Hopefully Creative

Tea Bag

Little carry bag with a tea bunny.

There was a birthday, and I wanted to make a little thing. I’d found this embroidery pattern with a tea drinking rabbit at the same time as the Sea Dice and purchased it specifically for this birthday gift. Tea is a firm favourite in that house. They also have a dog, so in first instance, I was thinking about making a dog poo bags-bag, but that seemed a little less joyous.

Outside view of a bag with grey and white triangles, a rabbit cross stitch and an inner pocket with fish in jars.

Inside view of a bag with grey and white triangles, a rabbit cross stitch and an inner pocket with fish in jars.

I started by embroidering the little floppy eared bunny with the cup of tea. The pattern actually has two versions with slightly different facial expressions, but I chose to mix and make a smiling rabbit with open eyes. Next came finding a bag pattern. I’d previously used a pattern from Sewing Times when I made my latest EDC (still going strong!). So I decided to browse their website and YouTube channel and settled on the Hanging Coin Pouch.

Embroidery of a rabbit with a tea cup and a blue neck bow, but without the outline stitching.

Embroidery of a rabbit with a cup of tea and a little neck bow

I used materials from my stash and made one change which was to add the embroidery as a pocket to the outside of the baglet. I really enjoyed adding the inner ‘fish in a glass jar’-fabric pocket. That fabric is really fun to me and it allows the user to store a tea bag in there and put something else in the main bit of the bag. The handle also can be clipped off the other end and attached to a belt loop or something. It was sent with some tea bags in the fish pocket and I hope some use will come of it.

Project	It’s Always Tea Time
Author	SVStitch
Type	Pattern only
Search words	bunny; cup of tea; bow; smile
Location	Drive
#stitches	494
Purchased	27-07-2026
Date started	22-08-2026
Date finished	30-08-2026
Fabric	16 ct. aida

Owl Post

Two little owls wishing you the best.

As I was buying some more thread to work on a different project, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at the ‘sale’ section and seeing this little kit being discounted. I thought it was very cute, so in the cart it went, I needed the thread anyway.. right?!

Two cross-stitched owls in a little frame on a card.

It was a very quick afternoon project with only a few colours. I really like how the two owls came out and I’ve kept the pattern and the leftover kit-thread and I think I can make the owls again if I want to. I’d have to find different card, bow and dangle, but that should be doable too. This one is on its way to the recipient for a happy birthday message!

Project	Two Owls Card
Author	Luca-S
Type	Kit
Search words	owls; card
Location	Embroidery box
#stitches	~400
Purchased	28-07-2026
Date started	07-08-2026
Date finished	07-08-2026
Fabric	18 ct aida

Sea Dice

Island scene in embroidery

There was a birthday coming up and I figured, I’d make a little thing. Now, I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this designer’s patterns on Etsy (SVStitch), but I did. And I bought a fair few of them, so you’ll see them appear more in the future. This one was probably the one that set it off. The idea of cross stitching six sides and then putting them together really tickled my fancy. So I bought the pattern and got to work.

A cross-stitched die with an island scene, sail boats and sky view.

A cross-stitched die with an island scene, cove and flowering tree view.

There are normal cross stitches, but also half stitches, back stitches and French knots to complete the little cube. The top is the emptiest, depicting a sky with some birds. Then round the sides there’s a light house, a mini village, a tree and a set of sailboats; this is also where all the French knots were. Still not my favourite stitch because I am very prone to messing them up. And finally, the bottom was a lake with some islands in it.

Six cross-stitched sections with an island scene, to be stitched together in a die.

All the pieces line up really well and overlap in colour in such a way that it feels very cohesive. Stitching them together was a bit of a pain, but that was to be expected. I managed to get it all stitched and stuffed with a bit of sponge and batting. When I closed the final two sections, I stitched in a loop of string that would allow it to get a clip attached. I think it turned out really nicely and makes for a nice tiny gift.

Project	Take me to the Sea
Author	SVStitch
Type	Pattern only
Search words	dice; 6 sided; sea scape; birds
Location	Drive
#stitches	1128
Purchased	27-07-2026
Date started	29-07-2026
Date finished	20-08-2026

Blue Leaves Dress

Two versions of a blue dress, one worked.

