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Thursday, February 12, 2009

A couple of things

Am still working on the Geisha's finishing touches. I'm not at all pleased with the instructions for making the Obi. I've been fighting with it for days. I keep picking it up and putting it down and going to work on something else. I am now just going to do what  I know should be done and toss the instructions aside as there are missing details and measurements that aren't correct. It's so frustrating. The finished doll will be more of what I did to make her look beautiful, not what the pattern says....Arggggh, hate that.

On the lighter side, I did a couple of quickie things in between my moments of frustration. I cross stitched a little bookmark for a friend that I help out every couple of weeks. She doesn't want a lot of stuff around but is an avid reader, so this seemed ideal for a birthday gift. She has her cat that she adores, so of course, a cat theme gift.

catbook1

and then there's the back. I used this funny piece of cat material I found. Then I matched the threads at the top to the front and back. Here is where I found the pattern.Patterns Online

catbook2

The other things I got done, were a pair of potholders. Fabric Traders is having a Valentine Tea on Saturday to kick off the pot holder drive for the Sidney Food Bank, so she's asked that we bring in red/pink pot holders. These are what I did. I get so tangled up with paper piecing and manage to make it harder than what it is, so AFTER they were done, is when I asked for help....;o( I used a free block pattern from this site. Free Paper Piecing Blocks and it's called Candy Box Heart. I did manage to make them acceptable and if you're a quilter and can overlook my boo boo's, you'll like them. ;o) I did a bit of top stitching beside the heart and it made it puff up, so that made me feel better....

valentinepotholder2

valentinepotholder1

2 comments:

  1. I so agree about patterns that lack proper or clear instructions but, in saying that, it has been a wonderful opportunity for you to let your own creativity shine through. I can hardly wait to see her finished.

    The bookmark is so cute, Ro! I haven't done cross-stitch in a VERY long time but it was something I enjoyed.

    Well, I'm no quilter but your pot holders sure look wonderful to me, Ro. What a nice idea for Valentine's Day ~ :)

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  2. Hi Serena, I will make the Obi fit but using my own measurements and have given up on what the instructions say to do. One of the potholders has an obvious booboo, but I'll treat it a design feature... ;o))

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