Feeling Felt For February: Flower Collar

This is my project for the week.

I had all these lovely crocheted and felt flowers that I had gathered from swapping, and craft fairs, and experiments. They looked so nice in their little box all together that I wanted to craft them into some kind of wearable bouquet. I decided an removable felt collar would be the best structure to stick them on. Getting the sizes and colors balanced is definitely the hardest part, and the most fun. I must have arranged these a thousand ways. There were blue and yellow flowers that were eventually edited out and new flowers made to accommodate the new limited palette. There will probably be a couple of changes by the time I'm done. I have an antique glass button on it now but I'm not happy with the closure. Over all though I think it looks pretty promising.

I used the collar to practice free hand quilting and I had the tension screwed up. I'm filing it under "Happy Accident " though because I love the ferny texture it left. and I'm glad it happened here because on and actual quilt this setting would have been a real bummer.

Now there needs to be a lovely little dark red boucle wool jacket or capelette under it. I have vintage patterns at hand for either.

Please tell me dear readers... Which do you think it should be? jacket or capelette?

What Would You Do?

 wip mask for the theater dress

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?”

Chuck Palahniuk

 

this post is dedicated to ee spenner for getting me off my butt.

The ChristMas Club ( Helping make HandMade Holidays Happy Holidays)

actual craft, as promised.

Well, the power is out for day 2 at our house so I'm at the local happy hippy internet cafe with my honey.

All is okay, though the down pour has swollen our nearby river and the winds blew down trees which took down powerlines, so far we are staying snug by the woodstove and playing boardgames and reading by camp lantern light.

I thought I would be doin lots of handwork while the power was out but I have been working on my valentines and the wool comforters I am putting together for the farmer who has all the cute little lambies.

Hey I just wanted to mention this cool thing I was invited to do by Jennifer of Infinity More Monkeys.
It is just a great no pressure encouraging kind of group. A gentle bunch of friends reminding each other to start early so there will be more time for festivities and jolly type togetherness.

That way next year, I'll have time to have the party I made these part favors for....

Thanks To My Valentines!

This is a mildly bureaucratic post about my sweet new Valentines' and my desire to share the joy.
I'm all set and have sent out emails to all my crew ( If you haven't heard from me, leave a comment and I will try and figure out what happened.)

I created this little button so even if you aren't on my list you can gather up a fun little list of your own and so we can all have pictures to inspire and encourage our little midwinter love fest.



If you want to post the button to your blog, let me know and I will send you the code.

Massive Smootches  and The Promise of Actual Craft Photo in the Near Future,

Betty

Will you be Mine?

I want to get and send some Extra Valentines this year.

I am too chicken to organize a whole crazy swap-thing but I thought...I would like to make and send out
say 10 cards and hopefully get 10 cards back. I might be able to be talked into making a button and starting a little Flickr Group for WIP pics and Thank You pics... But I Want This To Be Nice and Simple.
No packages. Just cards. Handmade or Hand-embellished, either way.

 edit:
To clarify I'm looking for several people (up to 10) who just want to make me a card and get a card from me. The offer to do the button and the flickr was only to share the joy with anyone else who wants to gather up other Valentine Exchange partners of their own.


What do you think? Anyone?
Leave me a comment and make sure I can get in touch with you if you want to exchange.

thrift thursday: The second thrift of the year.

 I think I had Easter Baskets and Valentines goodies in mind

while I shopped Tuesday.

I was definitely drawn to the cute and tiny items.

Fun little things that feel like party favors,

 

and a nice story to curl up with on chilly nights.

It is my second thrift, for my first I had accomplices..

(And it was a Most  Lovely afternoon. Thanks, Ladies!!)

KnitSonya/Wax and Wool, me and Futuregirl

photo by Miss B via Sonya's Flickr

Now look at that clutched in my paw:

wool, lace, trims and bump chenille

That was Thrift #1

And I Will Call Him Tonguey...

So, now I want a little sheep. Lambs are awesome. Cute, frisky, not-to-stinky on the livestock odor index. They will eat the lawn so I don't have to mow.

And they area laugh riot.

