The Polka Dot Poppy

You have probably noticed while traveling that when your luggage comes onto the carousel in baggage claim your little black bag looks pretty much like everyone else's.  I solved this problem by creating monogrammed bag tags. Using bright and beautiful grosgrain ribbon I used a font called Eccentric and embroidered directly onto the ribbon as it was held in place on my stabilizer with adhesive spray. The font was skinny enough that I could use a bigger more bold 2 inch initial.  To make them sturdy enough to survive the handling process I used large grommets. In addition I thought they could use a bit of extra embellishment and I added a wooden bead and some extra ribbons tied on to jazz them up a bit.  Getting that ribbon through the bead proved to be the most difficult part of the entire process but I liked how it finished them. Fun colors that will certain make your bag stand out in a crowd.  We all have our baggage - flag yours! Ribbons are 1 1/2 inche

I spent the Christmas season stitching up a storm working on a new in the hoop project I downloaded free from Five Star Fonts a while back.  The advantage of these projects is that you only hoop your stabilizer and add the layers of fabric to create something adorable like a place to park your coffee cup everyday. Mug Rug with polka dots of course.  The ribbon just holds the set together. Everyone in my family and people on my Christmas card list all got at least one from me because once I got started I just couldn't wait to see what the next combination of fabrics might look like.  As you can see, they are like tiny little quilts. The response was very positive.  Everyone appreciates saving their table or desk from scratches or drips and they have the added benefit of being environmentally friendly since they easily can just be tossed in the washer. After creating several of these I fully and completely understand how so many people can get caught up in the craft of cr