in print // christmas stitching in international magazines

It's always an honor to contribute patterns and projects to publications around the world. And while I work on these kinds of projects at different times throughout the year, right now I happen to have things in three UK-based magazines at the same time. And all are Christmas themed!

That means that in the spring I started on Christmas embroidery, but you know what? It's actually a lot of fun to turn on the Christmas music in May and get some holiday crafting in! I may never do that without the push of a deadline, but I like it when it happens.

The first magazine project that I started on was for Love Patchwork & Quilting, a favorite of mine.



It doesn't matter how many times I get something published, it's always exciting. And it might be a little vain, but yes, I was quite proud to see my photo within the first couple pages. And next to Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane, whose work I respect so much.



My project in Love Patchwork & Quilting might look a little familiar if you've been following Wild Olive a little while. It's based on some ornaments that I made last Christmas, but with all new patterns. And while you can't see it here, it gave me a chance to use some really cute Christmas fabrics for the backs of these.



Being a Mollie, any opportunity to create for Mollie Makes is pretty perfect. And their Christmas issues are always amazing. I mean, just look at that pom pom wreath!



For this issue, I made an embroidered sweatshirt that looks a bit like a Christmas sweater. I worked with DMC's Matte Cotton, and it worked so well for this. If you look closely, you'll see that the trees even have little faces. They're subtle, but they're there!



And for something completely different, I also had the pleasure and challenge of designing cross stitch charts for Cross Stitch Crazy magazine. See them there at the upper right corner?



For this I designed 35 patterns...it was so much fun! Especially because I don't usually work on patterns or artwork like this. But I did some a couple years ago, and since I made these Christmas designs, I've had the opportunity to make a few more for future issues. Can't wait to share more soon!

I'm so thankful to these fantastic publications for inviting me to contribute. And thank you for letting me share these with you! All of these should be on US shelves by now, or if not yet, definitely as digital copies.

in print // handmade from the heart

In May of 2015, I stood on my front porch to send a thank you to all of those who made a purchase from my shop or blog during a very special fundraising campaign. The effort collected $3600 for World Vision's Caregiver Kits, and I still get emotional thinking about it.

Soon after, I received an email from someone at World Vision, asking if they could talk with me about the project. And now, just over a year later, they published an article in their magazine about it. (I might have put some makeup on if I had known the pic would be published and sent to 500,000 people!)

You guys. I don't know what to say.

Another thank you is in order. And also, I have to say that God does amazing things when you say yes to Him. Even in this broken world, He brings healing through us.

My part in this was so small and it was so easy. If you have a shop, consider how a month or even just a week of profits could help change the world. I know that I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be doing this. Because our hurting world needs a bit more love and generosity.

in print // beginner's guide to embroidery bookazine

I love hearing about people who are learning embroidery and I especially love when I can help beginners. Usually that starts with one of the resources that I've created online or in books/magazines. And recently I got to contribute a bit to a new bookazine on embroidery!

The Beginner's Guide to Embroidery is published by Immediate Media in the UK (the same folks who publish Mollie Makes), and covers all of the basics of embroidery and several different types of embroidery too. It really is a great resource for getting started or learning new techniques.




The book is divided into sections showing different types of stitches or techniques. There are tutorials and guides, plus projects that allow you to try out what you've learned and make something sweet.

The poppies above are one of my favorites and they show off fill stitches. Aren't they beautiful? And these ferns showcase border stitches.



Embellishing a fabric design and turning it into a strawberry pincushion? So fun and cute.



My contribution was helping with the section on transferring patterns. What you see here is what each set of tutorial pages looks like. Lots of photos and helpful descriptions. And they cover topics from the basics like materials and transferring to stitch types, counted stitches, and more.



And you'll love this. All of the traceable patterns and templates are at full size in the back of the bookazine!

This really does feel more like a book than a magazine, but if you're wondering what makes this a "bookazine" I would say things cause it to blend: The format and paper (it's soft cover) are more magazine, and there are a few page spreads that are exactly what you'd expect in a magazine. It's a nice combination!




And before I sign off on this post, here are a few more fun pages. Above are two examples of counted stitch projects. One is more like an old sampler and the other is blackwork, but done in tans and browns. There are also examples of counted cross stitch in the Beginner's Guide to Embroidery.



Many of the designs and projects have a more classic style to them, rather than the modern quirky motifs that I create and love to stitch. But I can picture using these traditional patterns and pairing them with fun fabrics or phrases to make them uniquely you.

I mean, how cute are these pups?

