Playtime In The Studio...

I finally got in some playtime this past weekend. The weather was less than pleasant with nearly 6" of snow falling on the farmhouse Friday night and through Saturday. I thought it was finally over, but I woke up on Sunday to more of the white stuff coming down. Thank Heaven for Andy. Although I had no plans to go out at all, he made sure the drive was open just in case.

Instead, I ran a little laundry, watch the Harry Potter marathon on the television, and created a couple little animals for the shelf. The first one is this cute, little rabbit I named "Valentine" (pronounced Valenteen). He measures a mere 3" tall from his tail to the tip of his ears, and then I attached him to a small wooden spool. If you look closely at the image on the lower right, you can see his poofy cotton tail! I added my BW acorn charm and a carrot charm as well. I added some French General ribbon on top of the thread and called this little guy done.

I had so much fun that I modified the pattern and made another animal on Sunday. I've named this little dog "Spot". He's brown and white, with a red jacket and bow tie. He's only 2" tall from head to toe. I only propped him on the pearl cotton ball to take the photograph. I'll mount him on a spool with some charms, too, but the pup is finished.

I found the original pattern on a blog that hasn't posted for ages. I came across and printed the free pattern years ago and found it again while I was going through my wool pattern binder. The blog is Prairie Mouse and it's still live, so if you'd like to make your own spool animals, the rabbit pattern is HERE to download. Just click on the "Free Pattern" image in her sidebar, and it will automatically download to your computer or smart phone.

Not bad for two snow days, right? I know I'm going to make more. Probably a mouse, and I may even try an opossum! I don't have any grey felt right now, so I'll have to get some next time I'm near a Hobby Lobby - or Joann's, if the one in town is still open. (That's a sad subject for another time.) All I know is these are really fun to make, and perfect for "armchair stitching".

We're expecting bitter cold through mid-week. I'd like a word with Mother Nature. I'm ready for spring, but I know the farmers need the moisture that comes with the snow. We just don't need the dangerous polar vortex stuff that hit late Sunday afternoon. It's not safe for man nor beast. Which reminds me...I'm going to need to go out for more birdseed and suet. I'll do what I can to help the birds through this. If I knew where the opossums were, I'd be taking hay out for them, too. Perhaps they've found their way to the Compass Barn. I'll look when I go out this morning.

Stay warm, friends. The map looks like Handsome might even be on the edge of this in Florida! I'll be back tomorrow with more to share.