Crafting Again

After a two week absence I finally made it up to my craft room. It was a disaster -- half finished projects everywhere. So after straightening up a bit I was inspired to make some headway against all those long-neglected projects.

First up was a "free-range" monster I wanted to make from an old issue of Craft Magazine (now defunct as a print mag). The pattern was very easy and deliberately imprecise, to encourage people to experiment (especially those who had never sewn before), though the actual directions were a bit twee. Over a year ago I made the pattern -- basically a oblong blob with legs -- but got no farther. (Just draw a simple monster shape on a piece of 8" by 11" paper until you get a shape you like.)

So yesterday I dug out the pattern and cut out front and back pieces from yellow craft felt. I sewed it together on the machine (the usual technique -- sew right sides together and leave a gap for turning and stuffing; slip-stitch shut). For his eyes I used teal and black buttons rather than the felt they used; I did use felt for his mouth. I "dressed" him in an old sock I had, one of those stripey/fair-isley/deliberately mismatched ones. Because he had no arms, all I had to do was cut the tube off just above the heel to make him a tube dress. The hair was the biggest pain. Their technique was to use a needle and thread to sew through yarn at one inch intervals, making loops, and use the needle and thread to then attach the looped yarn to the top of the head. As always I made things difficult by picking a thin fuzzy yarn that was hard to pierce with the needle. I did get the hair on there eventually, though. I think he's pretty cute:

Someday I'll remember to take pictures while I'm in the middle of a project.

Today I finished a necklace. Over the summer I made a button pendant from Button Ware:

Pink, yellow, and green buttons strung on turquoise craft wire and finished with a glass fire-polished bead. Simple, but it sat on my table for a long time because a silver chain seemed too boring. This morning I realized ribbon would work -- it would add color, provide a bit of texture, and be in keeping with the "sewing notion" theme of using buttons. I found a bit of thin pink satin ribbon and strung it on, and tied on a large lobster claw clasp.

As soon as I find an appropriate charm I'll attach it to the loop at the bottom of the button stack.

Up next -- sewing a fabric organizer to sit under my machine and hold seam ripper, clippers, etc. That's been on the to-do list for years, I picked out fabric for it last year, and I cut out the pattern pieces today. Progress!