Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts

Friday, July 1, 2011

Santa Christmas Ornament with Photo Frame Tutorial from The Magic Bean

 Here's a great tutorial for making a wonderful Christmas ornament.  If you sew at all, you will want to try this little gentleman.  Can't you picture this ornament hanging on your tree this year?  Whose picture will you want to showcase with this jolly elf?

This is from The Magic Bean, which is a wonderful site full of tutorials of all sorts.  Please check it out and tell them I sent you.

Now, I'm off to sew!!

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The people down at my local hardware store think I'm weird.  They think I'm weird because normal people look at curtain rings and think of, well, curtain rings, but I look at curtain rings and I see this:
Cloth Doll Santa Photo Christmas Ornament
How I get from curtain rings to a cloth doll santa with a photo frame Christmas ornament is murky, but somehow my mind makes the quantum jump.
Transforming a curtain ring to a very personalised Christmas ornament will not be a quantum jump for you however; you just have to follow the step by step instructions.
What you need:
Note:  My supply lists tend to be pretty long and scary looking, but I tend to put every little thing on them.  Chances are you will have many of these things around the house.
  • Small scrap skin coloured high quality quilting cotton (look for a high thread count, so that the seams don't come apart when the head is stuffed).  I love using a Hoffman watercolour batik fabric in Latte.  You can buy it here in the UK from Cassie Rafferty's website
  • Small scrap white cotton fabric for the beard and moustache
  • Small scrap red cotton fabric for body and hat
  • Small scrap green fabric for hat lining
  • 1” (2.5cm) wide strip green fabric (ripped) for wrapping curtain ring
  • Curtain ring - mine is 2¼" (5.7cm) at the outside diameter, you can use plastic, but you may want to use wood as it is easier to glue the fabric to it.
  • Tacky glue
  • Small scrap green felt for hearts on gloves and for backing the photo frame
  • 2 x size 11 or 12 seed beads in black for the eyes
  • Small scrap red felt for the gloves
  • Standard sewing equipment: sewing machine, pins, sewing shears, hand sewing needles (a John James Long Darner #7 needle is especially helpful) etc.
  • Mechanical pencil
  • High quality polyester thread (such as Gutermann) to match fabrics
  • High quality stuffing (I prefer Fairfields)
  • 1 x ⅛" (3mm) pom-pom for top of hat
  • 6" (15.2cm) ⅛" (3mm) wide ribbon for loop to hang ornament
  • Powdered blush make-up (matt variety, not shiny or metallic)
  • 2 x miniature picks of holly (each holly leaf in the picks I used are ¾" or 19mm long x ½" or 13mm wide)
  • Small piece of cardboard, the weight should be like that found on the back of notebooks
  • Photograph with an image that will fit inside the ring
  • Paper scissors
  • Strong thread such as Gutermann upholstery thread
  • Optional but helpful:  haemostats (American spelling is hemostats) for stuffing
  • Hot glue or other strong glue such as UHU Power
You also need to download the pattern page here: Download Santa Christmas Ornament with Photo Frame Pattern Page
General Directions:
Read the instructions through before beginning.
Pattern pieces should be copied onto card stock and cut out exactly on the line.  Trace the pattern using a mechanical pencil especially for the head pieces.   If you prefer, you may use a purple fade-away marker.  When the fabric is particularly dark, a gel pen can be used to trace lines, but the lines will not be removable, so be sure the lines cannot be seen if you choose this option!
Note that a solid line on the pattern pieces indicates that you trace and sew directly on this line.  Then you cut out around the pattern leaving a 1/8” seam allowance.  A solid line with a dotted line indicates that a seam allowance has been included meaning that you cut out the pattern piece directly on the outer solid line. All seam allowances are ⅛” unless otherwise stated.Open toe foot for sewing machine
Change your sewing machine needle before sewing.
I also use an open toe foot on my sewing machine (pictured right).
Your stitch length should be set to 1.5 which is 15 stitches per inch.  Remember to back-stitch at the beginning and end of every seam so that your seams don’t come apart.
How to Make it:
1. Using a mechanical pencil, trace the head-back & head-front pattern pieces onto the wrong side of the doubled skin coloured fabric, folded with right sides together.  Make sure that the arrows on the patterns are aligned with the straight grain of the fabric, so that both head pieces are cut on the bias.
Santa ornament 001
2.  Sew the curve of the head-back, leaving the tab open.  Sew down the front of the face from the forehead to the chin.  Cut out both pieces, leaving a ⅛” (3mm) seam allowance along the seams and cutting right on the remaining traced line.
Santa ornament 004
4.  Turn the head-front right side out.   Slide it into the head-back with right sides together.  Match the seams at the top and bottom of the head and pin.  Baste stitch around the head by hand before machine sewing all the way around the head.  Don't be tempted to skip the hand basting.  With a head this small, the basting will save you time and frustration.  I now hand baste all my heads together before machine sewing and I never have to re-sew a doll head.
