One Inch World

I haven’t been feeling very creative recently. I’ve been tired, and spiraling deeper into an all-I-want-to-do-is-sit-on-the-couch mood. Trying to convince my daughter she wanted to play Animal Crossing with me. Not particularly healthy. But I needed to get this done, and that was good. Because making things makes me want to make more things, and I could use a little upward spiral right now.

This baby is for a woman who said on the Dec. 3rd give-away post that she lost her baby this fall. She gives each of her children ornaments every year, and wanted this one for the baby. There really wasn’t any option other than making her one. I hope it does her a little bit of good. Half sympathy, and half pagan gesture to the gods, please don’t take my baby away. The constant litany of motherhood.

Lois didn’t want any more stuff, which I respect, I don’t need any more stuff either! But I thought she might like something to do with her girls, she’d commented about turning one of her daughter’s butterfly pictures into a monster like mine, so I sent her a monster kit. Which is a fancy way of saying that I went through my stash and made a pile of stuff to make monsters out of. Beads, buttons, sparkly floss, felt, some fleece, stretch velour and batik scraps… I went on a bit of a completionist bender and tried to include everything she would need, since I didn’t know if she even had a sewing kit. Thus the matchbox needle book made out of a cracker box. That actually turned out really well, I might have to make one for me… I just stuck a piece of felt in the back and stapled it together…

The most ‘useful’ thing in the box was probably a copy of Plush-O-Rama, which I bought a year or so ago. It wanted to go too, and I don’t really need it. I could probably stand to get rid of at least half my craft books, but usually they can’t find such good second homes.

And here are their monsters! They are fast! I think those girls have a future in plush design. Thanks for the pictures Lois, it’s always nice to see things being used!

IttyBittyLove left me a comment on my button tree ornament, saying she liked funky buttons, which led me to her blog (she’s on my blog list, but I’ve given up ‘keeping up’ with my blogs, it seems like I only have time to read one or two a day, unlike when I had a desk job!) and I saw on her blog her kids were making popcorn and cranberry garlands and counting vintage buttons, and somehow that turned into button garlands.

So I found a bag of vintage beads in my findings drawer, and cut about three yards of 1/8″ red ribbon. I put a large needle on each end, and got Rebecca to help me string. She likes playing with buttons.

Most buttons I just went in and out once, others I had to loop through twice since the holes were bigger. Easy quick project, but wow, does it tangle easily. If I did it again I would be sure to only use buttons I liked from both sides, because half of them are hanging face down, including all of the ones on posts. Those may have been a bad idea. But it’s pretty as a whole on the tree. There were some beads randomly mixed in with the buttons, so I used those too.

I didn’t see I had two of those green metal bound buttons until I’d already strung one several buttons in, if I wasn’t too lazy I would have pulled it off to save for monster eyes. I hate undoing work though. Press forwards! Never go back!

I bought a loaf of Haba Biofino Bread (they call it toast actually but I have no idea why, there isn’t anything toast-like about it) as a present for a little girl, and I wanted to make some sandwich bits to go with it. First, lettuce.

The bread is about 3″ across, so I started with a 3″ square and sketched a romaine-ish lettuce leaf. This is actually my second sketch, the first was to ruffly, and when I free-hand cut it out with scissors this shape is closer to what I got. So I revised my pattern to match what I had cut. Thus my cutting became correct. Hrm. That’s how I make my patterns anyway.

So, take two felt squares 3″ across, I like mine contrasting, so the lettuce is different colors on the front and back, but you could make them the same color if you want, or you could be daring, and just use one square. Depends on how delicate your felt feels, and the age of its intended audience. You need two contrasting colors for the felting method, if you are going to embroider you can use one or two of matching or contrasting colors.

Put the squares back to back if you have two, and cut your leaf shape. You can print my pattern out, scaling it however you want, but I like all my leaves a little different, so I just freehand it. Whatever shape you cut out, I’m sure there is a lettuce leaf somewhere in the wide world that looks just like that, you are perfect!

Method 1: Embroidery

Mark the rib outlines with a chalk pencil or disappearing marking pen. I tried skipping this step and it didn’t come out how I wanted at all. (I’m a big fan of skipping steps.) Notice that the rib patten I drew on the pattern above is one continuous line, going out along each branch as you come to it. If you follow that line with a running stitch it looks nice from the front or the back, there won’t be any crossing stitches on either side. Pick a contrasting color for your embroidery. Red! I’m going to have to make my next one in red! And maybe I’ll change the leaf shape a little bit to be like that red veined yummy spinach stuff in the farmer’s market salad mix. Mmmmmmm.

