Is just so yummy, I mean...really...heavenly.
Before I discovered wool felt I used polar fleece - I loved that I could sew without worrying about those troublesome seams or hemming. I loved the softness, the versatility and the colors. Now, I have all of that with the felt with some added benefits as well.
Oh, and that posting at night is a good idea but, when you're cuddled up to a warm little nursing body; it gets pretty tough to drag yourself out of bed. So here we are with a post-breakfast quicky post :)
I wanted to share some of the little do- dads we make here with all that felt yumminess. Some great books for crafting your own fun are Toymaking with Children and The Nature Corner and one of my favorites, Feltcraft. Of course, its always fun to just play around and see what you come up with on your own (which is by and and large what we do here ;)...
Birthday Chair Decoration ~ We put these on the dining chair of the birthday child the night before along with their own crown. A gift is placed on the table in front them also. All this as a welcome to the new year ~ If your child is a summer baby, perhaps a garland of flowers or ocean themes would be fitting. Fall children may feel a connection to the changing leaves and this can be expressed in the colors and shapes chosen. I like to use cookie cutters to trace for patterns or make to my own.
Toying with some crown and party package ideas...
A view of the dining table while working...er, ahem, I mean my studio ;)...
This was the little picnic lunch prize from a bit ago ~ freeform pieces (no patterns)...
All handsewn goodness. I actually prefer handsewing for these smaller items. Makes me feel more connected to what I am making, nothing in between me and the wool but a little needle. Also, I feel more mindful when handsewing. Of ourse, for larger items or less creative ventures like standard pillow cases, the machine is much more practical. Still, I do love to do some quilt piecing by hand. Calms the nerves...
What are your crafty ways of winding down?
for me it's knitting, there is nothing like rocking in my rocking chair and knitting away after a stressful day. my other crafts tend to not let me unwind as much (like sewing) but still help me through stressful times.
ReplyDeleteOh I just love your birthday garland, what a gorgeous idea and so special. Felt is my greatest weakness at the moment, the colors just make me melt.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that handcrafting anything is my therapy. It´s just so calming and enjoyable to make your ideas tangible.
And umm..errrr ahhemmm..my dining room table does double duty too!
Sewing and embroidery are probably my favorite crafts (though I love knitting too, just not so experienced.) We only recently started using wool, so I am looking forward to doing some embroidery and hand sewing with wool felt. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to sewing, do you know how hard it is too sew all those little toys and decorations from cotton fabrics, usually fully lined so seams are neatly finished and hidden... so excited about the perfectly finished edges of a nice wool felt!
ReplyDeleteI really like your flower garland hanging on the chair!
oh, silly me, meant to ask, where do you get your felt from??
ReplyDeleteAh, how sweet! I am tucking this away to remember just as soon as I find my head! thanks kelly!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing all your handmade calm-me-downs! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJ- I get felt locally from a little shop that's celebrating its 50th anniversary of business this year in fact - sweet huh?
I love sewing with felt as well! I went through a period where I was scouring the thrift stores for wool sweaters I could felt! (then ran out of room in my sewing area and put the kabosh on that until I used all that I had ;} )... I took the plunge last year and bought and enormous stack of wool felt from Mercurius and have been so glad to have it around and available for when the crafting mood strikes.
ReplyDeleteI've been working mostly on my son's birthday crown these days and find that doing the embroidery at night is such a lovely way to wind down the day :). I love the party garland, I may try to do that before his birthday in a few weeks... thanks for the inspiration!