Mini Valentine ornament - free pattern and tutorial

I created a small ornament with hearts on all sides. I named it Heart Pyramid, although it is rather a pyramid upside down :)


Here is the free pattern first, then I will show you with some photos how to sew it together.
Click on this picture to get the pdf file.

The red lines in the pattern should be done in backstitch, the blue lines should NOT be stitched but those are where you will fold the fabric.

Here you can see how I folded back the top of the fabric, all the way to the red line, then did the same with the bottom.

Then I folded back the triangle-shaped extra fabric between the motifs on the bottom part of the pattern, so that the red backstitch lines meet and can be sewn together. The next picture shows how this looks from the back side. Can you see that triangle of fabric folded back?

To sew I used whip-stitch going only under the backstitches, not in the fabric. Just as we do with biscornus. Except here we do the backstitch over two squares diagonally, so they are longer stitches than normally and I prefer to stitch them together with two whipstitches going under each backstitch. I love how it looks like lace.

Continue to sew together the backstitch lines.


Then fold in the extra fabric at both ends and sew together the two lines on the ends.

Then stuff the ornament with some fiberfill and stitch together the smaller triangles on the top, the same way, folding the extra white fabric to the inside. As you can see, I added a small red bead at each corner.

Finally, I added a few more beads and a little tassel at the bottom, and a cord at the top.

I hope you like it. It is much easier than it sounds, it can be done in an evening - just enough time until Valentine's day.

Happy stitching :)

Valentine's Heart - free chart again

I seem to be carried away with my designing lately, I don't make one but a "series" right away. (This is how I eat apples - I never eat one, start with two and usually eat a third one as well.)

As a result, here is another free heart chart - this time with traditional, sampler-style love birds. Tell me what you think of it.

Happy stitching :)

Free blackwork pattern for Valentine's Day

I have been missing stitching blackwork, so I thought it was time to try and draw another pattern. I am planning to do a few hearts in different styles and different stitches, we will see if I have enough time and energy to do it.

Anyway, here is the first heart in blackwork. I hope you will like it and use it for some lovely gifts.

Here is my finished mobile phone case:

And here is my loom. I bought it in October but didn't have time to assemble it before the winter holidays. Then I was stuck for a while on how to hang the heddles. Then I found a really good video that helped me. Now it is ready to start the warping - as soon as I have enough energy.

Valentine's Day Biscornu

It does not often happen to me that I am prepared in advance. :D Now, however, I remembered that Valentine's Day is not so far away, about four weeks from today. That means there is still enough time to make a few little gifts.

What about a lovely biscornu in lovely pinks? Or, if you feel like purple or blue - go ahead, change the colours, pick your favourites, get creative :)

I got a bit carried away, couldn't keep the two sides in the same style, one is more controlled, symmetrical while the other is a bit whimsical - but I have a feeling it will look quite good when put together. There is place in the middle for a nice little button.

I think I am also going to stitch this soon but didn't want to wait until I have a finished product to photograph. Perhaps someone can stitch it before me? Race you? :D :D


Please enjoy, and send me a photo if you make it.

Click on the picture, as usual, to get the pdf download. In case you don't have Google and can't download it, write a comment and I will send it to you in an e-mail.

New Year - new projects

Here are some pictures of what I have done this year.

The dress, to be honest, I started last year, sometime in October. It was supposed to be a wrap dress, following this pattern but it didn't work out. First, I cut the fabric wrong, tried to sew together two pieces to have the right size but it didn't look very good. Then I could not follow the instructions in the tutorial, didn't understand how to sew together the sides (if someone can explain, I would be grateful). Anyway, I was so disappointed, I almost threw out the whole thing. But I just put it in a corner and promised to take it out again when I have calmed down.

So I took it out now, and instead of the wrap dress I just sewed it together in the middle and created a faux button plaque. It was too low in the neckline (after all I teach in a school) so I added that piece of lace. The front is shorter than the back, on purpose. I also decided to add some elastic in the sleeves. After all the problems, I think I did a good job, I am really happy with it. :)

This is a pajama top I made following a pattern I made from a favourite t-shirt that is too old now. I tried to add some embroidery with my sewing machine, I think it looks great.

Next I will make a t-shirt from a nicer knit fabric with the same pattern.

I couldn't resist buying the holder for my i-phone that you can do cross stitch on. Actually, I bought two. This is for my boyfriend, not ready yet. I just wanted you to know that you can unpick the stitching on the silicon and stitch again, even though they say in the instructions that it is not designed for that. I stitched the bird first upside down and decided to try to unpick. I wasn't easy, but not not impossible either.

And finally a square I am making for the charity quilts project I am helping, a Groovy Chick pattern. I am working on a second one right now, almost ready with that, too.

You gotta love long winter holidays!!! :D :D

Happy New Year

Baby Jesus in a nutshell - tutorial

I wanted to make a tutorial on how to make a Baby Jesus in a nutshell like this. They are traditional in Hungary. You can make a handful in an hour, so perhaps it is worth sitting down tonight, in the middle of the hectic preparation, and make some with the kids.

Unfortunately I haven't made photos when I made these, and have no opportunity to take any right now (I am sitting on a ferry to Finland), but I thought if someone wants to make some, it is so easy, perhaps I can write down the tutorial without the pictures, and it might still work.

You will need:

halved walnutshells
wooden beads (mine were about 1 cm in diameter)
white fabric scrap for the duvet: a circle about 7 cm in diameter)
a little bit of fiberfill or other stuffing
a piece of white lace for the head (I had some small pieces of crocheted lace, but if you have none, just a small piece of white fabric would do)
golden cord, about 20 cm
small golden charm (I used a star)
glue


To open the walnut, push a knife in the wider end, wiggle carefully, and most of the times it opens easily. Take out all the nut. I have pictures of this step.

Take the golden cord, fold it in half, tie a knot and glue it in the narrower end of the nutshell.

Wrap the lace piece around the wooden bead, as if it was a head scarf, and sew or glue in place. I just sewed through the hole in the bead a few times.
Glue the head on the top of the golden cord.

Sew running stitches around the white circle, about half a cm from the edge. Pull the ends, and put a little stuffing in it, then tie the ends together.
Glue it into the remaining empty space in the nutshell, push it down so that it fills it all.

Glue a star in the middle.

Actually, next time I will make them, I will embroider something in the middle of the fabric circles before doing the running stitch, it might look even better than the glued star - but I came up with the idea too late.


Finally, draw a face. I only drew sleeping eyes but you can add more details if you want.

If something is not clear, go ahead and ask.


I made about 20 for the Christmas market and they were very popular. :)