Bean Bag Chair

I have finished a bean bag chair for Avery. He is in cub scouts, thus, the boyscout print fabric (Robert Kaufman designed these prints!) I found the pattern for the chair online. It is on www.makingitfun.blogspot. I plan on making at least one more chair for another little boy on my list. The pattern is pretty simple. The outside cover is removable for cleaning. It was hard to find the bean bag filler for a reasonable price in the stores. I ended up purchasing a cheap beanbag at Walmart and using the filler from that one. It was a lot less expensive then buying the filler at the local fabric store.

Warm Woolen Mittens!

I have discovered the process of felting old wool sweaters. It is so simple! The above hats, mittens and stuffed bunny all began their life as a men's sweater and a shawl. The instructions for felting the wool sweaters is at www.sewnews.com/resources/library/hol06/ All you need is a washing machine and a few old sweaters. I used 100% wool items - they are the easiest to felt! I laid the sweaters flat to dry so there were no creases in them and I waited until they were completely dry to begin sewing. I then placed the finished hats on a metal bowl and used an iron to
steam and shape them after I sewed them. I modified the pattern for the mitten and hats from the one in the Sew News article. I made a fingerless mitten for Clara and then purchased inexpensive knitted gloves to fit inside of them for a layered effect.

I made the pattern for the large and small stuffed bunnies myself. I used brown grocery bags on which to draw the pattern. The "baby" bunny fits inside a pocket on the front of the "mommy" bunny. I had such a great time with this project I will certainly felt old sweaters again!

The Oliver Doll & Grandma Hazel's Tree

The Oliver doll is done! I used the Weewonderfuls pattern again. You can find this pattern at http://www.weewonderfuls.com/! I think he bears a striking resemblance to his name sake! What do you think? I have very few completed projects to show this week but I continue to craft away preparing Christmas gifts. I also decorated my home for Christmas this past weekend. Yes, I know we have not even had Thanksgiving but it is my favorite season and I could not wait to deck the halls!

My grandmother Hazel's tree holds a place of importance in our home. It is a vintage, silver tree that I love! It makes me smile and reminds me of grandma. On the tree are some of my favorite ornaments that make an appearance every year. I have also hung the silhouette ornaments of the children that I featured in an earlier post. I just need to make my first batch of gingerbread cookies and it will really feel like Christmas around here!

Wee Wonderfuls Dolls

I have completed baby dolls to give as gifts to some of the younger girls on my list. I got the pattern from the wee wonderfuls blog (one of my favorites). The pattern called for felt hair but I chose to do yarn hair instead. I had left over fabric and decided to make aprons for the girls as well because every good dolly mommy should have a coordinating apron! Oliver wants to play with all the baby dolls and insisted on being part of the photo shoot so I think I will make him a boy doll for Christmas too!

Silhouettes for Christmas

I have begun to do silhouettes of the children for various Christmas projects. The image above will be on our Christmas cards this year. The silhouettes, though time consuming, are pretty easy to create. I took photos of the children's profiles. I used the photo as a template and cut out the image on black scrapbook paper using an exacto knife. I scanned the resulting silhouettes into the computer in order to do some of the projects (card, ornament....) Instead of mounting the black cutout onto white paper and framing it I decided to make decorative plates. I went to the flea market and found old plates that I thought would work. I used modge podge to adhere the cutout to the center of the plate and I coated the plate. When it was dry I added a coat of non-yellowing, glass-like epoxy. If you would rather mount the cutout onto paper you do not have to use plain paper. It would be a nice effect to mount the cutout in the center of sheet music or a page of type from an old book. The ornaments are made with a plain, cardboard ornament from the craft store. I made a copy of the silhouette on my computer. I adhered it to one side of the ornament and some scrapbook paper to the other side using modge podge. I also used epoxy to coat the ornament and create a glass like appearance. the silhouettes are a lot of fun to create and the possibilities they present are numerous. I plan on doing more with silhouettes this season!

My Second Oil Painting

My Oil painting class continues. this is my second landscape. The instructor gave us a photo from which to paint. We only have one class left following this one, however, I plan on signing up for the next one after the holidays!