Good morning, crafters! Please allow me to introduce this year's handmade felt ornament-making kit, Walk in the Woods, available for pre-order now!
It includes the Cozy Cottage, with the wood fires burning:
The Snowy Tree, sparkling with ice crystals:
And my favorite, the Little Deer, who watches shyly from the trees:
Each Walk in the Woods Felt Holiday Ornament Craft Kit includes:
9 pieces of wool/rayon blend felt in assorted colors
9 skeins coordinating DMC cotton embroidery floss
3/4 yd French rick-rack (for hangers)
Sequins and beads
Wool fluff (from a local Oregon sheep farm :-) for the chimney smoke
Stitching instructions
Pattern templates
Illustrated embroidery tutorial
You will need to have your own:
Wool batting or Polyester Fiber-fill
Sharp embroidery needle
Dressmaker's chalk pencil or fabric marker
Dressmaker's chalk carbon paper
Iron-on transfer pencil
Sharp fabric scissors and paper scissors
Fabric glue
This year's ornaments were inspired by our walks in the Oregon woods, and designed to compliment the ornament set I designed last year:
There's the Hot Cocoa Cup, to warm you up:
The Ice Skate, with pom-pon for good measure:
And the Gingerbread Girl, the sweetest of all:
Ice Skating Afternoon kits are once again available now for a limited time as well! All ornament kits cost $25 each, and if you purchase both of them together you will save $5 (yay). Please use the special Paypal button on each page to get the discount (you'll see it). We'll leave the pre-orders open for the next couple of weeks, and make some extras if you miss that window, but if you are interested in these, it's best to order now and make sure we have one for you.
My dynamic duo (and if them working together last year wasn't one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life) are once again helping me in a major way (thanks again, honey, seriously) to put all of these kits together, and we are planning to ship them all to you around mid-October. That will give you plenty of time to finish them for the holidays. I do ship overseas — just click on the "Buy Now" button and enter your country as the destination to see how much the postage is before completing the order. Please also check your addresses in Paypal before completing the orders, as well. Thanks!!!
About the skill level needed to complete these: Last year I said that, while I don't think of these kits necessarily as a children's or a beginner's project, if you have some experience working some basic stitches, these ornaments take more time and patience than skill. I will include directions on transferring the designs to the felt, and basic diagrams for completing the types of classic embroidery stitches you will need to know — backstitch, lazy-daisy stitch, satin stitch, French knot, and blanket stitch — but once you are comfortable working those stitches, if you just take your time and settle in, you will be fine. These ornaments are about 6" or 7" big — so, they take a bit of precision and attention to detail, but, you know, that's a handmade felt ornament for ya!
I think that's it. Any questions, let me know, and thank you again for your enthusiasm for these! I really appreciate that so much. Thank you!
Yes, please.
So charming! I can see these becoming heirlooms within families.
Another beautiful set!! I can just picture these on my tree.
http://www.minivanlife.wordpress.com
they are so cute!
I feel in the Xmas spirit all of a sudden!
i don't follow too many blogs but yours is top of the list! You are such an inspiration on so many levels and SO talented and smart. Although I'm not in a position financially to purchase one of your kits, I will force myself to sit still and make a squirrel felt ornament you inspired me to make last year (ok I didn't make it yet but I did do the pattern, that's something!) Thanks again for the loveliest blog I've come across yet! Lori
I love these, they are subtle Christmas, without hitting you in the face. Just ordered both of them x
Just bought both of them!! This is my Christmas craft treat to myself. They are beautiful, I can't wait to make them, they'll be in our family for many years. Hopefully I have the patience.
these are completely adorable, how cute they would be on a christmas tree!!!
will you be doing these as just patterns? I'd love the pattern for the last years ones too. I'm vegan you see so I don't want to buy wool felt for them but I'd love to give it a go!
Thanks!
I loved making similar ornaments when I was in high school (many years ago!) and can't wait to do it again. Thanks for designing such beautiful ones and sharing them with us.
TypePad HTML EmailHi Anna,
Yes, both patterns will be available as downloadable PDFs -- I'll put the links to those up in a couple of weeks when I have finished the new pattern (and after the bulk of these kit orders come in, just so my in-box is a little more organized). I'll let you know on the blog when it's they're ready to go.
Thanks!
Alicia
Oh sooo cute !
These are beautiful and I can't wait to get the package in the mail! I ordered the ice-skating ornaments last year and they are waiting to be stitched. With both kids in school/preschool this year I think I just might have time to enjoy working on them. Thanks for the care and creativity you put into your work!
These are so cute! I am excited to know that I'll be adding to my little collection every year! Sweet!
:)
Katherine
how long will the new kits be available for sale? thanks
So beautiful! I'm so drawn to this type of ornament, and I hope to have an impressive collection of handmade Christmases under my belt, one day. Congratulations!
I am so glad both kits are available! Just preordered both.
TypePad HTML EmailHi Kiki,
We'll take pre-orders for the new kits for the next week or two, and then we'll work with the number we have, plus make some extra (the number depends on how many we need in order to place the most efficient orders for bulk supplies/printing necessary, so I can't say exactly how many extra). But since there is kind of a time crunch in that we want to get them to you with plenty of time to work on them, it's best to place a pre-order and make sure your kit is counted in that reserved number. Hope that helps explain -- thank you!
Alicia
Yeeeeah. My love B just gave me a present. Your kit! Thks for your beautiful ideas, you make life a bit more magical and more fairytaily!
Can't believe I didn't get the first kit last year! Solved that by getting both kits this year. :) Looking forward to improving my stichin'. Thanks!
k a t
Love! I ordered both kits. Sooo glad that you made the Ice Skating Afternoon kit available again. My cats would love to come over and give your Dynamic Duo some "help" with the kitting process. :)
Silly question? What skill level are these aimed at? I'm a handy sewer/quilter, but haven't dabbled much in embroidery. I suck at cross stitch. They're just so adorable, I want to try making them... will the instructions save me from myself?
I fell in love with the set you made last year, and I'm head over heels in love with the new kit too! I'm so smitten, I just had to tweet about it: http://twitter.com/earlybirdie
I hope to get a set very soon!
I've been thinking about last years' for a year, and now I'm going to buy both patterns. Hurrah.
A few posts ago you mentioned writing about some fabric/craft sources in Portland. I hope you're still planning on blogging on that topic/compiling a list! Could come in useful for this project and others....
Thanks!
What wonderful ornaments. The house is my favourite, for all the little details you've added.