Some of my Christmas Crafts

Inspired by your posts, here are some of my Christmas crafts this year:

For the Art Center holiday market, I made some of my origami flower sculptures (so far they are selling well):

I also did an origami bonsai Christmas wall hanging for the front hall:

We did a bare branch tree for the front hallway, inspired by a tree in the German Room at the Highfield Hall Christmas celebration.

And lastly, my ornament of the year is a mushroom ornament, inspired by the beautiful Boletus bicolor!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM AVERILL MOUNTAIN CRAFTS!

Guardian Angel Embroidery

I began this project before moving and just finished it recently.  In Greek, "angelos" means "messenger" and according to biblical scriptures, an angel is a messenger from God.  In the Orthodox tradition, a guardian angel is "an angel of peace, a faithful guide & guardian of our souls and bodies whom God sends to each of us.  A blessed Christmas to all, and may PEACE abound in our hearts and in the world!

Crafts keep happening.....

 Inspired by driftwood sculptures on Campobello Island this past summer, I created these pieces from my driftwood collections.

I decided to challenge myself with a hooded scarf from this book. It was hard at first, with directions missing and confusing words. But I kept on and made a sample....>>>>
I have found some nice yarn and started it again. I think I can, I think I can.......

Crocheted Quilt Designs--- a New Look

The water lily design is finished and waiting for a pillow insert.  I do like the water lily design. The two right hand squares use some yarn that was spun with cat fur from my two Maine Coon cats, now gone. This pillow will help me remember them when I use the pillow.  The reverse side is my free interpretation of a birch forest near the pond.

The next quilt designs will be oversized, crocheted with large hooks and used for small scatter rugs and other pillow covers. They will go faster. The design I am considering is Sunflowers as I have lots of the colors I need for them, yellow, brown, and green.  Stay tuned.    

Water lily inspired quilt design crocheted pillow cover

The  inspiration 

The design planning

The  finished product

A close up

Beginning Quilting

     

Since I am new at quilting, I decided a good beginner project would be some simple "mug rugs" or coasters.  Deciding what colors & fabric patterns look good together from my small batch of scraps was fun.  And since the results were pleasing, I think I am feeling ready to try the next step, which will probably be a small quilted wall hanging.   What's everyone else up to these wintry days?

Trying a New Craft...

     I've had a box of wool fabric sitting around from my rug braiding days and decided to put it to use by making a "penny rug" with some of it.  I've been admiring the penny rugs I'd seen on various crafting websites and blogs and decided it was time to try making one myself.  I love chickadees and thought they would be a good theme for my first "rug".
     Penny rugs got their name from the round "pennies" or circles that made up the first penny rugs.  In the 19th century, wool scraps from worn out clothing that was too small to be recycled in other ways, was cut into various sized circles and then sewn together at the edges and then sewn onto a burlap backing to make rugs.  Today they have evolved into decorative table runners, wall hangings and candle mats.
     My "penny rug" is a candle mat or center piece for a table.  The top photo shows it being used as a mat for a table lamp.  It is traditional to use the blanket stitch to stitch the rug together and I found that it went fast and that I really enjoyed the stitch.  Good thing, because this little rug required a lot of stitching!