Category: thanks

7 things that brought me joy in 2025

January 16, 2026
by annwood
stitched octopus shapes in progress on my work table

imporvisational and collaborative painting with lots of cats and creatures.

1. Collaboration with Sid – My friend Sid is 10 (almost 11) and she is a creative super star. Our imaginations vibe hard and for a large part of last year we collaborated on a painting.

We  each did some work and then delivered it for response – penpal style… We’re gearing up for our 2026 Edition now.  A solid collaboration is creativity boosting magic.

stitched octopus shapes in progress on my work table

2. A new shape on my work table –  I spent a lot of time this past summer in the woodshed with Octopus friends.  I’m definitely a process person, working out a new shape, watching a  presence emerge is my happiest place.   I’ll share more about these guys soon.

3. Lonesome dove –  Oh boy. I read (and loved) all 864 pages of Lonesome Dove. It has left me with a serious book hangover. I miss my friends on the trail. Somebody call Augustus McCrae! I can’t go on without him…

water color painting of a vintage feeling white cake ringed with cherries and candles on a green crystal cake stand
water color painting of a vintage feeling white formal cake with candles on a crystal cake stand

4. Stationary – Who knew? All of a sudden the stationary department had explosive growth. This is year 8 of a painting every day. I’m thinking about all sorts of new ways to make things from them. There is definitely going to be a 2027 Calendar (already in the works) and new cards are in the shop now. Most ambitious – I’m starting to roll around ideas for creating patterns from them and making fabric… What do you think?

5. The 2025 stitch club projects – The 100 day stitch book challenge and the 2 smaller challenges. The small daily stitching practice is so fruitful in generating ideas I added a couple smaller challenges to stitch club.

6. I’ve pretty much stopped using my dryer – If a crispy towel is wrong I don’t want to be right. Full disclosure, a few things still get dryer dried- anything that looks stretched and weird if air dried- some t-shirts etc. Mostly I just like the feel of air dried clothes. I also tend to keep stuff for a long time and the dryer is tough on things. Plus I prefer linen sheets and learned the hard way to never put linen in the dryer. I’ve yet to fulfill my life long ambition of having an outside clothesline but using a folding drying rack works well. Incidentally, I was surprised to see my electric bill drop a bunch. Such a win.

antique bed with patchwork vintage quilt and gray and white striped sheets

7. A cozy spot – Speaking of sheets – so much joy. It’s the cozy headquarters of ann wood handmade and my fortress of solitude… I love super early mornings with coffee, correspondence, percolating ideas and wordle.

What brought you joy in 2025? Are you a fan of a clothesline? Reading anything great? Are you a wordler? Let us know in the comments and a happy 2026 to you.

acorn pouch sewing tutorial

November 21, 2025
by annwood

I’ve made you something! Stitch little acorn pouches from scraps. For little folks you could add a face or string a name tag on the ties for extra special thanksgiving table place cards. The truly ambitious could embroider names.

You probably already have everything you need to get started.

A couple notes:

Acorns  can be sewn by hand or machine – if you’re machine sewing they only take about 20 minutes to make.

They work well in batches- sew up a bunch.

Please read through the steps before beginning.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN

you will need

    • the template
    • cotton scraps – for the cap and bottom
    • twill tape or ribbon – about 30 inches
    • a basic sewing kit
    • optional – pinking shears

 

1.  Pin the acorn top and bottom templates to 2 layers of fabric- right sides together – and cut out. Also cut a strip of the acorn top fabric that is 2 inches wide and 12 and 1/4 inched long.

2.  Pin each acorn top to each acorn bottom – right sides together. Stitch a seam across the top with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

3.  Press the seams open.

4. Pin the acorn pieces- right sides together – and mark the seam line and sew one side – highlighted above in white.

support the ann wood handmade free pattern library with a happy donation 

Support free patterns like acorn pouches! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left…  Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

 

 

5. Press the acorn top seam open.

6. Fold over one edge of the strip 1/4 inch.

7. Fold again- 1/4 inch and stitch the fold in place.

8. Fold the strip in half the long way- wrong sides together.

9. Open the acorn with the right side facing you. Pin the short stitched and folded end of the strip on the acorn side (1/4 inch in from the edge).