Santa ornament 006
5.  Turn right side out and fill head firmly with stuffing.  Beginner doll makers will be astounded by the amount of stuffing I use to stuff a head.  I used the entire piece of stuffing pictured below in this one tiny head.
Santa ornament 008
When I stuff , I grab one bit of a large piece of stuffing with my haemostats and push the stuffing through the opening, feeding the stuffing into the head in one continuous piece until the head feels like a ripe kiwi in terms of its firmness.  I do not use individual, small pieces of stuffing as that makes the head lumpy.
Santa ornament 010
6.  When the head is firm enough, use the tip of a John James Long Darner #7 needle to gently scoop stuffing into the nose and chin areas.  Just stick the tip of the needle into the fabric near the tip of the nose and dig gently into the stuffing to pull it into the nose area.
 Santa ornament 011
 7.  Trace the torso pattern onto the wrong side of a piece of doubled red cotton fabric, folded with right sides together.  Sew the torso from one side of the opening at the neck, around the shape, stopping at the other side of the neck opening.  Cut out the torso, clipping the corners.
Santa ornament 013
8.  Turn the torso right side out.  Stuff the torso firmly through the neck.  The neck itself must be firmly stuffed.  With a hand sewing needle and strong thread, sew a gathering stitch around the neck opening.  Pull the gathering stitch tightly to close the neck opening and anchor off the thread.
Santa ornament 016
9.  Squeeze the neck with your haemostats and stuff into the head opening.  Pin in place.
Santa ornament 018
10.  Ladder stitch the head in place with strong thread.
Fig. 6 ladder stitch diagram
If you don’t know how to do the ladder stitch, have a look at the diagram above. 
I’ve used red thread so you can see the stitch better.  The blue lines indicate where the thread is travelling through the folded edge of the fabric.  When you pull the thread taut, the two bits of fabric butt together.  You should pull the thread taut as you go, but I have left it loose at the end here so you can see the stitch better.
11.  Trace the beard and moustache patterns onto the wrong side of a piece of doubled white cotton fabric, folded with right sides together.  Sew the beard and then the moustache leaving the marked opening open on both pieces.  Cut out the beard and moustache.  There is no need to clip  into the curves. Turn both pieces right side out through the openings.  Stuff each piece so that the shape is filled, but do NOT stuff them as firmly as you did the head.  With a hand sewing needle and regular thread, ladder stitch the openings closed in both pieces.
Santa ornament 021
12.  Make a division between the two halves of the moustache with a hand sewing needle and regular thread.  First, anchor the thread in the middle of the moustache piece at the seam and then wrap the thread around the moustache on the outside of the fabric. Pull the thread tightly so that the thread gathers the moustache and appears to divide it in half  When you get back to the point where you first anchored your thread, take one small stitch approx. ⅛” (3mm) long and loop the thread around the moustache again, pulling the thread to define the division of the moustache.  Repeat the thread loop one more time and anchor off the thread.
Santa ornament 022
13.  To finish the face, first prepare some fabric from which to cut the eyelids.  Apply a scant amount of tacky glue to the wrong side of a very small scrap of fabric.  Fold the fabric in half with the tacky glue sandwiched between the layers with wrong sides together.  Place something heavy on top of the glued layers of fabric and leave to dry.
14.  While the glue is drying on the eyelid fabric, mark two dots with your mechanical pencil on the head where you will be placing the eyes.  The eyes should sit at or just above the halfway point of the head, that is halfway between the crown of the head and the chin.  Imagine a horizontal line running across the face at this halfway point.  Along the halfway line mark two points, one ½" (1.3cm) to either side of the seam dividing the face in half.
Santa ornament 028
 With hand sewing needle (a beading needle or other needle that fits through the bead) sew a size 11 or 12 seed bead to each marked dot.
15.  Once the glue on the eyelid fabric is dry, use a mechanical pencil to lightly trace the eyelid template pattern twice onto the fabric with the straight edge of the template resting on the fold.  Cut out.
Santa ornament 026
16.  Run a thin line of tacky glue along the curved top edge of the eyelid making sure to place the glue right to the corners of the eyelid and leaving the lash-line (the fold) glue-free.  Place the eyelid so that it partially covers the top of the bead.  Press the top curved edge of the eyelid down and hold it in place until the glue dries.  Warning:  do not pin the eyelids in place or you will get little holes in the fabric of the eyelid that won’t disappear due to the glue used to bond the fabric.  Repeat for the second eyelid.
