Lovely World

hospital-bound handwork

My son spent the last two days back in the hospital for bleeding after his tonsillectomy. Time stands still when you are in a hospital, particularly with a child. We are exhausted, but very glad to be home. Bleeding is a potential complication of a tonsillectomy, but of course we had hoped it wouldn't happen to Adam.

I had begun some new embroidered felt brooches last week. The stitching was quiet and I could do it with Adam hanging out on my lap. When we ended up back at the hospital, I needed a portable project to keep me busy as I sat for the long hours on the Pediatric ward. I was able to finish up a bunch of the brooches and I am very happy with them. As many of you have probably noticed, I am partial to animal imagery (and nature themes in general) for creative work. I also like circus imagery.

The bottom photo shows an 1870s watercolor, "Man Feeding a Bear an Ear of Corn," by an unknown artist. I found it in the book "The Flowering of American Folk Art." It inspired the brooch I made with the black bear and red ball.

Two notes:

** I plan to list some of these brooches and others in my etsy shop shortly, so keep an eye out for the update.

** The little mushroom I have been using as a portable pin cushion (shown in photo above) is a pin sent to me by Fanja of Le Train Fantome when I ordered one of her Lumi dolls.

homebound

My little boy's tonsillectomy was uneventful, but he is a little bit sad. He has to stay quiet for two weeks. We will be homebound for a while. Anyone else with a six-year-old boy knows that this may become a bit challenging as he feels better. But, we have many board games, books, and DVDs lined up to amuse us.

It is snowing this morning, making me feel even more homebound. It is a cozy feeling, and I am secretly glad to have an excuse not to be constantly on the go. I wandered around the house this morning and liked the diffuse quality of light that the snow brought with it. These are a few photos I took. They make me appreciate the comfort of home.

Happy Christmas to all. Be well and thanks for being there. XO Maribeth

Camilla Engman

I was excited to receive this book about Camilla Engman and her art. It was published by Uppercase and is part of their Suitcase series featuring various contemporary artists from around the world. I found Camilla's blog a while back and have really enjoyed her work full of whimsy, mystery, and off-beat characters. Her color palette is gorgeous to boot. The book not only showcases her work, but also offers glimpses into her life. My package came with a few bonus items, including postcards, a print, and a book featuring Morran, her sweet pup.

*****************

** Happy Solstice to all. May you find this time of darkness a fertile place for new beginnings.

** My etsy shop is up and running. Please have a look. I'll be adding some more items soon. I sold two dolls yesterday. My first on-line sale!

** My dear little boy will have his tonsils out tomorrow. He has had sleep apnea and some speech issues. The doctor feels this will be a helpful operation for both of those problems. To aid in recovery, we have stocked the freezer with popsicles and Italian Ice, made jello, and visited the library to check out a huge stack of movies. Wish us good luck tomorrow!

XOXO Mairbeth

Hanukkah Doll

 

This is the second doll I have made from Wee Wonderfuls' "Kit, Chloe, and Louise" pattern. I gave it to my 9-year-old daughter Miriam as a Hanukkah gift earlier this week. I especially love the hair on this one - red braids! I added an embroidered red heart to the undersuit. You can see the first doll I made in the photo below. That was six months ago almost to the day. Look how green!

picture book of knowledge

I love this children's "Golden Picture Book of Knowledge." It is quite comforting that so much knowledge is encompassed in one beautifully illustrated book. Life often seems so complicated. This book simplifies it to the basics. It was published in the early 1960s in Europe. That fact was not lost on me - it is refreshing to see what is considered important from a point of view outside of the U.S.

 

gnome

We made some holiday elves at a family party over the weekend. I must say, having a craft project to entertain everyone at a party is a whole lot of fun. Most of the elves were made with red and green clothes, in celebration of Christmas. But, because our family does not celebrate Christmas, my daughter Miriam decided to make a gnome, based on the classic book "Gnomes" by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet. Did you have this book as a child? I did, and I remember spending hours reading through it and almost believing that these little folks lived lives parallel to our own.

elephant

My friend asked me to make a soft, stuffed elephant for her daughter. I am going to make a couple of versions for her to choose from. This first one came out with a very sweet, shy, but curious personality. Check out those Dumbo ears! I used some silk velvet that I bought recently in NYC's fashion district. Let me tell you, this fabric is not easy to work with. It is so slippery. I had to pin the pieces very carefully before sewing. But, it is very soft to the touch and I can imagine a child would like that.

The pattern is my modification of the "Elodie the Elephant" pattern in the newly released "One-Yard Wonders." The book was published by our local publishing house, Storey Publishing. They have many other great craft books, like several by the Yarn Harlet Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Lexie Barnes's "Sew What! Bags." "One Yard Wonders" has 101 sewing projects that use just one yard of fabric.

****************************

It seems I have been missing in action here for a few days. Two reasons why:

1. My etsy shop, Lovely World Handmade, is now up and running. I have only put a few things in for now, but will be adding more. Please visit and tell me what you think.

