Old School Acres

Deck the halls with pigs of wool

Jessica suggested over at Flickr that I should make pig ornaments and I did just that.  I cheated a bit though and didn't make a "real" pig (meaning 3D).  I have 20 pig ornaments available to the first 20 people that respond to this post (if I don't get 20 responses I will send to however many I do get).  The pigs vary in color, though all are wool-blend felt with a cotton print stripe.  If you prefer acrylic felt (maybe you are allergic to wool?) let me know and I will make a special one for you.

Woo-eee!  Wow.  All the piggies have new homes!!  Don't despair if you didn't get her in time, as I may have more piggies soon.

I had it the entire time

I was on the hunt for aqua/turquoise fabric and couldn't find a thing!  Can you believe it?!?  My hoarding finally paid off today though.  As I was looking for something else I came across aqua gingham and a white with aqua print.  Score!  Now I'm on a fabric yo-yo kick.  Paired with wool felt and vintage buttons they make an awesome garland.  Each felt/yo-yo combination is tied to a string of beads so that it can be removed and used as a Christmas tree ornament instead. 

Pig pile!

Did you play Pig Pile when you were a kid?  I guess you didn't so much play it as just do it:  Sneak up on an unsuspecting person on the floor and pile on yelling Pig Pile!  Dads and grandpas make good Pig Pile players. 

The pig paid the price

So, Brett fixed the sewing machine cord.  This time, Lucy has clearly crossed the line. 

Dressed for the holidays

My entry for the 2007 Holiday Softie Awards in the Animals Dressed for the Holidays category. 

Bow tie for New Year's or any party.
Big smoochie kiss for Valentine's day.
Pig nose for a sneaky Halloween costume.
Santa hat.

More pictures on Flickr.

Not quite truffles

This new little pig and I took a walk yesterday.  She was looking for treasure.  I was just looking after her.  She'd heard about those truffle-finding pigs and thought she could do better.  She didn't find any truffles, but these little toadstools are much cuter than any stinky ol' truffle.

Here she is telling the cats about The Great Truffle/Toadstool Hunt.

Sweater pig, sweater pig

Does whatever a sweater pig does! 

I have the key to keeping you young

It's doing nothing for me, but hopefully it will work for you(?).

Acorns appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of patience and the fruition of long, hard labor. For example, an English proverb states that Great oaks from little acorns grow, urging the listener to wait for maturation of a project or idea. A German folktale has a farmer try to outwit Satan, to whom he has promised his soul, by asking for a reprieve until his first crop is harvested; he plants acorns and has many years to enjoy first. In Britain, one old tradition has it that if a woman carries an acorn on her person it will delay the aging process and keep her forever young. ~~From Wikipedia

A lot of reasons for us to be enamored of the little acorn.  For your chance to own this leave a comment and I will draw a winner Friday. 

Wool tweed and wool-blend felt stuffed with PolyFil.  If you don't want the pins (vintage glass beads) I will add a ribbon so you can hang it. 

Don't be surprised if you find this in your package.  Lucy is in her terrible 2s!!  The girls are learning the hard way that toys can't be left on the floor.  I rescued this horse, though not without a fight.  Lucy was determined to make her a hairless horse.

Just me and my needle...

and thread and felt and cute Michael Miller fabric.  This little guy is supposed to be an appliqué, but he's cute this way, too.

I've had some questions about sources for vintage embroidery patterns.  My answer is "Google is your friend."  Google vintage embroidery, free vintage embroidery patterns, vintage baby embroidery, or any other combination of words you are looking for.  Sometimes I click on Images.  This works especially well if I'm looking for something specific.

One of my favorite sources for embroidery patterns is coloring book pages.  Google horse coloring, summer coloring, octopus coloring, etc., and click on Images.  Then get ready for brain overload!

Another idea is to use dingbats as embroidery patterns.  My favorite font site for this is dafont.   

Sources for free vintage embroidery patterns:
Pattern Bee
Vintage Transfer Finds
Needlecrafter (click on Library and then Designs)

This thread at Crafster is chock-full of patterns, too.

Baaa.

More with the big wool blanket.  Obviously a work in progress.  I've only sewn in the gusset and already it stands on its own.  When I bought the blanket I envisioned the owlets and lambs.  I'm going to have to invest in some needle-felting supplies, as lambs need to have black legs.  At least I want mine to have black legs.  This is from Martha Stewart.  Pattern and instructions here. 

Be sure to check back Thursday for a special give away.