the wolf suit

ggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr
{this is the polite version of what was muttered repeatedly during the making of this suit!}

well it was a real labour of love
but thanks to advice from crafter...oo and twitter friends and my partner gently pushing me along
i got the wished for wolf suit finished at midnight on Christmas eve!

i ended up making a wolf ears headband
rather than a hood
{but i will make a hood sometime}

the boy with his other wished for item
a laser gun {which is very annoying and loud}
the suit is a bit on the big side but it'll last a few years!
I'm really pleased that i made it
and got it finished in time
because he was so pleased with it :0)

a wolf's tale!

i've added a video too :0)
{excuse my mad dog killing a teletubby in the background!}

vintage haberdashery wreath

i decided to make a haberdashery themed wreath

with some of my "stash"

i got the idea for it when i was playing with
these stitch counters

i used an embroidery hoop as the base

the red buttons are large '60's coat buttons with a brass loop shank which i fastened between
the two hoops

i then wrapped the tinsel around the hoop and
threaded the large bakelite needles through the tinsel
and skewered the ball of wool

i made two tape measure rosettes which i tied on

and then wired on two pairs of vintage scissors

i wired the stitch markers threaded
onto a plastic crochet hook
to the top of the wreath and added a yarn loop.

i'm really pleased with it :0)

Christmas Suffolk Puff ball

After making the pink puff ball i decided
i needed to make a more christmas coloured one

i love it!


here's a tutorial

what i used:
a 5" bauble
six different fabrics
i made about 17 puffs - 1.5" - 2" & 2.5"
enough buttons for the puffs
sewing threads and needles
ribbon for hanging

step one - make lots of suffolk puffs in different sizes and fabrics

step two - add buttons to the centres to cover the hole

step three - start sewing* the puffs together keep
trying them on the bauble to check they are in the right place.
When the bauble was about half way covered i realised that i needed some different fabric puffs because i didn't want the same fabric to meet.
It starts to get a bit trickier here as you need to pull and stitch the puffs together trying to
avoid any of the bauble to show through
* it would save time if you glued the puffs on but i didn't want to *

step four - keep going pulling, overlapping and stitching the remaining puffs until the bauble is completely covered

step five - add a ribbon to hang it up
*voila*

and yep my window is still filthy but i've been busy making puffs!

hair clips for Ruby

my gorgeous boy turned five this week

{please excuse the chocolate face}

but it was hard to eat these without making a bit of a mess!!!
{i'm very proud that i made these because my Mum assumed i'd bought them}

*******
i'm still making Suffolk Puffs like an addict!

i made these clips for a friends daughter

i finally got around to cutting into my spotty toadstool fabric!

the snowflake buttons are glittery but the
camera's not really picked that up

*******
and here is my latest project

should be finished tomorrow!

Suffolk puff and singed flower brooch

i made this brooch as a birthday present for my Aunty Jane
it is made from some textured silk that was left over from bridesmaid dresses
some recycled netting and two different silky/satin fabrics

continuing with my suffolk puff obsession i made two puffs
added a vintage dark mother-of-pearl shanked button
and then cut differing sizes of net and fabrics singing the synthetics
but leaving the silk rough edged

i then sewed them altogether and added a brooch pin.
i hope she likes it,
i feel bad as it is a week since her birthday
but i've still not got it together to see her or get her gift to her.

it has been a busy and difficult week and this week i think will be busy too but hopefully less difficult,
it is the boys birthday on Tuesday and i have no idea how those five years went so very quickly.
Right i'm off to soft play hell for his party, where's the nurofen?

a suffolk puff ball

so i've gotten totally addicted to making
Suffolk puffs!

there's something really satisfying about sitting in front of the tv sewing and watching the little pile of puffs mount up!

i've been looking to make something new for christmas and bought a bag of large baubles from the charity shop the other day, i was going to glue buttons on to them but i couldn't get them quite how i wanted, so whilst sewing puffs i thought ooh i could cover the baubles with these

so i did!

really bad light for photo's right now

i sewed the puffs on to the bauble which was very
time consuming glue would be quicker but i hate glue!

not very christmassy colours

but i really like it :0)

*******
when i had the idea i really thought i was being original
then whilst blog hopping i found this photo on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthsinger/4070112366/

and remembered that i'd seen it before and this ladies lovely blog

http://mantua-maker.blogspot.com/

it's not so easy being an original crafter!
things tend to lodge in your mind
and if you're like me you forget where you found your inspiration!


check out Ruth's lovely etsy shop too

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ruthsinger

Alice in Wonderland craft swap

http://meridianariel.blogspot.com/2009/12/alice-in-wonderland-swap.html

my friend MeridianAriel is hosting an
Alice in Wonderland craft swap
how could anyone resist that?
sign up by 31st December and post out your swap by 22nd February
to coincide with the launch of the Tim Burton movie version {which i'm very excited about!}
so no excuses about being too busy because of Christmas either!

go on, go on, GO ON !!!!
or i'll chop off your heads

suffolk puffs or yo-yo's

i've been meaning to try making these for AGES
and today was the day
i followed this lovely clear tutorial

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/how_to_make_a_yoyo/index.html

here's my first attempt which i made into a hair clip
using a clip i got as part of a giveaway i won from
Gone to Earth
http://www.gonetoearth.co.uk/primrosecorner/

then i made this
i'd already made the lace and duck button part
but it needed something else so i made a puff with one
of the fat quarters i'd won in the same giveaway

then i added another vintage doily from my stash
and a brooch pin on the back

here's a brooch i'd made awhile ago
but i've finally added a brooch pin
i'll be adding these to my Folksy shop today

********

look what i found in the charity shop
oh so fragile vintage glass baubles
they were a complete steal at 50p

yes really 50p !
i'm so pleased with my thrifting skills right now!

crochet cameo brooches

i've been making these sweet vintage cameo brooches
with thrifted brooches and thrifted crochet doilies
and ribbons

but as is the way with using thrifted supplies
i only have one of these cameos!

which is a shame 'cause i'm trying to make things to go in my shops
but i really want to keep this one!

so next i made this one with an altered button,
i have stamped a bird on a distressed/aged metal button and then varnished it.

i actually LOVE this one too but it is going in my FOLKSY shop!

http://www.folksy.com/items/121802-crochet-and-cameo-style-button-brooch

80's fantasy movie swap - received

oooohhh look what the postman brought me!
after trying to excuse the state of myself
{wild-haired,un-washed and still in my pj's at lunchtime}
by giving the flu warning
i signed for my parcel and ran off to open it!

ooh heavy parcels what's inside?

a fancy papered box

containing a set of Labyrinth themed coasters

phwoar at David Bowies leggings!
and gasp at the amazing 80's BIG HAIR!
i shudder to think of the ammount of time i spent
back combing and spraying my hair in the eighties!

yummy sweeties and sweet fairies and irridescent glass buttons

and last of all a really clever photo of the Goblin King himself
it's made up of a mosiac of stills from the movie - cool eh?
thanks to Carmen http://whoopidooings.blogspot.com/
for cheering me up with a present during the misery of 'flu
and a big thanks also to Meridian Ariel for organising the swap!