2. Hanukah started last Friday and has consumed much of my time. I'm still finishing a few gifts for the kids. Thank goodness the holiday gives me an eight day window in which to prepare!

snowflake card tutorial

SNOWFLAKE POP-UP CARD

Here is the snowflake pop-up card tutorial I promised earlier this week. I hope you enjoy! I think it is a nice project no matter what you are celebrating this month.

*************************************

Supplies:

1.paper for snowflakes and cover. Paper with a little weight to it will give you better results. Copier-weight paper is okay but the snowflake won't hold its shape as well, especially larger ones. Also, definitely choose cover paper that is heavier so it will hold the card shape nicely.

2. glue stick

3. scissors

4. pencil

5. ribbon (norrow is best, no bigger than 1/8")

6. bead with hole large enough for ribbon to pass through

1. Cut 5 squares of paper the same size. Precision in cutting is important - you want all the sides to match up. You can cut the squares any size you want. I suggest keeping the size under 8 inches.

2. With right side up (this is only relevant if you have a one-sided patterned or colored paper), fold square in half side to side. Open and repeat in other direction (keeping paper right side up).

3. Turn paper over. Fold one corner to the opposite corner, making a triangle. Open it back up. Turn paper over and refold on this same fold, reinforcing it.

4. This part can seem tricky, but it is easy once you do it. Holding the paper right side up, notice that there are four squares, two of them with a fold making triangles. Push these folded squares in toward each other. You will now have a small folded square. Repeat steps 2-4 until you have 5 squares folded in this fashion. If you want a simple, uncut snowflake/star shape, skip to step 8. If you want to make something a little fancier, go to the next step.

5. Cut a separate single sheet square of paper the same size as the folded pieces you have. Keeping one corner INTACT (see where I am holding the template) draw a snowflake shape (you could also draw a leaf, animal or human figure, or whatever you can imagine). This is your template. Placing the intact corner of the template at the FOLDED corner (this is important) of the squares, trace the template. Do this for all five squares.

6. Cut out the template, following the lines as carefully as possible. Remember, you want everything to line up in the end.

7. Here is what my square looked like after I cut it. You can see why it is important to have a good amount of intact paper at the base of your template, as it forms the middle of the shape. Now, fold the square back up.

8. Working carefully so as not to get glue on any surface but the top, take a glue stick and spread glue over the entire top surface. I find it easiest to begin at the folded base and spread the glue in outward strokes. You can also tuck a scrap of paper under this top surface to protect the other layers from glue. Once done spreading glue, remove the scrap paper. Now, take this square with glue applied and place it over one of the other folded squares. Repeat this process until you have glued all five squares together.

9. This is what your snowflake should look like now, all glued together. If any stray glue got on the middle layers, carefully work these surfaces apart.

10. Prepare ribbon by cutting it about 5 1/2 times the length of the square/snowflake corner to corner. Find the center of your length and fold and crease it. Slip the ends of the ribbon through the bead and tie a knot at the top.

11. With glue stick, apply a thin strip of glue from corner to corner on the two outside surfaces of your glued-together stack of squares. Take the ribbon, and place the center spot that you creased at the folded, intact corner. Now, keeping it straight, press the ribbon down onto the strip of glue.

12. Now, apply glue to the two outside surfaces of the square/snowflake, including over the ribbon. Take the two papers you have chosen for the cover (cut the same size as your folded squares) and carefully line them up over the glued surfaces. Press carefully to adhere them. If you want to get fancy, you can cut the cover papers with your template so that they are the same shape as your snowflake.

13. Here is the card with one cover glued in place.

14. Here is a card closed.

15. Here is a card closed.

Finally, this is a card that was made without any cutting. It is just the folded squares glued together. My daughter chose silver and gold metallic paper, which gave a nice result. You can see the orange printed paper cover peeking through at the top.

Good luck! Let me know if you made one, and how easy it was to follow the directions.

XO Maribeth  

little bit of handwork

I made these little felt brooches over the past week. They are about 2 inches in diameter, and have a clasp pin sewn to the back. I had made a few over the summer, and remembered how relaxing they were to make. I was reminded of them when I saw the embroidered felt pendants that the talented Margie of Resurrection Fern posted recently. I think these are great on a coat or sweater, or pinned onto a tote bag. I think I'll be giving some for gifts.

snowflake

It has been fairly warm here in Western Massachusetts. Today, it is 60 degrees F. But, I know very well that snow will be with us before too long. My children are craving that first big snowfall. I have been a bit lazy about making sure that the kids have snowpants and jackets that fit. I should put that on my to-do list.

In anticipation for snow, I have been thinking about snowflakes. My daughter Miriam and I just attended a paperfolding workshop yesterday at our public library. One of the things we made was a pop-up snowflake card. As you can see in the photos, the cover is held closed by a ribbon cinched by a bead. When the bead is released, the cover opens and a snowflake unfolds. The snowflake is constructed with five separate sheets of folded paper glued together. Lovely, isn't it? I think I might post a tutorial on making one so you can try. It is not difficult. It just takes time and precision.

This old doily reminds me of a snowflake. So beautifully made. It is about ten inches wide. I don't see doilies around people's homes much anymore. Perhaps they will make a comeback.