The Final Homemade Holiday Gift

I know I already said this but I swear this is the final post this season about homemade holiday gifts. This one is a little belated because I didn't even see the recipient until after New Year's.

Here it is:


Although Toaster wasn't part of the gift...isn't that belly just irresistible? It looks so soft and white and downy, I always succumb and rub it, only to be reminded that it is just a trap waiting to be sprung. No matter how asleep he looks he is just waiting for you to get close enough so he can bite your hand. But he is only there so provide a size reference for what was supposed to be the subject of this post: the owl.

I made the wall hanging for a collector of owl related items. Here is a close up:


I started by having my boyfriend (who is more artistically inclined then me) draw a simplified version of a Great Gray Owl from a book on owls. I then used this as a pattern to cut out a piece of hound's tooth fabric which I appliqued to the white background. I then used mostly chain stitch to add in the detail. The eyes came out a little googly, I definitely need more practice with my embroidery.


In order to make the embroidery into a hanging I added a border of dark paisley around the white rectangle. I then lined it with a white layer and added some pretty green fabric for a backing. I sewed in three tabs to put a dowel through and tied green cord to that.

Although I wasn't totally satisfied with my embroidery skills adding the border and backing made it much more appealing. I just think I need to design myself a sampler or something so I can practice a few more stitches. Maybe I should do a sampler made entirely of eyes! That would be both creepy and very helpful.