Belated Crafty Halloween Post

I was so busy finishing up some crafts, helping my kids prep for Halloween, and the usual ridiculous drudgery I never got a chance to show off what I made in October.

Those cheapo witch's hats you see in stores this time of year are too small to fit my giant head, so clearly the solution was to make one of my own:

The pattern is the Twisted Witch Hat by Stephanie Pokorny. I used two strands of black worsted weight yarn (I have GOT to stop picking patterns with multiple strands of black), and counted on both Stephanie's instructions to go up a hook size at a certain point and my own loose stitching to get the right circumference. And because of said loose stitching, I eliminated a few rows in the crown and brim (also, I ran out of yarn). The curl at the tip is maintained with 16-gauge floral wire. And to make it pretty (we need more beauty in the world) I crocheted some flowers, using the patterns here and here.

Earrings!

I've seen variations of the adorable floral ghost earrings for a couple of years now, so I finally made a pair for myself. The two skull pairs of earrings are part of my ongoing effort to create the perfect calaverita/sugar skull earrings. I'll get there someday.

Día de Muertos

 Much of my Día de Muertos handiwork was ruined last year by water and mold, so I made something new.

This was very loosely inspired by a project in Quilting Arts magazine from many years back, made using what I had on hand -- assorted milagros medals, cheap but all-wool flowers acquired from a big box store, two wool marigold flowers that I made for a craft fair booth, and, of course, lots of beads. All that's left to do is attach the panel to the backing with a blanket stitch (probably).

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

How did November Go by so Fast?

 I feel like I have nothing to show for it; my stitching has focused on two Christmas gifts, one of which I'm not entirely sure will be ready in time.

But I did do a little bit more. Like this sugar skull from Kiriki Press:

And these steampunk book charms that of course I had to turn into earrings:

It's Black Friday, and I'm out of black floss which I very much need for one of the gifts. But I don't know if I can bring myself to venture out into the rain and the crowds to get it. If only one could arrange for thread delivery like one can for pizza ...

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings!

 I've been on a jewelry kick again.

The pair on the left started out as just the large faceted bead; I got them long ago as a subtle earring to wear when the rest of my jewelry stands out, but they were too boring. I added a glass bead under each one, and then for fun added smaller faceted beads to the ear wires. Still subtle, by my standards.

The second pair have gorgeous crystal skulls, which I got from a Halloween kit by Candie Cooper. In keeping with both the autumnal palette and the Dia de Muertos theme, I added two different gold vermeil flower beads. I absolutely love them.

The last pair have czech skull beads from yet another Candie Cooper kit. I didn't intend to make more skull earrings (I have three pairs already, including the crystal ones above), but I couldn't resist the kooky details on those beads.

 

These took longer to make; I'd been meaning to try brick-stitching seed beads around a ring, and this seed bead mix (also from the Halloween kit) gave me the opportunity. As you can see, I need more practice, but I've got all sorts of ideas percolating now.

There are lots more fun beads from the kit, but as the needs of my family go up, my crafting time goes down, so I doubt I'll be able to make much more before Halloween.

Spooky Skulls

 I've been more focused on stitching than beading lately, but I did pick up a couple of kits from Candie Cooper to make some seasonal jewelry.

A pendant:

This was super fun to make. The skull is quite heavy and needed a sizeable tassel, which I made from silk sari strips, copper chain, beads, and various copper charms, using the toggle part of a clasp to suspend it all under the skull. I love the colors in this kit -- fun but not so overtly Halloweenish that I can't wear it at other times.

Skull and key earrings:

These skulls have a more rustic look than my Day of the Dead earrings, which pairs nicely with the vintage-looking keys and bits of sparkle.

(The other pair of earrings were made with leftover beads from the pendant kit.)

Day of the Dead Necklace

All Saints Day and All Souls Day rushed by too quickly this year, but I did manage to make it to Mass, and I whipped up a charm necklace:

It started with a set of Tierra Cast Day of the Dead charms I had. Blueberry Cove Bead's DotD box had teal and marigold beads, which I picked up in a destash sale they held; I added a strand of purple beads. I had a collection of black glass beads with different colored lampwork flowers, so I used the orange, green, and purple ones. I also had tiny metal purple roses. A large painted skull bead, a smaller skull bead leftover from earrings I made a while back, and some ceramic bone-shaped beads I picked up who-knows-where completed the theme. While rooting around my stash, I found a Guatemalan worry doll all by his lonesome; his clothes matched the colors I was using, so I added him, too.

The necklace isn't quite done. I feel quite strongly that I need a yellow orange flower bead at either end of the charms, to more obviously represent marigolds. The marigold beads are round, though, and trying to weave them into a flower shape will look too clunky. I have glass flower beads that would be perfect, but they are just a bit too yellow. So I will wait for the perfect beads, and wear the necklace as is in the meantime.