I mean look at this guy:

Check out those lips. Adorable and Hysterical. And the eyes make him look just a little crazy, especially for an herbivore.

And if that was enough irresistible barnyard goodness... here are two brand new baby goats, phenomenally cute and born Tuesday, just about the size of a big house cat.

But really, who can compete with Tonguey?

Not enough?
More pics on Flickr... Here.

It Was A Very Hairy Holiday

I made a different needle felted mustache for everyone in the family. (I got the idea from a zillion different folks on the internet. Thanks!!) The Mustaches all had names. Smiley Joe, Mister Wispy, Ultimate Barbershop, Santa Has a Harley, Standard Cop in blonde, Western,  Fireman in Pink. The Pushbroom, The GrinchManChu, and Ultimate Viking featuring braids.

And My Family Wore Them.And we got Pictures.

I Love These Guys!

PS: absolutely zero wrapping on Christmas Eve. Yes, It felt Very Good.

Sweet Sugar 'Shroomies: The Tutorial

Here is a sweet little craft that was the brainstrom of Michelle at Green Kitchen and myself while we were getting ready to mold sugar skulls.

We were recalling the peekaboo Easter eggs made of sugar

were made of the same stuff and Michelle had an old candle form

and said: "I want to make peekaboo sugar mushrooms".

Well, I went home and decided I could put them together using regular dishes as molds.

And here is the tutorial so you can too!

Sugar 'Shroomies:

supplies:

white sugar

meringue powder

spray on color

powdered sugar

food color

(all non grocery items can be found where they sell cake decorating supplies)

Tools:

fork

various cups bowls and glasses

spoon

plate or stiff card board to invert and use as a base

icing bag or plastic bag with a small hole in one corner

No one step of this is very time consuming but the drying times are not to be trifled with.

Allow yourself enough time and plan ahead, setting timers and whatnot to ensure maximum success.

Even in those circumstances keep a sense of humor,

because the failure rate was about 50/50, for me, with the stems.

 step1: mix up sugar, meringue and water in a 1 cup sugar to 1 tsp each of meringue powder and water.

mash around with a fork until it resembles damp sand.

Step 2: Press into molds. Compacting as tightly as possible with palm of your hand.

I used a votive holder, a coffee cup and a half cup jam jar and a shot glass for stem molds.

I use a shallow bowl, a teacup, and small champagne glasses for the tops.

Step 3 : Cover mold with plate or heavy card board then invert.

step 4: Carefully remove mold and let dry for 2- 2 1/2 hours for stems.

Caps are done and should now be left somewhere safe to cure for 12 hours or so.

Step 5 Recover the semi dry sugar stem form with it's original mold and flip back over. Larger stems are the only ones with room to be hollowed out effectively.

 

Step 6: Hollow out larger stem pieces. Leave a half inch wall of sugar. Let dry for another half an hour then remove par of the wall for a peekaboo door. Leave in the cup to dry overnight.

 

Step 7:Match up your stems and caps.

 

Step 8: Mix up Royal Icing. ( Recipe here.)

 

step 9:  Color you Mushroom caps. Used spray food coloring for red and cocoa powder brushed on with a pastry brush for brown.

Now use icing to glue a small picture on the inside if you like. Use icing to glue cap to stem and stem to a base made of cardboard. Colored icing makes cute grass and flowers when piped from a pastry bag or plastic bag with a small hole in one corner. Pipe spots on a red cap.

Have Fun!!! Send pictures!!!

Love, Betty

Jawa Doll with Real Eye Light Action

Way,  way, back  I disclosed my love of Star Wars in a meme-ish 6 Things About Me post.

 

Then last year we had a runaway sleeper  holiday hit by making the very adorable Stuffed Bantha as age appropriate stocking stuffies for the two young men in my family.

 This year my sister and I decided that Jawa dolls with light up led eyes would be a nice  way to revisit our  former glory.

And we are happy to share our pattern with you.

Click here to Download PDF pattern and instructions.
Click here to order super cool LED light sewing kit from SternLabs.
and click here to see that adorable Bantha pattern.

Many thanks to George Lucas and many hopes that he won't make me take this pattern down since Jawas are truly his creation and this is just a humble fans homage.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another tutorial!