New Felt Colours!

It's almost been a month since my surgery and I'm happy to say that I'm finally feeling like myself again!  Due to a huge fibrous mass on my uterus that was rapidly growing right into my bladder, my gynecologist decided that it was best to do a hysterectomy along with a bladder repair.  My bladder was so squished from the fibroids taking up so much room that it could only hold 1/2 a cup of fluid at a time.  As you can imagine, I was constantly running to the bathroom and going out anywhere always meant hunting for the nearest washroom.  Because of the weight of the fibrous mass, a lot of stress was put on the neck of my bladder, so, once the uterus was removed, my bladder was tucked up into a sling to hold it in the proper position.

I cannot tell you how much of a difference the surgery has made!  I can now go for hours at a time without needing to go to the bathroom and the ever present feeling of discomfort is gone!  Although I had a few complications after my surgery, the benefits have been well worth it!

I am still taking it easy and my dearest hubby has been a wonderful nurse, cook and cleaner!  My dear mom has been such a help with getting orders ready for mailing and my two boys have been a blessing too!

Ok, now for the other good news!  As most of you know, I recently decided to discontinue a few of the not-so-popular colours in the Wool Blend Felt collection and replace them with some pretty new ones.  Well, they're finally here!  The 9 new colours are:  Linen, Butter, Georgia Peach, Lilac, Love Bug Blue, Aqua, Inkblot, Spearmint and Emerald.

Soon I will add another collection of felts, these will be similar to the Polka Dot felt, but will have hearts and stars instead.  Here's a sneak peek at a few of the lovely colours in the collection:

The new Wool Blend Felts are now available in my shop.  The Heart and Star collection will be available soon!

I just want to thank all of you who have sent me well wishes, thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!

~Shelly xo

Out With the Old Sale!!

Hi dear friends!  These last two weeks have been quite a trial since my surgery and recovery has been a little rocky because of some unexpected complications.  But I'm happy to say that I'm finally feeling a thousand times better and I've gotten dreadfully tired of doing nothing all day!  Anyway, I've been doing a bit of thinking and have decided that I'd like to freshen up my Etsy shop a bit, so I'm planning on adding a whole bunch of lovely new colours to my Merino Wool blend collection of felts and it's time to make some room for them! Out with the old, in with the new!! 

There are a few colours from the original collection that will be discontinued and these will be available for a limited time at a very good price for those of you who'd like to snap some up before they're gone.  The discontinued colours are:  Espresso, Garnet, Plum, Asphalt, Cadet Blue, Juniper, Evergreen, Indigo, Cobalt, Royal Blue, Pacific Blue, Tangerine and Dandelion.

I've also got a lovely selection of mohair fabrics and hand woven wool felts that will be on sale as well.  I have such a huge collection of beautiful pieces of felt, fabric and mohair which unfortunately are just sitting in boxes, so I've sorted through them all and have found a nice bunch that will be on sale for a steal!

My shop is open and the DE-STASH sale is on till everything is gone!
~Shelly

PS  Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes for my surgery!!

Upcoming Surgery, Sale and Shop Closure

Hello dear friends!  Many of you have inquired lately about when the Dainty Dolls pattern will be available, so I've spent this past week working on making a another one which I've photographed for the 'step-by-step' instruction part of the pattern.  This is how she turned out.  Do take note of her fabulous Fly Choker!

I am considering putting her up for sale on eBay with the proceeds of the sale being donated to a worthy cause and I welcome your suggestions for something you may know of that would be worthwhile.

Also, I thought I should let you all know that due to an upcoming surgery next week, I'll be closing my shops on Tuesday, May 20th until further notice.  Once I'm feeling ready, I'll re-open and only have pdf patterns available for the first while, and then as I see how things go, I'll re-list the felts, safety eyes and other goodies.

Before I do close up shop, I thought it might be nice to have a little sale in case any of you need any supplies or patterns.  Once I figure out which day will be best, I'll post an announcement on my Facebook page with the Coupon Code and the date of the sale.

Lastly, before I go, I wanted to share this darling pic of my son's girlfriend Rhi's Cloud Pillow that she made for an expectant friend.  Isn't it the sweetest??!!  She even added her own special touch - the little kitten ears which will ensure that the new baby will love kitties just as much as we do!!

