One of the great things about having adult children is the people they bring into our lives. After a while the friends and boyfriends and girlfriends start walking in without knocking. The dog knows them and stays on the sofa and wags her tail. (Instead of going ballistic like she would if a stranger came into the house.)
I decided this year that my daughter’s boyfriend and son’s girlfriend needed their own homemade stockings. An official welcome to the family.
Enjoy your holidays, everyone.
I just got my writer’s copy of the August/September issue of Sew News.
In it, I show how to make these cute leather wrist wraps.
It’s always fun to see how the photographer styles the shots.
In this shot, they used the wrist wraps to style another article entirely. I love that.
When I take the time to look critically at my surroundings, I often find things are looking tired.
A trip to the hardware store and a couple of hours later: things are looking fresher.
Fall is here and it’s my favorite time to enjoy the yard: The gardening frenzy of the spring is long gone. The sloth of the sticky summer has blown away in the cool of the autumn breezes. Fall is the time to sit on my swing and admire the season’s hard work. (Of course, I need a nice cushion to sit on, and a quilt to snuggle.)
Oh, and a pillow, too!
It feels so good to get back into my sewing room again. (Sewing room in the attic + New Jersey summer = No fun.) I’ve been on a bit of a pillow kick lately.
I made this pillow . . .
To match this blanket.
I love my sewing machine, but there will always be a special place in my heart for sewing by hand. I love the organic look of hand embroidery, and ***bonus*** I can carry my sewing with me wherever I go. 
Here is a pot holder I decorated by hand.
I like mixing the newer art of technology with the ancient art of sewing.
Here, I printed the “m” and the circle onto a piece of fabric using my computer and printer.
My cousin recently got married. To keep with the green gifting theme, and because I knew she’d love it, I made her this pillow that’s appliqued with the date of her wedding.
I have not yet succumbed to the washi tape craze, but I want to. My homemade Christmas tags were the perfect excuse, but I held to my green Christmas promise and tried to think of alternatives. How about patterns stamped on strips of paper, ribbon, and sheet music?
gift tags
My goal this Christmas is to craft a little more and buy a little less. AND before I go out to purchase that perfect thing to finish my crafting, I want to think a little harder about using something that I already have.
grapevine wreath
I had an old grapevine wreath to which I attached fresh evergreen branches and some Christmas ornaments. Snow optional.
my new gym bag
I have a thing for personalized gifts. I think it comes from a long childhood of searching the racks of toothbrushes and notebooks and bicycle license plates, always in vain, for the name “Jodie.”
felt monogram
My next article appears in Sew It All Magazine Vol. 5.
(Available in stores Dec. 4) http://www.quiltandsewshop.com/product/sew-it-all-volume-5/magazines
I show how to make this cute pillow I made for my sister-in-law.
I made some pillows for my bed.
I like how the geometric designs of the pillows contrast with the wild floral blanket.
I’ve been experimenting with simple pillow designs lately. Here is my latest:
It’s heavy canvas, which seems like summer to me: good for a boat or a porch or a hammock.
jodie richelle 