Just in time for the next event at work, I got my mitts on a pattern that looked really promising: Butterick 6018. It’s this 1950’s fit and flare dress with two neckline variations and two sleeve options. I really liked the collar version and the pointy sleeve bits. So I set out to make it from a dinosaur starry night bedsheet that I’d found. That was supposed to be the test version to see if it would actually fit.

Dinosaur version of the blue leaves dress

I hadn’t made a Butterick pattern before, so no idea what the fit would be like. The bodice was pretty reasonable although it was a little bit long on me. However, the sleeves were very tight and I couldn’t move my arms. The construction for those sleeve points also left something to be desired. The front bodice panels were cut badly, so there was half a Triceratops butt at the center front which made me uninclined to continue it as a wearable mockup. I might just remove the top and turn it into a skirt.

So I needed a new plan for the event. I found some fabric with blue leaves on it and decided to make the other view of the Butterick pattern. The neckline has a fascinating shape and I hoped I could get away with just leaving the sleeves off and shortening it a fair bit. And that’s what I did.

Side view of the key loop of a dress with blue leaves.

The buttons are covered with some bias tape that I was planning on piping the under bust seam with, but I forgot. So now they are just there to provide a little interest. The dress has a side seam with an upside down invisible zipper, pockets and on the other side a loop to hang my keys from. It was quite comfortable and easy to move in, so I’m quite happy. Next time, I would shorten the bodice a little and figure out a different method to get the sleeves to fit.

Owl Bookmark

Owl to guard the colourful pages

I was browsing Etsy for embroidery patterns a couple of months ago and I found this little owl on a pile of books. A friend of mine has their birthday in August and I figured making a bookmark for someone who likes reading and writing is appropriate, right?

Embroidered bookmark of an owl on a stack of books

For one of the more colourful people I know, the original colours were just a bit too muted. So once I started planning the stitches, I went and picked some different colours for the books and edge. I attached some white felt to the back to hide all the stray stitches and some ribbon to the bottom for some extra length. I quite like the way it turned out and it was a fun little project.

Project	Owl Bookmark
Author	ThreadingOurJourney
Type	Pattern only
Search words	owl; bookmark; stack of books
Location	Drive
#stitches	2308
Purchased	11-02-2026
Date started	26-07-2026
Date finished	28-07-2026
Fabric	18 ct. aida

Piggy Bag

Stuffable piglet

The fourth bag pattern from Waffle Patterns is Biggetje – Piggy Bank. As soon as I finished the duck, he was on the cutting table. This bag is again made from the same gray fabric as the whale. It also uses the same zipper and similar hardware. There’s a big bag in the middle and a smaller bag on the side.

Gray bag in the shape of a piggy bank, nose view.

Gray bag in the shape of a piggy bank, side view.

As usual with Waffle Bags, I increased the size of the big bag by fair amount. To be able to put as many things in him as possible, I couldn’t fill it with stuffing as much. He looks a bit underfed because of that. If I bring him along, he’s a lot fuller and looks more like a pig. To combat the empty look, I did put foam pieces in his feet and his snout, so that those wouldn’t collapse.

Gray bag in the shape of a piggy bank, butt view.

Gray bag in the shape of a piggy bank, side front view.

For his tail, I didn’t have anything super curly, so I decided to use some of the stuff I’ve been using for hood strings. I also added a clip so that I can attach things to his bottom. The straps are interchangeable with all the other bags but he has since received a gray strap to match his hue better. I do think he’s very cute and he’s lovely to take on walks.

Charma-Cubone

Double bone pettable Cubone

A free Cubone plush pattern by Sew Desu Ne? and the yen to make a new stuffed creature, a match made in Pokémon heaven. I had re-found the Cubone pattern, at some point showed it to my brother and he thought it was fun. So we agreed that I would make him one. He got to pick from all the colours in my cuddle fleece collection and we decided on this orange, an off-white belly and white toes. For the skull, we settled on the gray felt, but only after I had already cut out a bone in off-white felt. So it’s a double bone Cubone.

Cubone plush with bone but without skull helmet

Once all the bits were cut out, I set out to assemble him. Empty Cubones look really weird, if you ask me. Once I started stuffing him though, he looked a lot like a Charmander. Or at least what a Charmander looked like in my memory, corroborated by a few friends who I also sent a picture too.

Then came assembling the skull. It’s a double layer of the felt sewn together. The horns are attached separately. I’m not entirely sure I made it big enough, sometimes one of his eyes is sort of hidden by the skull. The vibe of a Cubone is definitely there though.