My best wishes,
~Shelly xo

The Little Cloud that Could...

..be very versatile, that is!  Hi friends!  Many of you have seen the new pics I've posted on my Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr pages lately of the little Clouds I've been working on and I just wanted to say a big 'Thank You' to all of you who have left such lovely feedback and comments on them!  They have been so much fun to make, not only because they're really easy, but because I've been able to make them in a few different ways!

As you can see above, the one on the top left has been machine sewn and made out of fabric.  The little face has been painted on and I used a pretty Liberty of London fabric for the back of the cloud.  The one next to it on the right was made out of oh-so soft, hand woven wool felt and the little features were made out of felt and then stitched and embroidered on.  I then re-sized the pattern to make the tiny ones at the bottom.  The smaller size would be perfect for making ornaments, key chains, brooches, for hanging on crib mobiles, banners, wall hangings and maybe even a mini pincushion for a budding sewist.

The front and back of the fabric cloud.

The storm cloud in front was made from the wool blend felts, the rest were made from hand woven wool felt.  These measure about 10 inches across and 8 inches tall.  I think they'd look lovely in a baby's nursery!

I really love these tiny ones!  They're super quick and easy to make and measure about 3 x 3.5 inches.

The little Cloud pattern will be available soon, I promise!  I've had many inquiries as to when it will be ready and I'm hoping that if all goes well, I'll have it ready by the end of this week.  I really liked the thought of creating a pattern that could be made up in different ways, so this one will include the pattern pieces in two different sizes, as well as instructions for making the machine sewn and hand sewn versions. The tiny key chain clouds will also be available as kits - I'll have a choice of the gray storm cloud or the white fluffy one :)

Have a lovely week!
~Shelly xo

Li'l Pets

Hey everyone!  Got some good news to share!  I've just finished writing up my newest pattern - Li'l Pets, and it's just about ready for hubby dearest to format into a pdf!  If all goes well it'll be available in my shop tomorrow!

 These little darlings are just too, too cute!!  The pattern will include two options - a kitty and bear and each can be made into a girl with a pretty little dress, or a boy with a dear little pair of short overalls.

The Li'l Pets measure about 5 inches tall and I decided to use the new PURE felts to make them with.  The pretty colours I've chosen for them are so soft and pretty!!

I hope you love them as much as I do!
~Shelly xo

Free Pattern - Little Lark Lavender Sachet

Hi dear friends, I hope you've all been well!  It's been a busy few months for me and I've not had much time to stay on top of my blog and facebook page.  As always, I am extremely grateful to all of you for your support, so I've come up with a little gift especially for you!  A free pattern!  Little Lark Lavender Sachets are super easy to make and are perfect to whip up as a gift for someone or to keep for yourself.

Each little bird measures about 3 inches tall and is filled with a mix of polyfil and dried lavender.  Here's what you'll need to make one:
.:  4x6 inch felt for body                                           
.:  2x3 inch fabric for the tummy
.:  2x3 inch felt for eye patch
.:  Scraps of felt for beak, toes, bow and hair tuft
.:  Pair of 6mm black safety eyes or pair of 7.5mm coloured safety eyes
.:  7 inch length of crewel embroidery thread or narrow ribbon for hanging loop
.:  Polyfil
.:  Embroidery thread/floss
.:  Dried lavender
.:  Embroidery scissors, orange stick, tooth pick, Fray Check
.:  Disappearing ink pen or water soluble pen
**  Please read through all instructions before starting this little project.
**  I've used one strand of embroidery thread/floss for seams etc.  Keep your stitches neat, tiny and evenly spaced.   
To download the pattern pieces, please Click Here

:  Print pattern pieces and cut out.
:  Pin pattern pieces onto corresponding felt/fabric and carefully cut out each piece.
:  Transfer dotted lines onto felt and fabric with your disappearing ink marker - these will help with placement.
:  Run a thin bead of Fray Check along the outer edge of the fabric Tummy and allow to dry.
:  You'll notice on the Body pattern piece that I've drawn the placement of each piece onto it.  Use this as a guide when you're positioning each piece in place.
:  Pin Tummy onto front Body and sew on with tiny running stitches.
:  Position Eye Patch in place and sew on with tiny running stitches.
:  Center the Beak, applique the sides on leaving the top edge open.  Add tiny pinches of stuffing, gently pushing it in with a tooth pick and applique opening closed.

