Brown Stripey Blanket!

Here is the big unveiling...finally!
It has grown from this

and yes, I know that is a miserably bad photograph. I have posted about this blanket multiple times and it is good to finally have it complete.

to this...

It is made out of Vanna's Choice yarns, 100% washable. It is very masculine with all the men at my house wishing it was theirs. It is a big 65" x 42" rectangle which makes it a perfect size for the recliner. I love the basket weave pattern. It has taken me a long time to get this one finished but the wait was worth it. I put a very simple border on it of a blue stripe followed by a chocolate brown stripe.
I am so pleased that it is as beautiful completed as it was  a joy to make.
Talk to you later,
Karen

Yes, it is available in my  Chocolate Dog Studio shop.

Ticker Tape placemats

Hey, I posted this project on Pinterest awhile back.

It is from this blog: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2009/10/scrap-buster-project-tiny-ticker-tape-quilt-tutorial-from-amanda-jean/

 I finally started some projects for us. My mom had given me some vintage fabrics that were cut into strips. She had used them for a quilt and they were left over. Well, week before last I started on these place mats. I wasn't sure that I wanted to make a quilt with the ticker tape design. My goal when I started making these was to not have to purchase any of the materials to make them.

I made this pink one for our youngest dd. She is excited. I then made the red one below. I have yet to make any more placemats, but I did completely finish these in one weekend. 

I really like the fact that they are going to be different colors. Mom was really kind and had packaged the fabrics up according to color families so trimming and sewing the fabrics was simple. I do think I prefer the quilting on the pink one. So this is what I finished recently.

Christmas Ornament #3

Pink hearts are always good for Christmas or Valentine's day. Here is my next installment on hand sewn felt Christmas ornaments. This is a heart with beading. I used recycled beads my daughter had removed from a formal. The whole point of these ornaments is to use what I have on hand and not run out for more supplies.



I ran into a few snags since I didn't use a super thin beading needle. I would suggest using one if you make this at home. This is so simple that I don't feel that you need a pattern to make one yourself.

See you later,

Karen

Future plans

Ok, so here is where I tell you all my great and wonderful future plans....

I am going to make at least one large size afghan like this one.



I am going to finish this diagonal afghan. The brown one in the middle.



I know that the above picture leaves a lot to be desired but the afghan is so incredibly soft and beautiful. I will have better pictures soon. I am also going to make some more football team cup sleeves. Like this one only different teams than what I already have...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="456"] https://www.etsy.com/listing/89660331/coffee-cup-cozycoffee-cup-sleeve-coffee[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="337"] https://www.etsy.com/listing/82106339/cup-sleeve-cup-cozy-green-bay-packer-cup[/caption]

I am going to clean out the studio...well, unpack it better and set it up. I am going to get ready for the Christmas buying season by creating more Christmas ornaments and cozies. All of this planning is making me hungry and tired at the same time. So I best get to work.

talk to you later,

Karen

Chocolate Dog Studio has moved!

I've moved...no not out of state or to a new house, thank goodness. We are in the process of moving the blog back to Blogger and away from Word Press. I say "We" as hubs is helping me with the technical aspects of this. So things are a bit mixed up and I hope to get all the old posts moved back over here soon! I will be posting here in the future and I hope that I have some new things to show you soon. I have been really busy sewing and making some fun new things. I have been making some demos to see if I want to put them in the Etsy shop or if they are just for fun.

This has been in the back of my mind as I work on another lovely custom order. It is a gorgeous granny square, nice a big and warm. It will be a perfect size and quite possibly the largest I have ever crocheted. It is being crocheted out of these beautiful shades of yarn.

Well, I had better run and go fix dinner as almost everyone is home. We are missing the college girl but she will be in soon for Fall Break.

See you later,

Karen

Aprons....

When I was learning to cook, aprons were a thing of the past. Grandma's wore them and my Mom had a drawer full of them. We used one apron for years because it was handy. It was also a full apron and covered more than our jeans. These aprons are styled after then one that we used for so many years.









I love these aprons. A perfect size with an adjustable neck strap and long waist ties. Some of these are available in the www.chocolatedogstudio.etsy.com shop. Others are waiting to be listed. Aprons make a perfect hostess gift or Christmas gift for the cook in your family.

See you later,

Karen

Finding your Passion.

There are many self help courses to help you find your interests, and talents. The problem with many is that they depend on your schooling and past experiences to figure out what your "talent and interests" are. That is a problem when you haven't pursued any formal training at all or have been afraid to venture out into the dark unknown. How can you know you have a talent if you haven't expressed it yet? How can you know if you are interested in something until you HAVE to try it? Many, many people are skillful at a task without having a passion for it. Being skillful at a task is NOT the same thing as being passionate about it. Rather, it simply shows that you have been successful at learning how to do it. I have been spending some time finding out how to find your passion. There are some questions that you need to ask yourself.

1. Do you get totally involved in your passion and loose sense of time?

2. Who do you envy, why? Ok, now is it because you could see yourself doing the "it" you want to do or is it because they have some aspect of "it" that you want; for example time freedom, no boss, ability to make decision of how to spend your time. The reverse is also true. What is about what they do that you would hate...the I can't drag myself out of bed to do?

3. If you had a gift certificate for a free magazine which topic would you choose? YOU choose, not which magazine would you get for your children. What topic interests you?

4. Can you test the water? Can you volunteer, take a class, start slow in order to make sure that you are on track?

5. Is it what you dream about day in and day out?

6. Would you have to do your passion no matter what happened in your life?

These questions feel ambiguous but they are meant to be. If you have a wide view to finding your passion, you will be able to narrow it down as time passe. The point to remember is that all specialists start as generalists. So don't be afraid to start in a general direction. You can always change your focus over time.

talk to you later,

Karen

I am really giving myself a pep talk in all of this! :0)