To order your copy of the Beginner's Guide to Embroidery visit Immediate Media's subscription page. Happy stitching!

in print // mollie makes coloring

It's a big thing these days for grown-ups to color. Or as they say in other parts of the world "coloring in". It's relaxing, peaceful, and everything that the world isn't.

Earlier this year I shared a free downloadable coloring page, and I'm working on another (or maybe two!). But I also had the privilege of creating two pages for the new coloring book from Mollie Makes.




My two pages are both nature themed, and they were so much fun to create. Even though I have two pages with similar themes, they're quite different, which was a good challenge to draw. (Also, thankfully my drawing tablet worked the whole time, and promptly decided to be difficult as soon as I was done!)



And how cute are the other designs in here? I love these snails so much! And check out this all-over pattern:




The back of each page is blank, other than a light gray print of the page title and the artist. That means you can pull these out and frame them without losing another design on the back, and you don't have to worry about markers bleeding through to another page. Of course colored pencils are recommended and a set is included!

Okay, a few more page peeks!




I went crazy when I saw that squirrel teacup. Crazy, I tell you! It was at this point when flipping through that I thought "I really need to try embroidering a few of these designs. Yes, everything comes back to embroidery for me. And you should keep that in mind too. People have been using coloring pictures as embroidery patterns for a while, and this new batch of designs should inspire your stitching in a big way.

In addition to the sections of coloring pictures in a few styles, there's also some pages at the back that allow you to add your own drawings and designs. Love!



I'm not sure about the availability of this in the US at this time, but you can order from the UK. So grab your pencils and start coloring in!

book review // sew sweet creatures

Prepare yourself for some of the cutest and cuddliest creations you could ever sew up.

Sew Sweet Creatures is a new book from Lark Crafts that is filled with stuffed animal projects. What sets this title apart is that each animal is a character with its own story and accessories that you can also make. And let me tell you, these are the most adorable friends you'll ever make.

I'll be up-front and say that I'm totally biased because some of the critters in Sew Sweet Creatures were designed by yours truly. But the animals I sewed aren't my favorites. Seriously, there are so many sweet projects in here!





There are five designers who contributed to this book, and each has her own style. And yet, they all work well together.

The tiny polar bear above is the most different from the others. But do you see that igloo in the background? Whether I make the bear or not, I think I need a fleece igloo. I might make the felt panda bear into a little felt polar bear that can live inside!

And that's another great thing about Sew Sweet Creatures: you can mix and match many of the accessories with other animals!



For example, so many of the little creatures could snuggle up with this mattress, pillow and blankie! I love everything about this set. Just look at those rosy cheeks!



There's also a little story about each animal in the book. Chip the Lumberjack Beaver is one of the friends I made, and it was a fun story to write. I couldn't help but throw a little Monty Python reference in there. Oh, and his hat? It felt like such an odd thing to design...a tiny hat with ear flaps, and it's set on a bit of an odd rotation. But it was my favorite accessory that I made.



Speaking of favorites, this is the project that I simply must make. A crafty felt bunny? With a Liberty dress? Could there be anything better? I'm smitten.



Each project has thorough instructions for the animal and all the accessories. The patterns are not all full size, but I'm willing to bet that if you didn't want to enlarge them, you could still make these guys just a little smaller. (For all of my fleece animals, I'd recommend switching to felt if you do this).

Any time a step in the making process requires some extra visual assistance, there are illustrations to help, and plenty of tips too. You'll be making your own menagerie in no time!



Aren't they a cute bundle? Sew Sweet Creatures is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookseller.

Now I want to know...which animal from this book is the one you'd start making first?

in print // dome-estic bliss cupcake apron in homespun

Nearly a year ago I started talking with Australian Homespun magazine about an apron project that would go in their special food issue. You know I love making food with faces, so I was excited about this. Then earlier this year I mailed off my completed apron and it made its way around the world.

And you know, it's just so satisfying when an envelope arrives and inside is your project that is home again, and the magazine with pages displaying the thing you made.



It's really lovely that my apron is in the same issue as Twinkie Chan and a host of other talented designers. Plus, I'm always so impressed with this magazine. It has a different feeling that other craft magazines that I also like, and I like that!

One of the really cool things is this:



At the back is a giant pull-out page with full size patterns. Yeah, that's right. And I don't have to tell you that with the dome design on this apron, that pattern is super helpful. (If you get a digital copy, I'm told that you have a way to print the pieces and join them.)



Now the question remains...should I actually use this or keep it as pretty as can be?