:  Whip stitch darts on front and back Body pieces, making sure to sew them from the back of the felt.
:  To make the ornament loop, fold your length of ribbon/crewel embroidery thread in half and knot the end.
:  Position knotted area onto the dart on the back Body (wrong side of felt) and stitch securely in place.  Your stitches will blend in with the stitches you've used to close the dart.
:  Center the bottom of the Hair Tuft just below the top edge of the back Body as shown and sew it in place with a few stitches, making sure the keep the stitches a few millimeters below the top edge of the back Body.

:  Working on the front Body piece, mark dots on the Eye Patches for your eye placement. 
:  Being very careful, make a tiny hole through each dot using the tip of your embroidery scissors.  Insert safety eyes and connectors at the back.  Add tiny eyelashes at the outer corners of each eye and eye brows above.
:  Position bow just above the eye patch and sew in place with couple of teeny stitches in the center of the bow.

:  Place front and back Body pieces together, wrong sides facing and pin.
:  Blanket stitch all the way around the body, leaving an opening at the bottom for stuffing.
:  Stuff firmly, alternating with polyfil and dried lavender.
:  Blanket stitch opening closed.  Don't cut your thread just yet, bring it out through the center of the bottom seam.  You can use it to sew on the little feet in the next step.

:   Pin Feet onto the bottom edge of the Body, making sure that they are evenly positioned on either side of the center of the bottom seam.
:  Stitch on with tiny stitches.

 See how easy and fun that was?!  I do hope you'll make a flock of them and share some pics on my facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/gingermelondolls?ref=hl

I used the 6mm black safety eyes for these two...

And the 7.5mm coloured ones for these two.



Wishing you all a happy, crafty day!
~Shelly xo

Art Doll Winner

Thanks so much to all who entered my giveaway!  Collette was absolutely delighted with your lovely compliments!

 Congratulations to Jackie Bisley who's name came up in the draw!  She's excited to meet you!
~Shelly

Art Doll Giveaway!

Hello dear friends!  As this is my first blog post of 2014, I thought it might be nice to start off the year with a giveaway.  Not one of my usual pattern giveaways, but a REAL doll this time!

Please meet Collette.  She loves twirling about in her favourite pleated skirt and tangerine shoes!  She is part of a new collection of art dolls that I've been working on lately which incorporate a variety of different mediums - ink markers, coloured pencils and paints.  Collette measures just under 10 inches tall and her little arms and legs are pose-able.  Her outfit is not removable.

  As you can see above, I've traced the features onto each doll with a fine black marker, painted their hair and then coloured the eyes and lips in with coloured pencils.  More about them in a later post...

If you'd like to enter to win the lovely Collette, please leave your name and email addy in the comments box or, if you cannot enter here, please add your info to the link on my Facebook page.  The draw will be held on Sunday, Jan 19th and I will contact the winner for their shipping address via email. 

Best of luck to you all and my best wishes for a happy, crafty and fun 2014!!
~Shelly xo

A Special Gift for You...

Dear friends,

Here's a special little gift just for you - a tutorial on how to make two sweet little felt ornaments, a mitten and a stocking.....

These cute little ornaments are simple and quick to make and even though they're fairly small, you could fill them with candy canes, sweets or maybe even tuck some money inside for someone very special!

Here's what you'll need:
 Felt, embroidery thread, seed beads, disappearing ink marker, craft glue - the kind that dries clear, flat toothpicks, some sparkly glitter and a ruler.  And a 7 inch length of crewel embroidery thread, narrow ribbon or thin yarn for the ornament loop.
:  Download and print the pattern, which you can find here.  For these little ornaments, you'll need basic embroidery stitches such as whip stitch, blanket stitch, back stitch and straight stitch.  Here's an awesome site where you can find photos of the different stitches:  Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.
:  Cut out pattern pieces.  Lay pattern pieces onto felt and carefully cut out. If you like, use a pair of pinking shears to cut out the bottom edge of the stocking cuff.
 : I've used one strand of embroidery thread/floss to embroider, attach seed beads as well as to sew up
seams. Keep your stitches small, neat and evenly spaced.