10. Pin the strip along the edge – fold and stitch the other short end (2 small folds- same as step 7 above) so it lands 1/4 inch from the edge.

11. Sew the seam- highlighted in white above – at 1/4 inch. Optional- trim the seam allowance with pinking shears.

12. Fold over and press flat.

13. Fold the acorn with the right sides together and sew the other side seam.

14. Clip little notches around the curves and tip.

15. Turn right side out and run a chopstick or similar around the inside of the seam to push out the curve.

16.  Put a large safety pin on the end of your twill tape and push it through the top folded edge.

Finished! Fill with treats or treasures. I hope you make lots of acorn pouches! And a happy almost Thanksgiving to you!

celebrate 19 years! of ann wood handmade

March 21, 2025
by annwood

For fun, I asked AI to write a blog post about the 19th anniversary of Ann Wood Handmade. It wasn’t bad. Pretty serviceable, actually. But it used the word journey a lot, had a certain flowery tone, and didn’t sound like me.

One thing I did appreciate, though, was how it zeroed in on community as an essential element—you all showing up here. Some of you for the whole 19 years.

Here’s what ChatGPT had to say:

“But what has made Ann Wood Handmade truly special is the incredible community that has grown around it. Over the years, makers from all over the world have connected here, sharing a love for handcraft, resourcefulness, and storytelling through materials. Whether you’ve been visiting for years or just recently discovered this creative space, your enthusiasm and support mean everything.”

And it does. I love knowing there are paper-mâché ships, earnest little birds, and dastardly owls scattered across the world. That they’ve mattered to other people too.

paper mache ship pattern

In an increasingly AI-driven world, the weird soup of human experience and imagination feels more magical than ever. It can’t be reproduced. I had to have a father obsessed with sailing, tall ships, and books, which led me to an early love of shipwrecks in literature. That had to collide with an image of a crystal chandelier shaped like a Spanish galleon, plus a lifelong devotion to paper-mâché (so accessible).

a wedding in prospect park

little bird pattern

mr. tibbles and mr. wickles

dastardly owl pattern

The little birds, and the owls, the general mood of it all? That doesn’t happen without a deeply poetic, Beatrix Potter-loving mom who took me to see this film at an apparently incredibly formative age. It doesn’t happen without mountains of scrap fabric and a sewing needle in my four-year-old hand.

It all layers together. And that mix—uniquely human, entirely unrepeatable—is what makes handmade things, and the people who love them, so special.

So happy anniversary to us! I’ll leave you with some customer/ reader projects that I love. And as always, thanks for showing up.

onward!

ann

Crow in progress by Gail

songbirds by Sue

song birds by Lynn

The collection above by Margaret includes her own modifications to the song  bird pattern to create the larger robin.

A stitched vessel by Cookie – I love the button and pouf!

A magical ship by Teirney.

A sweet elephant by Lindsay.

mushroom sewing pattern

mushroom by Steph

five-ish things bringing me joy right now

January 31, 2025
by annwood
3 fabric collages, scraps and sewing notions on my work table
3 fabric collages, scraps and sewing notions on my work table

stitch book 2025 – pages 1-3

percolating ideas – it’s all about the space between

The sensation of an idea percolating in the background is my most favorite thing in all the world. The 100 day stitch book project has the percolation phase built in. The formula is: work on a problem and then give your subconscious a crack at it.

After I add my stitches each day my brain keeps working on it – feeling for the next move. Sometimes this is entirely passive – all the magic work your subconscious does while you’re otherwise engaged. And less passively, but still without conscious effort, there’s a perspective shift – you notice things, colors, shapes, ideas that might inform your page.

Repeat this enough and new connections form. You get better at listening to yourself. Better at pulling out the deeper ideas.

This is the fourth stitch book and my pattern has been pretty consistent – days 1- 3 are more feeling around, less intensely thoughtful. I’m having a beginning and usually creating a problem. On days 4 and 5 I solve the problem. Or try to anyway. I do love having a problem to solve. Even when I fail I get tons of new insight, information and ideas.

