A Little Something fun for wool workers!

 

Photo credit: Martingale/That Patchwork Place - Photographer Brent Kane

To say I'm in love with wool is an understatement! Not a day goes by where I'm not stitching on a wool projects ... or thinking of one I want to stitch! It's been something I've been doing since I was nine years old ... even raising sheep as a teenager because I loved it so much. Wool applique is such an enjoyable hobby!

I've been designing wool applique projects for American Patchwork and Quilting for a number of years. And I'm a licensed designer for Sizzix where I develop die cuts that let us cut wool shapes by machine.  So you can imagine how exciting it was when Martingale Publishing accepted my book proposal for a wool applique book! It has been a delightful journey, taking pieces of imagination and turning them into an 80 page book through the help of the Martingale staff.

The table of contents gives you a sneak peek into what you'll find between the pages. There are sixteen projects ... most that take hardly any time at all! I made many of them on Sunday afternoons and while I stitched, I imagined others gathering their friends and stitching, too. They are quick enough to make as gifts ... a make and take at the quilt guild ... or as a way to show a beginner the steps to working with wool.

I love how the close up photos show exactly how the stitches look. The photographer, Brent Kane, is amazing!! One thing I told the editors is that it doesn't matter to me if stitches aren't perfect. When you look through the book you'll see exactly what I mean. It's not that I don't care about my work ... it's more that I want to enjoy it and there's nothing enjoyable about fretting over a stitch that's less than perfect.

While I like to learn how to create intricate stitches, for the most part, I use only a few. These are rather simple stitches to learn ... I think it's encouraging to new wool workers to not have too many to deal with. Instead of diagrams, the stitches are worked right on the wool ... it is easier to understand that way.

The other great thing about wool applique ... you don't need a ton of supplies. Most of these products are already in your sewing basket. Sharp scissors, pretty hand dyed wool, an embroidery needle and floss, pins, and Roxanne's Glue Baste are pretty much all you need. Oh ... and a super cute design ... something you'll find in the book, of course!

Like most moms, I have a favorite I don't play favorites ... but if I did, it would have to be the strawberry trio. The needlekeeper, pincushion, and scissors ID and fob are so darn cute! And those flower pins ... they just make me smile. They cover real flower pins! I think I like the strawberries best right now because they make me feel like maybe Spring will get here someday! (It's May 1st and snowing here in Minnesota.)

Photo credit: Martingale/That Patchwork Place, Photographer: Brent Kane

In addition to the strawberries, there are projects for every day ... for late Summer and Fall ... folk art motifs such as the pineapple ... and so much more. I pretty much covered all the things I love. They even snuck in some of my favorite organizing tools ... muffin tins, jars, trays ... all the things I find at the flea market. Storing supplies should be cute, right?

And I'm just vain enough to be thrilled that A Little Something has a full page in the Martingale wholesale catalog. This stuff never gets old!

If you want to read another review ... my friend PamKittyMorning had some nice things to say. Go to Martingale's web site to see more of the projects from the book. And for your very own autographed copy, visit my Rosebud's Cottage website. I'll get one right out to you. I know you'll find 'a little something' you just have to make!