I stopped into a big box store this week to buy fun adulting stuff like salt for the icy front walkway and cardboard banker boxes for Nashville Needlework Market prep. Thankfully my cart guided me over to the toy aisle. There in the Disney doll section was the most amazing box set of dolls— the Encanto four doll set made by Jakks Pacific.

Within the four pack was the most amazing Disney doll, Luisa. The doll body is a huge departure from the pre-2015 princess dolls produced by Mattel and post 2015 the Hasbro princess dolls. I must say I’m super impressed by Jakks Pacific and their doll design of Luisa. She is strong and muscular. Her frame is large. She looks like the animated character! I immediately searched for the individual doll to purchase, but she only came in the four doll box set. No worries. I had to bring her and her three doll box companions home with me.

My daughter is thrilled with the set. I too am thrilled with all of the dolls. I explained the significance and importance of the varied doll bodies, skin tones, and hair textures within one box set. Remember all bodies are good bodies and representation matters. 

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I had so much fun creating this Alaskan themed Alphabet banner. I got the fabric panel at The Quilted Raven. I placed an online order and it shipped from Anchorage, Alaska to Maryland in three days. Amazing.  The illustrations are by Cindy Shake for Clothworks. 

Supplies: 

-1 fabric panel of Alaskan Alphabet by Cindy Shake design for Clothworks. I purchased mine at The Quilted Raven. You can find the panel here. 
-Wide bias tape in Yale blue (three 3 yard packages)
-One bobbin each of yellow and blue sewing thread. I used some vintage polyester thread from my stash, but use any type of sewing thread that you prefer.
-1 spool of Sulky Poly Star 30 weight metallic thread in gold with gold sparkle. Item 965-0905. You can find the spool here.*
-1 spool of Sulky Poly Star 30 weight metallic thread in blue. Dark Sapphire with tone on tone sparkle Item #965-0912. You can find it here.*
-Set of sewing clips
-Rotary cutter
-Iron

I had a lot of fun creating this Alaskan Alphabet Banner using Cindy Shake illustrations for Clothworks and Sulky Poly Star metallic sewing threads. I pulled out solid polyester sewing thread and Yale blue wide bias tape to create this banner. I also took a fabric stash dive and found the tan quilting cotton to use as the backing for each letter of the alphabet. Armed with a hot iron and my enthusiasm, I created this banner in just a couple of days.

This blog post contains affiliate links. All of the opinions are my own. Thank you for your support.

This episode features two new cross stitch pattern releases. So exciting! I also show my WIPS (works in progress) on my Totem pattern by Ursula Michaels, "Light" by Barbara Ana Designs, and a sneak peak of my upcoming design featuring Sulky Poly Star and 12 weight cotton thread. I also show my quilting and crafts with my kids.
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It is so exciting to announce that I have two pattern releases this week! The first is Pear Assortment. This is a 16th century needlework block print that I adapted for counted cross stitch. It was originally stitched in conjunction with my filming and development of the Sulky of America's "Intro to Cross Stitch" video series. You can watch that video series here. 

The second pattern release is "Whaley Love Winter" featured in the 2020 Just CrossStitch Ornament Issue. The model is stitched withSulky 12 weight cotton thread and Hiloshimmer thread. It is stitched on 32 count Indigo linen by Luminous Fiber Arts and mini creamsicle orange pom pom trim by Lady Dot Creates. 

The pumpkin block pattern came from The Cloth Parcel. I decided to make each block into a decorative pumpkin pillow. I added metallic thread to the top stitching. I think I found my new favorite shiny thing and that is Sulky's Poly Star Thread! You can watch the episode here. 

Behold my new fabric samples from SpoonFlower! My new Halloween fabric designs can be found in my "These Spirits Love Needlework" collection on the Spoonflower website.  The fabric sample swatch of Spoonflower's new Belgian Linen was the main focus of my Flosstube episode. In the episode I open my fabric package and I count the linen threads in real time. I count the threads in to find out if the fabricit is even or un-evenweave linen.

 I decided to film a spur-of-the-moment unboxing of the fabric. You can watch the unedited video on my Flosstube channel right here.  Do you like my new fabric? You can find it in my Spoonflower shop.

Within the embroidery hoop print in the fabric, you could always use Sulky Stick N'Stitch to cross stitch your own design within each small hoop. 

Thank you again for your support and Happy Stitching, 

​Amanda Mae