:  Use your disappearing ink pen to draw a simple snowflake on the mitten front.  For the stocking front, gently lift the paper pattern piece up (while it's still pinned to the felt) and transfer the markings along the edges around the stocking.  Remove pattern piece and connect the markings with a ruler and your disappearing ink pen.
:  Embroider snowflake onto the front side of the mitten with a back stitch.  .
:  For the stocking, use tiny straight stitches to embroider each marked line where the lines meet to form and 'X'.  Do not make a full 'X', with your thread, instead, make each little line separately, keeping the very center of each 'X' open. I did not worry about embroidering the top row of the marked 'X's as the cuff will overlap that area.  Please click on the photo for a better view of the stitches.

:  Sew seed bead at the center of the snowflake and onto each marked dot on the mitten.
:  Sew a seed bead at the center of each little 'X' on the stocking.
:  Place front pieces of mitten/stocking onto back pieces, wrongs sides facing and whip stitch all the way around.

:  Pin top edge of cuff to top edge of mitten/stocking, placing edges of cuffs on the 'heel' seam of the stocking and the 'little finger' seam of the mitten. 

 :  Blanket stitch top edge of cuff onto top edge of mitten/stocking.  

:  Whip stitch the two cuff edges together.

 :  For the ornament loop, fold length of ribbon/yarn/crewel embroidery thread in half and knot ends as shown above.

 :  Position knotted end of ornament loop onto the inside seam and sew in place, keeping your stitches small and neat and invisible from the right side of the ornament.

 :  Spread a fine layer of craft glue onto the cuff with a flat tooth pick.

 :  Sprinkle glitter onto cuff and allow to dry thoroughly before gently tapping excess off.

You now have a wonderful little ornament that you just might find very hard to part with!  I'd suggest cutting out a bunch at a time - it may be easier to give some of them away that way ;)

Many thanks to all of you for visiting my blog, facebook page and on-line shops!  I cannot tell you how much your support means to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Happiest of Holidays to you all!
~Shelly xo

12 Days of Gifts Special!

Happy Holidays dear friends!!  

  It's that wonderful time of year again and to celebrate, I'm having a 12 Days Of Gifts Special in my Etsy Shop again! Each morning I'll post an announcement on my facebook page with the Gift of the Day ~ a different pattern or pattern set will on sale for 50% off the regular price!! 

So, if there's a particular pattern you've had your eye on, please be sure to visit my page every morning as this special will only be on for a limited time!

Best Wishes,
~Shelly xo

Visions of Sugarplums Giveaway

Hello friends!  

Today I'd like to welcome you to the third annual Visions of Sugarplums! It's a blog event created by Lori Hairston from:  http://lorihairston.blogspot.ca/, where bloggers and unique companies share Christmas ideas, packaging, recipes, and traditions.  The best part is that there are giveaways every day!!

This is a very exciting week in the crafty blog world with so many great designers sharing and giving away wonderful things and ideas.  

For my part of this event, I'll be sharing a pattern for a darling little Santa ornament that is super easy and fun to make. Please click here to find the pattern tutorial.

I am also giving away a copy of my Gingerbread Folk pattern, just in time for Christmas!

Please make sure you visit everyone to get some great ideas for the Christmas season and don't forget to leave comments in order to win!!

Lori – lorihairston.blogspot.com/

Debbie - debssimpletreasures.blogspot.com/
Maria - joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/
Mitra - mitralee.blogspot.com/
Lauren - www.laurenhairston.com/
Jane - jane-janesjournal.blogspot.com/
May - mayshappydaze.blogspot.com/
Shelly – gingermelondolls.blogspot.com/ - You are here.

Giveaways:

1 set of choice - Paper Sweeties - www.papersweeties.com/
1 set of choice - Moonlighting by Mary - www.etsy.com/shop/MoonlightingByMary
Christmas Creation - Mitra - Mitra - mitralee.blogspot.com/
Into the Woods Stamp Set - Lawn Fawn - www.lawnfawn.com/
Gingerbread Folk Pattern - Gingermelon - www.etsy.com/shop/Gingermelon

Best wishes and have fun!
~Shelly