And what exactly is a success? It’s a feeling… Something that surprises me. Something that feels balanced, energetic and compelling. The sensation of getting out of my own way. Getting someplace new.

purging

Pretty New Yearsy. I dive into this every year and then fizzle before I get to the level of possession management and relative minimalism I aspire to. This year I’m going to chunk it, make it a recurring time commitment that I can definitely follow through on.

It will be like the refrigerator situation – I review, toss, clean and make my list every Saturday. It’s a habit. The sorting and purging is getting a time slot too. A modest time slot. Let’s say Tuesday morning – 30 minutes.

So doable. I’ll chip away at this forever as opposed to making ambitious plans that run out of steam.

 

an austere work room with pale walls.floor and curtains with a table, chair. task light and utitlty cart. There are also twinkle lights and a haning plant.

the glorious emptiness of my worktable

This was a happy accident new years accident. I had to totally pack up this room for some unplanned maintenance work… That resulted in removing a ton of delightful clutter. I ended up leaving most of it packed up and I’m considering carefully and slowly what I really need and want as I add stuff. Can I maintain this level of  austerity? Absolutely not. But I’m inspired by it and taking a lesson from how good the emptiness felt.

hand drawn calendar featuring cats

The calendar is definitely a keeper and bringing lots of joy. It’s by my remarkable friend Sid.

magnetic bookmarks and a tiny mechanical pencil

This post contains affiliate links – meaning I get a small commission you purchase through the link – they are marked with an *asterisk

So much joy. I went back to an old school paper day planner last year and it agrees with me. It’s where I track the aforementioned habits. I’m the sort of person that gets a huge amount of satisfaction checking off a list item. I linked to *this planner last year and took a bunch of heat for it. As planners go it’s small and pricey. But I love everything about it and shelled out for it again this year. I’m particular about the stuff I use everyday and this one was a big win. The paper is deluxe (and very erasable). And it has an awkwardly translated quote for each day.

It’s also a place for recording ideas as soon as possible, in writing. That’s a big part of my process. This little book is always with me. And so is this *tiny mechanical pencil.

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”
Linus Pauling

 

And for finding those ideas later – *mini magnetic book marks. They are magic. And like the little pencil and book they are aesthetically delightful. Which can’t hurt.

What’s bringing you joy right now? Are you trying the stitch book challenge? Do you have a new yearsey project? Did you know magnetic bookmarks are a thing?! Let us know in the comments.

new sewing tutorial : turkey leg treat bag

November 22, 2024
by annwood

Did you know that the paper things they put on turkey legs are called frills? And/or booties. That’s the official name. I’m a little disappointed, I thought it would be a fancier and more obscure sounding word. If I was in charge of naming them it would be something like bufflenotters or tipplewads or whimploons. I think whimploons is perfect – who do I need to get in touch with to fix this?

This was on my mind while I was making you something fun for the holidays. It’s silly. And super easy and fast to make. It will delight somebody little or somebody big. You probably have everything you need to make it – just some brown for the turkey part and some white for the whimploon.

let’s make turkey leg treat bags

you will need

the template
a basic sewing kit
fabric scraps
ribbon, twill tape or cord
large safety pin
optional – a tiny bit of stuffing

DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE

1.  Pin the turkey and frill templates to doubled fabric – right sides together – and cut out. Also cut a strip from the turkey fabric that is 2 inches by 12 and 1/4 inches.

2.  Mark the seam lines on the turkey and frill.

3. Fold the end of the strip 1/4 inch.

4. Fold it 1/4 inch again and stitch along the fold. Repeat the  2 –  1/4 inch folds for the other end but don’t stitch it yet – just press.

support the ann wood handmade free pattern library with a happy donation 

Support free patterns like turkey legs! It’s been a priority here for years to create high quality free patterns (there are tons) on an ad free site. There are not very many of those left…  Help keep the awesome free projects flowing.

Click here to add your support.

 

 

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5. Fold the strip in half -wrong sides together – and press. Sew the frill seam– leave it open at the top and sew one side seam on the turkey leg.

