If your Little Animal Family is getting chilly, you might want to consider making them a duffel coat, stripey sweater, jeans, boots, and a scarf this fall. Introducing A Cold Day Outfit Kit, available in two colorways. One is with a blue coat, butterscotch-stripey sweater, and an oatmeal-colored scarf:
Or with a pink coat, blue stripey sweater, and a pale pink scarf:
Yay! I'm excited about these!
Each kit includes a printed pattern with stitching instructions and photos, an embroidery tutorial, knitting patterns, and all full-size pattern templates. Each item page also contains a detailed list of what materials are included in each kit and what else you will need to have. You can choose your colorway from the drop-down menu. Each kit costs $30 each, plus shipping. Fabrics and yarns are not interchangable between kits, nor do we sell yardage of or individual pieces of felt or fabric.
If you would prefer a downloadable PDF pattern only for the Cold Day Outfit, please get that HERE.
Please note also that the Cold Day Outfit kits and pattern do not include instructions or materials for making the actual animals themselves. Please see the whole collection of animal kits or animal patterns for individual animals and their original outfits.
And now I want to say that I'm really happy to bring back last year's kit, NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The Night Before Christmas collection sold out too quickly last year, and I felt bad that some of you who have been collecting my ornaments for a long time now did not get a chance to purchase one. So we have reissued a limited edition of this kit this year, and it will be in the shop until it sells out.
It has a Nestled Child, all snug in her bed with her kitters . . .
There is a mouse we call Notevena, and she is definitely stirring . . .
And there's that everpresent little dream I dream each year: How I would love (for my baby girl) to wake up to the new-fallen snow!
We also still have limited numbers of previous years' kits, including 2012's kit, WINTER CABIN:
There is a Lighted Window, to welcome all passersby . . .
There is a Western Bluebird, to provide the winter song . . .
And there is a Whistling Tea Kettle, to make the Earl Grey . . .
And 2011's kit, SWEET HOME:
It includes a Blue Door, with a wreath to welcome you home . . .
A Glowing Candle, to light the night . . .
And a Wild Bunny to keep you company . . .
We also have 2010's kit, SNOW DAY:
It includes a Red Wool Coat, to keep you warm and dry . . .
A traditional Norwegian Selbu mitten, to keep your hands toasty . . .
And a Polar Bear, far from the Arctic Circle, peeking out from behind the trees.
2009's ornament-making kit, WALK IN THE WOODS, is entirely sold out! I'm very sorry!!!
And last but not least, we also have the first, 2008's kit, ICE SKATING AFTERNOON, as well!
There's the Hot Cocoa Cup, to warm you up:
The Ice Skate, with pom-pon for good measure:
And lastly, the Gingerbread Girl, the sweetest of all:
Please click on the links for each of the kits above to take to you the web shop pages, which list what's included in each and what you will need to have. Each ornament kit costs $30 each, plus shipping.
About the skill level needed to complete these: In previous years 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. Someone asked which the easiest kit is, and I have to agree with Lori (I think it was my dear Lori) who said the Walk in the Woods kit is the easiest. Snow Day is the hardest, I think.
All six ornament patterns are always available as downloadable PDFs HERE. A list of the specific felt colors and piece sizes and floss colors you need can be found HERE. You will need that list, so don't forgot to click on it (and a link to it is available on each of the product pages, as well). If you are purchasing a kit, you do NOT need to purchase a pattern. Printed patterns come in each of the kits.
I also have supplies like glue (though we can't ship that internationally; see below), sewing needles and tiny needles for adding beads, wax-free chalk tracing paper, and water-erase fabric markers that will help you make these ornaments. You can find them all HERE (and the specific items you need for each kit are suggested in the item details for each kit, too). I have a limited supply of these items, so if you are interested in them please order soon. I doubt I'll be able to restock before Christmas.
Yes, we do ship internationally, but please read the following before placing your order: All international shipments are sent via USPS first-class international mail (or Priority, depending on their weight) and are charged a higher shipping fee depending on the weight of items and the destination. Shipping fees are added automatically when you place your order; to calculate them you need to walk through steps 1 and 2 of the ordering process. Once items leave the U.S. they are not able to be tracked past their last location here. It is happening more and more often: You — especially if you are in the United Kingdom — may also be charged import taxes, customs fees, duties, or other charges by your home country when you receive the shipment; you are responsible for these. Unfortunately I can't control where, why, or how customs agents determine whether to charge you or not and, after shipping thousands of overseas packages through the years, there doesn't seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason to who gets charged. Please note that the USPS does not allow us to pay any taxes or fees for you on our end, prior to shipping. I mark all of my shipments "merchandise"; please don't ask me to mark them as gifts because it is illegal to do that, and I won't. Thank you!
The only thing we cannot ship internationally is the fabric glue, because it is prohibited. If you are overseas and you do accidentally put it in your cart, we will refund that part of the order and ship the rest of your things.
Because we are shipping so quickly, please make sure that your shipping address is correct when you place your order. In some cases, we are shipping orders the exact same day the order is placed, so it's important that you check your address on your end properly before submitting your order, because once it's out there, it's out there! If you do need to change your address, or anything about your order, or add things to your order, etc., please email me immediately. I will not be able to change your original order for you (because the system won't let me), but what I will do is cancel the original order and have you place a new order with everything you need in it. This will be Stacey's first time shipping a lot of orders at once and I would love for this to be as manageable as possible for her (so that she stays with me forever). That said, of course if you do need to change your address (before it is shipped), or anything about your order do not even hesitate to email me immediately and I will help you with whatever you need!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support of these animals and these ornaments over these many (many!) years. It has been such a great adventure for me to design these things, and the greatest privilege to make them available to you. My trusty crew (Stacey, Greta, Susie, Andy, and the amazing fabric-cutting and floss-packaging ladies, Dana and Sarah at Spooltown) and I design, write, illustrate, photograph, assemble, and ship every one of these kits all by ourselves. There are now thousands of Posie critters big and small on and under Christmas trees all over the world, and it's my true honor and sincere delight that you have welcomed all of them into your homes. I have so many more ideas I want to explore. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that, and share my ideas with you. Your interest and enthusiasm is so very, very appreciated by every one of us here, but especially me. Thank you so much, dear friends. Thank you.
