Seahorse Bonanza!

         This "water-themed" bathmat was designed by Darla Fanton. I picked this bathmat to make with the intention to finally create something that I can use. Many times, I have others in mind, and want to impress others with my design choices. As it turns out, this was a fantastic addition to my upstairs bathroom! The colors of the wall and bathroom accessories are light hues, so this bathmat design only complemented that. When creating this, I remember wondering how many seahorses that I could stitch before going crazy! The underside of this bathmat is covered with a sticky paper used for lining cabinets. This was the best I could find at the time and it was a great choice. The book where this design is included also has a matching trashcan design and many others. But I decided that this creation was all I needed - For now.

A House Filled With Tissues 🤧

           The ultimate fantasy for this needle pointer is a pattern book filled with house-shaped tissue box covers. I got my wish several times over! This creation comes from a book of gorgeously intricate cottage houses. I picked this one to give to a special friend. Design credit for this cottage house tbc goes to Meg Evans. As much as I love to see the result of many closely-placed colored roses, I love making them. These roses are a stitch called the french knot. I've grown to perfect this stitch, but I always have room for improvement! I really admire how the designer found ways to differ the look of brick wall from roofing material. Doesn't the tissue just look like smoke coming from a chimney!! I almost want to live in this beautiful thing, but I just wouldn't fit.

Cat Bed Container 🛏️

           Now you just may be thinking that I have now MADE my cat a bed to sleep in! This is not true; that's on my to-do list. This lovely needlepoint creation comes from a pattern book full of various cat-themed household containers. The designer to thank is Darla J. Fanton, with Jean Leinhauser producing the pattern book model. I absolutely love this one because it looks so much like an actual cat is sitting atop her bed.The pattern of hearts under the cat is meant to be a "blanket" for the cat bed. I find that too often the pattern for a cat's face looks a bit odd or creepy - not the case here! I recall the difficulty in constructing the "weaved" bed. I had to use actual raffia yarn to stitch onto the mesh. This was a daunting task because this particular yarn is quite rough on plastic mesh. But I made it to the end, and now my beautiful cat has somewhere to stash her treats! If she so desires. I lined the bottom of this box and was very happy too, if only to "disguise" how the raffia yarn warped the mesh.

A Most Beautiful 💍 Jewelry Cabinet

              I had admired the pattern for this jewelry cabinet online, for many moons. I love a good jewelry box and I find that it is hard to find one that fits all one's jewelry needs. I decided to make my own! Design credit for this beautiful pattern goes to Deborah Sauser.
           Stitching this jewelry cabinet was particularly challenging because the pattern was in a leaflet, which can be tough to follow. I love that this cabinet has necklace holders at the top - not easy stitch on, mind you!
          I had to purchase a mirror for the back wall. A mirror is a classic addition to any jewelry box. I decided to line the entire inner bottom of this cabinet because I wanted a more refined look. I had to individually fold and glue each piece of fabric. I only ended up mostly using the bottom drawer of this cabinet, but it kept me happy through my last two undergraduate college years!
        My favorite little aspect of this jewelry cabinet is that the mesh holes are very useful for hanging earrings, as you can see pictured above. This is just one more reason to love needlepoint on plastic canvas!
        The jewelry cabinet "glass" windows are a special kind of plastic. I just love the little details of the roses and the door knobs. And of course, what jewelry cabinet is complete without ring holders!

~ Hotel Basil ~

            As a cat mommy, I will accomplish major feats just for my child. One of these happened to be stitching a chair for my cat, Basil. Basil is known to rest just about anywhere and on just about anything, so creating a soft, comfortable seat for her seemed like going above and beyond.
           One of my favorite needlepoint designs is the doll furniture. One of the needlepoint books I have on hand is a book for doll furniture, specially for large, foot tall dolls. I got this book with Basil in mind, though the pattern by itself is still too small for Basil's body. So I doubled the pattern dimensions exactly, down to the length of the stitches. The design credit for the original chair pattern is for Wanda Kenney - thank you!
            I love how variegated yarn comes out on mesh, so I purchased MANY this the same color. I stuffed my finished chair with quilt stuffing. In hindsight, I could have used a heavier quality stuffing for a quicker job. I ended up placing a towel on this chair so that Basil's hair does not get everywhere!
          What I love so much about this chair is that it is indeed realistic! The chair pillow is even removable, and I think this is a unique and personable look for my upstairs hallway. I thought it would be funny to place smaller furniture next to the chair while Basil is in it. It really is like she's got her own personal lobby!

Kitty Takes a Spa Day 🐱

          I have this gift of being able to create unique furniture with my hands. I don't know about you, but I know zero people who have SEWED a chair for their pet. Well, I know myself.
         Being the spoil-heavy cat mommy that I am, I decided to make my cat (Basil) a chaise lounge chair big enough for her to "lounge" in. I had done this before, with the green chair that you see above. I figured that this purple chair would be perfect for Basil to really display her stunning brown fur!
       The trick to making this is to order especially large mesh. I took the needlepoint pattern from a Barbie needlepoint book, and simply doubled the pattern size. The design credit for the original pattern goes to the very talented, Dick Martin. Everything had to be doubled, down to the length of the purple stitches, and the number of individual mesh holes. I, of course, had to also buy a bunch more identical purple yarn! The stuffing had to be crumpled, old towel pieces so that it could support her 9-pound body. i even doubled the size of the pillow that goes with this chair, and stuffed it with beautiful costume satin!
      In case you are wondering, Basil loves her purple lounge chair! My housemate and I have both caught her lounging in it when we are "out of sight". Even though she can really only lay on it a certain way, she just loves it. I did end up putting a towel on the top of this chair. Basil started to pick at the strings and was taking out the pattern! Even though it is her chair, mommy knows best.