In a Pickle

 Today's post is brought to you by the word, pickles.  Yay for pickles!  I love 'em, do you?!

When I found out my partner in the Phat Quarter Food swap had the nickname, Gherkin, I knew I had to go with it.  So I made her a pickle jar, with my attempt at a label.  It says, "Leslie's World Famous Gherkins.  Petites with a punch."  Originally it was to be a patch, but I think this came out better.  Now if I could have just got a good picture of it.  Taking pictures of round things is hard!

 I guess the fabric I used for the words was too thin, I've never had it stretch out like that before?  Any suggestions?  It didn't seem like that when it was one the hoop.

 I started by plotting out a pattern on the computer, mainly to play with all the different fonts.  And to get the oval shape even, I'm terrible at that sort of thing.  I transferred it onto the green fabric with my trusty Clover pencil and stitched away.  Somehow my stitching turned out a little crazy in the word, famous.  However, I'm learning not to beat myself up and obsess over every little thing, so I went with it still.  Once the stitching was complete I cut it out with pinking shears and stitched it onto the orange felt.

The jar is an upcycled Trader Joe's coffee can that I covered with vintage green linen.  I couldn't quite get the back seam right, so I used some coordinating ribbon to cover that up.  Not thrilled about that so I didn't take a picture, ha.  I finished up by attaching the vintage foodie trim with tiny dabs of hot glue.  Then I glued the entire patch onto the jar.  Added some felt to the lid, done!  I filled the jar with goodies and sent it on it's way.  My partner, Leslie, liked it, so I'm happy!

Ok, once I share pics of the foodie pieces I've received lately, I promise- no food posts for a while.

I'm a Bookworm- Part 2

I realized as I looked at my Happy Hoopy Wall that I never showed you guys what I got in the Phat Quarter Book Themed Swap.  I'm terrible! 

I got this little lovely from Salvaged Mutiny.  She's a talented stitcher who makes costumes while traveling the world on a giant cruise ship.  Find her on flickr or check out her blog!

Check out all the detail in the trees!   Isn't that awesome?  I love fairy tales, especially the dark ones, so this was right up my alley.  I'm certainly a lucky gal.

Well, that's all I've got for tonight.  I'm off to bed so I can get up bright and early for the morning shift at my work.  See you tomorrow for Snapshot Friday!  Sweet dreams, kids.

I'm a Bookworm!

Two posts?!  On a Monday?!  I know, I'm blowing your mind here.  I have to confess that I've been dying to post this, so I just couldn't wait.  I recently participated in the Phat Quarter Swap.  It was my first swap in a while, as I've been feeling a little iffy on the subject lately.  With a theme like "Books" though, how could I resist?!  I got word that my partner had received her piece and loved it.  Yay, success!

Want to see it?! Okay, here!

I was excited to here that we share a common love of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so I went with that.  This is based on a photo of him in his younger days.  I really enjoy making personalized pieces for people in swaps and it's even better when it's something I love too.  I rarely work in one color, so it's always crazy to see all the detail you create.

I also had the pleasure of learning a new stitch for this piece.  I learned the Turkey Stitch, thanks to a little help from Youtube.  I think it worked great for his mustache. 

So, yeah, that's one of the projects that's kept me busy lately.  Glad I could share it with you.  I hope it's generated some interest in you for Marquez's work.  If you've never read any of it, cruise by your local library and pick some up.  I'd suggest One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera.  Both are amazing, you won't be disapointed.

Thanks for tuning in twice today, guys!  You're the best :)  See you again later.