Mini Embroidery Hoop Necklaces

I was so excited to finally find some amazing miniature embroidery hoops on Etsy and ordered 10 immediately......

...they are from Sonia at dandelyne who is so delightful to deal with and genuinely enthusiastic about her fantastic product and what her customers are creating with her hoops.

 

So here is the new range of Cupcake Cutie necklaces...

 

Mushrooms in blue and...

....Mushrooms in green.

Mr Fox

 

Ms Bunny

Babushka Mushroom

 

Babushka Hedghog

 

 

All the designs are teeny tiny cross stitches onto felt and have a 20" necklace chain...

....with a lovely back to finish them off...

 

You can find all the Mini Embroidery Hoop Necklaces in my felt or Etsy stores.

 

P.S Available as a brooch too!



NEW PATTERNS + A GIVEAWAY

I will keep it short and sweet......Cupcake Cutie has FIVE new cross stitch/needlepoint patterns.....


'A Couple of Gnomes'

'Miss Riding Hood'

'Girl Paper Doll'



'Boy Paper Doll'

'Woodland Matryoshka'

...and I want to give them away.

Just leave a comment telling me which one you would like to win and you will go in the draw to win your favourite!

I am also working on Hama bead versions of these patterns too. So far I have completed the Woodland Matryoshka pattern...

...so you can win this one if you prefer.

Look forward to your comments...you have to be in to win!

Free pattern/tutorial: Felt Russian Doll softie

Sew your own Mini Russian Doll....

This is a great quick project that can make use of all your felt scraps and left over embroidery floss.

I usually make about 3 dolls at a time using similar colours that way I don't have to keep rethreading the needles all the time.

If you think you will use the pattern more than once I would recommend cutting the pattern pieces out in cardboard to make for easy tracing again and again.

You will need:

The pattern which you can download HERE
Scraps of felt
Embroidery floss - assorted colours
Needle
Sharp scissors
Fading fabric marker

Lets get started.....

Here I have chosen 4 colours of felt and cut out 3 dolls alternating colours for the various pieces. Then I have mixed and matched bodies and flowers etc until I am happy with the combinations - I am quite a fan of random.

For most stitching I have used 2 strands of thread.

Start by whip stitching the centre of the flower to the flower - use either the same colour of contrasting thread.

Next whip stitch the flower to the tummy circle...

Then stitch hair to the face...

Draw on a face with fading fabric marker...

Stitch face details using back stitch...

Next position and pin the face onto the head scarf and stitch the top of the hair on. Then stitch the bottom of tha face on...

 Then pin the scarf/face to the body and stitch the bottom of the scarf on...

Position the tummy flower into the middle of the body and use a running stitch around the edge...

Pin front of body to back of body and using 3 strands of contrasting floss blanket stitch around the edge (if blanket stitch is a bit tricky try using a whip stitch). Remember to leave about a 1" stuffing gap at the side.

Fill with stuffing of your choice like polyfill or cotton balls. Don't stuff too tightly...

Then continue sewing up with blanket stitch and she is done!

Here is my daughter when I gave her a doll....she doesn't look so impressed!

If you don't fancy making your own doll I have listed the three dolls shown in my Etsy store here

Another needlebook...

added to my store...

I totally forgot I ever made this one. I need to have a clearout more often!
You can find it listed here.

Sneak peek: New Russian doll cross stitch pattern

While Oliver was at daycare this morning and Madam was sleeping (we are having a good sleep day!) I thought I would get started on a new stitching pattern.

My original 'Two Little Babushkas' pattern....

...is still the most popular one so I thought I would add a few more 'girls' to the collection.

The pattern is a sampler of 6 dolls that can be stitched all together or used individually to embellish tea towels or bibs or anything at all.

This is a shot taken on my computer screen...

I am hoping to get a chance to stitch it up to make sure it works - fingers crossed for well behaved children with co-ordinated nap times!

New addition to Christmas page...

Here she is the new addition to my felt Christmas decoration family...

Miss Festive Babushka

I will add her to my Felt and Etsy stores now (ish!)

Short & Sweet

A new Babushka cross stitch/tapestry pattern available now....
Find it here!

'Two Little Cupcake Babushkas'

Babushka Softie Doll Tutorial

I thought I would put together a little photo tutorial to go with my Babushka Softie Doll pattern . Sometimes it is easier to explain things visually. Here goes....

Cut out all the pieces remembering to include the notches. You of course will have ironed all your fabric first because you do things properly, as you can see I am a little slap dash (I am time poor due to a certain 10 month old!).

Machine stitch the hair onto the face following the hairline with a 3mm seam. As you can see here I have broken the rules and have actually hand stitched instead because  a) I like the to be difficult and b) I like chunky stitches!

Next add some personality with a face. I have used a fading fabric marker to draw on the details. Use 3 strands of brown embroidery floss and either back stitch or split stitch to outline the face.

Now I have the iron out (better late than never!). Give everything another little press and taking your dress piece flip it face down and iron up about 5mm of the hemline - hope you can see this clearly.

You could also zig zag or overlock before this step if you like.

Flip your dress right side up again and pin the lace or ribbon just above the fold of the hemline - making sure the piece you have just ironed is still tucked under and captured by the pins.

Stitch the lace/ribbon on.

With right sides facing up take the front piece of the body and lay the dress on top of it - aligning the notches.

Place the face on top, centred in the head and pin through the 3 layers.

Stitch around the face with a 3mm seam.

With right sides together pin the front and back of the body together.

Sew around the body with a 10mm seam leaving a 4cm gap at the side for stuffing.

I usually sew around again very close to the first seam just to give it a bit of extra strength.

Trim off excess fabric with pinking shears or cut little 'v's or slits to help create the rounded shape.

Turn your doll inside out and see how she looks!

I use a knitting needle and run it round the inside along the seam just to push all the edges out.

Stuff, stuff, stuff!! Be generous with the stuffing to help create shape but don't overstuff the head as it can start looking a little pointy!!

Sew up the gap with invisible thread or just the cotton used to sew with. I used a ladder stitch to close the gap.

Choose a piece of ribbon from your stash and tie a nice bow or knot around your dolls neck. You can leave it like this or tack it down if you prefer. I have tacked this bow down under the ribbons at the side seams and under the middle of the bow. I find spotted ribbon great as you can hide the stitches within the dots.

Now she is complete and all she needs is a name!!!

I am sure you will want to get started on another one straight away - they become addictive!!!

I would love to see your creations and  I have started a Photo Gallery page to showcase all the 'girls'.

If you would like to include a photo of your doll that would be fabulous - you can tell me her name and I am happy to include a link to your own website/blog. Email me if you are interested.