I decided that I had to make a second bone, this one matching the skull colour. I made a minor deviation from the pattern by making the bottom end a little bit pointier. I also used a clear elastic for the bone attachment, instead of white or black, which were my only other options.

He is appreciated by the recipient, and I’m sure will have a lovely time with my brother.

Mammoth!

A giant woolly mammoth is approaching through the winter forest.

My other travel project has been a knit cowl from the same designed who made the Christmas Mystery Knit pattern. This one is the Woolly Giants Cowl (knit) by Mary P. Hunt. I dyed some Donegal DK in a light gray and chose some undyed MCN DK to knit up this lovely creature. However, once I completed the woolly rhino section at the bottom, I decided that the original colour was much too light. The Light picture actually shows it much better than real life did. So I ripped it all out and dyed a new skein of Donegal to a darker gray. The colour difference was now quite stark and it’s a lot easier to make out the different designs.

Original light gray woolly rhinos — Darker version

Knitting this was very fun. I had a print out of the design and a pen and marked off every row completed. It took me a while, mainly because it was mostly in my bag waiting for travel time. Several people along the way were impressed with how such a project is worked, which was cool too.

Knitted cowl with a mammoth and a forest.

I feel like I am actually getting better at colour work. It seems a bit less .. lumpy than previous projects. I did make one change and omitted the triangles at the top. I thought it was already plenty high and I didn’t really like them. However, I do now believe that a little more white (or those triangles) would’ve made his head ‘end’ a little better. He’s going to be a fun neutral option, come winter.

Protect Local Wildlife

Travel projects to think of Scotland

This cross-stitch Nessie has been my travel project for the past couple of months. The hoop and associated threads were nice and small and fit perfectly in my bag. And with Pattern Keeper, I didn’t even need to bring a paper pattern. I did, however, make some changes to the original design. It’s supposed to have black back spikes, a white sail and no tail. I didn’t like the spikes so I omitted them. I stitched the sail in white, but it was invisible, so I chose a random red from the hoard. My brain also couldn’t deal with a potential plesiosaur without a tail, so I created one. I really like how it worked out and I’m quite proud of it.

Embroidered Nessie in water with a castle, a boat and a fish with Protect Local Wildlife quote

I do have one regret though, and that is that I should have chosen a different colour fabric. There is a white border around the project that is only visible under certain angles. And I don’t think anyone can see the white ‘shadow’ of Wildlife. I’ll still find a place to hang it on my embroidery wall, once I’ve put up another string of hooks.

Project	Protect Local Wildlife
Author	NeedleLotDesigns
Type	Pattern only
Search words	Nessie; sea; boat
Location	Drive
#stitches	3440
Purchased	23-10-2025
Date started	02-03-2026
Date finished	18-07-2026

Duck to Go

Quacking and carrying away.

Waffle Patterns, the designer of the Penguin Bag and the Whale Bag, released two new bag patterns recently. A piggy (biggetje) and a rubber duck (eendje). I loved them, and they went on sale upon release and I couldn’t help myself. Does one need four animal bags? Probably not. Do I have them now and do they come out to play? Absolutely.

Beak view of black bag shaped like a rubber duck.

Side view of black bag shaped like a rubber duck.

I grabbed some of the same black fabric and gray lining that I used for the Penguin and got to work. As usual with waffle pattern bags, the internal bag was a little bit too small for my liking, but I only figured that out after already cutting it out and adding a zipper to the bottom. So I performed some minor surgery and added a strip all the way around the edges so that the bag innards are now a lot bigger. The wings double as extra pockets. They are not very big, but I did put the optional snap in them for some extra closure.

Apart from that, the instructions were very good again. If I remember correctly, I followed them pretty closely. There is no nap indicated on the pattern, but my fabric has some. So I tried to think about it while cutting out the duck. That was quite helpful, and he’s very pettable now. I think only one section is upside down, but I wasn’t going to take it back out again. The beak was already quite hard to sew.

Bottom view of black bag shaped like a rubber duck.

The duck has one hand strap, and it’s supposed to have a shoulder strap. I stole that one from the penguin temporarily, until I have the materials to make it its own strap. The one problem it still has is that the zipped opening is very small. Only 12-ish centimeters and my hand is not big, but it’s fairly hard to get into it. It can hold my wallet and pens, but not much else. But it wasn’t intended for a giant trek. Still, I think he’s very cute and I look forward to taking him on the go!