calendar // january's kawaii crossing wallpapers

Welcome to (almost!) 2020 and a new theme for Wild Olive freebie patterns and wallpapers! I've been having so much fun planning out this year's designs, which I'm calling Kawaii Crossing. Based on an idea I had a few years ago, this happy little downtown is a mix of Sanrio, Animal Crossing, and Busy Town, all with a Wild Olive spin.

You may have seen my About the Town Stitching Club from a few years ago, and this is similar in feeling, but also a little different. In Kawaii Crossing, the shops and restaurants all look like the things they are selling! This idea also goes back to a few patterns I shared in an online class from nearly 10 years ago. Sometimes it feels like everything is coming together...

Patterns and other cuteness will be coming your way soon, but let's kick this off with some wallpapers for your digital devices!



To begin, we have the town's sewing shop! Here you'll find fabric, thread, sewing machines and lots of patterns. It's based on a store I used to go to with my mom when I was little, called The Golden Thimble. I mean, the original shop didn't look like an actual thimble, but it should have because that would be amazing. But I can still picture the rows of fabric and the drawers filled with patterns. I may also still remember being asked to stop playing with the drawers of embroidery floss, but that's a tale for another day.

For now, download and enjoy these one-size-fits-most calendars!

Download the Desktop Wallpaper

Download the iPhone Wallpaper

Download the iPad Wallpaper

I am so excited about what's coming. There's stitching in more than one way, including several potential big projects. And maaaaaybe some paper crafts too! Here's to a cute new year!

project // jam jar cat toy

Giving a jam of the month club for Christmas is a bit of a cliche, but I'd like to think that your kitty might still enjoy it if it's filled with catnip! I used the cranberry conserves embroidery pattern to create a little felt jar that's also a cat toy.

I mean, it wouldn't need to be a cat toy. You could use these to make a little ornament or a gift topper! But even furry friends like gifts at this time of year. AND it's super fun to watch your kitty play and go crazy!

The assembly is fast and easy which means you can make a whole set of jars, each in a different color or flavor!



Here's what you need:

Felt in two colors
Embroidery floss in matching colors + black
Catnip
Scissors
Needle

DOWNLOAD THE JAM JAR CAT TOY PATTERN PDF



Cut two jar pieces and two topper pieces.



Embroider a face on one of the jar pieces.

< Stitch around the two sides and the bottom with matching embroidery floss.

Fill the jar with catnip.



Sandwich the top of the jar between the two topper pieces, then stitch around edges with matching embroidery floss.



For an extra touch, use the jam color thread to stitch a line of running stitch across the topper.



Now you can gift some jam to your kitty! If they're anything like my cat Darcy, they might just go a little crazy...






When I tried to take it away, Darcy showed off her crossed eyes, but super crazy style!



Happy kitty catnip toy crafting!

pattern // december's jar of cranberry conserves

Twelve months of jam embroidery patterns? YES! We did it! I mean, almost. It's December and the last pattern, cranberry conserves, is here. You can now finish off your Jam of the Month embroidery and EPP (if you opted to stitch the mini quilt).

Mine isn't quite stitched yet because I also wanted to make a little cranberry conserves felt project that will be posted shortly. So once again you get a picture of my Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy pattern all printed and ready for me to stitch. But you also get a pattern so you can stitch yours before I even thread my needle. Hooray!

DOWNLOAD THE CRANBERRY CONSERVES EMBROIDERY PATTERN

If you listen to the Very Serious Crafts Podcast, you may have heard us talk about the Train of Shame, and that's a little like what I'm sharing here now. These are my still unstitched patterns from the Jam of the Month Club. Yikes! But if you also listen to the latest episode, you'll hear what happened to my plans for making progress on the EPP portion of this.

Let's just say I'm really behind and that feels like the story of my life. I'm not going to dwell on it though.

The big question is now, will I finish or simply get distracted by my (super cute!) plans for 2020? I think we all know how this will go...

pattern // hot pepper jelly and cranberry conserves cross stitch charts

What's this? The last charts for the Jam of the Month Club cross stitch design? It's true. Today I'm sharing both November and December's designs for hot pepper jelly and cranberry conserves. You can stitch them individually or use them in the giant shelf pattern, which is also here as one large chart.

It's just in time for all the free space in your December calendar. What's that? December is super busy? Ah yes, so it is. Or so it can be! But maybe you'll find a few quiet moments to get in some stitching.