Halloween Blog Hop

 Happy Halloween, and welcome to the next stop on Jo's bloghop! My letter is:

I didn't get as much stitching done as I'd like -- a busier-than-usual fall, post-season baseball (woohoo, Red Sox won!), the Minecraft quilt, and some commissioned bracelets kept me from picking up the needle.  But I made some progress on "Millicent Finds a Mask" (Just Cross Stitch's 2013 Halloween issue):

And "13 Days of Halloween" (Just Cross Stitch's 2017 Halloween issue):

I also have a couple of finishes. I framed my sampler from the Stitchy Box Halloween box:

This design, "Fall Pumpkins Fob," I sewed up on the machine and then covered the seam with Palestrina stitch, one of my favorites.

I also added some beaded trim around my much-altered skull stitch, although I'm not thrilled with how it came out:

On to the next stop: Beth's Needlework Stash! I look forward to seeing what you all have been working on.

All Souls

After the candy and fun of Halloween came Mass and prayers for the dead and still more crafting.  I set up a little altar on my mantle where I put various trinkets and icons, to which I added this skull:

It's a papier mache skull which I painted white, and onto which I glued beads, medals, floral doohickeys, and so on.

I had a pair of skull earrings I've worn for years, getting lots of compliments and even a few sales of duplicate pairs, but I finally lost one of them.

The lonely little guy

I found in my stash another identical skull (just one; wonder what happened to that guy's mate) and made a new pair for myself, with glass flower beads this time:

The floral motif is more obvious, but they are heavier, too.

I made white chocolate skulls for Beadboy2's class Halloween party:

Buying ready-made frosting flowers is so much easier than trying to decorate them myself with gels and icings!  I just used a dab of melted chocolate to attach them.  They were a big hit.

St. Gertrude's prayer for the souls in purgatory:

Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. - See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/11/02/5-ways-to-pray-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory/#sthash.m7WWWxJF.dpuf

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. - See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/11/02/5-ways-to-pray-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory/#sthash.m7WWWxJF.dpuf

Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. - See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/11/02/5-ways-to-pray-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory/#sthash.m7WWWxJF.dpuf

Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. - See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/11/02/5-ways-to-pray-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory/#sthash.m7WWWxJF.dpuf

All Souls Day

It seemed appropriate to spend today putting in the last stitches of this:

While catching up on episodes of iZombie (soooo much better than the comic, by the way; Rose McIver in particular is brilliant, making a character that could be snarky and cynical instead be sad, thoughtful, and earnest).

Then I made soul cakes, the original treat for trick-or-treating:

These were delicious, not too sweet even with the powdered sugar.  The only change I would make to the recipe would be to add a little salt, to enhance the flavors.  Amusingly, I got the recipe from a Catholic blogger, but apparently it originates from a pagan site.

 I know far too many people who have died recently, including my dear, dear cousin.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

Sometimes Simple Is Best

I'm not much of a believer of "less is more" when it comes to jewelry, but sometimes even I recognize that simple is best.

Remember the skull pendant I bought?

I thought I was going to add more beads, but it didn't look right -- too busy for the pendant.  And spacing the beads out keeps the necklace from looking too heavy, which I didn't want.

This was even simpler:

Just a purple ribbon to match the purple crystal.  I'll wear this for the festivities tomorrow.

El dia de los muertos

A monsterbubbles design, from Just Cross Stitch's 2010 Halloween issue:
I made a few changes, however. For one, it was to be stitched on metal mesh, but that process is so slow and painful I switched it to linen. I also made a thread color change, since I misplaced the original color, and while I was at it, I slightly re-designed the swirls on the chin. Once the cross stitching was done I appliqued it onto wool felt, and used a running stitch to attach it to a second piece of felt for stability.

Douglaston Arts Festival

The Douglaston Arts Festival was last Sunday, which meant I spent the previous weeks in a flurry of jewelry making. Most of what I had for sale falls into three groups.

Button and fiber jewelry:

Halloween/Day of the Dead jewelry:
(New this year are smaller calaveritas with just one flower on each skull, and the marigold flowers made out of wool felt.)

Bottle cap earrings:
(Much less involved [and less expensive] than my previous bottle cap earrings.)

I did pretty well again this year given the size of my "business," which makes me happy. Most of what is left I've put up in my etsy store (except the bottle cap earrings, I forgot about those). I sold all of spiderweb earrings I made, but I still have two spider charms left so I can make another pair upon request.

Now back to crafting for me and the Beadboys.

Are you kidding me?

It's getting kind of laughable, the things that keep me from taking time for myself. Most recently it was TWO plumbing emergencies in TWO days, caused by my damn wiener kids first shoving toys down the tub's drain and next trying to flush a washcloth.

I did manage to stitch two more squares on the Stitching Along project, which at this point I should re-title "A Year in Stitches" (I wonder if I am the only one still working on it).

A jack-o'-lantern, for Halloween:
Stitched after a very tiring trick-or-treat outing, a stiff drink, and take-out. It is entirely in french knots, and I blended two shades of orange for the pumpkin and very dark gray and very dark brown for the features. The squished right eye makes him look like he is winking, and is probably the fault of that stiff drink.

A sugar skull for All Souls Day:
I was initially going to use the turquoise for some little design on the cheeks, but the background looked so empty I tried to make it fancy, kind of like stipple-quilting.