6. Press the top 2 inches of the seam open.

7. With the right side of the fabric facing you pin the strip to the edge. Begin at the seam line – 1/4 inch in from the edge. The folded edge of the strip is on the bottom and you’r matching the raw edges of the leg to the strip.

8. The other end of the strip needs to end 1/4 inch from the edge. Adjust if needed then stitch the fold in place. Pin it to the edge.

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9. Stitch together at 1/4 inch.

10. Clip notches around the curves of the frill.

11. Optional – add a little stuffing. If you do it should be pretty minimal and leave the top 3/4  inch empty.

12. Pin the frill inside.

13. Fold the turkey leg sides together and pin.

14. Stitch the side and bottom seams.

15. Turn right side out and unpin the frill. Run a chopstick firmlyaround the seam to push out the curve.

16. Attach a large safety pin to a cord or ribbon. You need about 25 inches.

17. Feed it through the top channel.

 

draw string bag in the shape of a turkey leg

Fill your drumstick with treats or treasures and tie shut.

I hope you stitch some drumsticks and happy Thansgiving!

 

the 18th blogiversary, a titmouse sew-along and outstanding customer projects

March 15, 2024
by annwood

18 years of ann wood handmade

It started as a blog and the only goal was to try something new. It’s still a place to experiment and share what I learn. It’s a celebration of imagination. There is no match for it – human imagination. Big, weird, human imagination. I spend hours and hours in this sunny spot imagining, experimenting and trying stuff. Not a bad deal.

Since I started, the scale and pace of the internet has gotten pretty crazy but my little flag still flies here and I so appreciate everybody who continues to show up and make the experiment possible. Happy 18th Blogiversary!

onward!

ann

 

tufted titmouse sew-along

Such a cute bird!  The titmouse sew-along begins April 5th.

There will be a blog post here to help you transform the songbird sewing pattern into an adorable tufted titmouse. Grab the pattern and wool here.  Check out the bird and keep your eye open for titmouse appropriate fabrics – light weight cottons and linens – shades of gray, ivory and white and a little orange. We’ll also need gray and black paint for the legs.

You can post your bird on facebook or instagram with #annwoodtitmouse and in the free facebook sew-along group or join the (not free but awesome) stitch club community. April is also the perfect time to get outside and photograph your bird in the wild.

Find more tufted titmouse images here.

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7 things bringing me joy this fall

October 20, 2023
by annwood

1. This beautiful little patchwork collection made by Laura. The pouch is made with the brand new patchwork pouch pattern. Find tutorials for the mice, both beds and pin cushion girl on the free pattern page.

2. These crepe paper bat treat packages. And this vintage book. The costumes are so funny and inventive and the photos are Soooo 80’s! Also in the seasonal vein- an excellent crow by Jill.
And checkout this post from the archive- a creepy retrospective.

forget me not and pink and orange flowers in a small white vase

3. The last Forget Me Not – I thought it was over a couple weeks ago and this last beauty popped up. I can’t help projecting myself into next summer – there will be lots of Forget Me Nots, Cosmos, Lavender, Globe Amaranth and Paper Daisies.

4. An  interview with textile artist Janet Bolton. I keep coming back to it. I love hearing about her process, inspirations and approach to picture making. Find it here.

green wool trees on wood bases.

5. Planning the next big ornament and little gift roundup and sew-alongs. I sure do love tiny gift season. That will be the first post for November. The little trees were made by Anna using the free woebegone pine sewing tutorial.

small blue and white painted ceramic bottles in an early american style

6. Fresh from the kiln – and more on the way. I’ve also got some ornaments in the work this year. The imagery from the daily paintings fuels the ceramics and vice versa.

7. This cardboard caravan for the tiny doll created by Loribeth.  I want to live by the sea in this dear little place. So cozy.

And a couple notes:

the stitch club community

Membership is temporarily closed. I’m working on structure (as in having a real plan), storage strategy and sustainability at the moment – lots of tedious and not at all exciting work. The community started a little more than a year ago as an experiment and I’ve learned a lot. There are things I would have done differently from the start if I had any clue how to be the administrator of a community. Hindsight… The good news is it’s a wonderful group that I hope can continue to grow. And it was a super important part of the 2023 100 day stitch book.

