Better Late Than Never

Better late than never ... I hope Flower Lady agrees.

Back in January I participated in Vicki's, from Two Bags Full,  Grow Your Blog Party.  Many participants offered a prize for visiting and leaving a comment. At my post I chose to do this also. I love the idea of creating a gift for someone I do not know. There's a peace in creating something for someone just out of love for your craft and the love of spreading joy.

 Lorraine from Flower Lady's Musings was my winner. I've been following Lorraine's blog for a while, and I was so happy she was my winner.

I won this adorable handmade pillow from Jessica from Blessings in the Country.

                      

I had already decided what I was going to make for Lorraine. I had joyfully browsed through books for inspiration. I had sketched my design. I had made the fabric for the front of the pillow. Then I got the flu. Ugh! Sitting at my worktable needle felting and sewing was something I did not have the strength to do. For now ...

BUT, after drinking lots of fluids and getting plenty of rest I got better, and I was able to return to creating my special project for Lorraine. I am always in awe of how God created our bodies with the ability to heal themselves.


This photo is of my sketch. Drawing is not one of my gifts so I use cookie cutters and stencils to help me with my sketching.

This is the fabric that I made. First, I knit it on my knitting machine, then I threw it in the washing machine to felt. I used Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool to create my fabric. This yarn creates a felt that is soft to the touch and so wonderful to work with.

Next, I needle felted my design onto the felt. I used cookie cutters to help me with my design. They also protect my fingers from the sharp felting needles.

I added some embellishments. This is my favorite part! I love to embellish things! 

I apologize for the poor photo. The sunlight streaming in the window makes the right side look a bit tan colored. The whole backing is ivory. Photography is a skill that I want to improve. 

                                

I then sewed on the fabric for the back of the pillow and stuffed the pillow with fiberfill.

                               

I hope Flower Lady likes it. 

Deadlines

I am not good with deadlines when it comes to my art projects. That is why I rarely choose to make gifts with deadlines such as birthdays, anniversaries, showers, etc. I like to just create and give. So when Lion Brand posted to knit a scarf for the Special Olympics I checked out the deadline date and seriously checked with myself about whether or not I could meet it. The deadline date was about two months away at the time, and I sincerely believed that I could complete the scarf in time. So, I ordered the yarn, extra actually, thinking that I had enough time to make two. The yarn arrived quite promptly, and I began to knit. I am a teacher so when Christmas vacation came I used any spare time I could find to work on that scarf. It was not completed by the time to go back to school, and once back at school I was concererned about the little time I could find to knit, as the deadline was approaching. Fortunately, we had a snow day, and I spent the day knitting away. I finished the scarf and mailed it off on the very last day it could be sent, in other words - the deadline! While at the UPS Store I then read the mailing directions - "Place in a zip loc bag." "Uh oh." I said the the UPS clerk, "do you have a zip loc bag? If not, can you wrap this in plastic for me?" "Yep," he replied, "we will take care of it for you?" Well, I left the scarf with the kind clerk and went to work. Recently, I was looking at photos of the thousands of scarves that arrived for the Special Olympics, and every one of them was in a zip loc bag. Apparently, I am the only one who did not read the mailing directions. I am keeping the faith that my UPS clerk made that plastic look like a zip loc bag, and some one participating in the Special Olympics will proudly wear the scarf I knit.

The other day, I signed up to knit a blanket for Debbie Macomber's "Knit 1, Bless 2" program. The due date is May 31. I do believe that I can finish the blanket I started last year for this cause. Afterall, it is halfway completed. I promise, I learned my lesson and this time I will thoroughly read the mailing directions.

The other lesson in this: I will be much more compassionate towards my students when they don't read all the directions and make a mistake. I will extend to them the same kind smile I am hoping whoever opened my scarf had on his or her face as they placed it in the pile with all the other scarves that arrived the way they were suppose to.