spotted: cross-stitch dog bandanna

A few years ago, after being contacted by an editor at Brides.com for a story on wedding accessories for dogs, I made custom cross-stitch dog bandannas for a few customers. Recently, one of my customers shared these adorable photos of her dog, Mindy, wearing the bandanna I had stitched up for her.

It's so fun to see the things that I make in my little studio out in the real world. Both engagement session photos were taken by the talented photographer Shelby Leigh. Best wishes to the happy couple!

giveaway day!

Welcome to everyone visiting as part of Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day! If this is your first time at Salty Oat, here's a mini round-up of some of my most popular posts over the past few years, to get you up to speed:

• One of my first quilts was made from the bunting I hung up at my wedding. 
• When learning to embroider, I stitched a sampler using a doily as my inspiration. 
• I think napkins are fun to make and give (see evidence here, here, here, and here). To make your own, check out my log cabin napkin tutorial over on the Fat Quarterly blog.
• I was lucky enough to have two embroidered pieces (this one and this one) included in group shows in Seattle a few years ago.
• I love to quilt. Here are a few of the quilts I've made this year: for my parents, for my sister-in-law, for a friend, for me. 

Now for the giveaway! This year, I'll be giving away a mini charm pack from Moda (each square of fabric measures 2.5" x 2.5"), featuring the fabric line Kissing Booth by BasicGrey. I'll also be giving away a hand-stitched, cross-stitch pinback button, featuring the letter of the winner's choice.

To enter, simply leave a comment below, telling me what letter you'd like stitched on your button. Please be sure to include your email address, so that I have a way to contact you if you win. Comments will close December 7, at 5:00 pm PST, and a winner will be chosen at random and notified by December 9. This giveaway is open to everyone, domestic and international.

*Giveaway is now closed.*

do. Good Stitches swap + a cross-stitch heart quilt

After sending off my set of coasters to my swap partner Erica, I received the most amazing gift from my swap partner Alyssa, who blogs over at Pile O' Fabric. Using fabrics from some of my favorite designers, Leah Duncan and Lotta Jansdotter, Alyssa created a wall quilt featuring a cross-stitch heart, based on the original Salty Oat logo.

Isn't it amazing!? She hand-quilted the entire thing and then hand-stitched the Salty Oat logo in the bottom right corner of the quilt.

Also in the package were two wide-mouth zipper pouches (made from Anna's tutorial, which I've been meaning to try out myself) featuring more of Leah's fabric and linen. They arrived just in time for my trip to Houston and were perfect for holding travel essentials and Quilt Market goodies.

Alyssa put together a great tutorial for the cross-stitch quilt block, if you're interested in making your own.

Thank you, Alyssa!

happy halloween!

 

My new faux pumpkin, stitched by hand with black yarn.

walk to end alzheimer's + cross-stitch buttons

For the second year in a row, my husband and I will be doing the Walk to End Alzheimer's. This is a huge event, which happens in cities and towns all over the US; this year, we'll be walking on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The event raises money for the Alzheimer's Association, an organization that offers support to those affected by Alzheimer's, sponsors research, and promotes brain health. My own father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year, at the age of 58, so this is a cause that is very, very important to me.

As part of our participation, my husband and I hope to raise at least $3,000 for the Association, and we could use your support. For any blog readers that make a donation of $5 or more---Just $5! The price of a fancy coffee drink!---I will send them a cross-stitch pinback button as a token of my appreciation. Here's how it'll work:

1. Check out our team page or my personal page and make a donation of $5 or more (every little bit helps!) before the walk on Saturday, October 27.

2. Come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me that you've made a donation to the walk and what letter you'd like stitched on your button (You get to choose the letter, but the color combo will be a surprise!).

3. I'll verify with the Alzheimer's Association that you've made a donation and send your button on its merry way! I'll use the mailing address that you gave to the Association when you made the donation, unless you tell me otherwise.

Questions? Let me know! And thank you so, so much for your support!

cross-stitch project: more custom dog bandannas

A few more custom cross-stitch dog bandannas for a client:

{Made with yellow gingham and purple embroidery floss. See past bandannas here and here.}

cross-stitch project: custom dog bandanna

Though quilting has definitely occupied much of my time the past few months, stitching has not stopped:

{Detail shot of a custom dog bandanna made from purple gingham for an October wedding. The original bandanna I made appeared both online and in Brides magazine this fall.}

This Will Be Our Year (Took a Long Time to Come)

Tomorrow, a new collaborative show opens at Assemble Shop and Gallery in Seattle, and I'm so excited to be one of the exhibiting artists. The show is centered around the theme This Will Be Our Year (Took a Long Year to Come), after The Zombies' song. This is my contribution to the show:

Here's my artist statement for the show:

This piece is about the highs and lows of relationships, and in particular, about deciding to embrace a moment, a year, and making the most of it. I used traditional "Welcome to Our Home" cross-stitch samplers as the inspiration for this piece, since those samplers often have a prominent place on a home's wall, welcoming visitors. In this case, the piece is meant to welcome the inhabitants of a home and serve as a daily reminder, an affirmation, of the possibility of a fresh start, no matter what has come before.

The piece is 10 inches wide--it's the largest piece I've ever stitched--and is done on linen aida cloth. It took what seemed like ages to stitch, but I'm happy with how it turned out. If you're in the Seattle area, I hope you'll stop by the show; it's up until February 8.

gallery of gifts

New embroidered lunch napkins, backed with Japanese fabric.

