I always loved Mondays. They are beginnings, full of positive energy and fresh potential. One of the reasons I also loved them is the #needleworkmonday tag. Not only does it remind me to take that needle in my hand and sew something cute but it also gives me the chance to see what others have done. There are so many lovely and creative people on this platform that I don't know where to start with naming them, but I will promote a few of them to you in this post. First things first. Let's see what I did for today...

Last week I made a post about some toys that I make and said that I will be happy to sell them for some steem or sbd and send them to any European country. I did not expect someone to contact me and order some but I was hoping for it. I got my wish and then some. @bengy ordered not one BUT 3 toys! I was so happy to make them for him and the biggest challenge was making a toy-sized him, well, his logo, but still him. The best thing is, he lives in Netherland which is pretty far from Croatia and this was the farthest my products have ever been sent. Thank you @bengy, your order made not only my day but my whole week!

Last Monday, I made a post about my toys, you can read it here. @bengy decided to order two of them, fox and the bat. It was a lot of fun to make them. There is something hard to explain with words about creating toys and bringing a smile to someone's face. I am a strong believer in REUSE & REDUCE & RECYCLE so all my toys are made out of recycled felt that is made out of recycled plastic bottles. This could have been trash but it is not. It has a new and lovely purpose, look how cute they are!

He did not stop at two toys and had a crazy idea that I should make his logo into a toy. Ok... This was a challenge. I have never done something like this before but I decided to give it a try. I was a bit scared because I wanted to capture all the details, make it cute enough and of course wondered if he was going to like it.

The first thing I had to do is draw the toy on a piece of paper and then draw individual pieces of it and cut them out. They were going to be my paper molds for cutting felt. I thought that this was going to be hard but it surprised me. It only took me some ten times to draw the toy that I was happy with. Sometimes, it takes me much longer than that. Then came the felt picking, I had to find the perfect colors, most similar ones to those that were in the picture he sent me.

I did the parts separately. First the feet, then the arms and head at the end. Before I started putting it all together and sewing it on the body I realized that I have to do something with the hair. I went with black wool and made it funky. It came out pretty good when I was finished and after battling my way with those glasses, I am happy with them too. Here is how it came out. The original image and the toy are side by side so you can see and decide if did a good job or not.

So... Do you like it? You think @bengy will like it too?

Last week @crosheille made a post and asked 3 questions. You can read her post here. The answers to those questions are a really good way for me to promote needlework Monday and all the great people who are making my Mondays happier so here we go...

The best thing about this tag is probably the inspiration that it gives. Creativity is in all of us, we just need to find it and let it come out to the surface. Whenever you are in a need of some ideas what to do, go and see what others are doing. You will find so many amazing people with their equally amazing projects. There is something for everyone, from little things to those big projects that you will admire.

This was one of those communities that had a great impact on my steemit journey. I started steemit some 4 months ago and this was one of the first tags that I found not only interesting but useful too. All of the people in this community are very supportive and will show their love and appreciation for your work. They will give you that boost of confidence that you need to keep going forward and doing what you do best, being yourself. I am so grateful for that and I love them all.

Oh common @crosheille, this is not a fair question! You know we are all going to say YOU 💚. I will get to you in a second... All of the people that I have seen using this tag are amazing and very crafty. Some of their projects are so amazing that I am not sure if I will ever be able to do them. Here is my list of 3 favorite needlework people. 3 lovely ladies that all of you need to know about, visit, upvote their posts and support in everything they do. Drumroll, please...

Here is a very talented lady that you need to follow and keep up with all her work. The first post from her that I saw was about the quilt she was making.

Gwen's Quilt Top Is Finished - Work In Progress - Needlework Monday

This one is from a month ago so you cannot upvote it, but go on and check her blog and upvote some other ones. No, not some, upvote them ALL! :) She really deserves it. Quilting was something that I never tried myself, seems like a lot of work and you have to admire the dedication and patience it takes her to make something like this. @apanamamama is one of those people that you will love a lot when you meet her and see what she does. She is very active on the platform and always has support for others.

@crystalize does some surreal work. I will firmly stand on my opinion that she makes ART. This is not sewing or projecting or DIY stuff, this is ART. 3 months ago I saw one her posts and fell in love with her lamps. Just look at how great they look.

Antique Lamp Restoration with Handmade Shade

This lovely lady is a true artist and she has a cute cat as a helper on her projects. Go to her page, check her work out and fall in love with her lamps too. I still do not have a favorite one, they all look so amazing that I can not choose. The creativity behind them is awesome and I am sure you will love her ability to make antique gorgeous lamps that are special and unique in every way possible.

The queen herself. The brain behind it all. The one who started this tag in the first place. @crosheille is a person I love to love. She does so much and it almost seems like there is no end to her imagination, creativity, and ability to make top quality products. I remember when I first saw one her posts about 4 months ago where she made little ninja turtle hats for her entire family, they were amazing but when I saw this next post I realized that WOW, this girl has some serious skill!

Needlework Monday - Crocheted Newsboy Beret Hat - Making Custom Made Items for a Hat Store ~

Look at that! She made it! Isn't it great? She does all sorts of stuff and since this post is really old, go to her page and show some love on the newer ones. I love this woman for so many reasons and the last thing she surprised me with are her videos in which she teaches you how to crochet. I was always afraid of the crochet needle and never managed to master that skill so I have a plan to follow her videos and give it another try. If she can teach me, she can teach anyone hihi. If it were not for her, there would be no needlework Mondays. For that, and for so many inspiring ideas and beautiful posts that she has shared, I am very grateful.

Are you making stuff using a needle? Any kind of stuff? It can be sewing, crocheting, quilting, anything. If you do, this is the best tag to use in order to get some exposure and support from other similar members of the community. If you are not using a needle, maybe now is the time to start. Check out #needleworkmonday tag and get inspired.

There are some people who are doing all sorts of tutorials, videos and giving you helpful hints and guidance on how you can make wonderful things. Even if you are an absolute beginner, you will feel welcomed and accepted and there will always be things you can learn to do. There are so many small and lovely projects that you can try out and the satisfaction you will get when you see the thing that you made with your own hands is pretty special. Join our needleworker's community. We will be happy to have you.

So, did I capture your interest? Are you ready to join us? I am sure you are. To check out some of my stuff that I have done and posted using this tag go to my page and scroll down. You will see something posted every Monday. I hope it inspires you to make something too.