Projects

I have always been "crafty", as my college roommate would put it.  I started with latch hook rugs and tin punch pieces with my mother.  She is my inspiration for my crafting.  My mom never looks at a craft and says "I could never do that".  If she wants to make something, she does.  She may make a lot of mistakes along the way and have to start over a few times, but my mom makes what she wants to make.  I try to channel that spirit.  For instance, when my husband and I bought our house I decided that I would sew curtains even though I had barely used a sewing machine before.  I make rectangular, super simple curtains for the dining room and then decided that roman shades would look best in the living room.  I purchased a pattern for roman shades and many yards of fabric and just did it.  My mom was really impressed.

Here's a selection of my projects:

A wedding gift for my brother and sister-in-law:

This was a true labor of love.  My brother and his fiancé were so happy to have found each other.  I wanted to make a custom gift symbolizing their union, and the coming together of their families, including my brother’s daughter from his first marriage.  I spent hours on Etsy trying to find just the right thing, but ended up designing my own pattern with interlocking hearts.  The new family is in the smallest heart and they are enveloped by a heart representing the bride’s family and a second heart representing the groom’s family.  For the flowers I took inspiration from an old cross stitch pattern I had laying around. My favorite part of this piece is the small area just above the smallest heart.  It is a scrap of fabric from the bride’s wedding gown.

Christmas gifts for teachers:

I took my inspiration for these teachers’ gifts from Pinterest.  They were quick and satisfying projects, and saved me some money as well.  The teachers appreciated the uniqueness of the gifts and have told me that they display them on their Christmas trees at home.

A Cardigan for Myself:

Last year I decided to sew something for myself.  I found this great design at Rebecca Page (https://rebecca-page.com).  The great thing about Rebecca Page is that they post "sew-along" videos so you can see exactly how it's done.  Without the videos, I don't think my cardigan would have turned out as good as it did.  People are always surprised when I say that I sewed it myself - they think it is store bought!

A knit wrap for my cousin:

Every Thanksgiving my the adults in my husband’s family draw names for a pollyanna, with gifts worth no more than $50 to be exchanged on Christmas.  This past year, I drew my cousin’s name.  I wanted to make something special for Jaime, something that wouldn’t be forgotten in a year or two.  My first thought was a sweater, but it is so difficult to get the fit right.  I found the pattern for this wrap at KnitPicks (www. knitpicks.com) and knew right away it would make the perfect gift.  I ordered the kit which cost about $60 (hey, everyone in this pollyanna cheats on the limit!), and which included 5 skeins of yarn chosen by the designers at KnitPicks.  

By the time I chose the project and the materials arrived it was December 10.  Let me tell you, I have never knitted so fast in my life!  Luckily, the type of yarn stitched up quickly and easily, and I finished on December 23rd.  I think Jaime looks smashing in it!

A Dr. Who Scarf for my Teenaged Niece:

Several years ago I decided to make something special for my niece.  I’m not great about getting birthday presents for my nieces and nephews, so when I give a gift I like to make it a big one.  I knew she loved the Dr. Who series and found a pattern at http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/s12.html.  The creator of the doctorwhoscarf website gives yarn recommendations and a precise pattern so that you can create a scarf just like the one in the tv show.  The original Dr. Who scarf is about 12 feet long.  At my brother’s recommendation for his 5’3” tall daughter, I made hers just 6 feet long.  The tassels really add to the look.

A Knit Baby Wrap for my Baby Niece

I have knitted and crocheted a million baby blankets over the years, usually in the standard baby blue and pink.  For my sister-in-law Laura’s first baby I wanted to make something more sophisticated looking.  To be honest, I cannot remember where I found this pattern, but I know that I went to a specialty yarn store in Philadelphia for the yarn.  It was part wool and part acrylic, if I remember correctly.  It knitted up like a dream.  I found this great dark blue color and decided to add a light pink contrast around the edges.  It was perfect for her perfect baby girl!

A Layette Set for my First Daughter

Isn’t she cute?!  I made this set way back in 2005 and it was my first attempt at a sweater.  It was much more complicated than the rectangular baby blankets I was used to making.  I made a million mistakes along the way and if you look closely at the sweater you can see that the sleeve seams don’t quite line up right.  It’s special to me, though, and its one of the few items I kept from her babyhood. 

Home Decor Pieces

I made this piece for my living room, where we have recently painted the walls white and the trim work blue.  I have found a great (and free) source for cross stitch and embroidery patterns at the website for DMC floss (www.dmc.com).  The pattern was done in red floss, but knew that I had the perfect blue for my living room in my stash of floss.  It’s the first geometric pattern that I have stiched and I love the way it looks like tiles.  It was a little tedious after a time, but on the other hand, it went quickly because it was all done in the same color.  

During 2020 when we spent so much time at home I fell in love with a the traditional sampler.  I made two samplers during quarantine, one for my home and and for my parents (pictured left).  It was so much fun designing the samplers, especially creating the houses, which match the shape of the house of the recipient.  I put a modern spin on the sampler by working in patchwork and including different fonts.