Santa ornament 030
17.  With a small paintbrush, make-up brush or cotton-bud (Q-tip in North America), apply a small amount of powdered blush make-up to the cheeks.
18. Pin the beard to the face leaving a small gap below the nose (to leave room for the moustache) and ladder stitch the beard to the face, along the top curve where it touches the face.
Santa ornament step by step 012
19.  By hand, tack the moustache to the face, just below the nose.
Santa ornament step by step 015
20. To make the hat, place a piece of red cotton fabric on top of the fabric for the hat lining with right sides together and trace the hat pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric.  Sew along the front of the hat (the solid line on the pattern).  Cut out the hat leaving a ⅛” (3mm) seam allowance along the seams and cutting right on the remaining traced line.  Turn right sides out.
Santa ornament step by step 003
21.  Fold the hat in half (so that the ear flaps are together) with right sides together.  Fold a piece of  ⅛" (3mm) wide ribbon in half to form a loop. Position the ribbon loop so it sits at the pointed top of the hat near the fold with the loop on the right side of the fabric, facing down and with the ends of the ribbon sticking out above the seam allowance.  Sew along the back seam of the hat using a ⅛” (3mm) seam allowance.  Make sure that the ribbon loop has been sewn into the seam.
Santa ornament step by step 009
Turn right side out. Place a small amount of stuffing into the pointed end of the hat and pull the hat onto the doll’s head and pin in place.  Fold the flap at the front of the face up.  By hand, tack the hat firmly to the head.  By hand, tack a ⅛” (3mm) pom-pom to the top of the hat.
Santa ornament step by step 016
22.  Trace the mitten pattern twice onto a doubled piece of felt.  Sew around the shape of each mitten leaving the wrist open.  Cut out leaving a very scant ⅛” (3mm) seam allowance along the seams and cutting right on the remaining traced line.  Clip as close to the stitching between the thumb and the finger part of the mitten as you can.  Turn the mittens right side out.
Santa ornament 031
23.  Stuff the mittens with a small amount of stuffing.  Do NOT stuff them too much, they must be flexible enough to wrap around the curtain ring.  By hand, whip-stitch the mittens closed.
24. Rip a strip of cotton 1” (2.5cm) wide, making sure that there are raw, ripped edges on both sides of the fabric strips. Begin to wrap the curtain ring with the strip by gluing one end to the ring and then continuing to wrap the curtain ring overlapping the fabrics strips so the curtain ring doesn't show beneath.  When the ring is completely covered, apply a small amount of tacky glue to the end of the fabric strip and hold it in place until it is dry.
Place the curtain ring on a piece of cardboard and trace around the circle to create a backing for the photograph.  Cut out.  Trace the cardboard circle onto a piece of felt and cut out the felt circle.  Glue the felt circle to one side of the cardboard circle.  Once the glue is dry, use the felt covered cardboard circle to trace around the image in your chosen photo and cut the photo out.  Glue the photo to the cardboard side of the circle or use double-sided tape to adhere it.  Set the photo aside for now.
Santa ornament 033
25.  Wrap the mittens around the top of the curtain ring so that the bottoms of the mittens can't be seen from the front.  By hand, firmly tack the mittens to the fabric covering the curtain ring, making sure to tack at points all around the mittens.
Santa ornament step by step 019
26.  Wrap a miniature pick of holly around the curtain ring at the bottom, gluing the holly pick in place (hot glue might be best for this task).
27.  Glue the felt-backed photo circle to the back of the curtain ring along the edges of the photo preferably with hot glue or another strong glue.
Then apply some glue to the top of the felt backing on the circle.  Press the glue to the chest of the Santa.  By hand, tack the mittens to the Santa's chest with strong thread for added security.
Santa ornament step by step 023
28. Add the finishing touches by tracing the heart template twice onto a piece of contrasting coloured felt and cut out.  Glue a heart to the front of each mitten with tacky glue.  Then bore a hole into the hat just above the hat flap with a sharp pair of small scissors or with an awl, if you have one.  Apply a small amount of tacky glue to the stem of a miniature holly pick and slip it into the hole in the hat.  By hand, tack the hat flap in place.
Cloth Doll Santa Photo Christmas Ornament
Jolly well done with this jolly old fellow.
If you want to see the rest of my free tutorials, click the link.  And to make sure that you don't miss out on any further free tutorials subscribe to my blog, the Magic Bean here.
If you love Christmas and you love cloth dolls (ooh, pick me!) then you might be interested in two of my patterns which bring together all things festive in the form of a cloth doll.  Check out the Christmasy Give us a Kiss Pattern and the wintry Snowflake Sprite.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tuesday Tutorial -- Scandinavian Reindeer