DOWNLOAD THE HOT PEPPER JELLY CROSS STITCH CHART

DOWNLOAD THE CRANBERRY CONSERVES CROSS STITCH CHART

DOWNLOAD THE UPDATED SHELF CROSS STITCH CHART

One of the things I was surprised by this year is how much I've come to enjoy doing cross stitch. I liked it in theory, but in practice, I was so slow that I lost interest partway through stitching a pattern. Now I'm loving it and wish I had worked on this version all along. Mind you, I'm behind on stitching and assembling embroidery version that I'm doing so maybe it was for the best. And hey! If you liked having a cross stitch version this year, I might do it again for 2020 and I can stitch that!



Speaking of stitching, did you see this free Christmas Quilt Sampler pattern I designed for The Spruce Crafts? It's simple and modern and easy to stitch quickly. I hope you'll give it a try!

calendar // december's cranberry conserves

Whoa. How is it already December and our 12th Jam of the Month? The days flew by once again this year. It's full-on holiday mode now through the end of the year around my house, and that includes lots of cranberries! I've already cooked up two batches of cranberry sauce and soon I'll be making other seasonal treats with this classic flavor.

So for our last jam, I chose Cranberry Conserves. What are conserves? They're like a super chunky jam, which usually includes some dried fruits and nuts along with the fresh fruit. I haven't made one like this before, but I think I may just try. Here's a recipe I'm eyeing!

Ready for the last calendar of the year?

Download the Desktop Wallpaper

Download the iPhone Wallpaper

Download the iPad Wallpaper

And if you're cross-stitching along and wondering if there was a November pattern...it's still coming! You'll find it here soon along with the December chart.

pattern // november's jar of hot pepper jelly

It's that time again...time for another new Jam of the Month Club pattern! This photo looks a little different than usual, and that's because I brought my stitching with me on a road trip. I was stitching along in the back seat and HAD to share a bit of my progress here with you. The embroidery for this month is all finished now, but my vacation isn't, so I'm posting it in an unfinished, but still cute state.

DOWNLOAD THE HOT PEPPER JELLY EMBROIDERY PATTERN

Happy stitching!

Want something to listen to as you stitch...or perhaps as you take a road trip of your own? There's a new episode of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast out today!

calendar // november's hot pepper jelly

Not all jams and jellies are sweet. Some are savory or even spicy, which is why November's Jam of the Month is one of my favorites: Hot Pepper Jelly! If you haven't tasted this delight before, I hope that you go out and find some this month. It's so yummy!

Before we get to the calendar wallpapers, please allow me to tell you about how I came to love this spicy spread so much.

When I was little, my family used to go to a store nearby that sold dishes and epicurean treats. They often had samples around and they showed off their hot pepper jelly by pouring it over cream cheese and letting you try it on crackers. My dad LOVED it.

Because my dad loved it so much, a family member started making the hot pepper jelly for him and we would have it regularly. At some point, and I know this sounds crazy, my dad tried it on pizza. And it was an instant classic.

When you're a kid, you often look up to your parents and try the things they like and I now LOVE hot pepper jelly on pizza. So much so that I once made my own batch of this jelly. But that's a story for another day!

Now it's time for some calendars!

Download the Desktop Wallpaper

Download the iPhone Wallpaper

Download the iPad Wallpaper

Have a spicy November, Jam Friends!

pattern // grape jam cross stitch chart

October is nearly over, but I'm squeezing in this month's free Grape Jam cross stitch chart! You can stitch this little jar on its own or add it to the Jam of the Month Club shelves that are very nearly full.

If I'm fully honest, I felt a little lost on how I wanted to present these grapes because I've tried to limit the number of floss colors in here. Another shade of violet might have changed this look, but I stuck with the simple. And just a bit of extra backstitching for the jar shaping.

DOWNLOAD THE GRAPE JAM CROSS STITCH CHART

DOWNLOAD THE UPDATED SHELF CROSS STITCH CHART

When I started these cross stitch designs this year, I knew that I wouldn't have time to stitch them all, so they are only in chart form. I've been a very slow cross stitcher and a project of this scale felt far outside of my abilities. Or at least outside of my time constraints. Seriously, for all the cross stitch patterns I'd designed, I don't think of myself as a cross stitcher. Or at least, I didn't until now.

I've actually been stitching more Xs for some other designs I created and I've been LOVING it. I changed from the stabbing method to the sewing method (a topic we'll be covering in episode 22 of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast), and it's changed my whole experience. Now I have more plans for patterns, trying out patterns by other designers, and maybe even tackling the giant shelves. Or at least planning to stitch whatever I go for next year...ha!

