CROSS STITCH ALPHABET PATTERN

Here's a lettering style for the names on the Christmas stockings, or whatever you might need it for!
Capitals are all 15 stitches high, with the exception of "Q" which dips down one extra stitch below the base line.
The base height of the lower case letters is 10 stitches. Tall letters like b and h, and low hanging letters like g and y, are 15.

First the lower case alphabet.

XS Lower Case Stocking Letters

And the upper case alphabet.

XS Upper Case Stocking Letters

FQ (FLAT QUARTER) MINI PLEATED TOTE

I love flat quarters (FQs)! 378 square inches of pure goodness. (That's 18 times 21...yeah, I used a calculator for that!)
Sometimes called quarter flats, or even fat quarters...but who wants to talk about fat? We're here to have fun, no?
There are hundreds of fabrics and colors to choose from, and the size is perfect for no-waste projects that take no time to make! Over time I have collected dozens of patterns for FQs- some I've designed, some I've actually made, and many more that other craftier souls have devised. So I've been thinking it would be fun to share one each month on the blog!
Just barely squeezing in for January, here's a tutorial to make a handy little tote bag- great for carrying a project to a friend's house.

You will need 1 FQ of fabric and matching thread. Cut a strip from one end measuring 4" x 21" (or 22" if you're lucky!).
Cut this in half to make 2 4" x 10.5" handle pieces.



For the handles, press lengthwise down the middle, wrong sides together. Press each long edge in toward center crease to encase edges.



Stitch the handles close to the side edge. Stitch the sides of the bag (and bottom, if necessary).
For French seams with no raw edges exposed inside the bag, stitch WRONG sides together with a very small (1/8") seam. Then turn inside out, press seams flat, and stitch sides again with 1/4"-3/8" seam.



Love the finished seams...tres chic!
To box the bottom corners, line the side seam up with the bottom center crease (or seam if you have one.) Mark a line and stitch across, however deep you want the sides of the bag to be. Mine are 3".



Picture is upside down! Bottom corners are boxed. Turn top of bag about 1 1/4" to wrong side, then turn under a scant 1/4" hem and press. Stitch top hem of bag.



For pleats, mark bag 3" and 4" in from either side. Fold toward center of bag. Pin in place.



Turn under end of handle and pin in place over pleat.



Pin other end of handle in place over the facing pleat. Make sure handle is not twisted- if the stitching is on the inside edge of the handle on the left, it should also be on the inside edge on the right. (Does that make sense?) Machine stitch, being careful to catch all layers.



The finished bag. Cute and handy! To stabilize the bottom, I cut a piece of thick cardboard the same dimension as the bottom of the bag- about 3" x 9.25". Covering the cardboard (or plastic canvas) bottom with fabric is a nice finishing touch.




And don't let the petite size fool you. There are 2 skeins of yarn in there!



Ah love it!

HOT DRINK MIXES

I served these at a crafting get-together last night and they were a big hit! The kids also really like them. We added crushed candy canes to the cocoa mix and served with "Merry Marshmallows" at Christmastime. Fun!

Since I know you're a big fan of Chai tea, here are the recipes!

COCOA

1 cup sugar
3 cups powdered creamer
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
A few grains of salt (very scant 1/8 tsp.)



CAPPUCCINO

1 cup sugar
2 cups creamer
2 T. Hershey's Dark cocoa
1 1/4 cup instant coffee granules
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg



CHAI

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
(Mix in bowl and let dry, then add to other ingredients to blend.)
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup powdered creamer
1 1/2 cups instant tea (unsweetened)
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground cardamom


Pulverize in blender until uniform consistency. Each recipe makes about enough to fill a quart sized jar.
Use 2 tablespoons of mix per 6-8 oz. boiling water.

KITCHEN REDO - PART ONE

YAY! The kitchen is coming together finally!



The toile and checked fabric from fabric.com ended up being perfect, and I'm kind of proud of how the valances turned out. And there was just enough of the checked fabric left over for the lower cabinet's curtain (to hide the bread maker and KitchenAid...and also paint and grout at the moment!).

The tile backsplash will hopefully be coming soon, and we're still making decisions about artwork for either side of the window and something for over the stove. Would a red shelf be pretty there? It'd be a handy spot to stow S&P shakers, and it would be good to introduce more red into that side of the kitchen.



YAY!

STOCKINGS

Okay, so nothing is more stale than talking about Christmas in January, but our contractor is working on the mantel over the fireplace and I'm dreaming of the stockings we will finally hang come December!



This is the pattern I'm planning to steal from my friend. Her mom made these and I think they are just perfect! Especially nice touch having each one a different yet coordinating fabric.



Here's a close-up:



11 count Aida was basted to the muslin, cross stitched over, then removed. Voila! Why didn't I ever think of that before?

2011 ORGANIZATION JOURNAL

This isn't quite finished yet, but I wanted to share it before we get any further into this new year! The cover was going to be blue and purple...then I went and painted the kitchen red and am now feeling the Organization Journal should match. But four inches of fresh new snow have prevented the trip to the craft shop for the right red paper or fabric for the cover.
Here's the view out my window this morning...all the seed pods wearing their little fur hats!



I chose a basic Composition Notebook for two reasons...(1) I already had it, and (2) it is almost the exact same size as my new iPad Punk got me for Christmas! The carrying case I'm working on will accommodate both iPad and journal, which will come in very handy for when we're out and about. (Will post the case soon, when the embroidery is finished.)

Here's the inside front cover, complete with glued in pocket for receipts, notes, etc., and a handy calendar.



Each section has a tab labeling it. My labels are: calendar, friends, WN (the newspaper for which I write), bible, books & school, misc./fun, home, garden, recipes, shopping, sewing, gifts, and passwords.

I added pockets to some of the sections, so I could stick in magazine pages, fabric swatches, or whatnot.



(Bonus: a sneak peak at what we're thinking of doing to the back garden above the retaining wall this summer!)