If I ever get to make anything ever again, I will make the last few squares I need for the advent calendar.

Phew!

Last Sunday I had a little table at my village's Arts Festival, selling jewelry; as a result, for the last few weeks all of my non-school, non-family, non-internship time was used preparing for the show. It was fun, and I even made a tiny profit, but it was a lot of work (especially for Mr. Beadgirl, who was responsible for handling the two Beadboys hopped up on cookies and bouncy-houses).

My wares:
My Halloween/Day of the Dead wares. I got the idea for the spiderweb earrings from Beadwork, which regularly runs articles on different stitches; this stitch is built from five spokes of ndebele stitching connected with strung seed beads. It didn't take much at all to see all the resulting web was missing was a little spider in the center. Every pair I've ever made has sold almost immediately. The skull earrings, calaveritas, were inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skulls covered in brightly colored frosting. The first few pairs I made I embellished with fringe in seven colors, but for this show I decided to try a new look -- beaded daisy chain flowers in yellow and orange, to represent the marigolds often used in Day of the Dead celebrations. These are my favorite, and had they not sold I'd've kept them for myself. During the show I made another pair, this time with skull beads with a vertical hole, which took some time to work out the construction (I eventually tied the thread ends into two knots, threaded the headpin between the knots, and buried the knots in the hole). The skulls look like little flower pots:
But I think I need more flowers (I ran out of orange beads). The skull necklaces were an obvious pairing.

Milagros necklaces. Not much to say except I love these, and have one I wear often.

Birthstone earrings, with swarovski crystals and tiny ear wires suitable for women and little girls. These were very popular when I sold them through my cousin's store.

Funky fiber beads. I wrap strips of fabric around a length of straw and tie some fancy thread or yarn around them; sometimes I also wrap colored craft wire strung with beads.

Some other pretty necklaces (I didn't get pictures of all of them).

Button earrings. I layered two to three buttons and strung craft wire through the holes, twisted the ends of the wire together, and then formed the twist into the loop for the ear wires.

Felt ball earrings. I got the idea from the felt necklace I made. The larger felt balls didn't have holes, so I sewed the findings on. The colors are not my favorite, but they were the only ones I had in pairs.

Bookmarks, which I threw in for variety. The two embroidered ones are left over from the bookmark swap. The others are cut from the paper cloth I made, and sewn onto felt backing.

At the last minute I realized I needed bags, but I didn't want to spend any more money, so I used some pretty wrapping paper. I cut out long rectangles and folded the long edges in a quarter of an inch, put glue on the edges, and folded them up. It's not a major achievement, but I was pretty proud of myself.

Over the next few days, I'll be listing in my etsy store the leftover jewelry.

Another Commission

Yet another friend of mine saw the calaveras earrings I made for myself a few years ago:
and thought they'd be perfect for her brother's girlfriend. So I made these for her:
The picture's not great, but the earrings came out better than the first pair, in my opinion. I think I'll make another for the etsy store -- skulls are trendy right now.

Miscellaneous crafts

I've finally had some time to finish, or at least work on, crafts I started a while back.

For Halloween this year I decided to cover some fake pumpkins in glitter; an idea that is not at all common. I bought cheapo plastic pumpkins and painted them black, because I wanted to go for the black/charcoal/silvery look I saw in a Martha Stewart magazine. I then covered one with fine black glitter and one with silver. The black one came out pretty well (except for some smudges here and there):
It looks especially nice with the dried leaves and foliage. The silver pumpkin, on the other hand, did not come out so well:
The glitter dried splotchily, leaving some areas more silvery than others, partly I think because of the glue I used -- M.S.'s instructions said to use craft glue, which I found to be very thick. I think next time I'll use watered down glue or Modge Podge. In the mean time, I suppose I could reapply some glitter to even out the tone, but then the whole thing will end up looking like a disco pumpkin, which . . . not the look I was going for. I also may try to coat the pumpkins lightly with spray adhesive, to see if that prevents glitter shedding.

Right after Halloween is the Day of the Dead. Ever since my father died on All Souls Day I have been interested in the iconography of Day of the Dead (even though my father was Puerto Rican). Two years ago I made calaverita earrings:
Last year, inspired by Alicia Policia's felt skulls (one of which I bought) I decided to make a two-dimensional one myself. I finished the facial features, but then stalled on how to finish it until a few days ago:
The edge needed something, so after experimenting with colored lace I decided the rickrack worked best, especially as it is a marigold color, a flower often associated with Day of the Dead imagery. It then took me another half an hour to pick green perle cotton to hold the rickrack in place with french knots (sometimes I can be too picky about color). Once it is done, I will back it with another layer of felt. I'm also working on the brightly colored skeleton kits from Mill Hill.

Finally, inspired by my success with the Hungry Caterpillar quilt, I decided to get going on the Brown Bear quilt for Beadboy2. Behold the center of the top:
So much faster to put together than the odd pieces of the first one. I think I will add another border using the people fabric.

It feels good to work with my hands again.