Speaking of things that I stitched...



As I'm posting this, it's just a couple days before Halloween, which means you probably won't be finishing this Happy Halloween design I did for The Spruce Crafts this year. But you can still start this and have it ready for next Halloween! Of course, you may be a speed stitcher or use some sort of spooky spell that finishes things fast...and I say go for it!

pattern // october's jar of grape jam

Since I never gave an official welcome to this month, helloooooo October! It's time for a new pattern for a jar of Grape Jam!

I'll be upfront and say that this felt like a controversial decision to make it grape jam instead of jelly. After all, a PB&J is traditionally made with grape jelly. (I mean, that's not my favorite, but it is a classic). As silly as this sounds, it came down to having too many jellies in a row. I needed a jam. And grape jam is an actual thing, which I'd like to think is a little fancier than it's relative, the jelly.

Can you tell that I overthink this sometimes?

Let's get to this pattern, which is already a little late.

DOWNLOAD THE GRAPE JAM PATTERN PDF

If you've been following along with all the Jam of the Month goodness here on my blog this year, you may have noticed that there wasn't a calendar wallpaper for October. This bugs me because I like a complete set. But it was the thing that I had to let go in order to keep everything else going. That's also why I have another unstitched pattern. Sigh.

Thankfully I have a road trip coming up and I plan on stitching so much! I'll be embroidering more and stitching together the mini quilt shelves.

Woohoo!

ornament stitching clubs for making felt christmas decorations

Who's ready for an all-new Wild Olive Stitching Club for Christmas?!? How about TWO stitching clubs? And made with felt? Well, get ready, but it's coming on Christmas and time to make some decorations for your tree.

This is definitely different from the stitching clubs I usually do, but it's not too far off. If you've been around my work for a while, or you've poked around in my shop, you may have seen these felt ornaments:



This set of nine ornament designs has been one of the most popular items I've ever made. And I wanted to make more right away, but somehow six years passed. This year, after someone asking when more would come, I decided not to wait any longer, but to make the ornaments into a club so you can stitch them little by little leading up to December.

I also opted to make two clubs with eight ornaments in each. Why eight? Well, first, eight weeks of ornaments means finishing by December 1st. And two sets of eight makes sixteen, plus the nine from my first set makes 25, and that's perfect if you want to use these to make an Advent calendar!




Each club has different designs (and all are unique from the first ornament set), but they all have the same general style so they go together. I also used separate color palettes for each, but there's also some overlap.

The ornaments use layered felt pieces and embroidery to create slightly puffy decorations with a little bit of dimension.

Ready to hear what these clubs are all about?




Wild Olive's Christmas Ornament Stitching Club

This club has fun and happy icons of Christmas! The designs are a caroler, tree, nutcracker, candy cane, decorated house, gingerbread man, sleigh, and a gift.

When you sign up, you'll receive a supply list so you can get ready to start. On the first day of the club (October 8!), you'll get basic instructions for making the ornaments, along with the first pattern. Then, each Tuesday until November 26, 2019, you'll receive an email with the latest pattern. As with all my clubs, you'll also get to read some silliness from me too!

The cost of the entire club is just $5.00. (Remember, you're getting the patterns, but you'll need to buy all the supplies!)

Wild Olive's Christmas Ornament Stitching Club: $5.00
   

If you live outside the United States or Canada, please order via my Etsy shop.

Wild Olive's Nativity Ornament Stitching Club

This club is all about the very first Christmas! The designs are Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, an angel, a donkey, sheep, a shepherd, and three wise men.

When you sign up, you'll receive a supply list so you can get ready to start. On the first day of the club (October 10!), you'll get basic instructions for making the ornaments, along with the first pattern. Then, each Thursday until November 28, 2019, you'll receive an email with the latest pattern. The emails will tell the story of Christmas, based on Scripture and with some my own commentary.

The cost of the entire club is just $5.00. (Again, this is for digital patterns only.)

Wild Olive's Nativity Ornament Stitching Club: $5.00
   

If you live outside the United States or Canada, please order via my Etsy shop.

If you sign up for both clubs, you'll get a pattern email on Tuesday and on Thursday. And I promise you can finish two ornaments per week!

Oh, and I'm using Benzie Felt for all my ornaments. If you buy a 6x9 sheet of each color listed in the supplies, you can make a set of eight ornaments and then some!