 This is a wonderful Christmas Craft that you could begin making now to help get you in the Christmas spirit.  This is a textile craft and I think every child on your list would love to have their very own reindeer to cuddle while they wait for Santa to arrive, don't you?  Who knows, you could make a few just for yourself to cuddle too.

This craft can be found here along with many, many other wonderful crafts.  Please visit the site and try some of them out.  Let me know what you make and how it turns out, won't you?

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Adults and children alike will be unable to resist the charm of this soft toy—you just want to pick it up and squeeze it! The embroidered decoration is a simple back stitch. You can change the size of the toy by enlarging or reducing the size of the templates, but do not make it too small as the antlers will be difficult to turn out.
 

Taken from Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs, photography by Carolyn Barber and illustration by Kate Simunek, published by CICO Books. Text copyright Clare Youngs. Images copyright CICO Books.
  • Step 1

    Enlarge the reindeer templates by 200 percent, transfer onto the boiled wool fabric, and cut out.

  • Step 2

    Using dressmaker’s carbon paper, transfer the embroidery pattern onto the white felt semicircles. Embroider the motif in back stitch and French knots, alternating between pink and orange as shown in the photo, below, and using three strands of floss (cotton). For the reindeer’s eyes, work three orange French knots close together, using all six strands of floss (cotton).

  • Step 3

    With right sides together, pin one felt semicircle to each body piece, easing the fabric around the curve. Baste (tack) and machine stitch.

    • Step 4
    • Step 4
      With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one hoof section to the bottom of each inner leg piece.

    • Step 5

      Step 5
      With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one hoof section to the bottom of each leg on the two body pieces.

    • Step 6

      Step 6
      With right sides together, pin and machine stitch the inner legs to the two body pieces along the side and bottom edges.

