Another Last-Minute Christmas Gift

It is amazing what you can do when you are creative!

Take these fire-breathing dragon mitts (idea from Martha Stewart).

Buy a pair of mittens from the dollar store.

Cut out some felt 'dragon-spine' shapes and sew by hand on the top part of the mitt.

I used two colours, sewed them together
by machine and then hand sewed them to the mitts.

Sew on a felt tongue and some button eyes (or you can embroider on the eyes)

Accompany them with a short chapter book- My Father's Dragon (1948) by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

the first in a trilogy....
but this one is my favourite of the three

Put them in a nice tin...

and there you go!

A perfect gift for a little one!

Here's another colour combination.

(for another gift idea from last year's December post, click here)

Transforming

My thoughts have turned to holiday preparations... a wreath make-over.

I spray-painted my tired red wreath...

and turned it into a more interesting decoration...in my opinion.

Transforming.

I do that with my textile work as well. I take something that I made and that I don't like and paint over it and stitch over it and turn it into something wonderful. Sometimes that new layered fabric piece finds its way into a work at a later date.

Transforming.

This next image is courtesy of my daughter who lives in Paris. She noticed this wonderful tree along a hidden passageway...on her way to pay her first French TAX!! It transformed her day.

photo credit, Sophia Reford

Christmas is around the Corner

It's difficult for me to get into the Christmas spirit while the weather is so mild.

I did start making my gifts though.

Who said making things is the cheaper way to go??

spring

I hear it snowed in Toronto.

view of the snow-capped mountains
from Ponte della Vittoria

In Verona, it was a gorgeous day... sunny and warm and wonderful.

me this morning waiting for a coffee

After a few errands, I met up with my friends at the Ad Maiora studio. I had some time to sew after lunch. I tried out the new quilting technique I saw on one of Jennifer Manefield's quilts. It is just straight sewing but not too straight. In fact, the lines are slightly crooked on purpose. I think it will look great using variegated thread on one of my scrap quilts.

preparing for my class on Friday. 

On Friday morning, I am teaching how to make a zippered pouch. As a sample, I am using the fabric pieces I dyed in Marina Tavella's class (www.windowonweb/marinatavella) while the Canadians were in Verona.

It has been a while since I have been at the sewing machine. It felt really good to sew for an hour while the sun danced on my fabric.