54. It worked!

I had the briefest post written in my head for today. Explaining why I wasn't going to post today and how I had (regrettably) fallen off the Blog 365 wagon.

But my Cocoa Swap package arrived! Last night, I bought a container of hot cocoa mix, and sure enough, my long anticipated package arrived in today's mail! Yippee! I feel bad for my swap partner (who didn't leave any contact info in the box! I'll write the swap hostess). The package was mailed on 2/13 from New Haven, IN. I'm not sure if you can read this postmark or not, but on Feb 32, 2008, my package was stamped in Coleman, MI! Nope, that is not a typo - the post mark truly reads "Feb 32."

This package was well and truly worth the wait. I have vertigo today (which is why I wasn't going to post). So the package couldn't have come on a better day to make me feel better. This is a shot of all the goodies still wrapped:

Ms. M spent a bit of time wrapping each item in cheerful tissue paper. But the goodies inside the tissue! I sure hope you hit a really good sale - I do feel truly spoiled.

Wrapped in all their glory were three tins of cocoa mix. The gift bags in the bag each are a package of "snowman soup:" cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, candy cane, and a "mix-in" for the cocoa - one is crushed candycane and the other crushed heath bars! Dark choco covered espresso beans, a bar of chocolate, three (!) kinds of cookie treats. And I truly love cookies. A wonderful mug (I had wanted to send a mug to my pal. But she is overseas and I was afraid of the breakage.) Sheep stitch markers, my "blah buster buddy" and yarn.

As soon as she came out of her tissue, she told me her name is Evelyn. She did not warn me that she is a camera hog (but she is!). Evelyn wanted to personally show you the goodness of the stitch markers. In my questionnaire, I had said I wanted to try some of the Knit Picks Harmony needles I keep hearing so much about. And in yarn preferences, I said I hadn't ever gotten to use any of the "luxury" yarns that have become so popular. Well, Evelyn wanted you to see the beauty of my brand new Harmony dpn's. And see the yarn she is perched on? That is Knit Picks Andean Treasure in the "moss" colorway. It is a gorgeous heathered green. And I got (are you ready?) four skeins of this beauty!

The exclamation points have been running rampant in this post. But Evelyn and I think they are well deserved.

Thank you very much Secret Pal! I'll be happy to find out who the mysterious Ms. M is!

36. Owls Part 2

Yesterday, we left our hero while he was off getting stuffed. Let's see if we can resume our story!

After stuffing, draw up the gathering stitches. I took a few stitches across the opening and ended up with a tightly gathered bottom. Not at all like my rather fluffy bottom!

Next, I measured his bottom. No, you don't get to see that! Think how you would feel if there were pictures all over the internet of your bottom being measured. Humph. So I only had some thin cardboard - like a cereal box weight. Since it was so thin, I used two circles. I then cut a circle of wool about twice the size of the cardboard. Sew a running stitch around the edge and pull up the gathers.

Here's the little owl and his gathered bottom waiting to be sewn together. I used mattress stitch and even with my highly contrasting thread (pearl cotton once again), you can't see any of the stitches.

And the completed (adorable) owl picture will have to wait until tomorrow! I'm sorry - but the picture came out really fuzzy. And I didn't know that until it was much too late (read dark) to get a decent picture. But he's cute enough to wait for, that's for darned sure. This owl is very easy to make. He goes together very quickly. I completely understand why Moonstitches made a whole flock of them. This little guy is heading off to my Cocoa swap partner. Part of the swap is to send along a "blah buster buddy" that we have made. If this little guy cheers up my partner nearly as much as he has cheered me up, he has done his job!

35. Owls are too cute!

And they're awfully easy to make, too! Like so many people, I fell in love with this owl (scroll down to the Jan 31 entry). And there are links posted. So I clicked my way over here and used this Tutowlrial. And I used this pattern. Moonstitches said her pieces are about 7mm and 10mm, so I used my handy, dandy copier and enlarged the pattern to about that size.

First step -
is to remove all the detrius that has accumulated on your sewing table since you last sat down to sew. See the presser foot there on the left? That is to a Bernina. The machine in the table? Not a Bernina - that foot obviously does no good there. But you'll notice the cut out pieces there.

2. Sew one side of the "belly" to the rest of your owl.

3. Sew the second side and then the angled piece along the top. I (being the fantastic quilter that I am) forgot to add a seam allowance to the pattern pieces. So I used a small (very scant 1/4") seam allowance. I didn't need to clip the curved pieces - or trim the point.

4. After turning right side out, I turned it again, pressed the seam allowances towards the center, then turned again. Fold down the peak, and stitch a beak with decorative thread. I used pearl cotton. I didn't have a button jar handy, so I opened up a box with beads to select eyes. And found the two most perfect buttons!

5. After sewing a beak, I sewed the on the eyes. I ran a line of running stitches around the open end, and then stuffed Owlie.

6. Loading pictures tonight is very difficult! Blogger is not cooperating, that's for sure. Ok - I give up for now. I'll try posting the rest tomorrow. Ahh....don't you just love suspense!