      • Step 7

        Step 7
        With right sides together, pin the underbelly to the two body pieces, taking care at each end to finish the stitching in a point. Baste (tack) and machine stitch, leaving a gap in the seam at the top of one of the front legs to turn the reindeer right side out.

      • Step 8

        Step 8
        Starting where the inner legs join the body, pin and machine stitch the front and back together. Match up the line of stitching and carry on around, taking particular care on the curves of the antlers.

      • Step 9

        Starting with the antlers, turn the reindeer right side out. Use the handle of a long, thin paintbrush to help ease the tips of the antlers out. Stuff the toy, using the paintbrush handle to get the stuffing right up to the ends of the antlers and taking care to keep the stuffing firm at the top of the legs.

      • Step 10

      Turn under the raw edges at the gap in the front leg seam and slipstitch the gap closed.
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Are you ready for the Holidays? They will be here very soon!

I hate when the Christmas holidays arrive and I am not ready.  I don't enjoy the holiday; I don't feel festive.  All I really feel is angry and frustrated.  Especially since I hate shopping, the crowds make me crazy.  So this year, I have a plan that I thought I would share with you.

On June 25th, there will be exactly 6 months until Christmas.  So I am making a shopping list--presents, decorations, food, etc. that goes with Christmas.  I will split my list into two week sections, so every pay period I will get something to prepare myself this year.  If I start now, I may just be ready for the season and be a little less grouchy to boot!

My list so far goes something like this:

List of family to buy for
List of friends/co-workers to buy for
Decorations still needed or to be replaced
Craft items needed
Holiday cooking menu and grocery list

These lists, in turn, will be broken down by pay periods and then I can plan to spend a little each check to get what I want to get for Christmas this year--all while avoiding the crush and rush of that season's shopping.

I hope this inspires you to try this or come up with your own way to get ready so you, too, can have a festive holiday this year.
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Friday, June 4, 2010

Origami wreath tutorial

A little paper ornament - simple to make, perfect for popping inside a Christmas Card. Want to have a go? I promised a tutorial, so here's what to do.
Music wreath
You'll need to begin with a rectangle of paper 4cm wide by 8 cm long.  Choose paper with a bit of body - really lightweight stuff won't hold the folds as well or appear 3 dimensional when finished. I'm using some nice old sheet music.
Starting strip
Fold your rectangle in half lengthwise ( keep the prettier side out if your paper is only patterned on one side) to give you a folded strip 8cm by 2cm.
Fold in half
Fold in half crosswise so your piece is now 4cm by 2cm (like the one on the left). You then need to fold down the corners at each end of the strip.
Fold down corners
Hold your folded strip with the open edges to the top. Grab both layers of the top right hand side and fold them at 45 degrees to meet the bottom edge. Then do the same with the top left hand side.
You will be left with shapes like this. Each wreath takes 8 of them to complete.
Folded 8
Hold the first piece by the points. If you look carefully at the top edge, you'll see that there are two little pockets formed between the layers of paper. If you imagine they are numbered 1 2 3 and 4, you need to slide one folded point of the next piece, between layers 1 and 2 and the other between layers 3 and 4.
See the holes
I wish I could just show you, it'd be a lot easier! But try it, it's simpler than I am making it sound.
Insert second
Push the second piece down into the first until the tips touch the bottom of the pocket.
Push in
Then go on with the third piece in exactly the same way.
Add third
Continue round. The eighth and final piece gets the tips of the first piece tucked into its pocket to complete the circle.
Continue round
Fiddle with them to adjust so the wreath looks an even shape.All 8
I added a hanging loop by threading a bit of embroidery cotton through one of the tips using a needle.
You could go to town with fancy Christmas papers, upcycled glossy magazines, text from an old book - the origami wreath world is your oyster.  And if you have a go, do leave a link in the comments - I'd love to see them.
  
This is from a delightful blog, Domesticali.
Drop by and leave a comment telling her you found her here.
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