Yay! and Boo!

Thanks to all who entered the give-away for a spot in my online workshop. Let's hear a big YAY! for Christine who was randomly chosen as the lucky winner! I...See more » Thanks to all who entered the give-away for a spot in my online workshop. Let's hear a big YAY! for Christine who was randomly chosen as the lucky winner! I will be emailing her details asap as the workshop begins Monday October 12th. Now let's hear a big BOO! for the rest of us...a nice Halloween *BOO* that is. I've had this pumpkin idea in my head for a bit and finally had a moment to whip one together. It's time for Halloween decor, Stat! Do you remember Hoopie the Snowman that I made last year? Well Jack the Hoop-o-lantern is the new guy in town! He's made from a scrap of felted wool sweater placed in an embroidery hoop that I spray painted black. Then I pinned yellow felt to the back and reverse appliqued the features with black embroidery floss using a backstitch. After stitching, I cut away the orange to expose the yellow. The stem is a rolled piece of felted sweater ribbing, fringed, and glued on top of the hoop where the screw was. (see last year's snowman post for more details) Wouldn't a whole row of these look adorable? That's my intention...to use different size and shaped hoops with a variety of "carved" faces. For now, though, he'll have to hang amongst the florals on my studio wall. He's a easy going guy, I don't think he'll mind. Want more embroidery hoop ideas? My pal Maya recently posted her beautiful hoop dreams. She thought her doilies looked sweet and nostalgic. I thought they'd look great with a big black spider lurking on one of them. But that's just me. :) Hope you have a chance to make a few of these this weekend. Oh boy next week is going to be a doozy. My online workshop begins Monday. (If you're a participant, look for your log-in email later today!) Also next week: my new organic fabrics for fall!See less »