Some things I've been doing

It's been a while since my last post, so I feel I should explain myself. My absence is mostly due to my recent lack of access to a camera lately. Mine quit on me a few weeks ago, so lately I've been depending on my husband's work camera being around and handy when I need it. More often than not, though, it's at work. Go figure.

Anyway, here are a few little projects that I've done recently and wanted to share.

These two pieces of embroidery were basically copied from a pattern found in one of my old McCall's Needleworks & Crafts magazines. Remember this post? I customized the designs a bit to suit my taste, but I basically just free handed the images onto my fabric with a water soluble marker, then went to town. The fabric I used was actually some thrifted napkins that I'd picked up but wasn't sure how I was going to use them. Turns out they were the perfect size and shape to cover some pillows for our guest room daybed.
I just sewed two of the napkins together very close to the edges, then added some twill tape for ties to keep them closed. I was disappointed to realize when I got home from buying the twill tape that it was polyester, not cotton, but decided to use it anyway. After all, how could I possibly wait to make another trip to the fabric store to see my pillow covers complete??
I love the combination of cream, linen and white on these covers. It makes them look so fresh.

I stitched up this little birdy one night while I was watching TV. I think I'll hang him in the guest room, too.
Another good TV watching stitchery for Baby. This is from Andrea Zuill's blog and is her Free Embroidery Pattern for February. Isn't it super cute? (I really gotta figure out how to press my finished pieces better. How on earth do I get those darn wrinkles out??)
And this little dude is a door stopper made using this tutorial. It's not the cutest fabric, but I wanted something that would be sturdy and not too noticeable sitting on my floor. This should come in handy, though. The door leading to our garage has self-closing hinges, so bringing in groceries is kind of a pain when the door constantly shuts itself, and I'm always a little worried that it might slam on little fingers. I wish I'd made this a bit bigger because I have to kind of wedge it under the door to keep it open, but it's better than nothing!