by Susan | Apr 5, 2024 | Felt Patterns
Way back in 2013 I shared this post with a pictorial of how I add legs/feet to my birds. I can’t believe that I’ve been creating and sharing patters for 13 years! Where does the time go? I am still asked questions about making wire legs, so I created this...
by Susan | Jan 30, 2024 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a fascinating songbird; they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and let the other mamas do all the work. I’ve occasionally spotted them at our feeder and the edge of the woods. He’s on my list today because I happened to...
by Susan | Jan 26, 2024 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
The European Starling is a beautiful bird with glossy black feathers and a yellow beak. It’s a challenge to create a shiny feathered bird from felt. I designed this Starling while in Pennsylvania, spending time with Dad. This means that I’m not in the...
by Susan | Dec 11, 2023 | Christmas
This weekend, I brought my beloved joyful owl pattern to life in a new way! A Downeast Thunder Farm Christmas pattern book has an ornament-size full-bodied Joyful Owl sporting a Santa hat. I made some of the felt owls this weekend with a bit of a twist. Instead of a...
by Susan | Nov 7, 2023 | Christmas, Critter Patterns, Dogs, Felt Patterns
Spending the week with Dad, I dabbled with this Scottish Terrier design. It’s a fun, quick sew. I opted to make him using plaid Christmas ribbon for his coat. I put tape on the back of the ribbon to keep the edges from fraying. Since I didn’t have my felt...
by Susan | Oct 8, 2023 | Felt Patterns, Other Patterns
It was football Sunday, but I’m not good at just sitting in front of the television, so I drew up and stitched these felt autumn leaves. They’re super simple and quick. I particularly like the oak and can envision a wreath made of them. I tucked wire down...
by Susan | Sep 10, 2023 | Felt Patterns, Other Patterns
Realistic patterns are what I usually create, but with Spooky Season around the corner, I couldn’t resist creating this super easy Ghost Garland. Creating a ghost garland from felt is a fun and creative DIY project that can add a spooky touch to your Halloween...
by Susan | Aug 13, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Shore and Wading Bird Patterns
I’ve had numerous requests for the Tufted Puffin from folks along the Pacific west coast and Alaska. He was on my to-do list, but so much in my life has gotten in the way of my to-do list in the last year. Recently, a friend who runs a boat charter business...
by Susan | Aug 7, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
I first saw a Gray Catbird when visiting with my parents in Pennsylvania this past spring – it was nesting in mom’s rose bushes. This summer, I recorded it on the Merlin app at home. We’ve got them in our woods, too – but I thought it was a fox...
by Susan | Jul 9, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
Yesterday, I enjoyed one of the first sunny days in weeks on the porch. Using the Merlin app, I recorded a great variety of birds in my little patch of woods, including a Crow, Overnbird, Hairy Woodpecker, American Robin, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Phoebe, Hermit...
by Susan | May 13, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
My creative mojo has been hard to find lately. Maybe starting with something relatively easy will help me get my groove back. A Nashville Warbler has been popping up in the sound recordings on my Merlin app this spring. Here he is in felt. I hope these pretty birds...
by Susan | Mar 4, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
Sitting here with my mom on a Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania, I started exploring birds common to the area. Most of them I have already designed. The Blackburnian Warbler caught my attention – a bird who visits Maine in the summer. Click below to download...
by Susan | Feb 25, 2023 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
The White-tailed deer first appeared in my latest pattern book, Animals of the Northeast. Leave the antlers off, and it’s a doe to go along with my White-tailed Fawn. Enjoy! Enjoy the free download below – or purchase the White-tailed Deer felt kit here....
by Susan | Feb 5, 2023 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns
First introduced in my book Downeast Thunder Farm Animals of the Northeast here is my Secretive Gray Fox pattern. I’ve only spied red fox on the farm here but the gray is abundant in southern and mid-coast Maine – and throughout much of the United States....
by Susan | Jan 1, 2023 | Bird Patterns, Collage, Felt Patterns
For Christmas, I received the book “Beguiled By The Wild” by Charley Harper from Hannah. About his style of painting, Charley Harper coined it “minimal realism.” He said, “Instead of trying to put everything in when I paint, I try to...
by Susan | Dec 11, 2022 | Bird Patterns, Christmas
It’s been a stressful year with mom’s health challenges, feeling overwhelmed with work, job changes, and Hannah moving home (exciting things on that front coming), to name a few. I’ve felt less spunky, less resilient than normal. For the first time...
by Susan | Dec 7, 2022 | Christmas, Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Other Patterns
These little cats and dogs have kept me busy in the evenings – the perfect project to help keep me awake during TV-time. I plan to use these as little extras tied to Christmas packages. The cat design was inspired by a Pinterest picture from this website. The...
by Susan | Nov 24, 2022 | Christmas, Felt Patterns
Christmas stockings need to hang in pairs (at least). The companion for my Adele Penguin Christmas Stocking is this Polar Bear stocking. He’s sitting rather than standing like my Polar Bear ornament but is still dressed for the holiday season in a colorful...
by Susan | Nov 20, 2022 | Christmas, Felt Patterns, Other Patterns
The design bug hit yesterday, and I started dabbling with a new set of Christmas Stockings. Here’s the first; an all-felt stocking that uses my Adele Proper Penguin pattern (enlarged to 6 inches) in a wintery landscape. I think she’s sweet. Thanks to the...
by Susan | Oct 28, 2022 | Christmas, Felt Patterns
I played with this little ornament a while back but never shared it. It’s inspired by some of the glass ornament of the 1950s and 60. Mix and match your colors or create your own beading patterns. For this one I used Baby Blue felt and Strawberry Dream felt...