Personalized Beekeeper Nutcracker

The finished beekeeper nutcracker with bee hives in the background. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Personalized Beekeeper Nutcracker

The soldier nutcracker is one of my favorite Christmas ornaments among the holiday traditions. I attend at least one “Nutcracker” ballet during the Christmas season and watch it on television whenever it is broadcast. Last year, I decided my bee buddy and gardening friend both deserved to get beekeeping nutcrackers but I couldn’t find any. I did find some soldier nutcrackers so I decided to make them into beekeepers.

Taking the traditional soldier nutcrackers, I painted them all white so I could add beekeeper details. Since we all wear a white beekeeping jacket over jeans, it was easy to outline what parts of the wooden beekeepers needed further painting.

Nutcrackers painted all white so I can start over with their details. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Both nutcrackers needed a detail on top to flush out their hat into a beekeeper’s veil.I measured the top hat and cut out two pieces of white cardboard to simulate a beekeeper’s veil. Black tulle fabric simulated the black mesh that protects beekeepers in their protective suits. The tulle was hot glued between the two round top cardboard pieces.

I then used black thread to gather the tulle at the bottom to cover the head.

The veil is glued between two white cardboard piecers surrounding the top. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The bottom was even more fun to customize with blue paint for jeans. Tiny cotton sock pieces simulated pulling socks over jeans to prevent bees from climbing up pants legs.

We had all met for a lunch during the lunar eclipse earlier that year so finding a wooden cat ornament that looked like one of his cats holding stars and half moons was very appropriate to add to the tableau. A tiny smoker off a keychain was perfect size so I added that to the base at the feet after painting it all green.

Little glue on bees were scattered all over.

A keychain smoker, a wooden cat ornament and socks over jeans finish the bottom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I couldn’t resist adding some flowers so I found this old group of silk flowers that fit perfectly at a corner. I filled the back with dry hydrangeas spray painted green.

Silk flowers hot glued to the back with sprayed green dried hydrangeas. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

My bee buddy now uses a photo of the beekeeper nutcracker as his profile photo. I told him that was appropriate only now he’s going to have to grow a handlebar mustache if he wants to look just like the beekeeper nutcracker!

Charlotte

How to Personalize a Baby Quilt for a Gift

A ladybug toy was added to this ninepatch ladybug baby quilt. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Personalize a Baby Quilt for a Gift

Periodically we get a thank you card or email about a custom baby quilt gift set that raves not about the baby quilt but the toy that is part of the gift set.

I have to confess, we do put some thought into our toy pairings with the crib and baby quilts. They have to be appropriate for the age as well as safe. In addition, we want the toy to reflect and compliment the baby crib quilts.

For our Ladybugs Ninepatch baby crib quilt, that was an easy match. Ladybugs have become a more popular retail item in the last few years so it was easy to locate something small that would be appropriate for the theme.

This next baby crib quilt, however, was a different story. Camouflage is also a popular look but try to find something in hot pink!

This hot pink monkey was not easy to find! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

We waited to post this Pink Camo baby crib quilt until I could find exactly the right gift. Almost a year after we had the baby crib quilt in hand, I found this charming hot pink monkey.

You can find stuffed toys at most big box stores. Also shop smaller boutique stores for the specialized toys. If you shop online, you can also find a wider variety of choices but for a baby gift, I would suggest seeing the toy personally to make sure it is appropriate for the age.

Charlotte

Handmade Thread Spool Organizer

The handmade spool organizer my brother made when he was 9 yrs old. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Handmade Thread Spool Organizer

If you do any kind of sewing, you know how hard it is to organize, and keep organized, your spools of thread.

We grew up making a lot of things, especially for gifts, and one year my 9-year old brother made this thread spool organizer as a gift for my Mom. I still have an old hat box with some of her thread spools, forming a nice tangled mess every time I try to paw through it looking for a particular color.

My brother made the handmade thread spool organizer all by himself so you know it is relatively easy to make. And since i have it after all of these years, you also know it is practical as well as appreciated!

How to Make a Handmade Thread Spool Organizer

You will need a piece of wood, 1.5 inch nails, a hammer, a ruler and a pencil. This particular handmade thread spool organizer is 11x17 inches with 5 rows across and 7 rows down.

Mark the straight lines down, then across. Where the lines intersect is where you will hammer in the nails.