Start your running stitch in between the leaf shapes, and leave a long tail behind your knot. That way when you get back around to the beginning you can tie your ends together and hide the knot inside. To do this you need to start somewhere that isn’t too close to the edge of the felt (i.e. don’t start at the bottom of the stem which is the natural place to start…) Or you can just tie off however you want.

Method 2: Felting

I’ve become a total needle felting addict. And that makes this project really fast and simple. Just sketch your rib lines onto the leaf with a chalk pencil or whatever, and go at it with a needle felting pen. Felt along your lines from the front and the back a couple times, and magically the contrasting color will show through on each side. If you have the right kind of felt. My light color on these leaves actually didn’t show up against the dark green, I think it was too transparent, because I used acrylic felt. I haven’t had that problem with wool felt. Since the dark side didn’t have enough contrast I ‘fixed’ it by adding some veins on with a fabric pen. It isn’t cheating if it’s art. Maybe that should be my new motto. I wonder how to say that in latin?

With either method you can fluff up your leaf by sticking your finger in between the ribs and pulling the sheets apart a little. And maybe giving it a good crumple depending on how sturdy it feels.

I hope this is helpful to someone, let me know if you make yourself a salad or some sandwich fillings. Next on my list are tomatoes, cheese, and bread. The bread is the hard part, I think. I was going to skip it, but I’ve been doing some experiments. I couldn’t help it.

It’s something I’ve always meant to do, I find all of the monsters everyone is making so inspiring, but for some reason, I’ve just never sat down and made one.  Well, now I have.  And I must make more!  I’m on the bandwagon.  Monsters are awesome.  I’m going to stop making baby quilts for new babies and just make monsters.  Or maybe I’ll make monster baby quilts… hmm.

This monster is really a crayon drawing.  I was lying on the floor drawing with crayons with my daughter, and I liked the monster I drew, so I cut my drawing out, used it as a pattern, and sewed it up.  I like it!  So does Rebecca.  She was very upset with me when I hid it away.  She thinks everything I make should be for her to play with now now now.  But she’s just going to have to wait a couple weeks.  I almost gave in the next day and let her sleep with it, but it was conditional on her letting me brush her teeth without the awful struggle that is usually involved, but that didn’t happen.  

I hand stitched the whole thing, I love being able to do that, but it did take me two hours, I think.  I noticed that I’d got the fabric pattern upside down as I was finish it, oops, but whatever.  I made another one Sunday night, that I machine sewed with a messier scribbled face, which only took one hour.  But I don’t like that one as much.  Need to take a picture.  But not now.  Maybe I’ll make six more tomorrow, not that I have the time, only the desire.  On the up side I finally mailed off the DVDs of my SIL’s wedding that I shot… over two months ago.  But now I need to start on my brother’s wedding, which was also two months ago.  Poor guy.  That’s what you get with a free wedding photographer who’s also a full-time mom… and easily distractible…

I compiled my list, got several headaches over several days reading all of the blogs that got suggested, became so grateful for people who actually suggested duplicates because that meant I didn’t have to read another blog but I couldn’t stop because I am compulsive. After making my list, checking to see whether they were naughty or nice, adding some names 0 times, about half the commenters didn’t read the post at all, not surprising I guess, some names once, some names twice, a few names three times, although I wasn’t sure whether to curse them or reward them, because, more blogs…, and I didn’t finish until last night, but not checking it twice, because, not again(!), I held my breath and rolled the dice.  Congratulations Lois from Kansas!  And thank god it’s over.  I have learned my lesson.  Never ask a question if there is any chance that 166 people might answer it.  Okay, okay, really, I got such a lot of great education sites for my daughter, that I guess, twist my arm, it was worth it.  Maybe I haven’t learned my lesson.  Moving ON. (And leaving the italics behind.)

What did Lois win?  I don’t know, because she had to go and ask for a surprise.  Which means now my head is full of plottings, and schemings, and here I thought I was done with the whole thing!  So she won’t get what I thought I was giving away, she might get something wonderful, and she might get something awful, but either way, she’s brilliant, because the best part is the surprise anyway, and then you can chuck it if you don’t like it.  So you’ll all find out what it was next week after she’s gotten it, because what’s the point of a surprise if you find out ahead of time?  Sheesh.