I’ll share more soon about how the stitch club will be growing and changing. I can tell you at this moment though that those changes will include it no longer being a free offering – that is unsustainable. The good news is there will be more fun and interactive stuff (like scrap swaps and community projects). Always happy to have your input and suggestions.

onward!

ann

P S – Happy North American Database Update day to those who celebrate! I’ve had such website stress lately. I’m sure you will be delighted to know that the ann wood handmade infrastructure now includes a brand new MySQL database management system.

Are you ready for ornament sewing season? What’s on your little gift sewing list this year? (I’ve got woebegone pines, fish and patchwork pouches on my list at the moment) Let us know in the comments.

cardinals and other reader projects and the 17th anniversary of the blog

March 3, 2023
by annwood

A lot of what I do in life starts with “I wonder what happens if I do this…” That’s how this blog started 17 years ago and that’s what keeps it going. Curiosity, imagination and the joy in making things remain the driving forces here.

doll house with tiny dishes in a green wood plate rack on the wall. The house is made from cardboard and has a rustic feel.

Some things that got invented in the 17th year of the blog experiment:

sew-alongs and the winning cardinal

We had our first ever sew-along in October – the crow followed by the owl and currently the cardinal sew-along.  The cardinals are made from the songbird sewing pattern with these alterations. Let’s start with the winner of the cardinal sew-along.

It was hard to choose! The cardinal sew-along winner is @flora.twigg (I’ll dm you regarding your prize- a bundle of fabulous scraps spanning continents and centuries!)

Check out more awesome cardinals and other projects made by readers below.  I’ve added links to the maker wherever possible, you will find a pinterest level of rabbit hole fun exploring them. If you see your photo but I missed your link please let me know – I’m happy to add it.

This is not a real mushroom! Wow. It was made with the mushroom sewing pattern and  stitched by @ana.montesdemiguel

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1. @littlepostcards   2. Mary Kelly   3. and 4. annika.   5. @astitchwhimsy. 6. @peaceandcraft    7. Nancy    8. @Elisabew

crow by @jillthereckless

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1. @kezwilson.3       2.@sarahblankstudios.     3.@revedesouris       4. @lucindawalkerart     5. @smith_cuts_sews     6. @tumblingblocks      7. @jo_broz

owl by Terry Wilson

community

The most significant milestone of the 17th year is the stitch club community.  The glorious pink owl by Terry Wilson was posted in the owl sew-along. Currently over 3000 creative members are sharing their work, trying stuff and finding friends.

Thanks so much for showing up and happy anniversary!

PS – I’m rolling around ideas for an april sew-along – how about sailboats for a spring regatta? Let us know in the comments and a happy March to you!

customer and reader project gallery

March 25, 2022
by annwood

This year we are celebrating the 16th!! anniversary of ann wood handmade with the charming, magical and imaginative work by customers and readers. I’ve added links to the maker wherever possible – check them out –  there are tons of links and you will find a pinterest level of rabbit hole fun exploring them. The mushroom below (little mushroom pattern) and gorgeous photo are by Trish.

projects made by customers and readers

You can find all the patterns for the projects below in the shop or on the free pattern page.

crow by gill
crow by anni

Crows by Gillian and Anni the wing details are fantastic!

alexandra
gabi
sue

Songbirds by Gabi, blue bird by Alexandra and colorful songbirds by Sue.

michelle

mushrooms by Sarah and Michelle

elegant rag dolls by Marilina

barb
cris

Frogs (find it on the free pattern page) by Barb and Cris.

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15 years of blogging

March 12, 2021
by annwood

How did 15 years happen?

I gave myself a project on 2006. And it got me moving. So many ideas that had been rolling around in my head started to appear on my work table. It felt like I swallowed a magic productivity pill but it wasn’t magic, one thing really does lead to another, if you let it.

ann wood sketchbook : perfection

The biggest lesson learned in the past 15 years for me is that done really is better than perfect. Done gets you to feedback, done gets you to the next thing and the next thing etc.. My favorite posts are all about tricking myself into doing things, fighting with the voice that says not to try. To celebrate 15 years I’ve gathered some favorites.

when it all goes wrong :  fling your soul upon the gloom

when you’re searching for ideas : 30 minute figures

when you’re really, really stuck : harnessing the power of your curiosity to get unstuck

when you just can’t get started : overcoming obstacles

dealing with distraction :  building the focus muscle

What keeps you moving? How do you get unstuck? 