Not exactly straight lines but straight enough! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

My brother doesn’t remember if he painted this or just recycled a piece of wood. My guess is it was recycled.

Spools of thread waiting fo their turn on the organizer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The back has a picture hangar so that the handmade thread spool organizer can be hung in a sewing corner.

Oops, the picture hangar must have fallen off the back. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Looks like there were several hanging options. I need to add a picture hangar to the back side, now I remember why this is leaning against the wall and still doing its work.

My mother repurpsed an old spice rack, left, for her sewing items: sewing machine needles, pins, pieces of ribbon. These two work well as my little sewing support station. You can find the spice racks at local thrift stores and vintage shops.

To make this into a personalized gift set, pair this handmade thread spool organizer with some fabrics or, better yet, a vintage sewing spools quilt!

Vintage sewing spools quilt would be a nice addition. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you make one, would you please share a photo?

Happy sewing!

Charlotte

Need to Personalize?

One way to personalize is by adding a custom embroidered label. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Need to Personalize?

Periodically a potential customer asks for help to personalize an item without us having the item in hand.

Sound impossible? Not really.

Our suggestion is to custom embroider the name and special date on a matching and complimentary fabric so that a label shape can be ironed before it is hand sewn onto the fabric item.

If they don’t have time to get it machine embroidered, they can hand embroider on the fabric. If they can’t hand embroider, indelible pens come in handy to write out names and special dates.

We have made the custom personalized embroidered labels to be added to clothing, quilts, handbags, fabric totes - even hats although sewing through the hat canvas was challenging without heavy duty sewing needles.

Sometimes the customer doesn’t want the custom personalized embroidery on the front of a handmade quilt, like this burgundy double wedding ring quilt so we added it to the back of a quilt corner so the name and date is on the quilt commemorating that very special day.

How have you added custom personalized embroidery to your handmade gifts?

Charlotte

How to Give Gift of Quilting

This is the winning beginners quilt at Piece and Plenty's 2017 Quilt Show in Rolla, Mo.

How to Give the Gift of Quilting

It's easy to think that giving the gift of quilting could be difficult. A friend of mine who wants to learn to quilt said she assumed the first thing she should do is take a quilting class, which is not a bad idea. Giving a coupon for a quilting class is also not a bad idea but it needs to have something more useful attached to it.

One option is our quilter's honey sampler gift set, a unique custom gift set that includes not only honey samples but quilting-related gifts that can easily be added to a gift certificate for a quilting class.

Another option is to pick a collection of fabrics, like this patchwork quilt started as a gift of a fat quarter bundle featured at the 2017 Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild in Rolla, Missouri.

And this quilt from a gift of fabrics just keeps on giving, now as a finished quilt gift!

Exciting to see a beginning quilter category getting first place ribbons!

Regardless of the category, I like to see the quilting details that add so much dimension to each handmade quilt. In this case, the machine quilting involves lovely floral patterns. Flowers on top of floral cotton patterns make for very nice floral themes!

Close up of the machine floral quilting in this winning beginning patchwork quilt.

I would be happy to get this first quilt even if it didn't get a first place ribbon, wouldn't you?

Charlotte

How to Make Magnetic Book Marks

How to Make Magnetic Book Marks

Handmade magnetic bookmarks are a nice way to combine a gift card with something practical. Magnetic bookmarks slip easily over a book page and help mark where a reader left off reading without damaging the page corners. Nice addition to a gift book, such a set of Sesame Street books.

You will need

Cardboard, either new stock or re-use holiday and birthday cards. Magnet strips, available at most craft stores. You can also re-use magnet strips from other projects. Different-colored marking pens. Magazine cut-outs, copies of favorite photos, stickers. Paper glue. Paper scissors.

To make

Cut cardboard into 4x1.5 inch cardboard strips. You can make them bigger or smaller as long as it is a rectangle.

Fold so one side is slightly smaller than the other. Decide whether to attach at the top of the page or to the right side.

Decorate the smaller size with a photo or design.

Decorate the larger side with a dedication and signature.

Cut magnet strip into two pieces. Remove backing.

Glue magnet inside the shorter size; glue the other magnet to the first piece, then fold cardboard to the second magnet so both magnet pieces match.

Allow to dry for 15 minutes.

Apply to a book, or a gift book, as page markers or give all by themselves as handmade gifts.

Charlotte