This Friday, Gallery of Gifts, a craft show and sale at the Library Arts Center in Newport, New Hampshire, opens. The show features lots of talented crafters (including my mom!) and I'm super excited to have a few of my own things included in the mix.

I've been experimenting with how to finish off the back of my hoop pieces, and I'm super happy with this latest incarnation!

 Cross-stitch snowflake pinback buttons--a new design!

The show runs through December 18, and if you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by the show and support a great arts space.

cross-stitch goods for the wondercraft

A package of new Salty Oat goodies is currently on its way to The WonderCraft, just in time for the holiday season and EtsyAustin's November Craft Riot. 

The package includes cross-stitch wall pieces, cross-stitch pincushions, and cross-stitch pinback buttons!

If you haven't already, be sure to stop by The WonderCraft's shiny Airstream trailer and take a gander at all of the awesome, locally made things they stock; they're open every Friday and Saturday.

cross-stitch furniture

Back when we first moved into our new apartment, my husband and I took a trip to Ikea (many trips, actually) to pick out some new seating so that we'd have something other than the wood floor to sit on while we waited for the movers to arrive. 

We wound up picking up an armchair and an ottoman covered in--wait for it--cross-stitch flowers! Though it's nearly impossible to photograph, the fabric is pretty amazing and its fun to incorporate more embroidery into our decor.

custom cross-stitch buttons

Custom cross-stitch buttons are back in the shop (I'm the proud new owner of my very own button maker!), and this past weekend, I worked on a custom order for an October wedding. 

In place of boutonnieres, the groomsmen will wear buttons with the first initial of their last name, and the groom will wear a heart. I think it's such a cute idea, and one I wish we'd done for our wedding (these were the buttons we gave to our guests)!

cross-stitching on gingham

I've been experimenting with cross-stitching on fabrics other than aida cloth, and lately I've turned my attention to gingham. With its built-in grid pattern, it's the perfect backdrop for cross-stitch---and so much fun to stitch on!

salty oat logo

Remember this sneak peek? Well here's the finished piece, all stitched up and ready to go on the wall of my new studio:

And here's a pic of the back:

P.S. I've been updating the shop and have added a few new buttons!

sneak peek

recent shop updates

Since opening up my Etsy shop a few weeks ago, I've been busy stitching up goodies to fill my "shelves." Today, I thought I'd share some of the items I've been working on. 

I love the cross-stitch patterns of andwabisabi (I featured Grace's work here back in November), so some of my newest shop items are wall hangings I've stitched up using andwabisabi patterns.

 Curtis the cross-stitch crocodile

William the cross-stitch whale

I've also been making one-inch cross-stitch pinback buttons, featuring a semicolon and hearts. 

And I've also been working on a number of custom pinback buttons for my lovely customers, using various colors of floss and aida cloth. I love seeing what color combos people come up with!

In the next few weeks, I'll also be adding embroidered napkins and quilted placemat sets to the shop. In the meantime, you can find a large selection of buttons--letters and even math symbols!--and vintage sheet cocktail napkins at The WonderCraft, here in Austin.

 Salty Oat display at The WonderCraft

giveaway winner!

Thank you so, so much to everyone who entered the giveaway and welcome new followers! After taking out a few multiple comments, I used random.org to select the winner.

 

Congratulations, Kristin!

Kristin, please send your mailing address to saltyoat [at] gmail [dot] com, and I'll get your package in the mail.

I loved reading everyone's comments and suggested cross-stitch motifs (boy, do you guys love owls!). Some of my favorite suggestions included a goat, poppies, records, and an elephant. 

Didn't win but still want your own set of "I "*heart* U" buttons? Head on over to my Etsy shop and pick up a set.

cross-stitch project: anchor button

Here for the Sew Mama Sew! giveaway? Check out this post for a chance to win a set of cross-stitch pinback buttons. Thank you so much to everyone who's entered so far, and for all of the eclectic and creative suggestions on cross-stitch motifs to try out (bacon is among my favorites so far)! Keep them coming!

This past week, I continued to play around with the button maker a friend lent me and turned my newest cross-stitch design--an anchor--into a big ol' button. The design is simple (it's the first one I've ever created from scratch), and I used cream aida cloth and red floss to stitch it up, to fit with the nautical theme.

giveaway day!

Welcome, Sew Mama Sew! readers! I had such a blast doing giveaway day last December, that I've decided to do it again. Today, I'll be giving away a set of three cross-stitch pinback buttons, one of the new products that will be available for sale in my Etsy shop in the coming weeks.

Each button is one inch in diameter and is made from brown and cream aida cloth that I found during a thrifting trip last year. The three little buttons spell out the phrase "I *heart* U."

There are two ways you can enter to win these pins (though there is only one entry per person):

1. Become a follower of this blog (or let me know if you already are) or subscribe to it using a feed reader (or let me know if you already do) and leave a comment below. 

or

2. Leave a comment and tell me what cross-stitch designs you'd most like to see on buttons. Patterns? Woodland creatures? Pancakes?

Be sure to leave your e-mail address in the comment form (it will remain invisible) so that I can contact you if you win. I will ship internationally, so this giveaway is open to everyone. The giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, May 20, so be sure to leave a comment before then. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 21. Good luck!