Embroidered Jar Cozies and more

While the sewing machine was away, I got my embroidery needle out to play! I decided to make some jar cozies so that I could look at some little prettiness every day. I have been using some plain jars in the bathroom to hold make-up and hair brushes and thought it was about time to dress them up.

I so love the old fashioned look of embroidery. It reminds me of both my grandmother and great grandmother who lived in the hills of New York and had homes decorated with many little embroidered details - linens, pillows, dolls, etc. - many of which they made themselves. Back when I was little, I didn't appreciate all the hand-made goodness that I saw and touched. But now I do! And it's just so relaxing to sit back, watch a show (like Downton Abbey -- did you see Cora embroidering in season 2?), and get some crafty goodness done.
This embroidered girl with a stick horse is bigger than the cozies, though it's hard to tell in these pictures. I'm planning on putting her on a pillow! This one took some time - I actually finished her before my sewing machine broke, and then just stuck to some small projects, such as the cozies, while my machine was being repaired. Once it came back to me, I was able to sew up the cozy part. :)


 

All these projects came from this beautiful book by Aneela Hoey, Little Stitches.

You might know Aneela Hoey from her fabric collections such as the popular Little Apples line. I first came to her work when I was in my quilting phase and made the girl on a swing mini-quilt. (I did two of them, in fact, and both are still hanging in our home!)

But back to this book. Not only are there dozens of adorable designs to embroider, and projects to complement them (like the jar cozies), but Aneela also includes the iron-transfer pages in the back of the book!! And each design can be used at least 3x! Can you believe that?? It's such a phenomenal value for the price! I'm very addicted to this book right now. There are many more projects I want to make!

Well, that's it for now. I did just finish a dress for my daughter and need to take pictures of it. It's really lovely and I can't wait to show you. :)

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