Daisies

Every week we travel to a friends house to join in the singing group she runs for a few families.  My youngest loves this group and currently it is the only time in the week we do something, outside the house, specifically for her.  A couple of weeks ago she rang to cancel the group for that week as her daughter was unwell.  By the end of the week she had had a major operation.  Luckily for her when she took her daughter to the GP (doctor) earlier in the week he had referred them to the hospital.

I really wanted to make a small gift for the daughter, something I could post as I was not sure when I would see them again and something that I could make with what I already had in the house.  I decided upon a felt headband using the lovely book, The Children's Year, for measurements.  The book suggests using small pieces of felt cut into shapes to decorate, I wanted daisies and used the Lazy Daisy Stitch with a French Knot in the middle.  A small length of elastic sewn onto the felt and voilà a simple headband.

I can see more of these being made and if we use small pieces of felt, they could be made by my daughter, glued on then a simple running stitch round the edge of each small piece.  A small simple project.

Joining in with Nicole for Keep Calm, Craft On.

King

I was given a lovely book for Christmas the year before last (2012) as I really wanted to start a seasonal table with the children, we were also given a beautiful driftwood tree which has become the centrepiece of our table.  I decided that I would make a few pieces for each season and slowly build a collection of bits and pieces that could sit alongside items collected on walks.  Despite thinking about it I never got round to making anything for that first Winter and some of the pieces I started for Spring were not finished until Autumn!  So as Winter approached last year I thought once again about making something for our table, Christmas rather sapped my time as I was busy with present making so come January I seized the moment and got started.  I knew I didn't have all the bits and pieces the book suggest so I improvised with what I did have.

I started with the head which is made in the Waldorf doll style, I found this easier this time round having made one before.  The first layer is a stretchy jersey material stuffed with wool, the second layer is a stockinette, which is slightly stretchy, both of which were left over from making my first doll.  The book suggests mounting the head onto a wooden post with a round base which I did not have so I made a tube with some cotton material stuffed with wool and a piece of wood in the bottom to help it stand up.  The arms were a pipe cleaner wrapped round with some wool, the robe is cut out in one piece and sewn onto the neck and hands which were made from very small pieces of the stockinette.  The cloak was cut as a square and gathered together at the neck before sewing on.  The eyebrows, moustache, beard and hair are all wool and the crown is felt.  His staff is a pipe cleaner covered in silver foil.  The children love him.

King Winter now is in the land,

he reigns with cold and freezing hand.

He makes Jack Frost touch nose and toes,

and gives our cheeks a shining glow.

So King Winter sits on our seasonal table in all his splendour whilst outside, well, is it really winter?  It seems to be limping along this time in a wet, soggy, greyness not my favourite type of winter at all, give me cold, crisp and snow with a bit of sun and blue sky any day.

The children sat with me at the table whilst I made him, doing their own thing, watching what I was doing or reading the book I was making him from.  Once he was complete they requested I make a Mother Earth next and have been asking for the last week when I am going to make her, I hope that doesn't take me a year to make too! The book I used is The Nature Corner.

Joining in with Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On head on over to see what others have been making and creating.

Autumn

I have been making bits and pieces for our seasonal table over the last week or so.  I realised at the beginning of September when we changed the books in the basket, taking out the summer ones and replacing with autumn, that we had nothing to decorate our tree with.  I have knitted some leaves in autumn inspired colours once again using this pattern.  I might add to these leaves with some felt ones which I thought the children could help with.

We made some little acorn peg people with some friends at a crafting session at their house, we have shared them here where you can also see that the tree is still summery!

We have recently collected a few pieces whilst out on walks to keep them together I thought I would make some bowls to put them in.  I have knitted a bowl which now needs felting and we have made one using fabric and glue, fabric mâché.  To make one of these you need to find a bowl to use as a form and cover it with cling film.  The material needs to be cut into thin strips and the glue, we used PVA, is watered down slightly.  Coat the material in the glue and lay over the bowl covered in cling.  You will to start the strips the right side down for the inside of the bowl, once you have covered the bowl place the strips right side up for the outside of the bowl then leave it to dry.  We made ours last week and went away for the weekend hoping it would be dry when we came back it was on the outside so we separated it from the bowl we were using and found it was a little damp inside still we have had to reglue it a little as it had pulled apart a little.  The material I used was quite thick, it was leftover from the curtains I made in the living room where our seasonal table is, I thought it would be fun if they matched, so it has taken longer to dry.  Once it is fully dry I will trim off the edges to neaten it up.  We got the idea from a book we have borrowed from the library.

The knitted bowl is a really quick knit which I made whilst the children were having their bath, once I had finished I put the completed 'bowl' on top of the children's clothes that needed sorting. When I came to take the knitting downstairs I discovered I was a needle short and hunted around for it to no avail, it still hasn't turned up!

I have several other ideas of things we could make to add to our table including mushrooms and fungi if we have time we will make some this year if not then it can wait until next.  This is our first year having a seasonal table so we are taking it slowly building up items to put on it.