Questions? Ask me in the comments!

pattern // apple jelly cross stitch chart

I don't think you're ready for this jelly...but maybe you are? If you're cross-stitching the Jam of the Month Wild Olive Stitching Club, then I bet you ARE ready to stitch some apple jelly!

Let's get right to the downloads this month...

DOWNLOAD THE APPLE JELLY CROSS STITCH CHART

DOWNLOAD THE UPDATED SHELF CROSS STITCH CHART

Whether you're stitching these as individual designs or working on the giant shelf pattern that's steadily filling up, I hope you're having as much fun stitching them as I am making them.



I'm also super excited to show you my latest cross stitch charts for Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine. They're celebrating 20 years as a magazine, so I made some party animals to join in the celebration. This is technically the kids' section, but I'm an adult and still want a guinea pig stitched coming out of my pocket! Find these, plus some adorable Christmas patterns, in issue 260.

pattern // september's jar of apple jelly

Who is ready to stitch some apple jelly? I know I am! Well, actually, I already stitched the apple jelly embroidery pattern today. Obviously, because I was ready!

Most of these have kept to the absolute basics, with only my three go-to stitches: back stitch, French knot, and scallop stitch (a fly stitch variation). For this one, I used those and a few more. Most things are back stitch. Here are the others:

Face: French knots and scallop stitch
Ridges at the top of the lid: straight stitch
Thick line at the bottom of the lid: chain stitch
Scallops around the tag: scallop stitch (note that these lines aren't on the pattern, I just stitched)
Bow loops: lazy daisy

They're still simple stitches, but they do get a little layered up around the top of the tag!

DOWNLOAD THE APPLE JELLY EMBROIDERY PATTERN

I hope you have as fun stitching this one as I did! Oh, one other thing. I used a darker shade of gray for my lid (169 instead of 168) because I'm working on light gray fabric. Use what you like best for yours!

But now I have a question for you. This month's design was a toss-up for me. Apple jelly or apple butter. Which one is your favorite?

trying out wood block printing

On the latest episode of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast, I talked about trying out woodblock printing for the first time. But not wanting my experience to be wasted, I decided to take a few photos so you could see the process too!

The back story here is that my sister went to India this summer. While she was there she saw and experienced so much, learning a lot along the way. She also visited Jaipur, an area known for woodblock printing. Like, intricately printed, amazing fabrics that are truly special.

Now, maybe I should have asked her to bring me some fabric, but I have a ton of fabric and she was looking to pack light, even on the way home. So I requested some small wooden printing blocks. And she found me these!



A souvenir that you can also craft with is my kind of souvenir, so I couldn't wait to try them out. And you get to see what that looked like step by step. Here we go!




I grabbed some metallic gold block printing ink and a brayer that I bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby years ago. And a paper plate. I have no idea if that was a bad idea or not, but I had it and I avoided a lot of clean up.

If you've ever changed a diaper, you know that the color is unfortunate, but it dries pretty, so let's move on.




The ink rolled onto the stamp easily, and all that was left to do was print. So I did!



And this was my first result!

Haha! Not exactly the success I was looking for. And I did get a little worried. But I also remembered from carving rubber stamps and foam block printing that first prints often come out wrong. Let's try this again...




With a bit more ink on there, the second print came out better. At this point, I also started to think that pre-washing my fabric might have helped. Whatever...I just wanted to try this thing! Print number three was even better.



So I added a few extra elements and I'm hoping to make this into a mini pincushion. We shall see.




For fun, I decided to try the rest of the stamps and make a design. And I plan on doing more!

On my next try, I'll pre-wash the fabric and perhaps choose another color with more contrast. I may even buy different ink to see how that goes. But can I just say that this was a fun experience? It may not have been the biggest success, but it certainly wasn't a fail.

If you want to give woodblock printing a go, you can find these little gems lots of places online, usually for a few dollars each (or less if you or someone you know is visiting India!). Many thanks to my sister for bringing me home something beautiful and crafty!

calendar // september's apple jelly

I maaaaaayyy be in denial that September is here. But since people keep talking about September things, I figured I had better just go with it and finally make and post the new calendar wallpaper...with Apple Jelly!

Each new Jam of the Month Club design is always my favorite, and that's true this time around too. I mean, seriously...just look at those little tags? I think they may be inspiring a printable for this month.

But now, so I don't fall behind on even more things this month, let's jump to the wallpapers!

Download the Desktop Wallpaper

Download the iPhone Wallpaper

Download the iPad Wallpaper

And since September means thinking about making things for fall, why not listen to the latest episode of Very Serious Crafts? A new episode is coming sooooooon!!!