Wet, chilly days like this make me think of sharing gossip and cups of hot chamomile or Darjeeling tea with a pal. Mollie Johanson at wildolive.blogspot.com designed this exceedingly simple and cute tea cozy, so that your tea stays as lively as your witty banter. All you need are 1/3 yard or so of outer fabric, lining, and cotton batting, along with felt scraps for the appliqué and embroidery floss to add detailing.

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This simple quilting technique from Bethany Reynolds produces an avalanche of kaleidoscope hearts; perfect for Valentine’s Day. The hearts are constructed from strips of fabric ½” by 21″, so this would be a lovely way to use up all of your scraps of Liberty of London cottons. Love makes us d-i-z-z-y!

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Nothing says “I love you” like a warm heart, and what could be better than a fuzzy, hand-knitted one! Kristin Ledgett of knitty.com made this soft little beating heart pattern for you to make in time to give to your sweetie for Valentine’s Day.

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Just in time to embroider for Valentine’s day is Her Majesty, the Rabbit Queen, courtesy of the talented Andrea Zuill of http://zuill.us/andreablog. With her sweet doe eyes, her outstandingly upright ears, and royal crown & ruff, she would look wonderful stitched on each corner of a linen tablecloth.

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homespun-threads.com designed these elfin slippers. These adorable wee shoes are perfect for the newest member of your family or community. You can make them as wild or as sweet as you’d like by varying the fabric. I can imagine them in rockin’ flames and coordinating Day of the Dead fabric, or maybe periwinkle stripes and coordinating silver stars & moons.

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Use fabric instead of throw away paper this season! The Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan published a guide on Furoshiki, an origami-like fabric folding technique suitable for wrapping packages. Combine beauty and sustainability when wrapping your gift.

It is pure craziness, but Charity from BluePrints brings you directions on how to make children’s way cool pants out of an adult’s long sleeve shirt. Stripped pants? Corduroy pants? Flannel pants? The possibilities are endless!

The industrious elves on the 3rd floor assembled this Children’s Sewing Kit in time for the winter holidays! This portable kit for little textile beginners includes a padded sewing basket, an old-fashioned tomato pin cushion and pins, four spools of Gutermann thread, Clotilde hand sewing needles, a wee rubber silicone thimble, a rainbow assortment of embroidery floss, a retractable measuring tape, professional tailor’s chalk, Gingher scissors, a stack of primary colored plastic buttons, and a bundle of nine felt squares to practice their developing sewing skills! (Cost – $100)

Here is an idea for a felt needle case; little beginning project using felt, buttons, and the easy to learn blanket stitch!

Chickpea Studios presents this free cute and easy baby bib pattern. You only need one third of a yard of cotton for the front, and one third of a yard of flannel, cloth diaper or terry for the back to give you enough material for four or five bibs. Make bibs up with Day of the Dead fabric, daddy’o flames, jolly snowmen, or frolicking kitties. These are just the thing to keep applesauce and mashed peas off your wee tykes clothing!

Just in time for Hanukkah, Britex (and Bretts) present an Instructable for a beauteous no-sew leather kippah (yamulkah). Make kippot as gifts…and then later fry latkes and sing “S’vivon Sov Sov Sov”. All are made with leather scraps purchased from Britex Fabrics, 146 Geary Street, S.F. CA.,