Tell us in the comments and as always thanks for showing up!

ann

creatures and dolls stitched by readers

January 15, 2021
by annwood

It’s hard to choose what to share here, there is so much. And one of the ideas I have swirling around for this year is making it easier for you to share images with me and with each other.  It’s ambitious but I think it would be lovely to have our own community, a place for sharing what you make and ideas. And I think it adds to the charm of the patterns – you all come up with such sweet variations and details.  Does that idea appeal to you? You can let me know in the comments and I’ll keep you posted as I explore possibilities for that.

Checkout the reader made items below and you’ll also find some instagram feeds that I think will be right up your alley.

Love the color and fabric combinations in this songbird in progress by @summerkiser

*you can click the thumbnails for larger images

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Elegant and sometimes nude dolls with lots of reader added details.  Made for the the elegant rag doll sewing pattern.

1. @rukodelie_vesnushki

2. and 3. @marilinalittlecraft

4. @angelamarry1

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Sweet tiny rag dolls! Full outfitted for adventure. Made from the tiny rag doll pattern and some of the free miss thistle society patterns.

1. @little.village.time
2. @each.of.these

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The last free project of the year was a big hit.  There are lots of little Rocky inspired owls in the world now. Made from the Owl Ornament Pattern

1. @cjasews

2. @catsinthecupboard

3. @paper_thread

Chickens! by @cote_jardin28 I love the garland! Made from the minimalist chicken pattern.

I Love this songbird’s attitude and body language. It’s got lots of birdness. Made by @erinsloanprints  from the Songbird Sewing Pattern.

So dastardly! These ill tempered owls are by @erinpcf using the Dastardly Owl Pattern.

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Dear Mr. Socks! All bundled up. The sweet coat is made from this free pattern.

1. @everbelles

2. @terrywilsonnecco

There are so many great things to see. You can checkout #annwoodpattern and #missthistlesociety  on instagram for more.

And please let me know what you think about making a community here- is it redundant? Does it sound interesting to you?

owl ornament diy

November 27, 2020
by annwood

And I’ve made you something!

These little owl ornaments are a perfect project for little scraps and they are quick to make. I’m making lots as gifts or to add to packaging.

They’re inspired by the little, lost Saw-whet owl who was accidentally transported to NYC with the giant tree for Rockefeller Center this year. He has since gotten some first aid and been returned to his forest.  What an ordeal for the little guy!

owl ornament sewing pattern

Let’s make little owl ornaments!

You probably already have everything you need. And they lend themselves to batch production A glue stick really helps with that – the parts are little and a glue stick is much quicker and easier than pins. You can set up a bunch of fronts so they’re all ready to stitch.  It’s easier than pins.

download the pattern

You will also need:

  • scraps – wool, cotton and linen are great
  • a basic sewing kit
  • chopstick or similar
  • gluestick
  • buttons
  • embroidery thread

1. Cut out two body pieces, two eye pieces and one head and beak and one each of the three wing pieces.

2. With the right side of the front body fabric facing you use a tiny bit of glue stick to place your pieces as shown. Leave the top wing piece off for now.

3. Use a contrasting color embroidery thread to stitch the head cover and wing pieces in place.

4. Stitch buttons to the center of the circles with embroidery thread also. Use regular sewing thread in a matching color to stitch the beak in place with tiny whip stitches around the edge.

5. Uses a contrasting embroidery thread to stitch around the eyes and add some straight stitches to his breast.

6. Create a loop of string or embroidery thread for hanging and knot the ends. Mark the 1/4 inch seam allowance on the wrong side of the back fabric.

7. Place the hanging loop on the face of the owl with the loop facing down and the tails near fabric edge.

8.  Place the back body over the front – right sides together-  pin and sew the seam leaving open along the wing side.

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